I thank Sue Kemple for her wise and well written remarks. Assessment has long been a point of both contention and discussion. In the hands of a master educator, one who understands the art of teaching, assessment is a tool of diagnosis, a tool designed to take each student and move him or her forward on their educational journey. It is an essential tool. The ongoing debate is on how to best use this tool. Though I long to address that debate, it would take more than a comment left online. What I prefer to address is the constant negative spin comments seem to take towards public education. I am a teacher for Moore County schools and have been closely following the recent ongoing commentary. I am grateful for the many who have taken the time to applaud the noble educators that are part of our system. In any system, business, school, or even medical there is always room for improvement. Anyone who thinks otherwise will quickly find themselves left behind. I appreciate the innovation of all academic institutions. At the same time, I would like to invite our public to visit the classrooms of Moore County schools and witness the manner in which we are leading the way in innovative progress. I have had just such an opportunity this year and can confidently claim that our classrooms are full of educators who focus on students as individuals. We differentiate. We remediate. We accelerate. We provide multiple avenues of learning and encourage students to demonstrate knowledge in a variety of ways. We embrace technology in our classrooms and recognize its value in engaging our students in the learinng process. While we are required to comply with state mandated testing, our classrooms are full of educators who use passion and creativity to ignite a fire for learning within our students. I am not saying that the charter schools in our system do not do these things. Rather, I am inviting our public to see first hand the innovation that is taking place in our public schools. Please applaud that which is going well, encourage us in our innovative progress, and spend less time criticizing. President Roosevelt stated "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither voctory nor defeat."
2teachisjoy 2 years, 2 months ago
Parents Rally for Academy Heights
Wow, peacemaker. You are spot on! Thank you for being willing to be a well reasoned voice.
2teachisjoy 2 years, 2 months ago
Parents Rally for Academy Heights
I agree peacemaker....and ditto....well said!
2teachisjoy 2 years, 2 months ago
Free the Charters: Assessment Holds Them Down
I thank Sue Kemple for her wise and well written remarks. Assessment has long been a point of both contention and discussion. In the hands of a master educator, one who understands the art of teaching, assessment is a tool of diagnosis, a tool designed to take each student and move him or her forward on their educational journey. It is an essential tool. The ongoing debate is on how to best use this tool. Though I long to address that debate, it would take more than a comment left online. What I prefer to address is the constant negative spin comments seem to take towards public education. I am a teacher for Moore County schools and have been closely following the recent ongoing commentary. I am grateful for the many who have taken the time to applaud the noble educators that are part of our system. In any system, business, school, or even medical there is always room for improvement. Anyone who thinks otherwise will quickly find themselves left behind. I appreciate the innovation of all academic institutions. At the same time, I would like to invite our public to visit the classrooms of Moore County schools and witness the manner in which we are leading the way in innovative progress. I have had just such an opportunity this year and can confidently claim that our classrooms are full of educators who focus on students as individuals. We differentiate. We remediate. We accelerate. We provide multiple avenues of learning and encourage students to demonstrate knowledge in a variety of ways. We embrace technology in our classrooms and recognize its value in engaging our students in the learinng process. While we are required to comply with state mandated testing, our classrooms are full of educators who use passion and creativity to ignite a fire for learning within our students. I am not saying that the charter schools in our system do not do these things. Rather, I am inviting our public to see first hand the innovation that is taking place in our public schools. Please applaud that which is going well, encourage us in our innovative progress, and spend less time criticizing. President Roosevelt stated "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither voctory nor defeat."