While Mrs. Apuzzo is correct that people are sick of reading
about the English department here at Gilroy High School, even more
frustrating is the continued denigration of the high school in
general.
While Mrs. Apuzzo is correct that people are sick of reading about the English department here at Gilroy High School, even more frustrating is the continued denigration of the high school in general. While I am sure many find good sport in the smash mouth Fox Network/Rush Limbaugh style of “shouting lies as loud as possible and as often as possible then everyone will believe it journalism/commentary,” enough is enough. False and ignorant accusations and over the top hyperbole always do more harm than good.
Case in point: In The Dispatch’s Nov. 4 editorial which chastised the English department for having students serve on the committee to help select the books for the English curriculum. Obviously, the editorial board is totally unaware of “best practices” that show that students do have a stake in their education and should have a voice in their education. May I suggest the following resources?
• Fostering Resiliency : Expecting All Students to Use Their Minds and Hearts Well by Dr. Martin Krovetz
• Results: The Key to Continuous School Improvement by Mike Schmoker
For anyone interested in true school reform there is a wealth of good, solid books, based on research. Simply because “That is how we did it when I was at school” is what you remember from your childhood, doesn’t mean that is the best way of teaching, putting together curriculum, or dealing with students. Parents interested in curriculum the number one book used to teach professional educators is Understanding by Design, by Grant Wiggins
You should also read everything by Dr. Howard Gardner. He is the apostle of multiple intelligences. For those of us who are really good at winning in the game called school, linguist/verbal and logical/mathematical intelligences are more innate. However, not all students learn in these fashions.
Mrs. Apuzzo is right. We do want parent involvement and too often the perennial ancillary niceties of needing chaperones, buying knickknacks and candy to support the bands, sports teams, libraries, etc. rank high on the list. Parents do have a right and at Gilroy have had the right to have a say in choosing textbooks and reading material. I spent three years as a member of the English department before moving over to my love, social science.
Every new novel or book added to the English book list had input from parents who were invited to come to the school and pick up a copy of the book or books (many times several books were brought in to fill a particular need and parents added their voice or written recommendations as to which would be most appropriate). Books go through the adoption process with the school board and again time is given for the community to come in to check out the selections. Too often parents have not taken this opportunity.
But with that said, by definition teachers are professionals in the fields they teach. Unless you have a degree in the subject matter and a credential, a teacher by definition has more knowledge than the average parent about the subject matter and the curriculum. That does not mean there is no room for debate. As Mr. Kinoshita said in his well-written letter, even within departments teachers differ philosophically about what needs and doesn’t need to be included in instruction.
When I was in the English department, I was one of the teachers who felt strongly that the students needed more grammar and was a member of the committee that selected the grammar textbook used in all of the English classrooms. It is also the reason why as a freshman English teacher (We had four core books that we had to teach), I always used the available anthology. I believed that reading classic short stories was the best way to teach the elements of fiction: plot, theme, characterization, etc.
From the short stories, my students read the novels, and by the way, “House on Mango Street” is very deceptive. Yes, the vocabulary is quite easy, but the narrative is told in pieced together vignettes using figurative language that usually leaves the students bewildered. I usually waited until the middle of the year to teach Mango Street. My students always needed more brain development before they could successfully deal with the style.
Mrs. Apuzzo also says she wishes teachers could walk in her shoes as a parent. My response to all the parents out there, most of the teachers here have and are walking in your shoes. Teachers are no longer spinsters relegated to a small room in the back of the schoolhouse. Today most teachers marry and have children. Many of our teachers have children attending GUSD and the high school.
I would like to reverse the picture. For everyone who loves lambasting teachers, I invite you to walk in our shoes. We would love to invite community members, and politicians, to come into our classrooms. Mine are particularly wonderful; my students gems. I am blessed this year. But I have had classes, and I have subbed twice this week, where I have had students swear at me using language I was told would never make the paper. They don’t bring their books to class. They don’t bring paper. They don’t do homework. They don’t do the assignments given to them in class during class. They talk about all the drugs they take, getting drunk in the afternoon or on the weekend, and smoking. They argue at ever turn just so they can upset the class. This is just what happens in the classroom. This does not include the hours of time required to plan lessons, time required to correct the lessons, and the money teachers put out so the students have extras like colored markers, scissors, extra staplers, butcher paper, printer ink cartridges, etc in class or to support the same fundraisers which parents support. I spend on average $200 to $400 a year. Yes, let’s switch shoes. One teacher new to our school this year managed to last a whole three weeks before quitting the profession.
Mrs. Apuzzo is upset that some speak ill of the parents. For that I’m sorry, I truly am, but Mrs. Apuzzo will have to admit that the reverse is also true. Most teachers either dread opening the Dispatch or look at the constant barrage of venom that comes our way as a continuation of some kind of lousy soap opera that they can laugh at. I find it frustrating and sad.
Schools need reform. I agree. We are not reaching and succeeding with every student. But reform is more complex than “We want honors” or “We demand an anthology.” What works for one student, such as anthologies or whatever, may not work for another. With a turnover rate of 30 percent a year, something is going to have to be done about teacher burnout. After subbing the one period with the one class I had today, I wouldn’t be surprised if another teacher might not throw in the towel at year’s end.
Parents, we are all in this together. We all want to do what is best and help your children succeed. If we, the teachers didn’t, trust me, we wouldn’t be doing this job.
So what is to be done? To be honest, I’m not sure. I have kept silent because I hate high blood pressure and I am no longer in the English department. However, I am tired of having my school, colleagues, and friends treated with such disrespect. I think it is time for those involved to step back and take a deep breath. I realize as parents you are concerned about your children and their education. That is as it should be. As professional educators, we are concerned about the education of all our students, those from concerned families like yours, those from families that might not be as supportive.
What to do? My number one suggestion is to listen with an open, honest mind. If everyone – teachers, parents, administrators – does that, I think the acrimony will diminish and progress will occur.
Guest columnist Karen Hockemeyer is a Gilroy High School government and economics teacher. Anyone interested in writing a guest column may contact Editor Mark Derry at 842-6400.
