Monday, June 30, 2014

Better Than We Could Ever Have Said It...

Last week, Sean Kirst of the Post-Standard did a two-part story on a young man - a graduate this past weekend - who worked incredibly hard for his diploma.



By profiling one child, Sean was able to shine a spotlight on the many students who struggle daily - in similar circumstances - with or without the family supports that Jerry Kelley was blessed with. Jerry is among the lucky ones.

Not all of our kids are so lucky... Kirst's article was an eye-opener regarding the daily challenges countless kids face outside of school that create and/or contribute to their struggle. Jerry spoke of the "noise" all around him and it really resonated. How many of our students are living in the midst of this "noise?" All too often those are the kids who are lost in the cracks.

How do we better support them?

In school, we can strive for chaos-free classrooms that become a part of that solution by creating a "noise-free" safe place for kids to land. We need to seek out creative ways to minimize distractions outside the classroom for students, even where our influence is minimal. We must continue advocating for supports for those kids who are struggling. We should be asking for professional development for all student-facing positions to ensure that all staff receive cultural diversity awareness training. We must continue to do all that we can to foster school-parent partnerships that are open, honest and always with the best interest of the child at heart.

Acknowledging the need that exists on all of our parts is not a weakness, but a strength. By working as a team and committing to becoming a part of the solution, we can ALL make a difference in the lives of the students in the Syracuse City School District.


Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Some Kids Need MORE

Are you a parent? Can you say that you always provide equally for all of your children? Is that even your goal? Or is your goal to provide them each with what they need and hope that in the end you've been fair and given them the tools to succeed?

Why does school have to be different?

Over and over again, we fight the assumption that providing academic and social-emotional supports for students who are struggling the most means that they somehow will receive an unequal - hence, unfair and somehow lesser - education...

When we talk about struggling students, we are speaking of students who spend more time in ISS, out-of-school suspension, wandering the halls or who are not participating in their education in an academically meaningful way.

We do not mean...
Students with IEPs whose behavior results from their disability
Students who are below grade level
Students who occasionally misbehave

The students we are speaking of are those who - for all intents and purposes - are not receiving an education now.

This needs to change!

We want ALL STUDENTS to have an education!
We want to level the playing field for ALL STUDENTS!
We want ALL STUDENTS to have an equal shot in life, not just in school!

So, some kids may need extra support to get to that point. In a perfect world, those supports would be delivered in traditional school settings, with as little disruption as possible to the student receiving the supports. There may be times when it is not possible to stay in the traditional setting - either because supports cannot be delivered there or because that may not be the best setting for the individual student. So... even in those situations, the goal is always to bring the students back into the traditional classroom as quickly as possible.

Is it equal? Maybe not. But unequal doesn't have to mean less... Some kids need MORE. And if we refuse to consider that point, we will continue to give them less. All in the name of being equal...

Thursday, June 12, 2014

The Great Divide

We are still processing through the SCSD's June School Board meeting.

Never has it been so clear how divided our fair city is. And yet we all - parents, teachers, administrators, community activists - have the same goal...

EDUCATING OUR CHILDREN IN A SAFE, CHAOS-FREE ENVIRONMENT.

How do we come together, cut through the rhetoric, lay aside our baggage and preconceived notions, and sit down at the table to REALLY discuss how to best serve ALL children?

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Who Is at the Root of THIS Racial Divide?

Who is the creator of this?



SCSD Take Back Our Schools Blog and Be the Change have always advocated for a safe, chaos-free learning environment for ALL students and staff in the Syracuse City School District and the addition of the academic and social-emotional supports necessary to ensure that ALL students have the tools to be successful both in school and in their lives after school.

Nothing more, nothing less.


If You Don't Vote, Don't Complain

From another blog reader...
"Again -- NO one who refuses to vote is in a position to complain. The irrational fears of voting could well hamper extremely critical efforts to improve status quo. When we vote on election day in November, we must sign our names, but HOW we vote in the booth is confidential. The same holds for voting for STA issues. There is NO EXCUSE not to vote. None. Not a single reason. There is NO record of how any individual voted. And -- we cannot assume the votes of the (responsible and accountable) "others" will ensure the outcome. There is simply too much at stake to remain silent."
Regardless of your position on the issues at hand, your vote counts! Make your voice heard! 

Monday, June 9, 2014

Perspective

On fear and voting, one reader pointed out the following...

"Good Lord! People are out voting in places where they face the threat of armed militias."

Just a little perspective for everyone...

On Fear...

For months we have heard about how fearful employees of the SCSD are - afraid of students, afraid of administration, afraid of parents...

AFRAID TO SPEAK OUT

The funny thing about fear is that it can become a habit. One that immobilizes us, leaving us frozen and unable to act. And eventually the fear wins.

But today, right now...

WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO FACE THOSE FEARS -
STARE THEM DOWN

to break the habit and take a stand.

Are you going to seize that opportunity and vote with your conscience? Do what you know is right? Or will you continue to allow fear to rule your life? And for what?

THERE IS NO REASON TO BE AFRAID

Voting is anonymous - and it stays that way. Your signature indicates that you voted, not HOW you voted. Be true to yourself and your conscience. Let your voice - all of our voices - be heard loud and clear.


Sunday, June 8, 2014

Staying the Course

The strongest people stand by their convictions, even in the face of what they fear most. We must all stay strong and remember that the future of all of the children of the SCSD are depending on us. Trust our instincts, our education and our experience.

Friday, June 6, 2014

Things Are Getting Interesting...

Ever watch Saturday Night Live? Back in the 80's the was a recurring character who had a cable access show called (I think) "Coffee Talk." The character's tagline?

"Talk amongst yourselves."

We All Make a Difference!



"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
change the world. 
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." 
- Margaret Mead, anthropologist

Even when it seems that things are quiet, activity is always bubbling just below the surface. Our job is to continue churning away even when it feels that we are the only ones. So, even when it is most quiet...



  • continue speaking the truth,
  • being patient, and
  • having faith. 

Our collective voices WILL make a positive difference for the kids and staff in the Syracuse City School District. 

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Courage

A few thoughts on courage...

"Faced with what is right, to leave it undone shows a lack of courage."
- Confucius, philosopher


"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear."
- Mark Twain, author


"Courage is fire, bullying is smoke."
- Benjamin Disraeli, politician


"Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened."
- Billy Graham, minister


"The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, it is conformity."
- Rollo May, psychologist


And a final one...

"Let us go forth with fear and courage and rage to save the world."
 - Grace Paley, author




When faced with fear, do you have the courage to stand upfor what you believe  - what you know - to be right?