Technical Education

Day One for the District’s 400 or so newest public school teachers began in a not-quite-air-conditioned auditorium Wednesday with a welcoming gift from Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee: her pity.

“I know what you are about to go through, and I feel really, really bad for you,” Rhee said somewhat tongue in cheek. Her audience was dominated by faces so improbably young they looked as if they should be out buying binders and calculators.

Rhee also struck other more inspirational themes as she began a three-day orientation at the Columbia Heights Education Campus for the corps of new teachers, who are preparing for school to open Aug. 23. She said, as she often does, that there is no more important work than what they’ve chosen and that their success will depend on their ability to listen to students.

“If you do your jobs well, I guarantee you the children will exceed your expectations,” she said.

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For at least 18 years, you have probably considered yourself to be your student’s principal advisor.  You have been there every step of the way, literally from the first steps taken, and then on to the first words spoken, the first tests taken, and the first degrees granted.  You probably didn’t have any “training” to be a parent, but somehow you figured it out.

Now, or when college classes begin, there should be another advisor assigned to help your student, and he or she is likely to be professionally trained.  As you step back, you should encourage your student to build a relationship with this academically skilled person who will be working with him/her for the next four years or however long it takes until graduation.

Similar to the situation with orientations, there is no one-size-fits-all model when it comes to advising.  Some schools have a group advising pattern, where a student rarely gets one-on-one time with the advisor, but does have an opportunity to meet in a group setting with both the professional and with peers.

Other schools have a tiered approach, sometimes called a “divisional model,” in which there is little, if any, personalized substantive exposure to the adviser in the freshman or sophomore year, but a great deal of exposure, and an opportunity for a relationship, that may develop down the road.

But the approach you are likely to get is fairly straightforward: a professional individual who is assigned to have an advising relationship with your son or daughter from Day One but probably only for Year One.  This could be someone who is advising for the first time, perhaps a grad student or a teaching assistant.  Or it could be someone who has been at this advising role for decades, perhaps since you were in college yourself.

It’s hard to say which individual profile will be better for your student, and it’s even harder to try to make a switch, so don’t bother.

Don’t you agree that even the very worst situations can be a lesson for your son or daughter?  Down the road, in a profession or chosen career, he or she will likely be forced to interact with people who are “assigned” to him/her and that’s just the way it will be: no questions asked.  In the same way, it’s a good “life lesson” now for your son or daughter to be able to work effectively with an assigned advisor.

Young teachers aren’t buying it, either. That’s one of the main findings from a recent Public Agenda poll of teachers from three generations. “Generation Y” teachers are very skeptical of ideas that dominate current debates on school reform. This finding does not bode well for the reform agenda. It suggests that policy makers and pundits may be alienating the very people who must carry out the reforms.

The poll results tell us that resistance to some of the big reform ideas is by no means confined to old union stalwarts. The younger folk don’t believe test scores should be the main determinant of teacher pay. They believe it should be easier to remove bad teachers, but they don’t tenure should go the way of the dodo.

It’s at least as interesting to note what the young ‘uns do want. They want staff development, help with discipline, constructive feedback on their teaching, and the chance to collaborate with their peers.

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Commu.n.i.t.y. fair Free school supplies and more

Free school supplies will be given away today at the second annual “CommU.N.I.T.Y. Fair” (Uniting Neighbors and Informing Today’s Youth), from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the parking lot of the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center, 2451 N. Keystone Ave. It is free and open to the public and will take place rain or shine.

The event is hosted by Marion Superior Court and the detention center. About 4,500 people attended last year. Other activities will include carnival games, live entertainment and information on community resources that support families.

The detention center also will be recruiting volunteers to act as mentors to the 2,000 youths who pass through the center each year. For more information, contact Tonya Hill, volunteer coordinator, at (317) 327-8495 or trhill@ indygov.org.

East Catholic lineman Andrew Hastings participated in the TOP GUN Showcase Camp at the Warhill Sports Complex in Williamsburg, Va. July 21-23. Around 1,000 of the top high school players in the nation and from Canada participated.

The camp, which featured athletes from grades 6-12, included in-depth training and evaluations from a high-profile, former NFL coaching staff that included Chris Slade, Don Majkowski and Willie Wood.

“It was an incredible opportunity to compete against the best high school football athletes from around the nation; as well as an honor and a privilege to train under, coach Chris Slade, former linebacker for the New England Patriots,” Hastings said. ”I’m looking forward to bringing what I learned at Top Gun to the field this fall.”