Ask any firefighter what his or her worst nightmare is and the answer might just surprise you…. Likely you thought a five-alarm blaze engulfing an enormous business or series of buildings, flames reaching the sky like violent twists of hurricane-strength heat… But you’d be wrong. Seriously wrong. I’ve done the asking for you. And the response was so very alien to my manner of thinking; it encouraged me to completely change my own view of danger…
Little fires. Strategically placed. Far enough apart to stretch the resources of a division, just enough trouble to keep everyone busy. And while they quell the first little fire? Someone, somewhere discovers yet another. And another. Nothing singularly decisive. Taken on their own, they merit little notice. Added together they threaten the very fabric of the community.
Have you ever seen the visible result of a burned-out community? Its residents meander about their own neighborhoods searching for what once was, unable to make sense of this new landscape. Occasionally they stumble across a brief reminder of “once was” or “used to be”, barely recognizable against the charred, scorched background of this brave, newest world. Here they stand asked to accept this as “what’s meant to be”. As though, like the farmers of old who would burn their spring lawns to produce a healthy, beautiful summer greenery, this sterile and disorienting future shock is good for ya…
Look around… Did you ever think you’d see this..? Who do you recognize..? Where did this come from..? Remember when this profession was about order..? Remember when it was a career..? Something you worked at for years, and when it was right, could rely on the sound principles of “best and brightest” combining with “years of proof and a strong sense of collegial support” seeking that next level of your avocation. How many of you have someone else’s footprint on your head? Their rapid climb consisting of a series of well-placed leaps from here to there, never remaining anywhere long enough to create a memory trail or something tangibly worthwhile. And as they leap… from neighborhood to neighborhood, community to community - the only real proof of them being there at all… are little fires.
Harry L. Dinkle
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Study shows that standardized testing favors the rich
Friday, March 26, 2010
By: Heather Benno
A new University of Florida study shows that children from wealthier families are more likely to do well on standardized tests.
The study tracked students in two Florida counties, analyzing where the children lived, their family income and their test performance. The more affluent the family, the better the children performed on standardized tests.
The study contradicts the logic of the current school reform policy in the United States, which punishes teachers for their students’ hardships. Schools are closing in poor, oppressed communities where funding is most needed.
According to UF professor Harry Daniels, “[t]he core philosophy of school reform today is that effective schools and quality teaching can correct all learning problems, including those of poor minority students who are most at risk, and if they fail it’s the educator’s fault.”
IT IS TIME TO TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT POVERTY and LEARNING
It is too easy to blame our schools and educators....solve the real problem!
With all due respect to the previous post... What has this to do with the original post?
Anyone have any info about Portia "firing" (non-renewing) 4 principals?
Portia has a new idea- It's called the retire/fire, usually imposed on principals who have been in the NBPS NCLB trenches but who she dislikes.
So what are you saying??
Who do we blame??
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