Peabloggy

While running at Percy Warner Park the other day, my husband and a teacher friend of his discussed how new teachers must devote excessive amounts of time to their jobs while earning comparatively low salaries. The friend noted that this situation was much like that of lawyers practicing for the first time. However, practicing law can result in triple-digit salaries over time, while teaching in the classroom never does, regardless of achievement or higher education degrees.

The other difference, of course, would be that lawyers have the potential to earn these higher salaries based on merit and job success. Teaching salaries are often based on years of experience within the same district and certifications/higher education degrees. One can easily determine the problems with this situation. On the other hand, while I love the idea of teachers receiving merit-based pay, how can one determine the merit and success of a teacher?

A lawyer clearly wins or loses a case, but teachers must try to win students in the classroom everyday. Sometimes the results of effective teaching aren’t revealed in students until several years later. Sometimes a teacher’s victory falls outside the realm of student test scores. So, while I support teachers earning raises and higher salaries based on performance, how could such a principle be implemented in our school systems? Does anyone have any ideas?

–Katie Harris

I had not truly pondered the lack of discussion on educational issues, particularly in the K-12 arena, in this year’s presidential debates until reading an opinion piece in the USAToday, in which the author admonishes the candidates for not addressing them.

For one thing, the war in Iraq, health care, and a possible recession seem to absorb all the candidates’ air time. In addition, I work in higher education, so I had taken note of a couple of connections between the presidential race and college. I saw a commercial, before the Tennessee primary, on behalf of one candidate suggesting that she/he would fight “predatory” loan companies. Regarding that same person, a news program aired a web video made by college students in favor of her/him. Though I do not recall any mention of K-12 education in such ads and programs.

Unfortunately, this election year, it seems the candidates are too focused on other, admittedly important, issues to discuss education as part of their campaigns. Interested voters will need to engage in independent research to discover how the hopefuls stand on that issue. In the candidates’ defense, I admit, I have not tuned-in to all 50 (or how ever many) debates. Perhaps, let us hope, education will make more headlines and sound-bytes closer to November.

-Teresa Bagamery Clark

At my current institution, we are still in the middle of developing a new strengths-based initiative for our first year students. Most of our work has been based on the work of Marcus Buckingham and some aspects of the Strengths-Finder instrument.While we are plugging along with the “strengths revolution” in higher education, there appears to be some activity in the K-12 sector as well.

I received an email yesterday about a new book, Your Child’s Strengths: Discover Them, Develop Them, Use Them, by Jenifer Fox, M.Ed. Unlike the Marcus Buckingham and Strengths-Finder materials, this book will focus on strengths development in young children. The book will look at identifying and nurturing children’s strengths in three areas: activities, relationships, and learning. The book will be available on February 28, 2008, and if you are interested in childhood development, this might be a good read. For those of us hoping for the “strengths revolution” to sweep the nation, Jenifer Fox might have just identified a possible catalyst within childhood education.

- Landon Clark

During a class meeting last year, a member of my cohort shared how her college had begun investigating the incorporation of iPods as a mode of instruction. A week later, I  found myself in the middle of a discussion about iPod lectures at the campus where I work. Just a few months later, those fancy ideas seem almost outdated, as the iPhone takes its place as not just like a tool for education, but a real way for students to learn and carry out school business.

Abilene Christian University (ACU) in Texas showed universities such as Princeton and Duke a thing or two about using iPhones and iPod Touches for educational purposes. ACU students will use university-provided iPhones and iPod Touches for everything from answering in-class quizzes to checking the balance of their meal plan.

Millennials rejoice, for knowledge at one’s finger tips truly can mean power–and a free iPhone.

-Teresa Bagamery Clark

One of the greatest benefits of the Ed.D. program at Peabody is the diversity of experience levels of the students. I am privileged to be involved in the 2010 cohort, and we have students ranging from K-12 teachers who are still in the classroom to vice-presidents at the university level. Since the primary purpose of the Ed.D. program is to enhance the practice of educational leadership, it is a blessing to have so many different individuals with varying levels of experience.

For those of us with less experience in educational practice, it is great to know that the person across the table with more experience can assist in the overall learning experience. I probably learn as much from my fellow classmates during small group discussions as I do through the actual texts and instruction. The collaborative learning environment is not meant to take away from the instruction from our professors in the program, but rather to enhance it. The aspect of professionals teaching professionals at the student level is the best part of the Peabody Ed.D. program. And since the members of each cohort go through the prescribed program together over the course of three years, the opportunity for collaborative learning is omnipresent and infinitely beneficial.

- Landon Clark

 Apparently, there are over $400 million dollars in the lottery reserve in Tennessee. That’s $400 million that could, and should, be used to improve the educational systems in Tennessee, according to a recent article in The Tennessean. The money raised from the Tennessee Lottery has helped tons of Tennessee students fund their college educations, but should it really end with the undergraduates?

According to the article, there is a proposal to allow graduate students in Tennessee to collect up to $8000 a year, for up to three years, to fund master’s, and hopefully, doctoral work. While many advocate for the use of the lottery money to help out with K-12 education, I feel the money should stay in higher education. That was its intended purpose, and if anything, the monies should be extended to all areas of post-secondary education. For those paying top dollar for graduate work, an extra $8000 would help out…a lot.

- Landon Clark

Dr. Doyle, if you are reading this, please look away. (My cohort takes the Quantitative Methods course with him in May.) My father taught college economics, and my mother-in-law is a high school math teacher, but I never found mathematical concepts very enjoyable. That is why I smiled at the article in the USA Today in which a University of Pennsylvania professor calls for an end to fractions and long division.  However, his idea is to teach them later in life, not to totally abolish them. A Penn State University mathematician says, though, that the idea that math can be fun is “a dream.” Perhaps a few lullabies before May would help.

-Teresa Bagamery Clark

As someone who spent a good part of their undergraduate and professional life involved in creative writing, I have to admit that my style lends itself to long, complex sentences that try and draw the reader along a single thread of thought, rather than try and deliver many-faceted ideas in ten words or less. That said, I was never formally taught how to use the semicolon until I took copy-editing in college; that’s when Pandora’s box was opened. I have since been often made to feel guilty about my loquacity. “Why does this sentence need to be a hundred words in length? my editors would ask.” Because I like it that way! If our readers can’t handle that, then maybe I don’t want them for readers. Thus endeth that job.

But, there is room for the semicolon in todays truncated world. Look no further than Sam Roberts article in today’s New York Times. I say, let your sentences ramble, twist, duck, and jive; semicolons are a writer’s best friend.

–Luke Webb

 I came across an article today about a new film called Two Million Minutes that focuses on the apparent downfall of the American secondary education system. While I have not seen the film, according to the article, there are numerous depictions in the film of educationally driven students from India and China and their American counterparts. Apparently, the American students are more focused on extracurricular activities and socializing than studying, and the film attempts to drive home the point that American students will someday be overcome by those from other countries. After reading the article and considering the shock value that is supposedly present in the film, I expected Michael Moore’s name to pop-up as the director, but unfortunately, there probably won’t be any scathing Oscar speeches for this film.

While I understand the underlying meaning of this film, I actually think there is some merit to the American student diversifying academics with extracurricular activities. Experiences outside the classroom help to mold students into more well-rounded, and hopefully, more engaged citizens. Colleges don’t want to admit an entire freshman class of all 1600 SAT scores, as this would make for, dare I say, a very boring campus. Instead, the focus is on admitting academically qualified, yet highly diverse, students, which doesn’t always include the valedictorians.

Although I do acknowledge that there are inherent flaws in our educational systems that need to be worked out, I don’t believe American students are in danger of losing out to students from other countries.

- Landon Clark

For our second weekend of Social Context, my cohort is reading a lot of material discussing the relationship between schools and students’ performance in schools with race, family life, and socioeconomic status. From articles about educational assistance programs to selections about the differences in students’ testing scores among the races, the idea that one’s mother’s education or the prosperity of one’s neighborhood may contribute to school success or failure–not to mention, affecting whether one even considers attending college–is intriguing.

With that that mind, the article in The Tennessean about Destination: College caught my attention, and fits in with the sort of topics we are learning about in class. This college fair showcased area universities for students who in at least some cases may be their family’s first or only child to attend college. This serves as a wonderful example of how one’s family tree can be changed. Presenting college as a viable option to disadvantaged youth allows them to “make history,” as the article says.

-Teresa Bagamery Clark