By Lorraine O’Keefe

Growing up, our family moved around a lot. By the time I graduated from high school, I’d attended nine schools on both coasts and in the Midwest. To this day, I can still recall by name every teacher I had in elementary school and a number of my middle and high school teachers. In first grade, Miss Strothers instilled in me a love for writing. Mrs. Klein reached out to me during a difficult family time in fourth grade. In eighth grade, Mr. Stenstrup made science come alive in the community with creative field trips. I still recount with fondness Mr. Manzetti’s 9th and 10th grade algebra questions that began with “Let me shed some light on…” My mom taught in public schools all across the country for more than 20 years. She even taught at Juvenile Hall. She came alive in the classroom. She loved her students and the opportunity to instill a passion for learning in them. My two brothers and I never realized what a blessing it would be to have an English teacher for a mom. Today, I get paid to write. My older brother is an attorney and my younger brother is in sales. All three of us rely heavily on the “proper and expansive use of the English language” our mom so diligently instilled in us growing up. And now, I am passing on that legacy to my nieces and nephews. Just the other day, I had a great conversation with my 10-year-old nephew about how thought-filled and impeccably handwritten his writing has become. “Handwriting neatly so that people can actually read it shows respect,” I told him. “It says what you’re saying is important to communicate.” Thank you, English Teacher Mom, for teaching me “i before e,” “a person who (not that),” “she and I vs. me and him” and so much more — like buying me my first thesaurus at age 10. Or sending my multi-page letters (of scribbles) at age 3 to Grandma in California. I now make a living based on what I learned from my teachers.

To learn more about Lorraine O’keefe visit her website: www.thinkinbig.com

Last week, one of the schools we filmed at Markham Middle School, held a press conference stating they were part of an ACLU lawsuit against the state of California and LAUSD. Today, Principal Tim Sullivan of Markham Middle School joins us to speak about WHY this is happening and WHAT led up to filing a lawsuit.

Before you read Mr. Sullivan’s words, please take a moment to look at the photograph below.  This moment was captured last year the morning Mr. Sullivan found out he received a pink slip along with more than 45 percent of his staff.  He was contemplating how he would share the devastating news and how he could possibly protect the children.  The film crew quickly came to realize budget cuts affected so much more than anyone really speaks to. We were eyewitnesses to watching how Mr. Sullivan led his school through the turmoil and upheaval, trying to make the transition as smoothly as possible.  The children were left confused and scared by the realization that they were being abandoned.  To the kids, they thought it was a choice by the adults to leave…they couldn’t process the fact that the state didn’t have enough money to keep their favorite teacher or administrator at the school caring for them.  Alex, an 8th grader commented, “But this is America, why wouldn’t we have money?”

Our state has to do better by its kids

By Tim Sullivan

I am Tim Sullivan, principal of Markham Middle School. I support my students, and their peers at Gompers and Leichty Middle School, in the lawsuit filed today because I see firsthand the extreme educational disruption the budget-driven layoffs are causing at my school. Our state has to do better by its kids.

I’ve been working in schools for 21 years and I have never before now felt the sense of hopelessness in my professional environment that I feel around me now. Our school lost superstars, who wanted to teach here, because of external budget decisions, not because there was anything deficient about the teachers. Losing the teachers we lost, who we knew helped put Markham on the road to academic success, was devastating and the replacements were not fast in coming and often did not want to stay here. We did not have senior teachers lining up at the door clamoring to come teach at Markham.

The process itself was chaotic and bad for kids. We didn’t know how many people we would need to hire or when. The district never even sent a list to my school of the teachers who would be laid off so we could plan. The list the district did send, identifying teacher seniority so we could guess who might be laid off, was only about 70% accurate.

I knew I could not rely on that. During a full week job fair at the district, only two or maybe three total job applications came to Markham, but we had 24 teaching positions to fill. Our kids have seen revolving doors of substitutes this year when they could have enjoyed instruction from a teacher who was present on day one and ready to work with the students all year.

I came to Markham because it posed a challenge I wanted to meet. I love this school and think I have the greatest job in the world.

But I know I can’t go through this process of teacher decimation again. It’s too much. I came here to plant a seed and watch it grow.

I want to be able to do that job. The chaos we are now seeing comes from funding; we need to fund our schools so students can learn. We find money for the spotted owl and the desert turtle, but in California we don’t find the money for our children. Our children are our most precious resource. It is our moral obligation as a state & country to make education a priority over all children. The next generation of Californians lives are at stake, help to save their lives.

By Marshall Tuck, CEO of Partnership for Los Angeles Schools

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit yesterday against the State of California and LAUSD alleging teacher layoffs, due to the budget crisis, deprive thousands of low-income and minority students their legal right to an education consistent with statewide standards.  Specifically, the lawsuit challenges the equity of last year’s teacher layoffs at Gompers, Markham and Leichty Middle Schools. The suit was filed in superior court by the ACLU of Southern California, Public Counsel Law Center and the law firm of Morrison & Foerster LLP on behalf of the students at these three schools.

At a press conference at Markham Middle School yesterday, teachers, principals and students from Markham and Gompers stood before cameras and reporters and expressed their support for the ACLU lawsuit.  Principals Sonia Miller and Tim Sullivan, as well as teachers Nicholas Melvoin, Kirti Baranwal, Eileen McDonnell, Lauren Varona, Maria Ramirez, Iliana Quintero, Nicole Klanfer and Raymond Velasco all played critical roles in making this lawsuit a reality.  Moreover, Markham 7th grader Conception Manuel-Flores and Gompers 8th grader Sharail Reed demonstrated exceptional maturity in sharing their personal stories of how last year’s layoffs affected them and their education.  Without the dedication and courage of these teachers and students, this critical civil rights legal action would never have seen the light day.   We are very proud of our school communities.

Reprinted with permission from the author.

Gompers and Markham are operated by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s nonprofit Partnership for Los Angeles Schools.

To read the complaint and statements: ACLU website: http://www.aclu-sc.org

To learn more about Partnership for Los Angeles Schools:  http://www.partnershipla.org

To learn more about Markham Middle School: http://www.markhameagles.org/

About the Author:

Marshall Tuck, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Partnership for Los Angeles Schools

Marshall Tuck joined Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s staff in 2007 to help lead the effort to improve public education for all children in Los Angeles.  Prior to joining the Mayor’s office, Marshall was President and COO of Green Dot Public Schools, one of the leading operators of charter schools in the country.  At Green Dot, Marshall led a team of 250 employees that operated ten charter high schools in some of the most need-based areas of Los Angeles.  Under his leadership, students at all Green Dot schools outperformed their peers at comparable schools in both academic achievement and graduation rates.  Prior to Green Dot, Marshall acted as General Manager of the Strategic Accounts group at Model N, a successful enterprise software company.  Marshall’s background includes work as an investment banker at Salomon Brothers and a volunteer Math and English teacher in Zimbabwe and Thailand. He graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA and received an MBA from the Harvard Business School

Whether you’re an administrator, teacher, parent, student, concerned citizen, you have an opportunity to have an impact on education by making your voice be heard.

President Obama plans to overhaul the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, which was passed nine years ago with overwhelming bi-partisan support. NCLB set standards of learning for all schools yet hasn’t quite turned out the results hoped for. No law is sacred, and looks like this one is about to under go reconstruction.

The Obama administration’s proposed changes would alter the standards by which schools are deemed successful or not as well as eliminate the 2014 deadline for universal proficiency for American children.

The Congressional Education and Labor Committee, chaired by George Miller, is beginning the process of rewriting No Child Left Behind. Committee members released a statement that said:

“Today, we’re announcing a bipartisan, open and transparent effort to rewrite No Child Left Behind – a law that we all agree is in need of major reform. It will start with a series of hearings in the coming weeks to explore the challenges and opportunities ahead as we work to ensure an excellent education is available to every student in America. With a real commitment to innovation, we invite all stakeholders who share our serious interest in building a world-class education system to email us their suggestions.”

“The committee’s first hearing will focus on charter schools and will be held on February 24, 2010.”

“Beginning today, groups and stakeholders can send the committee their input and suggestions at eseacomments@mail.house.gov. The deadline for comments is March 26, 2010.”

We are often asked what kind of action to take to help education in America…well let your voice be heard. Please email your comments by March 26, 2010!!!

So, we have taken the plunge in exploring the wonderful world of Twitter. For all of you who have gone this route, you know how much Twitter differs from Facebook. Facebook is all about interfacing with your family and friends whereas Twitter is all about conversing with people with similar interests. For us this means meeting new friends & finding out what they are up to in the world of education! Well, we have met some extraordinary educators who are making a difference everyday! And today we are introducing you to Dr. Jeff Goldstein. Jeff is an astrophysicist, educator, writer…but he caught our attention with this Tweet: “We are killing ourselves on a NASA proposal out of the WH to reach underserved in sci ed - our focus is DC.” Seriously, how many “friends” do you have that are creating NASA proposals?  Ahh, the world of Twitter has certainly opened up our universe! We are happy to share his insightful blog on “The Art of Teaching…” Thank you Dr. Goldstein for being our guest blogger!

“The Art of Teaching - In Tough Times, a Thank You to Teachers Everywhere”

By Jeff Goldstein

*This post originally appeared in the blog “Blogs on the Universe” as well as crossposted at The Huffington Post on September 8, 2009 . Reprinted with permission from the author.

It’s a new school year and teachers are now back in classrooms across America. During these tough times I wanted to write something that might help inspire the new teacher, reaffirm to the seasoned professional why we went into teaching in the first place, and recognize the remarkable gift that teachers in our lives give to us all.

My thinking actually began with a question that appeared one day on LinkedIn in the “Education and Schools” category:

What early-school teacher do you remember most vividly, and why?

It’s a question that got me thinking about not just my early school teachers, but teachers that affected me throughout my education, from Little Red Train Nursery School, to my Ph.D. classwork in astrophysics.

Good teachers in our lives are not characterized by the grade level at which you encounter them but by the learning environment they foster. The teachers that made a difference in my life, and helped me empower myself to blaze a trail, had something in common. They recognized that it was MY journey, and they were there to help guide the way. Through a love of teaching, and a passion for exploration, they did not impose their authority, or credentials, or ego. They gently, patiently guided my interactions with a brave new world, whether it was the world of reading or an understanding of the very laws of nature that govern the universe.

The great teachers knew when to first lead and guide — to get you walking in a new direction, and then … knew when to gently get out of the way. Conversely my worst teachers were those that treated learning as a one way flow of information from them to us, did not get emotionally involved in the experience, and sometimes in college, were professors who felt they could come down from the mountain of knowledge and we would bow before them. Now that I’m older and wiser (hah) I wish I could take some of those classes over again, and let the great teachers know how much they truly meant to me in that very moment of learning, and let the bad teachers know they were doing damage to their students, creating misconceptions about science, exploration, and the teaching profession that could last a lifetime.

Teaching is wonderfully human, and for lack of a better word, pure. It is important to preserve this noble profession, with good paying jobs, treatment of teachers — at all grade levels — as the professionals they are, and ensuring there is a system of rewards that recognizes the great teacher, encourages the good to become great, and removes the bad teacher from the classroom they do not deserve.

This is actually pretty serious stuff. We are talking about a profession that nurtures our children, the next generation, so that they may take their rightful place at the helm of the human race, and steer it in the right direction.

So, to answer the original question (but with my own twist), and recognizing that teachers are meant to arrive on the scene long before you first experience a classroom, here are just a handful of moments that stand out…

710 Tower Court, Uniondale, Long Island — A Place Called Home, 1964
 - Thank you mom and dad for making my life an adventure. You taught me so much, It would take a book to do justice to your gifts to me. So let me say that I still have the book you gave to me when I was seven, Horton Hears a Who, by Dr. Seuss. It taught me a person’s a person no matter how small, even the Whos in Whoville. That book opened for me a profound understanding of tiny Earth’s place — MY PLACE — in a greater universe. Please know that I’ve shared that book with tens of thousands of children, parents, and teachers. You threw a stone in a pond that day and the ripple seems destined to go on forever.

Smith Street Elementary School, Uniondale, Long Island, 1966
 - Thank you Mrs. Peterson for what you did for me in 4th grade. I remember that special moment when you were teaching us about maps of the world. You pointed to a river and said it flowed north, and then moved on to other features on the map. Everyone else seemed to get it, but I didn’t. How could a river flow “up”? Don’t rivers only flow “down”? In frustration I raised my hand. You didn’t dismiss me. You didn’t tell me I’ll talk to you later. You embraced my question and worked me through it with the rest of the class in tow. You helped me see in three dimensions. You made my problem a teachable moment for the class. I hope the smile on my face gave you joy. I became an astrophysicist … and a teacher. Please know that long after that special moment back in 1966, a piece of you lives on in me.

Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, NY 1972
Thank you Ms. Strauss. In 10th grade you showed me the world of geometry and gave me an understanding of the framework of the universe. I LOVED your class. You also gave me an “E/N” on my quarterly report card. ‘E” for excellence in academics, but “N” for needs improvement in behavior. To this day it seems like one is in conflict with the other. How can poor behavior go hand-in-hand with excellence in academics? I know I was a handful. But you recognized it was just me pushing for ownership in learning. Everything you said took my mind in different directions, each path screaming to be explored. You did your thing with the grade, and then embraced my spirit and my uniqueness just like you did with everyone else in the class. I know it was like herding cats, and it took a great deal of energy, but I can only imagine the profound effects you’ve had on thousands of students. So for all of them … thank you.

Queens College, City University of New York, Queens, NY, 1979
 - Thank you Professor Hoffmann. Your class in Theoretical Mechanics when I was a college senior meant the world to me. I hung on your every word. You spoke of Einstein as if you knew him, because … you worked with him at Princeton. And the way that you embraced your students — gently guiding us through a brave new world — allowed us to feel we knew Einstein too. At the end of class I made sure to shake your hand to thank you for the great adventure, and through that touch, I felt connected to a legacy of exploration.

To my parents, and my teachers — thank you for showing me the way. As my gift to you, please know that I’ve tried to continue your legacy.

P.S. I emailed Bronx Science to see if I could contact Ms. Strauss. I wanted to make sure it was okay to use her name for this post. Turns out she is still teaching at this national treasure of a high school. So I wrote her, and asked if she remembered me. After all, it’s been 37 years. She wrote back:

Dear Jeff,

Of course I remember you…row 4 seat 5.

I read that and I got pretty teary-eyed. That’s exactly where I sat. Teachers like her are a national treasure. So here’s a thought. Track down an old teacher that meant the world to you and tell them just that.

Follow Jeff Goldstein on Twitter: www.twitter.com/doctorjeff

And while you are there make you sure follow us as well: www.twitter.com/dreamwitmefilm

You can also visit Jeff at blogontheuniverse.org

Here is a little bit more on Dr. Jeff Goldstein: Jeff Goldstein is a nationally recognized science educator and planetary scientist who has dedicated his career to the public understanding of science and the joys of learning. As Center Director for the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, Dr. Goldstein oversees programs that engage entire communities, train 3,000 teachers annually, and emphasize on family learning. He led the inter-organizational team that permanently installed the Voyage model Solar System on the National Mall in Washington, DC, in front of the Smithsonian. It reveals Earth’s place-our place-in space. The Voyage National Program is permanently installing replicas in 100 communities world-wide.

Dr. Goldstein was at the National Air and Space Museum for 8 years, departing in 1996 as acting Chair of the Lab for Astrophysics. He was on the senior staff at Challenger Center 1996-2005. In 2005 he created the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education.

A couple of months ago, we heard a story about 6th grade boy who showed up to PE class without his gym clothes.  The PE teacher decided to use the boy as an example in front of the class.  When the shy boy told the teacher he didn’t have his gym clothes, the teacher said in front of the entire class, “You are lazy and will never amount to anything.”  The boy hung his head in shame as the teacher continued chastising and telling him he would be nothing in life.  The teacher pointed to the street and said, “See that corner out there. That is where you will be one day begging for a quarter.”  The teacher sent the boy to the office to borrow gym clothes.

When the boy returned the teacher told the class, “Now if he ever begs you for a quarter don’t give it to him and if you see him later on in life still begging don’t give him a quarter then.”  The class laughed.

What is truly sad is that this boy and his mom are currently homeless.  Now, the teacher did not know this but what the teacher should have understood is how words can have a lasting and profound affect on a child.  The boy is described as being shy but is well spoken, smart and has a real love to learn.  So, when given a choice why would any adult make him feel like he is nothing?

His mom may not have an ideal living situation for her child yet she does care about her son.  Upon hearing what happened in class, his mom immediately had her son write his story.  In it he expresses how the teacher made him feel “blue”.  The next day, the boy’s mom went to the library where she utilized the community resources of free computers to write her own letter.  Afterwards, she made copies of both letters and sent them to the mayor, the superintendent and the principal. Because of her actions, the teacher was sent home on leave.  But, how do you undo the humiliation?  Unfortunately, the words may have a lasting affect on both this boy and his classmates.

Last year in the schools, we learned that every moment with children is a teaching moment.  They are constantly watching, learning and modeling after adult behavior.  They are like sponges soaking all of it up.  On this day, what did the PE teacher model for the children in the class?  That it was okay to label someone lazy and laugh at his expense? Sure, the teacher didn’t know the boy was homeless but should it have mattered?  Is it his fault his family is in a dire situation?  Is it his fault his mom probably couldn’t afford the gym clothes?  Is it his fault the PE teacher was probably having a bad day?  He is only 11 years old.  Where should a child learn how to grow into a responsible, respectful adult who will to contribute to their home as well as the community?  Is it only at home?  Or also at school?  Often times, we hear people talking about safety in our schools.  Well, how can a child feel safe when adults are allowed to speak to them in a way, which breaks their spirit, hopes and dreams?  When this child leaves school, he has to worry about what corner his family will be sleeping on, so shouldn’t school be the place he can go to every day to feel secure, safe and peaceful?

His mom demonstrated how much she cares for her child by her actions.  He may not have the fortune that some children have but he is fortunate to have a loving mom who will stand up for her child.  In return, she teaches her child that it isn’t about what you don’t have; it is about what you do have.  Even when you may be down on your luck, doesn’t mean you have to accept the circumstances of being treated less than – His mother showed him a lot through this experience but what we gained from it is this - the power of VOICE. The Mayor heard this boy’s story because he has a caring mother.  Her actions made change.  If the teacher returns then hopefully the time off will have been valuable to understand and to learn to communicate differently to the children.  This shows how one person can really make a difference in the community.

Today, we went back to visit Markham Middle School to see what changes are happening! What we found was incredibly inspiring. And it is time to start sharing our stories from the field.

The Co-Principals, Tim Sullivan and Precious Taylor have brought peace to a once chaotic campus. Last year in September 2008, students would show up late to school or class leaving clusters of students sprinkled all over campus. At times, hundreds of children would be roaming the school without adult supervision. Making the school vulnerable to safety issues.

Mr. Sullivan and Ms. Taylor’s first tasks (along with so many other tasks) were to create the expectation of classroom attendance. See, somewhere along the way, someone stopped watching the children so the kids were doing what they do best…being kids. Sometimes as adults we forget that as a child your real priority is to be a kid. Peter Pan anyone?

The first 3 months of the 2008 school year, Mr. Sullivan and Ms. Taylor would stand by the front gates of the school each morning greeting the children. They would encourage the children to get to class or tell a student to tie his shoe but mostly they would stand there smiling warmly calling out the children by name. Slowly but surely the campus culture began to change.

When asked about why greeting the children each morning is important the Co-Principals said in unison, “We love the children so what could possibly be more important than connecting with them each morning? They need to see us and know we are here.”

As filmmakers, we wanted to know the children’s perspective about why they didn’t make it to class or went late in the beginning of the year. The first few students we asked told us how before no one seem to care about whether or not if they showed up to school but now it is different. Of course we asked, “What is so different this year?” We heard over and over again, “the principals.”

We then polled the children about their previous Principal, the first student said, “I don’t really remember ever seeing him walking around like our new Principals.” We thought the child had made a mistake when she referred to the past predecessor as a HE when she was a SHE. But, then 75 children later…it became clear as day. As Alex, an 8^th grader said, “The past Principal never left HIS office. We never saw HIM walking around like we do Mr. Sullivan and Ms. Taylor.” Sigh, the kids didn’t even know the gender of their past Principal who resided for a year and a half.

No one can blame the children because before the dynamic duo…the students never saw their Principal on campus. There was a lack of leadership and community. The children felt it.

Last year, when we asked 7^th grader Emily how this made her feel to see the new Co-Principals out and about in and out of classrooms all day with an open door policy to their office. Emily grinned, “I feel like they care. And it makes me care about coming to school. I have been getting here early. I like it this year.”

We found that when the children felt cared by the teachers and principals they seemed to thrive in the classroom.  Of course, there are always exceptions but could it really be as simple as that?

UPDATE ON THE STUDENTS FROM THIS BLOG:  Alex went on to graduate 8th grade and is currently doing well in high school.   Emily went on to improve her grades significantly from the year before. And she is thriving this year as an 8^th grader.

Today one of our own “Dream with Me” teammates Henri Hebert is profiled in the online newsletter “Your Industry Insider: Breaking in, Moving Up, Making It in Entertainment.“

Check it out: http://yourindustryinsider.com/2010/02/inside-scoop-filmmaker-henri-hebert/

thanks,

the Dream with Me team