Letters: Taking Back the Class

"The real name of the game is 1) not getting fired and 2) finding ways of infusing a standardized curriculum with creativity and technology and making it engaging for children. This is not easy, but it is something we must do."

Mathew Needleman

Second-grade teacher

Los Angeles Unified School District

Culver City, California

Credit: Edutopia

Parallel Paths

I was reading "Taking Back the Class" (July/August 2006) and wondered how you knew so much about what happened to me -- this is my story! Right down to my decision to resign, I thought I was reading about myself, though I have pursued legal action.

On one hand, it was uplifting to hear that others had experienced what I have gone through -- other exceptional teachers pushed out of the classroom where they made magic happen; I call it making the impossible possible. On the other hand, it just saddened me to read that this problem is more widespread than I realized.

Luckily, I had a stable, challenging, and important job in curriculum development to go to, but I feel for those who don't have such an opportunity. Thank you for telling me about these fellow travelers. It makes me believe that we still might be able to right some of the wrongs we've experienced, and that many of us will one day find our way back to the classroom, where our magic can once again happen.

Tom Robinson

Teacher, math/science curriculum developer

Apex Learning Virtual School

Seattle, Washington

Practiced Master

A point in "Teacher Preparation: Learn from the Masters" (July/August 2006) -- "Resources that pay for central office supervisors and campus-bound professors might need to be diverted to where the action is -- the schools and classrooms of master teachers" -- is incontrovertible.

It thus is unfortunate that the authors repeatedly praise teachers with National Board Certification. A study indicates that students of those teachers do not learn at a significantly higher level than do students whose teachers have not attained this costly accreditation. A "master" teacher truly is one whose students learn more while under his or her guidance than they did with prior teachers.

Patrick Groff

Education professor emeritus

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

Community Learning

I very much enjoyed "Getting Beyond the School as Temple" (July/August 2006). What you describe is at the heart of my Project Inkwell efforts. I've had a challenging time articulating the promise of one-to-one learning enabled by one-to-one access as many folks try to wrap this model with the traditional lenses, infrastructure, and inhibitors of our somewhat antiquated model of schooling.

The article helped me conceptualize the role of community as school, an environment where learners self-mobilize around topics of interest in locations as numerous as the learners themselves. As I see it, we can shift learning from an environment where time and place are the constants and learning is a variable to one where learning is a constant and time and location are the variables.

Bruce Wilcox

CEO, Project Inkwell

San Diego, California

Bold Approach

I enjoyed the April/May 2006 issue and found the "Readers' Survey" interesting. I agree with a lot of the opinions on such topics as the NCLB, and about Staples being a great bargain, but I could hardly believe teachers have no idea what blogs are. They're mentioned on CNN and MSNBC, and the networks even have their own blogs! Even if all you do is watch the news, you know. If you don't have time to watch the news, you don't have time to educate. Even in prekindergarten, it is important to stay on top of news that could be affecting your children.

I thought the article "Risky Business" was great. We push our kids so hard, yet we seem to be going nowhere fast. And it doesn't help that the business world does not seem to grasp the connection between educating children and economic growth and stability. This is a very hot topic, and I am impressed to see you cover it.

As a teacher who works with disadvantaged children, it is hard for me to believe that so many articles appear about how education should be run, but none mention children who are at a disadvantage before they even arrive. The NCLB is certainly not considering them.

There are not enough teachers' magazines bold enough to deal with these issues. Keep up the good work.

Rebecca Taylor

Charlotte, North Carolina

Prep School

Thank you for my magazine and e-newsletter subscriptions. I've been preparing to teach for about a year now and hope to have my first teaching position this fall, and reading your publications has been a huge help to me. I now have a better vision of what a classroom should be, and how to provide a learning environment that works for every child. Thanks for all the inspiration and guidance.

Jane McLain

Prospective teacher

Dunedin, Florida

Letters to the editor are a vital part of the conversation. Send your thoughts, corrections, or even complaints to letters@edutopia.org, or Letters to the Editor, Edutopia magazine, P.O. Box 3494, San Rafael, CA 94912. Be sure to include your name, affiliation, and contact information. Letters may be edited for length and clarity prior to publication.