It was summertime in northern Minnesota.

Hello all,


For my last blog I bring up a dangerous topic. Please refrain from verbal abuse or throwing virtual rotten vegetables. Summer is nearly over. Most of you will say that it is only half done. After July 4th my perception is a season stuck on fast forward. Every week I turn my head and its Wednesday, then I blink and its Saturday. For fall coaches like myself, planning our two-a-day practices is on the to-do list.

A new school year is just around the corner. The prior four quarters and thirty-six weeks are yesterday’s news. The time has come for us to roll up our sleeves for the long haul. It takes me quite a while to accept that proposition. My last school year was my best yet. Yet, teaching is like the northern weather, we all know its unpredictable. My batteries aren’t quite recharged, hopefully in another month they will be on full go.

After this week I won’t have this online resource anymore. I want to take advantage one last time. I have a few questions I hope you won’t mind answering. What are some things that you do to get motivated for another school year? Do you have a to-do list or a checklist? I am wondering if there is any good advice to start the year on the right foot.

I am a huge movie buff. I think I was Minnesota’s first Netflix subscriber. Just watched Slumdog Millionaire. What a great story! I have Doubt and Seven Pounds just waiting to be watched. You name it I have probably seen it. Except for the horror movies, not really my cup of tea. I wouldn’t touch the Drag me to hell with a ten-foot pole. My all-time favorite is Shawshank Redemption. “Get busy living or get busy dying.” One day I am going to Zihuatenejo, Mexico and go deep-sea fishing with Andy and Red. You know the Pacific has no memory. Sorry, anyway.

I stumbled upon a review of the top teacher movies while perusing through Education Week. Rent one or two of these films. The teachers are inspiring. They are guaranteed to get you in the mood to school up some young people.

Pay it forward. Haley Joe Osmond plays Trevor McKinney. He is a middle school student and son of an alcoholic single mother, Arlene played by Helen Hunt. Kevin Spacey plays Trevor’s social studies teacher Mr. Simonet. Both Arlene and Mr. S are victims of abuse. This is a major theme of the film. Mr. S assigns Trevor’s class a community service project. Trevor comes up with a truly great idea. It is called pay it forward, doing three good deeds for somebody else and passing it on. Trevor’s movement spreads nationally. This is a great story about unselfishness and altruism.

Who can forget Mr. Holland's Opus? Richard Dreyfuss plays a musician and composer who takes a job as a music teacher to pay the bills. Teaching is going to be a temporary fix. His lifelong goal is to create one brilliant piece of music. Early in his career he struggles as a teacher. However, he eventually ends up making a huge difference in the lives of his students and family. I love the end. The music program gets cancelled. He is retiring and thinks his teaching career was futile. His former students, including the governor, return to play his piece “An American Song.”

Dead Poets Society, another classic. Robin Williams plays an English professor named John Keating. I think it was my junior high art teacher’s favorite. Her motto, like his, is “carpe diem.” He challenges his students to “seize the day” and live life to the fullest. Robin Williams is believable as a teacher, right? Mr. Keating definitely bucks the status quo.

I am involved in athletics so I must list Coach Carter. Samuel L. Jackson plays a basketball coach who believes in academics first. Almost as good as Snakes on a Plane. It appeals to me because many people get into coaching to teach young boys to be men. Coach requires that his players sit in the front row of classes, earn a 2.3 grade point average, and behave themselves. He locks up the gym and risks their undefeated season when they fall behind. Despite outrage from parents, players, and other teachers he sticks to his guns. Love it.

Okay this one isn’t about a traditional classroom teacher, but what the heck, The Karate Kid. I know, corny as can be. Ralph Macchio plays a bullied boy named Daniel Larusso. A martial arts master named Mr. Miyagi, played by Pat Morita, mentors him. Daniel Son is often confused by Mr. Miyagi's lessons. Miyagi has him doing all sorts of chores, like painting his fence. What the heck is “wax on, wax off?" Daniel Son learns discipline and self-control. In the end, Daniel Son faces his tormentors in the All Valley Karate Championship. The unforgettable scene is when Daniel Son knocks out Johnny, even after Johnny injured him with an illegal move. Great story about adversity, perseverance, and determination.

Alright, I had some fun with this blog. Check out one of these films if you like. There are lots more that I didn’t mention. I forgot Dangerous Minds, Hoosiers, Summer School, and Freedom Writers off the top of my head. Please reflect on one earlier questions. That would be greatly appreciated. Keep your ears to the ground. The cavalry is on the way.

Have a great summer. Arek




There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart. Cecilia Baxter.

Let’s get the community involved – Lucky Number 7

The great farm labor organizer Cesar Chavez said it best. “We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community... Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.”

The popular essayist Rev. Samuel M. Crothers added another great quote. “The present movement for using the schoolhouse of a city for the promotion of neighborhood life is one that has a long history – as long as democracy. The ideas of connecting schools and the community can be traced back over one hundred years. We can thank the progressive-thinking minds of Jane Addams and John Dewey. Jane Addams founded Hull House in Chicago’s rundown 19th ward. The settlement house was as a beacon of hope for impoverished immigrant workers. Hull House offered health care, kindergarten, playgrounds, college classes, day care, job training and an assortment of other services and programs. Addams even made Chicago take out its trash as Chicago’s one time garbage inspector. The great philosopher John Dewey adopted the settlement notion of social change to the public school system. It turns as education has changed throughout history, community involvement has always been instrumental in its success.

I have learned to be more aware of my surroundings. I am much more observant of factors that influence the teaching and learning process. That is certainly one thing I have learned entering the masters program.

I have devoted a number of my blogs to societal ills that make learning problematic. It is human nature to blame and point fingers. All too often I blame other societal aspects for educational difficulties encountered. There is truth to many of my allegations. However, schools have to accept some of the blame. Not all.

Seven periods in a school is not enough time to educate our youth. Family, neighbors, and the church play a pivotal role in socialization. Teachers cannot transmit civic and character virtues. We must be supported by our local instructions. Why then, do we close our doors to the community?
Concurrently, the problems of the community don’t disappear when the bell rings. Poverty, violence, parental neglect, and addiction all affect the teaching and learning process. Teachers have to wear many hats. Other roles include parent, babysitter, and counselor, nurse to name a few. How great would it be to just teach?


I haven’t been teaching that long. And, I realize that every school district is different. I have noticed that many school districts are becoming safety obsessed. It has to be a nightmare for an administrator after horrific events such as Columbine, Red Lake, and Virginia Tech. American life in general is safety obsessed. We should treat this on a case by cases basis. Our food, water, transportation, and consumer products should not intentionally harm us, rightly so. However, some fears are blown out of proportion. I think our society is fairly safe from a terrorist act. Another will eventually happen. Yet, we should not sacrifice our inherent rights and liberties in exchange for a false sense of security. It is the Fourth of July isn’t. Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty or give me death.” Another social studies teacher tangent, SORRY!

Anyway, I am troubled by this safety-obsession in our school. School violence will continue. However, the probability is miniscule. I would equate it to the chances of being struck by lightning. Many administrators have taken the prison warden approach. More locks, though of course not more guards or cells. At least I hope not at your school. Schools are locked up, off limits to students, staff, and the community. I think this is a major travesty. I teach in a very small town. Across northern Minnesota economic decline is leading to alarming depopulation. Small family farms are consolidating into larger and larger operations. Small town public schools are the heart of these small towns. Alumni should want to return to be a part of their school’s events. A good example is small town athletics. You can’t beat high school. The immense pride of a cheering crowd, proud parents, and hard working athletes is unbeatable. I want a school open to the community. It is a public building. The school should be used, not locked up. Citizens that pay school-funding property taxes should enjoy the fruits of their sacrifice. The weight room and gym should be open for adults to exercise and compete in leagues. The library and computers should be available for public access. Fosston is a town with a low socioeconomic status. Computer access is not available to those that can’t afford it. Conference rooms should be available for public forums and group meetings. Classrooms and teachers should be available for afternoon afterschool programs. Once the school goes, the town dries up. McIntosh, a neighboring community of Fosston, knows all too well. Or, if the school is off limits a similar reaction is possible.

Parent teacher conference attendance disappoints me every year. I want to see more people at athletics and other extracurricular events. I am not satisfied in our community involvement.

I am leaning towards parental involvement as a topic for my action research. I think that the lock and key obsession has disastrous effects. It projects a very negative message towards the community. The community’s perception of the school is one of guarded defensiveness. I have seen firsthand the negative feelings that result from feelings of distrust inadvertently generated by an administrator with good intentions.

Stop here if you don’t want specifics on Community Learning Centers. I knew relatively little about them, read a lot, and provided lots of examples.

I am interested in your input. How much is your community involved in your school? If so, in what ways? If not, what do you think is stopping involvement?

The summer issue of American Educator is partly responsible for this blog’s topic. The American Federation Teachers (AFT) puts out this quarterly journal of educational research and ideas. This issue focuses on Cincinnati, Ohio's community learning centers (CLCs). New York City also has 21 community schools. They are nationally located, in various shapes and sizes. Fosston and Cincinnati are very similar. We share many things in common; the only exception is the size of the population. As a result I think many things that the CLC’s too apply in small town Minnesota.

An on-site coordinator leads CLCs. Their salary is independently funded, reducing the risk of yearly budget reductions. To start a CLC a core group of parents is identified. These are the leaders of the community. CLC officials do the legwork, shaking hands and interviewing people that are willing to lend a hand. Parental involvement starts very small. Parental involvement gains steam and becomes contagious. Community partners fall in love with students. Young people gain the necessary support to learn, mature, and grow as learners and people.

The site coordinator and parents aim to establish partnerships and resources with the community and relief-based organizations. Teachers do not have extra duties, nor is there extra budget expenditures. This itself makes the coordinator job a full-time one. Winston Hills has a program called Adopt A Class. Local businesses partner with an individual class. Proctor and Gamble, a local television station, a law firm, a construction firm, and a police precinct were some of the organizations that adopted classes. The businesses send representatives to their respective classes to talk shop and even tutor students. Students can also visit these companies. Volunteers from an architectural firm have elaborated the importance of science in the classroom. These representatives have replaced athletes and entertainers as role models. A local bank paid for school supplies, field trips, snacks, and testing week letters of support for Priscilla Copas 3rd grade class.

Subsequently, a Winston Hills parent organized a job fair. Representatives of local businesses set up job information and interview stations. Sixty people attended, and over one-half that applied for jobs were hired. Coordinator Annie Bogenshultz said it was the first time we had sixty outside adults in the building at once.

First of, CLCs are open to the public. Winton Hills, a Cincinnati CLC is open seven days a week until eleven p.m.

CLC’s offer afterschool activities. Students that do not participate in extracurricular's have options. They are not exposed to trouble on the street. Neither are they vegging out on the couch in front of the TV or video game console. In addition, parents can work longer without worry, or arrange day care. After school programs are geared towards elementary students. They offer constructive computer time. Tutors are available for students that have fallen behind on work, or aren’t up to math and reading standards. Ethel M. Taylor Academy high school students can hang out at the recreation center. Extended learning areas are located in the cafeteria, gym, and library. These communal spaces are used by the GED program, and adult education courses. Grown-ups can learn everything from cooking, yoga, or ESL. Taylor students are even served 5 p.m. dinner. Some CLC’s operate year-round. Fun activities augment content-based learning. Taylor students may put in requests for afternoon activities. Examples included ballroom dancing, CRP, and Spanish. The local news station sent over a meteorologist to teach a lesson on weather weekly. Oyler students chose DJ class, drumline, sign language, karate, Mad Science, and theatre. The key is that students are empowered to learn because they have choices.


CLS develop partnerships with clinics, hospitals, and dentist offices. There offices are on the school grounds. Students’ health needs are taken care of. They need not arrange transportation or have to miss extra class time. WinMed is the name of the Winston Hills Medical Health Center partnership. They have a Fast Track program in which parents can permit a school nurse to take a child to a health clinic. St. Aloysius provides mental health services to students and parents. Crisis intervention has saved lives.


The CLC director sometimes coordinates social services. The CLC coordinator helps often-undereducated families cut through bureaucratic red tape. Mental health, childcare, tutoring, and mental heart services are a few examples. Oyler Community Learning Center dispenses food pantry Power Packs every Friday. These are boxes of nutritious child friendly food. Low-income students depend on these donations to prevent a weekend of hunger.

CLCs students report improved academic performance in reading and math. CLS schools report better attendance and fewer dropouts. Students are healthier; mentally, physically, and emotionally. Parents are more active in their children’s education. There is a stronger interconnectedness with the community

A problem in perception?

The world is watching the situation in Iran. Demonstrators continue to fill the streets to protest President Ahmadinejad’s suspicious re-election. A flood of cell phone multimedia nearly caused the crash of Twitter and Facebook. Iranian’s Guardian Council has been unable to censor reality. The government’s harsh crackdown on demonstrators has been fruitless. CNN reported web traffic to increase fivefold. Neda, the young women murdered by Iranian authorities, is a symbol of the unrest. Historians already believe oppressed Iranian women and the disenfranchised will rally around her tragic, public death. The American perception of Iran is outdated. I am a social studies teacher. I will accept a share of the blame. We see Iran as a terrorist country. President Bush categorized it as an “Axis of Evil” nation. The firebrand Ayatollah Khomeini and his anti-American rhetoric come to mind. Blindfolded U.S. diplomats held at gunpoint for 444 days by radical Iranian students. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed the Holocaust was a myth and Israel should be wiped off the map. U.S. society and culture depicts a stereotypical image of Iran. Just watch the movie 300. The Greek Spartans are noble, brave, and selfless. The Persians are a barbaric horde of monsters bent on world domination. The Persian civilization actually was a tolerant Middle Eastern empire that codified the human rights ideology. Modern Iran is full of young people, over half the population thirty-five and younger. They enjoy dancing, wine, cell phones, and the Internet. Many of them want to wear western style clothing. Their Islamic government kept them alienated from the West for quite some time. Not that case anymore. Unfortunately, America limits Iran to its Islamic-cleric led rogue state government. We witness Iranian’s agitating for freedom. They want to be part of the international community of nations.

This is a long-winded history teacher introduction. In my defense we are witnessing history in the making. Our perceptions of one another are changing.

I will never compare America and Iran. I believe everyday Iranian and American people have lots in common. Middle Eastern geopolitics has cast us on different courses. Western colonialism, petroleum, and Cold War containment has drastically altered the course of the Middle East and every nation in the region. We are different in too many ways to list. America is the original cradle of democracy. The U.S. has been freedom’s watchdog for as long as people can remember. The Bill of Rights protects personal freedoms and civil liberties that cannot be denied by the state. The first amendment safeguards freedom of speech. However, it does not always guarantee the truth. Lies, allegations, and falsehoods come with the territory. People are always interested in twisting information for person and collective gain.

There are inaccurate perceptions here at home. Are American public schools failing? Overwhelmingly yes, say politicians and bureaucrats. Is this actually the case? The issue has created fierce division.

President Clinton’s Secretary of Education Richard Riley once said, "we need to stop dumbing down our children, and reach up and set high expectations.” A Horace Mann League listed “negative perceptions about public educators” as the number one factor detrimental to the success of public schools. Teachers are getting a bad rap. Apparently, we are the ones to blame for a problem that may or may not exist. A 1995 Berliner and Biddle study learned that a majority of Americans would send their children to private school if they could afford it.


Here is some insight from the social studies word. Public schools have been criticized throughout U.S. history. The Soviet launch of the Sputnik satellite created a “Space Race,” Suddenly, we were lagging behind the superior Russian science and math programs. Today, the information age has created a hyperawareness. Computers and technology have us continuously connected to our society. The passing of pop icon Michael Jackson is a great example. Instantly, our ears are to the ground, waiting for the bad news. American parents fear their children are falling behind a cheaper and more educated Chinese and Indian workforce. Bill Gates Sr. said on a NPR radio interview that the conditions of American public education are very, very poor. ABC News reporter John Stossel angered teachers by airing a 20/20 program titled Stupid in America, How Lack of Choice Cheats our Kids out of a Good Education.


The onslaught of standardized tests results from this criticism. People want evidence that American youth are learning. I believe the testing movement is further degrading teacher’s instructional quality. The stage is set for a self-fulfilling prophecy. My previous blog mentions the law of unintended consequences. This distortion of truth has created perfect conditions for this phenomenon.
What are some of the other consequences, intended or unintended, of all this negative publicity?

Americans must be exposed to the good news. There is plenty of it.

CNN learned Americans favor are willing to give up some control of their school district in exchange for federal funding. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune poll determined that three-fourths of Minnesotans opposed cuts to K-12 spending.

Berliner and Biddle noted that Americans have more than double our population enrolled in college. One-fourth will graduate with a bachelor’s degree, the highest in the world. Over eighty percent of Americans have attained a secondary education. That is higher than Japan, Britain, and France. A Gallup poll survey found that seventy-six percent of parents are completely or somewhat satisfied with their kid’s public school.

Chapter nine of our textbook tells us about testing. The National Science Foundation learned U.S. States represented twelve of the top twenty international thirteen-year old math students. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, American thirteen-year olds hold fourteen of the two fifteen sciences rankings worldwide. The Programme for International Student Assessment pegged American readers among the world’s highest scores. The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) found the U.S. reading literacy second best among thirty-five nations. The Comparative Indicators of Education in the United States and other G-8 Countries: 2002 compared Canada, France, England, Germany, Japan, Italy, Russia, and the U.S. American fourth grade math and science students were second only to Japan. Fourteen-year old Americans led the G-8 in total civic knowledge and civic skills.

I also think a lack of cultural understanding plays a part. U.S. students are frequently compared to Asian students. They are told how much more polite, hardworking, and successful these students are. Japanese and Korean students outperform American students science and math tests. Asian math and science students have led the world for decades. However, students from these countries compete fiercely for entrance into every level of schooling. They spend more days in school. We spend more hours. Families spend their own money on cram schools and tutors. Japan, Germany, and Switzerland all spend more money on education. The stakes are unbelievably high. Of course they would score higher on these tests.

I have to address the opposition. Somebody should always play devil’s advocate. You can do anything you want with statistics. And there are plenty of those to go around as well. According to national tests, one-third of American students could do reading and math at their current grade level. One-fourth of American students drop out.
I have provided a lot of tests and statistics to peruse through. Long story short, researcher David C. Berliner said, “The fundamental premise behind the No Child Left Behind Act is that the public schools of the United States are falling. But that is a half-truth at best.”

Here the brass tacks and the bottom-line. The truth needs to come out. American teachers are doing a great job. American students stack up with the rest of the world. We are losing educators at a crisis rate. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. The truth will set you free. Nonetheless, we should always strive to improve.