Monthly Archives: May 2017
Teacher Appreciation Observations from the current board chair
Twinkle Ann Morton
This little piece of information is essential this time as this is actually more of a rant than a newsy article. Caveat: Only my opinion… not that of the school board… know my regular readers got that point but just in case someone new picks up the paper- I’ll say it again!
I try and make it a habit to stay in touch with world and national news regardless of how depressing that might be. We usually mute the commercials, but there is one that is just as bad muted as it is on full blast. This comes from a national travel company who shall remain nameless both for the fear of libel and to be fair. First the background of why it infuriates me.
This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. Our nation’s teachers deserve more respect than we give them based on the things we ask them to do and the hours we expect them to put in to get that job done. I have heard the arguments from “Who wouldn’t want to work hard to get three months off in the summer?” to “I wish all I had to do is march kids to and from the cafeteria back to the classroom to earn that kind of money?” To both of those ‘thinkers’ I smile and say, “Obviously, we have never been asked to take the minds of our future leaders and help them ask and search for the right path while we try and address all the unfunded mandates of our state and our nation!” Well, I try and find a way to convey that information anyway. I confess, I taught grades 6-8 in Montana about FORTY years ago. As a teacher, I had things to worry about and papers to grade into the night and through the weekend, but I did not have the number of ‘added’ requirements that our teachers have now. Yet, we in the Fern Ridge District are blessed with some outstanding, caring and talented teachers who work long into the night, on weekends, and over those vacations. Oh yes, teachers do NOT have three months off in the summer. We end late and start early- well at least the teachers do as they prepare to help our children become all that they can be.
So now- onto my rant. This commercial definitely makes the point that our teachers are stressed and pushed to keep larger than ideal classes of children actively learning and being collaborative in the process. However, the very idea that any teacher in any district would allow the behavior portrayed in this commercial is idiotic. I am confident you have seen this commercial. Children splashing around while sitting in the aquarium, throwing things around the room, swiping the teacher’s phone are just some of the nonsense shown. I applaud the idea that teachers need and look forward to their vacation – when they can afford it. However, the portrayal of the children in that room is both an insult to the teacher and the parents of those children. I do have a sense of humor and understand tongue in cheek statements that make a point. But this is just darned insulting to the profession.
I mentioned “unfunded mandates”. I wrote an article back in July of last year talking about just some of those. At that time, there were at least a dozen added since the year 2000; these were added to forty more since my time of teaching and all are national requirements. Our state has added – and this is a partial list with the bill numbers listed in case you want to see them- a list of them:
- Dyslexia Screening & Support (SB 612)
- Abuse Prevention (SB 856)
- Dental Screening & Sealants (SB 660)
- School Nursing Provisions (SB 698)
- Domestic Violence Awareness (SB 790)
- Public Immunization Reporting (SB 895)
- Improving African-American Outcomes (HB 2016)
- Attendance Verification to ODOT (HB 2545)
- Safety Threat Drill Requirements (HB 2661)
- Oregon Civics Training for Teachers (HB 2955)
- Chronic Absenteeism Prevention Reporting (HB 3319)
- ELL Reporting (HB 3499)
- Instruct All Students in CPR (SB 79)
The full article is available at http://www.fernridge.k12.or.us/tmorton/page/2/ should you like to see it. Are any of these unimportant? Clearly, the answer is “No”. Does your child or grandchild need to be aware and learn from these? The answer here is just as clearly “Of course!”
I guess my rant ends with the concern that anyone might see this wildly chaotic classroom and the frozen, blurry eyed teacher as remotely possible. It most assuredly is not possible. Our teachers need our thanks in all ways we can find. In this world of random violence, this is the place where I worry about the safety of our television screen. Hmmm, I wonder if there is a mandate to control infuriated viewers?
For announcements pertaining to Fern Ridge School District and Education in general, follow me on Twitter #TAMnOregon. Thanks for reading my column this year and please submit comments and questions at tmorton@fernridge.k12.or.us.
I leave you with this quote to remember: “A teacher affects eternity; S/he can never tell where that influence stops.” This video is almost 10 minutes long but it is worth your time as well: bit.ly/Weareallone Until next time.
Student Happenings Out and About- Overall Great Stuff
By
Twinkle Ann Morton – School Board Chair
Let me remind you that this column is my opinion and my opinion only. I am not speaking for the board but merely making observations about educational and community topics and asking for your take on things.
What a whirlwind the end of the year is for anyone trying to keep up with our students. In addition to all the accolades the OBOB students deserve at all four schools, we add the teams that did so well in Destination Imagination. Four teams from schools entered into very strenuous competition with FRMS and VES 3rd grade moving on to state competition. Congratulations to all of our terrific students and coaches. Many, many hours went into preparation and competing. We can all be so very proud of our students and community.
Last weekend, I attended the ART, Inc. presentation of the Children’s Theater Play “Patch by Patch” adapted and Directed by Marti Stevens Byers. The play was a series of short skits where children from the community presented stories for each patch of a new quilt they were forming. The stories were cleverly done by the students that represented Veneta Elementary School and Fern Ridge Middle School as well as one young lady who is home schooled. The “Players” were two older students, one ‘computer schooled’ and one from Elmira High School as well as two ART, Inc Board Members from Veneta and Noti. The house was full on Sunday afternoon and from what I had heard each performance was well attended. The children and young adults were whimsical and absolutely charming.
I appreciate the chance ART, Inc. is giving the Fern Ridge Community to have a place to enjoy plays such as this one, and I am particularly pleased by the joining of the talent in our schools to get this chance to both experience and share the wonders of theater. I was also pleased to see a showing in the lobby of some of the beautiful quilts that people in the area have made. Two new plays began rehearsals this last weekend with performance dates slated for this summer. “Nunsense” a musical comedy and “On Golden Pond” about love and commitment make for exciting possibilities for our summer enjoyment.
On Sunday, I attended the Fern Ridge presentation of “Our Own Selves” where local students from Veneta and Elmira Elementary Schools as well as Elmira High School talked about what makes them who they are. Emily Eagle-Eye read some of the poems that Serra Lafferty’s 7th grade Humanities Classes wrote at Fern Ridge Middle School and designed the cover art for the Program while others were posted around the auditorium. I struggle to find the words that encompass what I experienced there. I wonder now what I expected. Whatever it was, it was not the deep, emotional commitment of each to his or her own truths. From beginning to end and one by one, the self-assured, a little bit nervous, young person stepped up and handed a crowd of admiring families and Fern Ridge School District Staff and School Board members a sampling of each and every student’s inner strengths. Our thanks to Angie Pebworth’s guidance to a program which is so important in serving our very diverse students.
Still to come are the Fern Ridge Middle School and Elmira High School Choir and later in the month the band presentations. Awards Night and Graduation pretty much finish up the year at the high school. Each school has exciting things happening as the year comes to an end. What an exciting time of the year for all of us.
Once again, thank you for your comments and questions. If you have missed any of my columns or would like to read one again to refer to something I said [or didn’t say], they are all available on the District webpage…http://www.fernridge.k12.or.us/ Go to School Board under the District heading. Find the unflatteringly, accurate photo of me and above my picture is “Twinkle’s page”. I close with a quote from one of my favorites Maya Angelou “When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young.” A must see video is the new ad from Heineken at https://youtu.be/8wYXw4K0A3g
Please write to me at tmorton@fernridge.k12.or.us and follow me on Twitter “tweeting” only about FRSD and issues related to education- #TAM@Oregon. Until next time.