Session Two Comments

1. "... I was going through an intellectual crisis. I was aware that I had undergone a wrenching transformation in my perspective on school reform. Where once I had been hopeful, even enthusiastic, about the potential benefits of testing, accountability, choice, and markets, I now found myself experiencing profound doubts about these same ideas." (Ravitch, p. 1)

"The new corporate reformers betray their weak comprehension of education by drawing false analogies between education and business. They think they can fix education by applying the principles of business... with appropriate rewards and sanctions." (Ravitch, p. 11)

These two quotes resonated with me as I read the first chapter in Ravitch's book Death and Life of the Great American School System. As a product of the public school system before No Child Left Behind (NCLB), and standards, really, I am lucky to have been enriched by creative teachers who were in the profession because they loved to teach, not because they were aiming for a test score, or bonus. Like, Ravitch, as I matured I, too, have experienced doubts in the values I hold. Some of them have changed as a consequence of an event experienced by either me or a loved one. Knowing Ravitch's weakness, so to speak, make her more "human," or accessible, to me as a novice teacher. That said, she continues to validate her position by listing her credentials, painting a self-portrait of trust and accountability. I am able to read the chapter knowing the author held powerful positions from which she reveals intimate details of policy making in the education system.

The second quote affected me because as a teacher, student or otherwise, I have see the effects of the reward/sanction business model system. In a Hayward Unified elementary school that was labeled as a project improvement school, the teachers, administration, and entire staff, down to the cafeteria manager, were under the gun to raise their test scores or be punished. "How," they asked," are we to do this when we have fewer resources than before? Our budgets are cut each year, yet we are supposed to provide more services for our struggling youth?" I have not held a full-time, teaching position, so I cannot fully empathize; however, after reading this quote, I began to understand more clearly why the education system felt so business-like.. without the perks (annual salary bonus, unlimited office supplies, flexible hours, paid vacations, etc...)!

2. "A well-educated person has a well-furnished mind, shaped by reading and thinking about history, science, literature, the arts, and politics. The well-educated person has learned how to explain ideas and listen respectfully to other." (Ravitch, p. 16)

Prior to Ravitch's description of a well-education person she states, "Knowledge and skills are both important, as is learning to think, debate, and question." I agree that a well-educated person has these traits along with what some know as "street smarts" or "street sense." That means a well-educated person is well read, articulate, and can empathize or sympathize with people from all walks of life, from the barista to the bank teller. I have witnessed an intelligent, well-groomed, upper-middle class individual berate and belittle a young, modest-looking couple over where to stand in line at a movie rental store. Though he may be formally well-educated, and most likely better educated than the couple, he did not possess a type of human intelligence gained from experience.

Any well-educated person in today's world should know what it feels like to live simply so they can experience day-to-day treasures. Like saving someone's place in line at the grocery store as they run to fetch the diapers they almost forgot, or acknowledging the garbage man, barista, landscaper on how hard they work, and truly mean it. I grew up possessing this empathy. I am also very book smart. Over the years my experiences living in downtown San Jose (pre-gentrification), in an East Oakland apartment, as well as living in the hilly parts of Portland, OR and Richmond, CA, have helped me become a better, well-educated person. Many of our students, from all income types, lack the diversity of experiences that I believe a well-educated person needs. I also believe we never stop learning...

3. The class discussion of the first two chapters of the Ravitch book brought me quite of few insights. First, it is interesting to think about the idea of educators, or education policy makers, having a collective amnesia. It explains why history repeats itself; why the pendulum continues to swing rather than equalize. Second, I was shocked at how recently curriculum control was taken away from teachers. I took my public school education for granted, primarily because it was the status quo; however, comparing it now to what I have seen and heard from veteran teachers,  "Teaching isn't fun anymore!" No wonder the burn-out rate is so high. Lastly, and one of the most profoundly disturbing insights I had, was how politicized education has become. From securing contracts with corporate booksellers to ensuring property values stays high. When did education garner a Republican or Democrat agenda? I thought the future voters, no matter what affiliation, were our primary concern. As read from page 19, the political controversy over history standards short-changed the students, "It seemed that the states had learned from the battle over the history standards that it was better to say nothing than to provoke controversy by setting out any real curriculum standards."

4. The gap I chose to identify is from the 4th grade ELA standard "3.1: Describe the structural differences of various imaginative forms of literature including fantasies, fables, myths, legends, and fairy tales."

Three resources that will help me fill this gap are:

a. Oban's Myth and Legends webpage which features a grizzly, old man named Oban who tells you the difference, by following links and reading text, about the differences between the above genres.

b. Myth or Legend - The Difference, a short You-Tube video

c. Curator article which compares and contrasts fairy tales with other types of literary genres.

I learned the most about the differences between legends and myths from watching the You Tube video. A legend is a fictional story written about a brave person who can be located in factual, historical events. Myths are invented stories that have no evidence of ever occurring. They are not written for a particular time unlike legends which are written about a particular time in the past.

5. Miller Ph.D., D. L. (2007). The seeds of learning: young children develop important skills through their gardening activities at a Midwestern early education program. Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 6(1), 49-66.  doi:10.1080/15330150701318828

            This research paper highlights one early education school site and how it has used its garden as a place for early literacy learning. The data was collected and analyzed using teachers as co-researchers. This research article is qualitative; however, it has been peer reviewed and references many other scholarly works. The researchers found that through the children’s garden experiences at this Midwest school, the children experienced important personal growth and skill development as well as early language concepts. This helps support the idea that literacy can be taught in a garden setting, but that it may be more conducive to early childhood education.

Pecaski McLennan, D. M. (2009). “Ready, Set, Grow!” Nurturing young children through gardening. Early Childhood Education Journal, 37(5), 329-333. doi: 10.1007/s10643-009-0366-4

            This editorial describes the experience of one class that participated in a community-funded gardening project called “Ready, Set, Grow!” It discusses how a Kindergarten teacher chose to re-evaluate her teaching methods, asking whether they were age-appropriate and if they nurtured self-motivation. Despite the focus of this article being for a Kindergarten class, it contains poignant, anecdotal information regarding how children’s literacy skills were strengthened through garden-based instruction.

In both of these articles I found a great deal of support I need for my own research topic. They both support using the garden as an outdoor classroom where learning becomes experiential and children access content knowledge through kinesthetic, tactile, and naturalistic ways. This leads me to wonder; however, how to take this type of curriculum, which is geared towards three to six year-olds and apply it to third through fifth grade classes. I question how teachers, who are already burdened with scripted curricula, will incorporate garden lessons into their plans. Both authors convinced me that garden based learning supports students literacy through child-initiated experiences upon which they reflect through writing, drawings, and/or discussing with their peers and teachers. I was able to use the references from both articles to further my research. 


Question to Joan: Do you know of any other education models, i.e., Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio Emilia, that have successful garden-based education programs? What are the caveats for trying to  impose these philosophies, in whole or part, in the public school setting? 


Posted to C. Mignano, A. Eckloff, and K. Vigna.