Click on the "Translate" button to the left to read this in your home language.
Tuesday, January 7th, our school had a visit from important people from the United States Department of Education.
 |
| Mr. T, Dr. Dann-Messier, Cheryl Keenan, Susan, Tim Photo Credit: Tom Jung |
 |
| Student Roundtable Dr. Dann-Messier is in yellow. Photo Credit: Tom Jung |
Dr. Dann-Messier has a very high position in the department. She is a political appointee. That means President Obama picked her for this job. Congress approved of his pick. And she picked the students to talk to when she came to our school.
Cheryl Keenan is Director of Adult Education for the US Dept of Education. She wanted to talk with the teachers. She met with Asst. Director Tim Doyle and Teachers Mary, Jay, Carolyn Pannu, Carolyn Lee, Patricia, Lisa, and myself, Cynthia.
Everyone at the table was a teacher.
Tim is an administrator but he is also a teacher. This is how he began.
Ms. Keenan has a very important job. She is Director of Vocational and Adult Education for the United States of America. But she is also a teacher. This is how she began.
We were all teachers. And of course, we were all students, too. Because this is how every teacher begins. This is how we all begin.
Ms. Keenan told us about her first job as a teacher. She worked in Appalachia, a part of the U.S. that is poor in money but rich in culture. (This is where Toshio traveled on his bicycle. You can ask Toshio about Appalachia.) She visited families in their homes and helped young children with special needs and their parents. It was clear that Ms. Keenan loved those families and loved her job. I think she was a very good teacher.
Then Ms. Keenan asked us some questions.
She wanted to know:
* How do our teachers become better teachers?
* How can the Dept. of Education help teachers to become better teachers?
* What are our ideas about teaching, improving our work, helping our students, and planning for the future?
She told us about a big survey: the PIAAC Study. It is a survey about Adult Skills around the world.
In almost every category, the United States is below average. It was number 21 out of 24 nations in the area of problem-solving and numeracy (numbers, math) skills. This is bad news.
Ms. Keenan and Dr. Dann-Messier know how important Adult Education is. They know it can make a big difference. They want to explain this to Americans and to Congress. More and better Adult Education in the United States can make a positive difference for the whole country.
Ms. Keenan told us that access and quality are very important.
Access means being able to get something like you need. A door gives you access to the inside of a building.
She also explained about Adult Education for the United States.
She works for the Federal Government. One part of Federal Adult Education is the Family Literacy Act. Adult Education to help parents learn skills.
The Federal Government gives all states some money for Adult Education.
All the states must match 25% of what the Federal Government gives. For example, if the Federal Government gives a state $100 for Adult Ed, then the state must match with 25% of that and give $25. So the state has a $125 program. Many states match with more than 25% but not a lot more.
In California, it is different. The state gives a lot of money to Adult Education. Much more than the Federal Government. Or it used to - before the cuts.
Before all the budget cuts, California was a strong leader in Adult Education. Other states looked to California for an example of a good, strong Adult Education program.
Five years ago, when the economy hit big problems, that changed. California Adult Education crashed. Many Adult Schools closed and all programs were cut.
Now the economy has improved. There is more money for education.
Adult Education in California is slowly starting to grow again but in a new shape, a new structure.
Ms. Keenan explained another difference between states. She told us that Florida passed a law that says students must have legal immigration documents to use Adult Education. In California, this is different. You do not need legal documents to use Adult Education.
It is important to know what is happening in other states because California is not a country. It is big and different in many ways from other states but it is one state of fifty states, part of a bigger country. We need to understand what is happening in the whole country. We need to see the big puzzle so we can understand our piece.
Ms. Keenan said they are working on a National Strategic Action Plan for Adult Education.
Tim told her what we are doing here at our school and in our area to prepare for the new Regional Consortia system. He talked about working with ALLIES and local groups in the community to understand what people need. He said people can work together to decide what problem to work on. Then they can divide the work to solve it.
Teacher Jay and Teacher Carolyn Lee talked about the Passport to Employment Class.
Teacher Mary talked about her Transition to College Writing Class.
Teacher Lisa talked about Student Council and EL Civics.
Teacher Carolyn talked about Distance Learning and Teacher Preparation.
I (Teacher Cynthia) talked about helping Congress and the American people understand that Adult Education creates stronger families, communities and economy. The economy is not separate from community. Community is economy. Strong communities create a strong economy because money can build new, good things instead of fixing big, bad problems.
Teacher Patricia talked about PLC - Professional Learning Communities. PLC is how SMAS teachers become better teachers. This is our professional development.
Teacher Patricia also asked a very good question. These are difficult times. There have been many cuts. Some people do not want to spend more money on Adult Education. Teacher Patricia asked: How does Ms. Keenan not become cynical?
Cynical means you always expect bad things to happen. You stop seeing the good in people. You expect the bad.
Ms. Keenan said she thinks about strategy.
Remember strategy? It is different than a plan. A plan is a solid one, two, three list of things to do. Strategy is looking at the big picture and thinking of the all the ways you can reach your goal. When things change, your strategy can change. Your mind is flexible and ready to see problems and find solutions. A good strategy can help you continue when things are difficult. It can help reach your goal or come close to your goal. I think Ms. Keenan was not only a good teacher but also a good student.
It was clear to us that Ms. Keenan and Dr. Dann-Messier really care about people.
They understand the value of Adult Education.
They understand that many, many, many Americans need Adult Education.
And they understand that teachers and administrators need help to provide the best Adult Education possible.
Dr. Dann-Messier and Ms. Keenan have big jobs. They are in charge of Adult Education for the United States.
But they are also teachers. They are also students. They are Americans who want the United States to be a good, strong country where adults can get the help they need to get good jobs, help their families and communities, and reach their goals.
We have a common goal: Good quality Adult Education for all the people who need it.
Talking together, working together, we can do as Tim says and talk about how to reach our goal and then divide the work. We can use strategy to reach our goal in the best way possible.
And we can remember that inside every person is a teacher and a student. We all have something to learn from each other. We all have something to teach each other. We are all important.
 |
| Mr. T, Dr. Dann-Messier, Ms. Keenan, Susan in conversation. Photo Credit: Tom Jung |
What we do matters.
No comments:
Post a Comment