Hi everyone,
Many of you know I'm on the Southeastern Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) for the US Department of Education. Each RAC is charged with conducting a needs assessment, and submitting a report to the Secretary of Education. Members of the public can now comment on this website- http://www.seiservices.com/rac/
As a RAC member, I can not tell you how to comment. But I will say that comments will be synthesized, so the more people who comment on the same need, the more likely that need is to be discussed by the RAC and included in their recommendations.
To comment, choose your region of residence from the drop-down menu, and then click "COMMENTS." You will be asked to click your state or residence, and your role (Teacher, Parent, etc). It will make things easier for the people synthesizing the comments if you use a simple format such as:
PROBLEM/ NEED:
PROPOSED SOLUTION:
The committee must not only identify needs, but also suggest practical ways to solve the problems. When discussing a need it is good to keep the comment succinct, but personal narratives are welcome as a means of explanation.
Each RAC will also hold two webinars in June. Up to 300 members of the public may listen in on these webinars, but not participate. Any comments must be made on the website.
Time is limited- each RAC will conclude by the end of June, and hold their webinars starting Wednesday, June 8.The SE RAC's first webinar is Monday, June 13 from 11 am- 1 pm, Eastern time.
Again, the website is http://www.seiservices.com/rac/. Thank you in advance for sharing this information with interested parties.
Summer
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Cultural Tourism in Bertie Co.
I've been on a few drives around the county lately with my teaching buddies, here are some pictures of the gloriousness.
This is actually in.. Beaufort Co. I think. It looks like some kind of alien abduction site, but it's hard to see all the towers in the picture.
Back Swamp Church of Christ Disciples!
Random house in the Indian Woods area of Bertie Co.
Deer stands are all over the place around here
The road ends and turns into a track through the field! I find this metaphoric for Bertie.
Again with the fields...
According to local folklore, this was a hanging true during slavery times.
Old plantation home, an Outlaw lived here. Outlaw is seriously a common name in these parts.
This is actually in.. Beaufort Co. I think. It looks like some kind of alien abduction site, but it's hard to see all the towers in the picture.
Back Swamp Church of Christ Disciples!
Random house in the Indian Woods area of Bertie Co.
Deer stands are all over the place around here
The road ends and turns into a track through the field! I find this metaphoric for Bertie.
Again with the fields...
According to local folklore, this was a hanging true during slavery times.
Old plantation home, an Outlaw lived here. Outlaw is seriously a common name in these parts.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Letters to Arne, day 2
I am very concerned about my education and I have a few ideas on how it might be easier for us as students. One of my ideas is to lend our school some money because apparently we are broke. Another is to start school at like 10:00 am so we can be awake and excited to learn. My last idea is to get a better lunch for us, because we can’t learn if we are sick.
Sincerely,
HA
I am writing this letter to tell you what I think the government could do to help me and every other student in the U.S.A. get a better education. I personaly thing that we should have a class just to learn things that we are going to need in the real world. What I am trying to say is that I have friends that know that a2 + b2 = c2 but haven’t yet learned how to write a check. Which is a skill that everyone needs to know how to do. So again I think that if we had a class to teach us every day things that will do a lot of people a lot of good.
From,
MR
[…] I was thinking one day at my house. Why don’t we fellowship with other schools. They could learn what we are learning. We could learn what they are learning. Then we all just get a big test and see what we know. We should also have a library for high-school students. It could have history books, science books, math books, English boks, etc. We could have desktop computers and labtops. It could be open from Monday to Sunday for the ones who don’t have a computer at home. It would be great for testing, doing projects, teacher meeting, ceremonies, etc. Well I hope you enjoy reading this much as I enjoyed writing it to you.
Sincerely,
QW
[…] We should have a system just like the teachers got to keep track of our grades. I know the teachers get tired of us asking for our grades.”
AS
[…] We really need new, updated books so we can learn more. Also more fun learning programs, that involve field trips to our careers in the future and doing fun activities.
TC
I think the government should do a lot with the education systems. Well first of all, I think we should have more teachers so we can have more hands-on learning experience. I think that we should also have a better school or even an new school. We are one-halway we have more students coming next year where is everyone gonna fit. We need a new school fast I also think that my education could be better if we didn’t have all of these teachers down our backs worrying about itty bitty things.
Sincerely,
JL
I feel that a few things should be done about our education. We are learning a lot, but I don’t think we are learning enough. A way that we can learn is to have us do more group work and/or hands-on work. So I am asking you if you could make it a requirement in school that we do more group and hands-on work. I thank you dearly and I am sure what ever your decision is, it will be a good one.
Sincerely,
CL
T’s sarcasm letter-
I think it’s about time you lazy scrubs know what we need down here, in this poor, country, redneck county called Bertie. We don’t need no Agricultural crap! What we need is money! And we need it now!
You gov’t people are so stuck up and you all are a bunch of low-lives failures! Stop worrying about Osama and worry about SCHOOL SYSTEMS! We are your future and I surely don’t want to end up being someone who doesn’t care about the dumb children in the world! So here’s some advice put your head between your legs and kiss your sorry selfish butt! And then send some money!
With love,
TC
Sincerely,
HA
I am writing this letter to tell you what I think the government could do to help me and every other student in the U.S.A. get a better education. I personaly thing that we should have a class just to learn things that we are going to need in the real world. What I am trying to say is that I have friends that know that a2 + b2 = c2 but haven’t yet learned how to write a check. Which is a skill that everyone needs to know how to do. So again I think that if we had a class to teach us every day things that will do a lot of people a lot of good.
From,
MR
[…] I was thinking one day at my house. Why don’t we fellowship with other schools. They could learn what we are learning. We could learn what they are learning. Then we all just get a big test and see what we know. We should also have a library for high-school students. It could have history books, science books, math books, English boks, etc. We could have desktop computers and labtops. It could be open from Monday to Sunday for the ones who don’t have a computer at home. It would be great for testing, doing projects, teacher meeting, ceremonies, etc. Well I hope you enjoy reading this much as I enjoyed writing it to you.
Sincerely,
QW
[…] We should have a system just like the teachers got to keep track of our grades. I know the teachers get tired of us asking for our grades.”
AS
[…] We really need new, updated books so we can learn more. Also more fun learning programs, that involve field trips to our careers in the future and doing fun activities.
TC
I think the government should do a lot with the education systems. Well first of all, I think we should have more teachers so we can have more hands-on learning experience. I think that we should also have a better school or even an new school. We are one-halway we have more students coming next year where is everyone gonna fit. We need a new school fast I also think that my education could be better if we didn’t have all of these teachers down our backs worrying about itty bitty things.
Sincerely,
JL
I feel that a few things should be done about our education. We are learning a lot, but I don’t think we are learning enough. A way that we can learn is to have us do more group work and/or hands-on work. So I am asking you if you could make it a requirement in school that we do more group and hands-on work. I thank you dearly and I am sure what ever your decision is, it will be a good one.
Sincerely,
CL
T’s sarcasm letter-
I think it’s about time you lazy scrubs know what we need down here, in this poor, country, redneck county called Bertie. We don’t need no Agricultural crap! What we need is money! And we need it now!
You gov’t people are so stuck up and you all are a bunch of low-lives failures! Stop worrying about Osama and worry about SCHOOL SYSTEMS! We are your future and I surely don’t want to end up being someone who doesn’t care about the dumb children in the world! So here’s some advice put your head between your legs and kiss your sorry selfish butt! And then send some money!
With love,
TC
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Letters to Arne, day 1
I'm on a Regional Advisory Committee for the US Department of Education, and my first meeting is next Monday and Tuesday, in DC. It's finals week at my school, so after they finished their English 2 exam, I asked the kids to write letters to Secretary Duncan telling them what they think the government should do to help them get a better education. Here are some excerpts (and two full letters at the end) from some of my students.
“If we get together and do like play interesting games that will keep you motivated that you will do the best you can or something. Everyone will want to play and that could make a big difference in our grades. Having something fun around would change the way some children look at and act towards school.”
- VC
“I think children would be more eager to learn if there were some sort of reward to be given for excelling.”
- TM
“I feel that we need your help to make us more successful in school. I also think that people all over the U.S. should get the same high quality education that we are getting hear at Bertie Early College.”
- JJ
“I am writing to tell you how our school can be improved. The way I feel is we need more books.”
- CH
“I feel that, maybe, if getting an education was a little more fun. Yes, I know what your thinking, “here we go again with this fun stuff,” but your wrong. I don’t mean fun by playing games everyday. I mean fun like not having to take long notes or sitting in class all day long with written assignment and bunches of worksheets. That is probably what makes so many students fail. […] Do you know how it feels to be trapped inside four walls for 7 hours straight? Well, I sure do, and its not fun.”
- KJ
“I think the government should do to help kids get a better education is get more teacher. I think teachers should have teachers assantine to help them. The assantice teacher can help kids that need help to most . And provide us with enough books to have a class set for class. One a book we can take home.”
-JN
“As an early college student, I feel there are a few things you could do to better my education. The first thing would be to make sure our teachers have enough books for everyone to have their own. Having our own books would allow us to take them home for assignments or to study. Also, make sure we have the equipment needed to make our education and learning experiences better. Things like projectors, enough computers, lab equipment, and more would be nice.”
- HW
I have been asked by my fantastic teacher Ms. Pennell to give my ideas for a better education. Because of such I would like for you to grace me with the honor of reading this letter thoroughly.
Now, as for my ideas. First of all, in some schools, such as mine, we have to take online classes. Although these classes are very convenient for the school some just aren’t good for kids. Spanish or other foreign languages are much less simple when your teacher is a monitor that burns your retinas. As of such I would thank you to do something about these. Second of all, though not terribly relevant, food is supposed to help us think. Though appreciated oftentimes the food isn’t all together tasty and sometimes, for people who do not or cannot eat certain things, children don’t eat. Third, some schools, like ours, do not have a library. This is fairly important to some students because they enjoy reading. Because of a lack of libraries children are left to do nothing when they finish their work and often resort to talking. Therefore we would appreciate a library so kids can study, read, or avoid getting distracted by other bored children.
Thank you Secretary Duncan for reading this. I hope you have a nice day.
With regards,
AQ
Dear Secretary Duncan,
As a public school student, I have great concern for my education. Everyday, I see students unhappy and weary teachers. Many people already know that the school systems aren’t the best and wil always need funding. As a way to better our education, we need two main things; resources and more class variety.
In some of my classes, there always seems to never be enough. We usually never have enough textbooks. Pages torn, ripped out, and written in, those are most of our books. I’ve seen classmates brag about the “good book,” books that look the closet to being new. Sometimes there just aren’t enough books and we can’t take them home for help or we are forced to share them in class. It becomes a struggle at times, but we manage.
Being a teacher’s daughter gives me more insight to the needs of students that teachers conceal for our benefit. The situation is almost like a parent spending money they don’t have just to get their children everything they need to live comfortably. Our teachers don’t have much funding from the school system, if they get any. Teachers try their hardest to get reference books, tutoring software, and other materials need to run a decent and functional classroom. They make class as interesting as they can to educate us, but not having enough is cruel and unusual punishment to students and teachers.
Finally, cutting some of the most important classes can alter a child’s future forever. Learning different maths, sciences, histories, and englishes are important, but having an art class or music class could be the only thing that sends a student to college with a scholarship or sends them to a dead end job trying to make ends meet. I understand budget cuts must be made to gain more money, but we should find some sufficient way to gain money and keep these electives.
Education is in great demand for a good future, but it starts early to obtain it. How can we obtain it without enough to get there? We can, we just need a little more resources and keep electives.
Sincerely,
RB
“If we get together and do like play interesting games that will keep you motivated that you will do the best you can or something. Everyone will want to play and that could make a big difference in our grades. Having something fun around would change the way some children look at and act towards school.”
- VC
“I think children would be more eager to learn if there were some sort of reward to be given for excelling.”
- TM
“I feel that we need your help to make us more successful in school. I also think that people all over the U.S. should get the same high quality education that we are getting hear at Bertie Early College.”
- JJ
“I am writing to tell you how our school can be improved. The way I feel is we need more books.”
- CH
“I feel that, maybe, if getting an education was a little more fun. Yes, I know what your thinking, “here we go again with this fun stuff,” but your wrong. I don’t mean fun by playing games everyday. I mean fun like not having to take long notes or sitting in class all day long with written assignment and bunches of worksheets. That is probably what makes so many students fail. […] Do you know how it feels to be trapped inside four walls for 7 hours straight? Well, I sure do, and its not fun.”
- KJ
“I think the government should do to help kids get a better education is get more teacher. I think teachers should have teachers assantine to help them. The assantice teacher can help kids that need help to most . And provide us with enough books to have a class set for class. One a book we can take home.”
-JN
“As an early college student, I feel there are a few things you could do to better my education. The first thing would be to make sure our teachers have enough books for everyone to have their own. Having our own books would allow us to take them home for assignments or to study. Also, make sure we have the equipment needed to make our education and learning experiences better. Things like projectors, enough computers, lab equipment, and more would be nice.”
- HW
I have been asked by my fantastic teacher Ms. Pennell to give my ideas for a better education. Because of such I would like for you to grace me with the honor of reading this letter thoroughly.
Now, as for my ideas. First of all, in some schools, such as mine, we have to take online classes. Although these classes are very convenient for the school some just aren’t good for kids. Spanish or other foreign languages are much less simple when your teacher is a monitor that burns your retinas. As of such I would thank you to do something about these. Second of all, though not terribly relevant, food is supposed to help us think. Though appreciated oftentimes the food isn’t all together tasty and sometimes, for people who do not or cannot eat certain things, children don’t eat. Third, some schools, like ours, do not have a library. This is fairly important to some students because they enjoy reading. Because of a lack of libraries children are left to do nothing when they finish their work and often resort to talking. Therefore we would appreciate a library so kids can study, read, or avoid getting distracted by other bored children.
Thank you Secretary Duncan for reading this. I hope you have a nice day.
With regards,
AQ
Dear Secretary Duncan,
As a public school student, I have great concern for my education. Everyday, I see students unhappy and weary teachers. Many people already know that the school systems aren’t the best and wil always need funding. As a way to better our education, we need two main things; resources and more class variety.
In some of my classes, there always seems to never be enough. We usually never have enough textbooks. Pages torn, ripped out, and written in, those are most of our books. I’ve seen classmates brag about the “good book,” books that look the closet to being new. Sometimes there just aren’t enough books and we can’t take them home for help or we are forced to share them in class. It becomes a struggle at times, but we manage.
Being a teacher’s daughter gives me more insight to the needs of students that teachers conceal for our benefit. The situation is almost like a parent spending money they don’t have just to get their children everything they need to live comfortably. Our teachers don’t have much funding from the school system, if they get any. Teachers try their hardest to get reference books, tutoring software, and other materials need to run a decent and functional classroom. They make class as interesting as they can to educate us, but not having enough is cruel and unusual punishment to students and teachers.
Finally, cutting some of the most important classes can alter a child’s future forever. Learning different maths, sciences, histories, and englishes are important, but having an art class or music class could be the only thing that sends a student to college with a scholarship or sends them to a dead end job trying to make ends meet. I understand budget cuts must be made to gain more money, but we should find some sufficient way to gain money and keep these electives.
Education is in great demand for a good future, but it starts early to obtain it. How can we obtain it without enough to get there? We can, we just need a little more resources and keep electives.
Sincerely,
RB
Saturday, May 14, 2011
O....M.....G......
Where do I live? This is a block from my house.... my coworker tells me it costs hundreds of dollars to send your kid to one of their etiquette camps! Wow....
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