Welcome!

Welcome to Laurie Goodman's blog. I use this space to share news and opinions about education and schools in Ridgewood, the state of New Jersey and the nation, in addition to other issues I'm personally interested in. I invite you to share your thoughts, feelings, questions or opinions, too, by posting comments on any blog entry. Please observe basic courtesy -- keep your comments focused on issues, no personal attacks or bullying, please. Contact me directly at: lauriegood@mac.com

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Class of 2012 is "sick" (or looking good)!

The early college acceptances are starting to come in and, to quote my son, "the class of 2012 is sick!" He meant that in a good way. As in, the Class of 2012 is going to be impressive in where its graduates get accepted for college. He may be right...

This week some Ridgewood High School students got their Early Action and Early Decision answers, plus some got answers from rolling admission schools to which they applied early. Just anecdotally, my son has told me about two of his friends accepted ED at Stanford, three accepted at Cornell, two at Amherst, two at Colgate, plus some Columbia, Boston University, Lehigh, Duke, UNC... Keep in mind, these are all Early Decision or Early Action, which tends to be more competitive. (My own son was accepted to Penn State...really proud of him!)

The college process is a crazy whirlwind in Ridgewood. We've tried to keep things sane for our family. My philosophy is that there is not one single "best" school for every child. There are a lot of good schools and each student's success depends a lot on what he/she puts into it. Colleges are different than back in my day (not so long ago...30 years). They compete, with services and marketing. Students have become more savvy and more demanding. I get frustrated when people outside the school system complain that Ridgewood "isn't sending enough kids to the Ivy League." I've got news for you: not very many students want to go to the Ivy League. And why should they? Should they incur those high costs and high pressure environments for the name on the diploma? Today's students have learned to shop hard for their schools, and demand the education, the facilities and the services that feel right for them, personally. Maybe it's an Ivy...probably it's not. But if they work hard and make the most of it, they'll get an excellent education.

I can't wait to watch these young people embark on the next stage of their lives...the rest of their lives. The application and acceptance process will be rolling on through May, so let's remember this is a marathon and not a sprint. When the final list is complete, I'll update you here.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Love letter to New York City.

I love this video love letter to New York City, created by the talented Andrew Clancy who shot the video and edited it together. The music is beautiful, too.

A Year in New York from Andrew Clancy on Vimeo.

Read more about the video by clicking here.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Innovative special ed is the Ridgewood way.

Innovative special education? It's just how we do things in Ridgewood, at least as long as I've been here and clearly since before then. The mission statement of our school district is the real thing, especially the part about "enabling students to maximize their unique potentials." In some school districts, special education is seen as somehow other...separate...different...well, special. But in Ridgewood, special ed is just part of how we educate and care for every student and his or her unique potential, whatever that may be, from overachievers to underachievers, from superstars to kids who struggle with basic everyday survival. Most Ridgewood residents have no idea the range of needs and challenges faced by Ridgewood youth, and are unaware of the lengths our educators go to educate students of all aptitudes and developmental levels. The very fact that our special ed programs operate somewhat "under the radar" is a testament to how these programs are part of the very fabric of our school system. The recent referendum and construction projects to add/change spaces at our schools and better accommodate special programs is further confirmation. Financially smart, yes, but also simply the right thing to do.

That's why it's truly great when a Ridgewood program is recognized outside on the larger stage. You may have read recently that RHS principal Jack Lorenz was recognized by Bergen County for his leadership in developing the S.A.I.L. (Strategic Actions & Innovations for Learning) program at the high school, and kudos to Mr. Lorenz. According to the story on Ridgewood Patch, the S.A.I.L. program "houses special needs students in-house, focusing on providing lessons of independence." The program consists of a curriculum that combines academic lessons with internships, job training, counseling and technology. S.A.I.L. also saves the district money, since the students remain in RHS instead of being sent out of district where we would have to pay tuition for their education. It's a win-win for the students, their families and the district (not to mention the other RHS students who have the benefit of working with and getting to know these students, too).

I think it's important to mention that many people created, and currently give life everyday to, the S.A.I.L. program at RHS. In particular, Kerry Huntington, Director of Special Services, and Pat Staab, Supervisor of Special Education, were architects of the program along with Mr. Lorenz. And, seriously, I save my strongest praise and respect for the teachers with, as they say, the "boots on the ground," who work with the S.A.I.L. students day in and day out. Yes, it certainly takes leadership to get a program such as S.A.I.L. off the ground (thank you Board of Ed, too, for funding it). But it takes a District with an overall commitment at all levels to create an environment where such a program could be theorized, designed and implemented pretty much in the background, business as usual. Thank you Ridgewood, and thank you to all the educators involved, for making it a reality.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

The higher education bubble is coming. Watch out.

I heard someone recently say if you thought the "housing bubble" was tough, wait for the "higher education bubble." It's gonna be worse. This graphic helps explain the situation. (Note: Even though I'd like to see a graphic like this include sources for the data, I do believe that the general message (or messages) in it are true and accurate.)

Go to this link (sorry, I can't paste the full graphic here without it getting chopped off).

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Technology and innovation in education.

Had a good time at the Edscape conference today in New Milford. Last year it was called the Tri State Technology Conference and this time the format was basically the same – sessions all about different ways to use technology to create teaching, schools and classrooms that are collaborative, innovative, engaging and high-performing. There was a little too much SmartBoard focus for my taste, but it makes sense – SmartBoards are everywhere and they do offer a lot of opportunity to engage students in lessons.

There was also a lot of focus on MLDs – Mobile Learning Devices. AKA cell phones, iPads, tablets, etc. It’s becoming more and more clear that as our students carry smart phones and other devices, schools cam efficiently take advantage of this and incorporate them into teaching. Why wouldn’t we allow students to use the small, handheld devices that can connect them to just about all of the information in the world and which they are already carrying in their pockets – at no cost to districts! We should be allowing, enabling and encouraging this use throughout our schools, especially the high school.

I attended sessions on:
  • Professional Development: What is it and what should it be?
  • Mobile Learning
  • "What If" – what kind of technology do teachers want?
  • Building a Culture of Literacy – how do we ensure books and literature are not lost in the push for technology

I enjoyed learning about Edmodo, which is basically "Facebook for schools." It's a platform that allows a teacher and students to collaborate, share work, give feedback, plan, get assignments, take quizes, participate in polls, etc., using an interface that looks a lot like Facebook and works the same way, so it's intuitive and kids are engaged right away. It's a completely closed and secure system so everything is private and...it's free!

Probably the best part of the day was the keynote address by Diana Laufenberg of Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia. Diana focused on innovation in schools and described how everything her school does – every single lesson, every single project – incorporates the school’s core values: inquiry, research, collaboration, presentation and reflection. As Diana said, and as is stated on their website, “AT SLA, leaning is not just something that happens from 8:30am to 3:00pm, but a continuous process that expans beyond the four walls of the classroom into every facet of our lives.”

As you may have predicted by now, that kind of talk is getting me energized again to focus on technology and innovation in our Ridgewood schools. I tried, unsuccessfully, to get traction on this subject during the three years I was on the Board of Ed. I’m not giving up. As a “regular” parent now, I am pursuing the subject again, and will be bringing some ideas to the Board in the next few weeks. I’ll keep you posted!

Monday, September 26, 2011

Losing some school safety.


Yesterday’s Bergen Record had a story about budget cuts forcing school districts to lose their School Resource Officers. Ridgewood lost its SRO and it’s definitely a loss for our students.

It may surprise some people that I am a fan of police officers in schools for any reason, but the SRO is not simply an armed-guard. Rather than intimidating students, frisking kids, searching lockers or chasing down youthful offenders, the SRO’s benefits are more subtle and long term. In Ridgewood, our SRO formed relationships with students in the high school and middle schools. Actually, elementary school students became acquainted with him as he would occasionally talk to their classes, then when they got to middle school they’d see him more often and perhaps get to know him one on one. And then by high school they were comfortable enough to share information about activities and interests of kids in Ridgewood – things that might happen in school or outside of school. The SRO got to know many students by name, he had his ear to the ground, and heard stories about parties or incidents. He knew who had bad home situations. He helped get assistance for kids with substance problems. And the kids felt he genuinely cared about them. Students could come to him for advice. If he heard about an issue that was in the principal’s purview, he’s share that info. And vice versa. Without a doubt, the SRO prevented some crimes from happening and when there were incidents, he was able to follow-up with more precision and success.

It’s nice to read that some towns, such as New Milford, stepped in with funding from the town budget, to keep SROs in place. Our BOE was unsuccessful in getting the Village of Ridgewood to fund our SRO when grant funding ran out. So the Ridgewood SRO was reassigned to “regular” police work.

Does my opinion of the SRO program conflict with my opinion of extracurricular codes that punish kids for activities that take place outside of school? Absolutely not. I still am not comfortable with a school imposing sanctions – such as barring a student from sports or clubs – because of something they may have done on a Saturday night. But the SRO program was different. It was about communication and rapport and the “it takes a village” mentality, not simply a shortcut to official police reports.

It’s too bad we lost it.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Hawes School ribbon-cutting Wednesday night

Residents, neighbors, parents and kids are invited to the official ribbon cutting ceremony at Hawes School Wednesday night 9/14. The event begins at 7:00 p.m. I haven't seen the new addition at Hawes since back in March or so...can't wait to see how it all turned out.

This is the addition that was funded as part of the 2009 bond referendum. Other projects include the addition at Ridge School (not going as quickly, different contractor, different challenges), additions at Willard and GW (in progress), the RHS fields (need to be repaired) and lots of important but not-so-obvious work at RHS, BF and other schools.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Lunch point-of-sale system confusion.


Received this email from the Ridgewood Public Schools tonight:

Hello Parents of Ridgewood Middle Schools and High School,
As you may know, we have implemented a Point-of-Sales system in the cafeterias at the Middle Schools and High School.  In order to make the lunch period run quickly and efficiently, we ask that you remind your students that they will require a Key Pad number for purchasing items from the cafeterias, either on account or in cash.  Your students key pad number can be found in Skyward Family or Student Access under Food Service.  If you need assistance, please email skywardhelp@ridgewood.k12.nj.us.Thank you for your patience during this transition period.

I do encourage everyone to be patient (and nice) during the transition, but I have to agree with some of my friends who find it utterly baffling that students must enter a PIN number in order to purchase something with cash. Makes no sense to me. (Not to mention -- if you don't use Skyward to pay for lunch in advance, then you don't have a PIN...or you don't know you have a PIN.) I'm hoping this is something that can be tweaked and corrected. I don't understand why a Point of Sale system needs to track cash purchases. 

I'll let you know if I hear about anything changing.

The high cost of low salaries.

Now that my daughter (RHS Class of 07) has begun working on her Master’s and started student teaching at an elementary school in New Hampshire, I’m getting a fascinating look at the process of becoming a teacher. The view from the very first days of one’s career is so interesting – especially when that career is constantly in the news and the topic of blog posts, speeches, political posturing, national debate and local ridicule. More than a few young or aspiring teachers are asking themselves, “What am I doing? Is this really the smartest thing for me to do with my life?” For most young adults who enter the teaching profession right out of college, teaching is a calling. They’ve always wanted to be a teacher, or they’ve always know they wanted to work with children. Teaching is certainly not the career one lands on when scanning the list of Top 10 Starting Salaries or Top 10 Growth Careers, where it seems the primary focus is on how fast can you get out and how much money can you leave with. Teaching is no way to get rich – there are much higher starting salaries and much more lucrative fields. This fact, I believe, is directly related to the current worries about the quality of our schools.

I read a great piece in the NY Times about teacher compensation and the high cost of turnover -- as 46% of teachers quit before their fifth year. (The High Cost of Low Salaries, 4/30/11) According to the piece:
WHEN we don’t get the results we want in our military endeavors, we don’t blame the soldiers. We don’t say, “It’s these lazy soldiers and their bloated benefits plans! That’s why we haven’t done better in Afghanistan!” No, if the results aren’t there, we blame the planners. We blame the generals, the secretary of defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff. No one contemplates blaming the men and women fighting every day in the trenches for little pay and scant recognition.
And yet in education we do just that. When we don’t like the way our students score on international standardized tests, we blame the teachers. When we don’t like the way particular schools perform, we blame the teachers and restrict their resources.
Compare this with our approach to our military: when results on the ground are not what we hoped, we think of ways to better support soldiers. We try to give them better tools, better weapons, better protection, better training. And when recruiting is down, we offer incentives.
We have a rare chance now, with many teachers near retirement, to prove we’re serious about education. The first step is to make the teaching profession more attractive to college graduates.
I find it difficult to argue with this premise. What do you say?

The article discusses a McKinsey study that looked at countries with successful education systems – you know, the countries frequently cited as shining examples of school systems that are “better” than ours, namely Singapore, Finland and South Korea. The study found:
Turns out these countries have an entirely different approach to the profession. First, the governments in these countries recruit top graduates to the profession. (We don’t.) In Finland and Singapore they pay for training. (We don’t.) In terms of purchasing power, South Korea pays teachers on average 250 percent of what we do.
The authors also remark that “turnover in these countries is startlingly low: In South Korea, it’s 1 percent per year. In Finland, it’s 2 percent. In Singapore, 3 percent.”

Is this a coincidence? I don’t think so. Great teachers are going to be the key to improving our education system, and great teachers – who possess the best and brightest minds and who can afford to teach and contribute for the long haul – will cost money.

The NY Times column concludes:
For those who say, “How do we pay for this?” — well, how are we paying for three concurrent wars? How did we pay for the interstate highway system? Or the bailout of the savings and loans in 1989 and that of the investment banks in 2008? How did we pay for the equally ambitious project of sending Americans to the moon? We had the vision and we had the will and we found a way.
To which I add, it’s time to rustle up our collective will, leave the politics out, and make it happen. This is not to say it must happen by being fully funded by local property taxes. It's a federal issue. Right? Isn't our nation's overall approach to education a national issue? Hello? Is this thing on?

And to the young teachers just starting their careers now, perhaps in your first classrooms this week: Hang in there. Don’t be discouraged. Think for yourself and not your union’s political agenda. Be part of the conversation. And thank you.

You'd be surprised how easy it is to save someone's life.


As we sit here in our cozy Village, chilly rain falling, going about our daily lives, it's easy to forget some of the challenges experienced by people in other places around the globe. We're here getting riled up about fields and lunch-buying programs and teacher contracts. Those are all worthy topics of some concern. But sometimes our local issues make it easy to forget we're part of a bigger world. It's easy to remain uninformed, as we constantly filter the news that comes at us via the Internet, Twitter, Facebook, TV, radio, etc. But please don't filter this one out. It's about a problem that is literally killing millions of people -- and which each and every one of us could help fight with just pocket change and a few minutes of our time. Really.

Check out Seth Godin's blog today, which is End Malaria Day. Malaria? Isn't that some disease you get if you're on a safari and get bitten by too many mosquitos? It's far, far worse than that. Worldwide, a child dies of malaria every 45 seconds. But this disease could be virtually wiped out by something as simple as mosquito netting. Godin's blog post, and the End Malaria Day event, are designed to give people like you and me an easy way to learn more and save lives by contributing to the purchase of mosquito netting for families on the other side of the globe. Here's how simple it is:As suggested by Seth's blog:
Right this minute, right now, please do three things:
1. Buy two copies of End Malaria, an astonishing new book by more than sixty of your favorite authors. In a minute, I will explain why this might be the most important book you buy this year (not the best book, of course, just the most important one). You should buy one in paperback too so you can evangelize a copy to a colleague.
2. Tweet or like this post, or email it to ten friends (It only takes a second.)
3. Visit the End Malaria Day website and share it as well.
What would happen if you did that? What would happen if you stepped up and spent a few dollars?
Here's what would happen: someone wouldn't die.
A child wouldn't die from malaria, a disease that causes more childhood death than HIV/AIDS.
It's that direct. Malaria bednets are simple nets that hang over a window or a bed. They're treated with a chemical that mosquitos hate. The mosquitos fly away, they don't bite, people don't get malaria.
I hope you will do this. I'm going to do it right now.

Monday, September 5, 2011

First day of school 2011!

So here we are again, back to school. This time it’s strange for me for a couple of reasons. My son, who is my youngest child, is starting his senior year at Ridgewood High School. It’s hard to believe we’re already here. Hard to believe his college applications will be done in a couple of months. And hardest to believe he’ll be going off to college in one year. He is such a different person than my daughter, that the college app and senior process will be much different this time around. Let’s just say things aren’t quite so buttoned up. At the same time, things don't feel so stressful, either.

We did manage to get a few things done this summer. We researched and visited several schools. At the beginning of the summer, his list of potential colleges was around 40. It is now a manageable 11 schools – and that’s how many he will apply to. I think he’s got 2 reach, 3 target/reach, 4 target and 2 safety. Part of the challenge is that he is completely undecided in terms of what he wants to study or what he wants to do with his life. And that’s OK with me – in fact I think it’s great because I don’t think 16 or 17 year olds have the experience or knowledge of themselves or the world to be “deciding” on their careers. So while I’m glad he’s open to a lot of possibilities, it changes the college search process from one focused on finding the school with the perfect program to finding a school with a wide variety of options, where the important thing is he feels comfortable enough to explore.

I appreciate the fact that college is a priority among Ridgewood students – as my daughter used to say, it’s actually cool to be smart at RHS – but I don’t like the constant comparison and “where are you applying” and “what are your SAT scores” that can reach a fever pitch among some/many of the students (and parents). My number one goal with my son (and my daughter in 2007) was to get them to keep their heads down, focus on themselves and what’s right for them, and don’t listen to what everyone else is doing.

As a parent, it can be helpful to hear what others are doing as a way to get ideas, hear advice from those who’ve lived it before and to relieve stress (whew, glad to know all the boys are procrastinators!). But for the students, I think the constant talk and comparison is not helpful. So I try to be a counterbalance to that.

Anyway, the beginning of senior year is an exciting time. Even though I know that at the very end of the process there will be a letting go, I’m looking forward to the experience – the one I’ll be sharing with my son and husband and the one I’ll be sharing with my fellow RHS Class of 2012 parents.

Have a great year, everyone. Here we go!

Sunday, August 28, 2011

That Einstein was a pretty smart guy.


Don't have time for more at this moment (this is an awesome solution for days when I don't have time to write a thoughtful post). Any thoughts?

The search for relevance.

A friend alerted me to a post on another blog that referenced something I tweeted. The person commented, apparently about my blogging or tweeting, that I am “desperately trying to stay relevant.” And then they said it was “sad.”

My first thought was, Isn’t that what we all want? To be relevant? To matter? Whether it’s feeling like we are valued by the people in our lives, or by vast numbers of strangers in our community, our state, our nation or the planet, I’d say the quest to feel like one matters is one of the primary pursuits of mankind. My excellent high school English teacher, Louis Hill, would have said it was part of the “hooman condition.” (For some reason that’s always how he pronounced it…hoooooman condition.)

People all over the world are participating regularly in online communities, from Facebook and Twitter to blogs, message boards, and various other social media. What’s driving this explosion of communication and creativity? A big part is the search for relevance…the quest to belong…the need to matter. People who, prior to this digital revolution, felt disenfranchised and disconnected from each other, from their government, and from their future, now have a chance to join in the conversation. To participate in the debate. To share their unique perspective and opinions, even if it’s as simple as clicking “Like.”

In Ridgewood, the reach for relevance can be seen in some of our local blogs as well as online news sources like the Ridgewood Patch or NorthJersey.com. Patch and North Jersey are legitimate news sources, with the addition of a comment capability, which is where local residents can find their connection, their relevance. Local blogs, like my own, are pet projects (NOT news sources), with posts reflecting our personal opinions, our individual interests. In the comments section of our blogs is where you can see certain residents grab for their share of relevance. But is there a catch?

I wonder…How much are we participating, how much do we matter, if we only participate anonymously? If we don’t use our name or any other recognizable identifier, are our comments relevant? Are we relevant? Is there a difference? Does anonymous posting only allow us to feel relevant?

I certainly understand that some people are naturally comfortable speaking up publicly and others may be shy. I also know that the “cloak of invisibility” gives some people license to A) say things they don’t actually believe, for the fun of “stirring the pot;” B) say things that are socially or politically “incorrect;” C) use hate speech, bully others and just generally be mean in ways they never would to someone’s face; D) lie. Basically, all these behaviors stem from the lack of accountability that comes with anonymous posting.

And herein lies the monkey wrench. Can we be relevant and avoid accountability? Or when we communicate anonymously, are we simply being relevant-ish? What do you think?

(And, really, I’m not calling you out and demanding only named comments (not yet haha). I’m just thinking out loud and exploring a concept. If you have a thought on this topic, please feel free to comment, by name or by nom de plume or by anonymous…I know that old habits die hard!)

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Thumbs up & down: online payment system.

Talking with some friends (also Ridgewood parents) about the announcement that the school district has moved to a new system for online payments for things like activity fees, lunches, etc. One friend complained that the district is now "nickel and diming" us with the $3.50 transaction fee for online payments. She said something like, "the system was working fine before, and it was free!" Another parent commented that the District had successfully found a new revenue stream.

I give a mixed thumbs up and thumbs down on this. On the one hand, a better online payment system, that lets parents "load" their account with cash and then use it as necessary, seems good. I never did the online lunch ordering with my kids, so I'm not sure how it works if you order a lunch and then don't end up using it. Do you get your money back? It seems like with this system, you could order lunches but then if your child doesn't actually receive a lunch, then your account won't be charged? That's what it sounds like to me. I also like that now high school students will be able to draw on the account to buy lunch. Previously there was never a cashless way to get lunch at RHS. I don't know how it works, though. (Swipe your ID card? Do they even have magnetic stripes?)

I guess I can see an advantage to being able to check my account online in Skyward, then make payments, etc., in one place. (Although I notice that the instructions say you have to do activity fee payments and lunch payments separately, so that's not such a time saver.) I read that the system will allow me to "monitor" my child's food selections...I'm not sure what that means exactly. If kids are in elementary school, there isn't a "selection" is there? Don't they just get whatever is served that day? Maybe it means middle school and high school. Eh. Maybe that's important for some people to know if your kid had a sandwich or a cookie. I guess I'm neutral on that feature.

On the other hand, it does irk me that the District says they are charging the $3.50 as a "convenience fee." It's not really more convenient for me to use Skyward vs. Community Pass. Whether I click on this URL or that URL, neither one is more convenient than the other.

It might have been better if the District had explained that the previous processing of online payments with Community Pass also cost $$ per transaction -- only in the past, the cost was absorbed by the District. It was never "free." It was just free for parents. There is a difference. (From what I understand, the District was spending around $30,000 per year between the user fee and the transaction fees.)

The reality is, now the cost of processing online transactions will be paid for by only those parents using the service, instead of being paid for by all taxpayers. This seems fair to me. I just think it wasn't explained well.

So I give the new online payment system a thumbs up, but the communications about it a thumbs down.

Monday, August 22, 2011

When incentives are incentives to cheat.

Does anyone else see the irony in the fact that the NYC principal who was removed from her job for changing students’ grades and giving course credit to failing students was retained by the NYC public schools as an “Achievement Coach?” (See New York Times article.) That seems like a stretch. Apparently she will still be paid a principal’s salary “but will no longer be eligible for a $25,000 performance bonus like the one she earned in 2009.” Well, that’s a relief.

I’m not even going to bother being outraged (or even surprised) that this principal wasn’t fired, that the NY schools chancellor seemed to think this wasn’t a very big deal. Let the NYC parents get upset about that. I’m more concerned about the lesson to be learned by those who push financial incentives for higher test scores. This type of thing – tweaking scores or massaging grades or “misapplying grading policies” or, let’s be real, cheating – is going to become tempting as the stakes get higher and higher. Perhaps you’ve heard about the cheating scandal recently coming to light in some Pennsylvania public schools? Or what about Atlanta? Desperate people, in desperate times, will do desperate things to keep their jobs.

Of course, another irony is the fact that incentives like bonus pay have been shown to have ZERO effect on student performance. (Click here and here.) But lawmakers don’t want to hear that. The public doesn’t want to hear it. It’s easier for them if the answer is simply to reward educators for higher test scores.

Seems pretty clear to me that this is not going to end well…

Update: There's a new story today on the NY Times website, reporting that allegations of cheating and grade tampering in the NYC public schools have tripled since 2002. Yep, expect to see more and more stories like this...

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Share the road.


Alright so this is my first “real” blog post in a month or so and I decided to start with…bike riding. Early in the summer, I bought a new bike (the photo at left is my sweet new ride!). What I really wanted was a new car. I haven’t had a new car in years. We’ve had plans for new cars now and then, and my husband got a new car so he could commute to his new job, but it’s hard for me to make the case for a new car when I work out of my home office! So…I placated myself with a shiny new bike, and it’s been great. I made a commitment to try and ride the bike for any errands within two miles of home, inspired by the Clif 2 Mile Challenge. I was intrigued to learn that (according to the 2 Mile Challenge website) “40% of all urban travel in the US happens within 2 miles of where people live. And 90% of that travel is by car.” The premise of the Challenge is to get people to ride a bike for those under-2-mile trips, in order to reduce the effect of carbon emissions on climate change.

While I like the idea of reducing carbon emissions, I was motivated by some other benefits of bike riding in Ridgewood. For starters, no more parking hassle! There aren’t exactly bike racks everywhere, but there are lampposts, signposts and fences to which I can lock my bike. I love pulling up to whatever store or restaurant I want and parking my bike – FOR FREE – within a few feet. Next benefit – exercise. I had not ridden a bike in years, perhaps decades, and I forgot that you can get some pretty good exercise peddling around town. (There are hills and grades where I never noticed before.) The final benefit is saving a little on gas money. Hey, every little bit helps!

So this summer, I’ve been riding the bike for my typical errands, most of which are: bank, post office, Stop & Shop, nail salon, haircut, friends’ house. That’s pretty much my life outside the house. (Exciting, I know.) We’ll see how long I can keep riding when the weather starts cooling off. I can tell you I don’t ride in the rain and I won’t ride in the snow. I’m not that crazy.

But I did want to make one point after all this explanation: the streets of Ridgewood are not a welcome place for bike riders! I had no idea. The hazards are many: potholes, uneven pavement and deep sewer drains. People who open their doors without looking over their shoulder. People who follow too close in their cars, or who don’t pay attention when they make a right hand turn and you’re right there. Hello, I’m riding here! It’s frustrating…and more than a little scary sometimes. Now, I will never advocate bike riders who ride two- or three- (or more) across. That’s rude. But I think we all need to make it easier – and safer – for bike riders in our town. Fewer cars on the street benefits all of us. You don’t have to ride a bike if you don’t want, but please watch out for those who choose to get some exercise, reduce pollution, and leave a parking space open for you. You're welcome.

Update 8/23 @ 4:56 p.m.: A girl on a bike was hit by a car today at E. Ridgewood Ave. and Hope Street. It was about 10 minutes after I did my errands by bike. As I rode today on Ridgewood Ave downtown, squishing as far to the right as possible to avoid passing cars, hoping no one pulled out into traffic without looking over their shoulder, I realized how I should probably avoid Ridgewood Ave. Of course, it's impossible to avoid it completely when running errands downtown, but I gotta say, it is a little scary on a bike! I already make a habit of getting off the bike and walking across Ridgewood Ave or its cross streets downtown. It's just too risky to ride across. And forget about the offset intersection of Franklin and Maple...I have not figured out the best way to get across Maple there by bike. People...there are too many pedestrians and bicyclists being hit in our town! Pay attention, everyone!

Hey, welcome back!

I haven’t been blogging much (at all) over the past couple of months. It’s been a busy summer on the work front. I’ve been writing a lot for several clients, including writing a frequent blog (on home décor) for one client, so maybe that has something to do with my lack of energy for this blog of my own. It’s true that at the end of the day (or in the wee hours of the morning), after writing for hours, it can be a little difficult to get revved up to write some more. Especially when there's no deadline and no paycheck attached. I guess I just got a little tired...

Also playing into the situation is my status, as of April, as a “regular” Ridgewood resident. That is, not a member of the Board of Education. When I was on the BOE, I felt a very real obligation to write about various topics in a timely manner. If there was a topic that we discussed at a BOE meeting, I might write about it the next day to explain or to add my own opinions. I often tried to fill holes in District or Board communications. Since April, there’s no real rush or obligation for me to write. Not to mention, it’s definitely different to be commenting completely from the outside. I don’t want to be the armchair quarterback who simply lobs commentary or complaints on BOE decisions or actions, especially since I don't have all the information anymore. I may not really have a handle on my role these days, but I can say that I’m not interested in being a gadfly.

That being said, I am absolutely and completely just as concerned and interested in our schools in particular and in education in general today, as I was before the April election. My silence these past couple of months should not be interpreted to mean that I don’t know what’s going on, or, worse, that I don’t care what’s going on. Nothing could be further from the truth. I've been reading, corresponding, paying attention and researching, especially in education areas that particularly interest me, such as technology in schools, curriculum, communications and funding. Honestly, I'm just trying to figure out my role.

I'm not gonna lie...I have enjoyed the quiet a little bit. I enjoy waking up and reading my email and not finding half a dozen messages from people who are angry. I have enjoyed not receiving 200+ pages to read on Friday night. And I've enjoyed not running back and forth to the Ed Center for various Board meetings, reviewing bills, committee meetings, etc.

HOWEVER, now that we’re approaching the beginning of the 2011-12 school year, and having just enjoyed a couple months of quiet, behind-the-scenes observation of our Ridgewood schools, Village politics and life in our town, I’m feeling like I need to start blogging again. I don't really like being quiet. Vacation’s (almost) over! It’s true that Ridgewood can be a bit of a ghost town in the summer, but since I’m not one of those lucky enough to have a vacation home to escape to, I can tell you this: there’s been plenty of stuff going on in Ridgewood – both in our schools and out.

So I'm just starting to think about some of the topics I’d like to explore with my blog. Here are a few random things on my radar:

-U.S. schools/ education reform/comparisons to Finland and others
-Teacher pay
-Fast food retailers coming to Ridgewood?
-Bike riding in Ridgewood
-Results of the latest parent surve re: schools
-The latest on fields and lights
-School construction / additions at Ridge & Hawes / Status of Glen school (again)
-Technology in schools
-Overbooked children / Overdoing it with the extracurriculars
-Adventures of a first-time teacher
-Graydon
-Village Council effectiveness

These are just a few things I'm thinking about. What about you? What would you like to talk about?

Enjoy the last few weeks of summer. Please come back. My blog's re-start may be a little rocky at first, but I'll try to get ramped back up as quickly as possible.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Ridgewood BOE to discuss what to do with $$ returned by state.

Sorry for the lack of activity on my blog recently. Work has alternated between super-busy and very slow, and in the latter times, I try to catch up on family stuff, my son’s college search, baking, sleep…things like that.

The Ridgewood Board of Ed meets tonight at 7:30, and I’ll be watching on FiOS Channel 33. One of the primary topics of interest is the Board’s decision about what to do with the aid that will be coming back to the District from the state. Governor Christie’s people are making a big deal about how this aid represents the governor’s “commitment to education,” but I can’t help but wonder why, if he was so committed, he took it away in the first place. But that’s neither here nor there anymore. Now districts like Ridgewood need to figure out what to do with the money – within all the budgetary restrictions and rules imposed by the state. The biggest issue, that most people don’t understand, is that the money really should not be used for anything that will be an ongoing cost. For example, teachers or staff. Why? Because if you add staff now (like, to reduce class sizes in a grade or two replace a program that was cut), then when next year’s budget rolls around, we won’t be able to fund those salaries. The budget cap (which is really a tax levy cap) will prevent those positions from being funded, because they were not funded by this year’s tax levy. The state’s tax levy cap makes it impossible for districts to most effectively incorporate a windfall-type infusion of funding. Just another unforeseen drawback that taxpayers don’t always see.

(I hope Governor Christie and his minions don't think this return of part of our funding makes up for the delay in reimbursing us for the referendum construction grant monies. Boy, the shell games they play...maybe we'll have to use the state aid money to pay for the construction, while we wait again for the state to fulfill its legal obligation...again.)

I’m not sure what the other options and restrictions are for these funds coming back from the state. Presumably, the funds could be placed in the district’s surplus account for now, and then applied according to the rules that guide that line item’s use. I presume that Dr. Fishbein will make a recommendation, or a couple of recommendations, to the Board as to how he thinks the funds should best be used. I’ll be interested in that conversation tonight.

I see from the agenda that there’s opportunity for public comment regarding the district’s alternatives, so if you have an opinion, please go to the Ed Center and share it.

Also on the agenda: a proposal by Dr. Fishbein to have the District reimburse BOE members for the cost of their state-mandated criminal history checks. I don’t know what these background checks are going to cost, yet, but I think it’s reasonable for the District to pick up the tab. (Frankly, I think Trenton should pick-up the tab.)

I also see that the Board will have the second reading of new and revised policies, one of which is the Extracurricular Code of Conduct policy which I think is confusing and problematic with regard to enforcement. Will be interested to see if there is any discussion.

I’m going to try and start posting more regularly again…I have been reading all the education news and info blogs I’ve always followed, just haven’t felt the need to talk much these days. I’ll be visiting colleges the rest of this week with my son, but feel free to send your comments, especially after tonight’s discussion/decision re: additional funding. Let me know what you think!

P.S. Sorry there are no links to the agenda, etc. For some reason Blogger is no allowing me to post links. Just one more reason I'm considering moving to another blog platform...

Friday, July 1, 2011

Project Graduation 2011 -- another winner!

Project Graduation 2011 was another successful event in this 50+ year Ridgewood tradition. As I think I've mentioned in the past, Iam a huge huge fan of Project Graduation. I co-chaired it in 2007 with Tracy Autera (whose mother, Barbara Dittrick, chaired it in the 80s). Next year, Tracy's sister Lindsey Barclay will co-chair with Kelly Coakley for 2012. As my son is a member of that class, I'm excited to be involved again.

The theme of PG11 was Ice Hotel. The BF gym, hallway and cafeteria were transformed into an icy winter wonderland. The gym was cooled with temporary air conditioning, adding to the effect. As usual, the kids all had a great time, as mentioned in a letter in today's Ridgewood News (click here).

Project Graduation 2012 parents are brainstorming ideas for a theme. If you have a good idea, send it to ProjectGrad2012@gmail.com.

Here are the past few Project Graduation themes:

1997 - Honey I Shrunk the Kids
1998 - Western
1999 - Wizard of Oz
2000 - Cruise
2001 - NYC
2002 - Rock and Roll
2003 - Down at the Shore
2004 - Pirates of the Caribbean
2005 - Survivor
2006 - Harry Potter
2007 - Midnight at the Oasis
2008 - Beijing Olympics
2009 - Batman
2010 - Alice in Wonderland
2011 - Ice Hotel

RHS students gain new perspectives at global classroom conference in Sweden.

There's a story in today's Ridgewood News about a group of eight Ridgewood High School students who traveled to Sweden recently to participate in the annual Global Classroom Conference. They spent 10 days working with students from around the world on issues of sustainability, meeting in small groups, making presentations on research tasks and sharing ideas from different perspectives.

It's great to see the opportunities that RHS students have to expand their high school experience. As the story in the Ridgewood News mentions, this type of trip is more like the things you do in college. Great program for Ridgewood. Previously our students traveled to the Shetland Islands for the conference and one year students from around the world came to Ridgewood as the conference was held here.

Click here for the full story.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Disciplining the conduct of students outside of school.

I went to the Board of Ed meeting on Monday night to ask some questions and raise some concerns about one of the sections of revised policy that was having its first reading. Specifically my comments were about Policy #5600, which is the Extracurricular Code of Conduct. This is the policy that says actions of a student outside of school – for example, drinking or smoking – can be punished by the school, by restricting the student’s participation in extracurricular activities such as sports or clubs.

I’ve always had a problem with this policy, mainly because it seems to stretch the school’s business a little further than necessary. On top of that, I feel that if the school is going to have this type of policy, then it needs to be extremely clear and detailed, and should clearly spell out exactly how infractions that occur on a Friday night when no adults (let alone school staff) are around are going to be confirmed. It bothers me that a kid might be present at a home, it might even be a party, he might choose not to engage in any illegal behavior, but could be reported to the principal as drinking. How is he going to prove otherwise? Where is the due process? The presumption of innocence?

The policy contains very specific information about consequences, but what the behaviors are, and how that info will be verified, is not specific at all – in fact it’s not even mentioned. I think this opens up some confusion on the part of students and parents.

The policy mentions that the principal may act if there is a reasonable basis that a violation may have occurred. I think that language is vague and a little bit concerning… Whether it’s done within the policy or whether it’s communicated in another way, as a parent I would like to understand what guidelines or rubric the principal will use in deciding what to pursue and what not to pursue, how will he separate rumors from facts…and how will students’ due process rights be maintained?

Dr. Fishbein’s answer to this question Monday night was that the principal will rely on the reports of witnesses. I don’t think that really answered my concern.

The final issue I raised on Monday was to ask how Ridgewood’s extracurricular code of conduct differs from that of Ramapo-Indian Hills, which was overturned by the Commissioner of Education, who found it to be unlawful. As I understand it, that precedent applies to all districts in New Jersey. Dr. Fishbein pointed to a sentence in the policy that was added by our district’s lawyer, which purports to address the Commissioner’s objection. It states that the school may only impose discipline for activity that occurs outside of school, if that behavior “materially and substantially interferes with the requirements of appropriate discipline in the operation of the school or its programs…” I trust that the lawyer believes this addresses the concern…I can’t say I’m sold on the idea that a kid having a beer on Friday night automatically materially or substantially interferes with school on Monday. I guess it will take someone challenging the policy legally to put it to a constitutional test.

As I said Monday night, of course I support the intent of this policy, insofar as it deals with safety of students, but I think it’s confusing and vague and, for that reason, I don’t think it actually improves the safety of students enough to warrant the conflict with their rights. Truthfully, sometimes when I think about it, I admit I'm torn: if the policy results in some kids changing their behavior because they're afraid of the consequences, and if that means a kid avoids injury or worse, does that make it all worth while? Does the end justify the means? Does it ever? Are the rules different when kids' safety is involved?

It was a little odd to attend the meeting and make comments from the podium, but I thought it was important to ask those questions in public so there’s a record of the dialogue and so that other parents who might have questions can participate.

You can click here to read the Patch.com report on my comments from Monday night.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

White dresses and red roses.

The Ridgewood High School Class of 2011 graduates tomorrow and once again I got choked up seeing the Stadium Field set-up for the occasion. I truly have never seen a graduation ceremony anywhere that's as beautiful as Ridgewood's. The white dresses, the white dinner jackets, the red roses...such a great tradition!

Graduation starts at 5:00 tomorrow. I'm sad that I won't have the honor and privilege of walking with the graduates as part of the Board of Education. I did love that part of the job -- the view of the ceremony is great from the dais. Instead, tomorrow at 5:00 I'll be at BF Middle School heading up the Project Graduation "watch dogs" -- parents of the RHS class of 2012 who are keeping an eye on the BF party decorations while the parents who created the scene are watching their children receive their diplomas. I also have the important job of sending the buses to RHS to pick up the kids and take them to the first stage of Project Graduation, the Dinner Dance at the "secret, undisclosed location," (where the Dinner Dance has been held for at least the last 30 years...ssshhhh!).

Graduation is a great day in Ridgewood. Congratulations, Class of 2011!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Improving the ability to survey students.

Today the NJ Senate Education Committee is holding a hearing on a bill, S-1696/A-3242, which will change (slightly) the way that schools secure parent permission to survey students. Sort of surprising that word of this bill is just now reaching Ridgewood, since the current law was inspired by the infamous Ridgewood survey of 1999. And surprising, too, (encouraging!) that some lawmakers have the good sense to bring this issue forward. The current law seriously undermines the ability of a community to collect data on issues that affect our students and to appropriately and locally develop solutions to keep our children safe and healthy.

The bill would allow students to participate in a voluntary survey if the district sends prior written notification to the student's parents, and the parent does not object. This is known as “passive consent” and the important word to note is consent. This bill does not “ignore” or “take away” parents’ rights. Parents absolutely have the right to prohibit their child from participating in a survey. In fact, some argue that passive consent maintains that option with increased anonymity.

Why is this bill important? Information about youth use of alcohol and drugs is used by a community, and the state, to develop effective prevention programs. In comparing the participation rate and cost of conducting a survey as proposed in this bill versus the current law, the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services found the cost of implementing a survey would be $1.80 per student versus $16.97 per student - nearly 10 times the cost. The overall average response rate was 91% versus 42%. As anybody who understands statistics knows, the higher the participation rate, the more meaningful and useful the data. Under the current law, the DHSS has concluded that participation rates of 42% are not adequate to provide meaningful information about youth populations – not to mention that state agencies cannot afford to conduct statewide surveys if they cost 10 times more.

More and more, school districts are being charged with caring for more than simply the “book learning” of students. Schools – as a constant and consistent point of contact with youth – are expected, and in many ways legally required, to care for the whole child: education, social development, physical wellness, mental/emotional health, etc. Beyond schools, agencies such as the DHSS are certainly and directly responsible for physical and mental health of our youth. Making it more difficult to gather real information in order to do their jobs makes no sense. One of the tools both school districts and state agencies need is the ability to compile information related to youth trends regarding attitudes and use of alcohol and drugs. The best way to do this is via a voluntary and anonymous system that respects parental concerns about the material children are exposed to in surveys administered at New Jersey schools.

I’ll be following the progress of these bills and I’ll keep you posted. As you know, the New Jersey legislative process is unpredictable (at best), so who knows what will happen next, or when.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

'Neon Safari' -- no idea what it means, but it sounds like a good time for Ridgewood teens.

Tomorrow night (Friday, June 10), the Ridgewood Guild and the recently formed Junior Guild will host their first teen dance under the stars at Van Neste Square from 8:30 to11:00 PM. Admission for RHS students is $5.00. The "buzz" that I've heard is that Ridgewood teens are looking forward to the dance. I hope the rain stays away -- I'm not sure if there is a rain plan or alternate rain date.

According to an email sent to RHS parents, "It is the goal of the Ridgewood Guild and Junior Guild to bring teens to downtown Ridgewood for safe and substance-free weekend events. Guild events are not school-sponsored and therefore are dependent on community volunteers and hired off-duty policers to insure the safety of the attendees."

Parent chaperones are needed. Please contact David Zrike if you are able to assist: dzrike@zrike.com

The theme of the dance is "Neon Safari." Your guess is as good as mine as to what that means...makes me feel old and out of touch. But when I asked my 17-year-old son, he said "It doesn't mean anything, Mom, it's just a dance."

Wait, I'm confused, I thought NJ wanted good teachers?

For a state that ranks pretty high in student achievement, and in quality of schools overall, New Jersey sure seems to be going out of its way to discourage quality teachers from coming to (or staying in) our schools. I'm not talking about Governor Christie's rhetoric, the so-called "demonizing" of teachers. And I'm not talking about those brave school boards that are right this very minute struggling to change the financial paradigm in contract negotiations (aka "taking away" or modifying some of the benefits teachers have enjoyed for generations). Those are other topics for another day.

No, I'm talking about two recent news items that got relatively little publicity.

First, there was the story that at least one NJ school district, in Medford, is considering forcing student teachers to pay for the opportunity to do their student-teaching internships in Medford schools. I couldn't believe this. Just the other day I was musing on the great deal districts (and universities) get thanks to student teachers. Think about it: The student pays tuition to the college, while spending no (or very little) time using classrooms, professors or other college resources. The District gets a young, energetic teacher, who can work with struggling students, give enrichment to advanced students, sub for sick teachers, perform playground and lunch duty...all for free! The idea that a student teacher would be required to pay $1,200-$1,500, on top of their tuition, will surely discourage them from doing their internship in such a district.

The second story was about the bill to require in-state residency for New Jersey public employees, including teachers. According to bill S-1730, all state, county and municipal employees, as well as anyone working for political subdivisions of the state, employees of public authorities, boards, agencies and commissions and, finally, employees of schools, colleges and universities, would also be required to have their principal residence in New Jersey, making it their legal residence for the purposes of voting and paying taxes. Public employees now working in New Jersey would have 2 1/2 years from the date the law is enacted to establish their residency in the state.

For sure this will be devastating for Districts located very close to state lines. For Ridgewood, I don't know the exact number, but I do know we have some teachers who live in Rockland County, Manhattan and Connecticut.

This is silly. Don't we want the best teachers, wherever they live?

Honestly, you'd think excellent teachers are just growing on trees. Yes, there are lots of great teachers, but treating them like a commodity is no way to appreciate value.

RHS Class of 2011 College Destinations.

As an RHS parent, I recently received the annual “Senior Survey” from the Guidance Department. It’s a report on post-graduate plans for the Class of 2011. According to the survey of 412 graduating seniors:

90.8% are attending a 4-year college (Last year, it was 88.8%)
4.6% are attending a 2-year college (Last year, it was 4.5%)
42.3% are attending a Public/State college (Last year, it was 40.7%)
57.7% are attending a Private college (Last year, it was 59.3%)
18.4% are attending a college in New Jersey (Last year, it was 21.4%)
9 seniors are attending an Ivy League College (Last year, it was 16 seniors)

College destinations for the top 20% of the Class of 2011:
Amherst College
Bates College
Bentley University
Binghamton University
Boston College
Boston University (2)
Bowdoin College
Brandeis University (2)
Brown University (2)
Bucknell University (2)
Colgate University
College of the Holy Cross
College of William and Mary (3)
Columbia University
Cornell University (4)
Duke University
Emerson College
Fordham University
Georgetown University
Hamilton College (3)
Johns Hopkins University (2)
Lehigh University
Middlebury College (3)
Muhlenberg College
New York University (3)
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
Oberlin College
Penn State
Providence College
Rutgers University (2)
Stevens Institute of Technology
The College of New Jersey (2)
The George Washington University
Tufts University
Tulane University
Universidad Interamericana de Costa Rica
University of California at Los Angeles
University of Chicago
University of Illinois at Urbano-Champaign
University of Maryland, College Park
University of Michigan (5)
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (2)
University of Notre Dame (3)
University of Richmond
University of Southern California
University of Virginia
Vanderbilt University
Vassar College (3)
Washington and Lee University (2)
Wesleyan University (2)
Williams College

Friday, May 27, 2011

BOE and Council meetings broadcast on FIOS!

Finally! I'm so happy to learn that Ridgewood has public access channels on Verizon FIOS. This is something I started working on so long ago with late Councilwoman Annie Zusy, probably in the first month of my term on the Board of Education. From a purely selfish point of view, as a FIOS customer, I wanted to watch Village Council meetings without having to go out to another weeknight meeting. As a BOE member, I wanted to ensure all residents had a chance to see Board of Ed meetings. The Village and Ed Center have now got it all worked out.

Village Council meetings will be broadcast on FIOS Channel 34. BOE meetings will either be on Channel 33 or 34 (the info I saw was unclear...I guess we'll know by the time of the next BOE meeting, which is June 13).

Both BOE and VC meetings will continue to be shown on Cablevision Channel 77.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Back home…and just in time!

I’m back home from my daughter’s college graduation…and just in time for one of my favorite topics -- a free speech discussion – this one courtesy of the Ramsey Board of Education.

Today’s Bergen Record featured a story about Ramsey’s new policy, entitled, “Maintaining a Non-Disruptive Environment in a School Setting,” which prohibits teachers from “campaigning” while on school property during school hours or during officially sanctioned school activities. Campaigning also is prohibited “while in the presence of students or in locations where students are likely to hear such messages.”

The article continued,
The policy defines “campaigning” as engaging in speech, displaying signs, posters or buttons or wearing clothing with a political message. The policy also bars employees from assembling on school property in an “intimidating” manner and handing out leaflets or fliers.
Naturally, the teachers’ union (and some Ramsey residents) are opposed to this, offended by it, and a little upset. They are interpreting the rule to mean that they cannot, for example, talk about their contract negotiations – or even a national election – at the grocery store or on the street, if there might be children nearby who could hear them.

The District claims they are only concerned about potential disruption of classes.

There are a couple of things I find interesting about this. First, the story seems to focus on teachers doing things like putting “settle now” signs in their car windows (in reference to the union contract). This is similar to the actions of some of our Ridgewood teachers in 2005, when many Somerville teachers wore their REA t-shirts on Halloween instead of dressing in costumes, upsetting some kids at the school parade. Would that be considered "disruptive?" I also find the terms “campaigning” or “political” odd when applied to contract negotiations…who are the teachers campaigning, the 5 or 7 school board members?

The main thing that caught my attention in the story was the justification for the policy, that the District enacted the prohibition because such speech might be disruptive to learning. I recall* the landmark school free speech case, Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969), which dealt with students’ rights to free speech at school, and the attempt to censor student speech because it might prove disruptive to learning. One of the key elements of the decision held that speech could not be prohibited (or censored) because the authorities had “a mere desire to avoid discomfort and unpleasantness…” The U.S. Supreme Court held that the authorities cannot prohibit speech just because they are worried...they must have some sort of proof that the speech will be disruptive.

It seems to me that this Ramsey policy is attempting to do the same thing… prevent “speech” (defined pretty broadly, BTW) that might be disruptive. Nowhere in the story did the school board president refer to any actual instances of learning being disrupted.

Now, before you get all crazy and think I’m encouraging teachers to wear union t-shirts on Halloween, complain to students about their contracts during class, undertake job actions (like stop writing college recommendations), and the like, please know that I think all those (and other) actions are wrong. They’re unprofessional. They’re in bad taste, unsporting and petty. But unless they are actually interfering with teaching and learning, I think they’re covered by the First Amendment, just like students' right to wear black armbands to protest the Vietnam War was protected under Tinker.

*Student free speech issues have interested me, ever since my own run-in with the topic, when I edited my college newspaper. We tested the First Amendment with our annual April Fool’s issue, which contained two pages of jokes from the book Truly Tasteless Jokes. In our youthful envelope-pushing, we managed to offend every possible group – women, minorities, senior citizens, the handicapped, babies. The repercussions were awful: protests, threats, hate mail, many apologies on our part, stuff like that. But it was a great learning experience and, to its credit, the University of Denver supported our right to be tasteless in the exercise of our free speech. I’ve been interested in student free speech, in both high schools and colleges, ever since.

Anyway, it will be interesting to see what happens with the Ramsey policy. The Bergen Record story mentioned a similar policy in Tenafly, which is being challenged legally (and at great District expense) by a teacher there. I’ll keep an eye out for developments.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Graduating.

Heading up to New Hampshire early tomorrow for my daughter's graduation from UNH. Cannot believe how fast these four years went. She'll be graduating with honors, with a BA in Psychology with a minor in Education, and she'll be returning in the Fall to complete her Master's in Education and do her student teaching. (Then she'll probably start her teaching career in NH or Massachusetts.) She's talked about one single career goal for her entire life -- to become a teacher. She's a natural and it's so exciting to see her getting close to that goal. A year or so ago she called in a panic --she was hearing about the politics and trashing of teachers by the governor of New Jersey. "Why am I even becoming a teacher, if everybody hates them...I should find something else to do." Of course, on second thought, there is nothing else she has ever wanted to do, so changing really isn't an option. Truly, she doesn't care about the benefits and the contracts and even the evaluations or whatever. She just wants to get in a classroom and start teaching. The fact is, whatever the rules are when she starts, whatever the contributions to health care, etc., that will be her (and other new teachers') "new normal."

Anyway, we're proud that she's graduating with honors. She has said many times that she felt extremely well-prepared for college, when she got there with her Ridgewood education. I hear this from other college students as well, and apparently the high school HSA had some students visit the last HSA meeting to talk about how they transitioned to college. It's good to know.

So I probably won't be posting for a few days, unless I get inspired and also have a little free time in-between various ceremonies and dinners and such. Have a great weekend!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

The future of the library.

I am re-printing this from Seth Godin's blog...I think it is something important to think about as the Ridgewood Village Council proposes underfunding the Ridgewood Public Library, and as the high school talks about evolving the RHS library/media center into a learning commons.

Click here to read the post in its original location on Seth's blog:

What is a public library for?

First, how we got here:

Before Gutenberg, a book cost about as much as a small house. As a result, only kings and bishops could afford to own a book of their own.

This naturally led to the creation of shared books, of libraries where scholars (everyone else was too busy not starving) could come to read books that they didn't have to own. The library as warehouse for books worth sharing.

Only after that did we invent the librarian.

The librarian isn't a clerk who happens to work at a library. A librarian is a data hound, a guide, a sherpa and a teacher. The librarian is the interface between reams of data and the untrained but motivated user.

After Gutenberg, books got a lot cheaper. More individuals built their own collections. At the same time, though, the number of titles exploded, and the demand for libraries did as well. We definitely needed a warehouse to store all this bounty, and more than ever we needed a librarian to help us find what we needed. The library is a house for the librarian.

Industrialists (particularly Andrew Carnegie) funded the modern American library. The idea was that in a pre-electronic media age, the working man needed to be both entertained and slightly educated. Work all day and become a more civilized member of society by reading at night.

And your kids? Your kids need a place with shared encyclopedias and plenty of fun books, hopefully inculcating a lifelong love of reading, because reading makes all of us more thoughtful, better informed and more productive members of a civil society.

Which was all great, until now.

Want to watch a movie? Netflix is a better librarian, with a better library, than any library in the country. The Netflix librarian knows about every movie, knows what you've seen and what you're likely to want to see. If the goal is to connect viewers with movies, Netflix wins.

This goes further than a mere sideline that most librarians resented anyway. Wikipedia and the huge databanks of information have basically eliminated the library as the best resource for anyone doing amateur research (grade school, middle school, even undergrad). Is there any doubt that online resources will get better and cheaper as the years go by? Kids don't shlep to the library to use an out of date encyclopedia to do a report on FDR. You might want them to, but they won't unless coerced.

They need a librarian more than ever (to figure out creative ways to find and use data). They need a library not at all.

When kids go to the mall instead of the library, it's not that the mall won, it's that the library lost.

And then we need to consider the rise of the Kindle. An ebook costs about $1.60 in 1962 dollars. A thousand ebooks can fit on one device, easily. Easy to store, easy to sort, easy to hand to your neighbor. Five years from now, readers will be as expensive as Gillette razors, and ebooks will cost less than the blades.

Librarians that are arguing and lobbying for clever ebook lending solutions are completely missing the point. They are defending library as warehouse as opposed to fighting for the future, which is librarian as producer, concierge, connector, teacher and impresario.

Post-Gutenberg, books are finally abundant, hardly scarce, hardly expensive, hardly worth warehousing. Post-Gutenberg, the scarce resource is knowledge and insight, not access to data.

The library is no longer a warehouse for dead books. Just in time for the information economy, the library ought to be the local nerve center for information. (Please don't say I'm anti-book! I think through my actions and career choices, I've demonstrated my pro-book chops. I'm not saying I want paper to go away, I'm merely describing what's inevitably occurring). We all love the vision of the underprivileged kid bootstrapping himself out of poverty with books, but now, (most of the time) the insight and leverage is going to come from being and fast and smart with online resources, not from hiding in the stacks.

The next library is a place, still. A place where people come together to do co-working and coordinate and invent projects worth working on together. Aided by a librarian who understands the Mesh, a librarian who can bring domain knowledge and people knowledge and access to information to bear.

The next library is a house for the librarian with the guts to invite kids in to teach them how to get better grades while doing less grunt work. And to teach them how to use a soldering iron or take apart something with no user servicable parts inside. And even to challenge them to teach classes on their passions, merely because it's fun. This librarian takes responsibility/blame for any kid who manages to graduate from school without being a first-rate data shark.

The next library is filled with so many web terminals there's always at least one empty. And the people who run this library don't view the combination of access to data and connections to peers as a sidelight--it's the entire point.

Wouldn't you want to live and work and pay taxes in a town that had a library like that? The vibe of the best Brooklyn coffee shop combined with a passionate raconteur of information? There are one thousands things that could be done in a place like this, all built around one mission: take the world of data, combine it with the people in this community and create value.

We need librarians more than we ever did. What we don't need are mere clerks who guard dead paper. Librarians are too important to be a dwindling voice in our culture. For the right librarian, this is the chance of a lifetime.