Hafeeza: Students need a push
HIGHER EXPECTATIONS FOR ALL STUDENTS: WHY IS THAT A PROBLEM? By Hafeeza Majeed
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas – The meaning that you will grasp from my message could possibly be quite different than the meaning your friend, relative, spouse, neighbor, etc., etc., etc., grasps. I am a highly qualified teacher, HQT, as defined by No Child Left Behind, (soon to be renamed by President Obama). Unavoidably, my message is both timely and timeless, realizing that the researchable content of my message provides the evidence for my resounding passion for educating students who perform at below-basic and basic academic levels.
I share my passion in this message because I seek to inspire my readers – who again, will no doubt experience various reactions to my message – to embrace my message. Where do I begin? What can I say? I choose to teach in classrooms where the majority of the students perform at below-basic and basic – and I love it! I am challenged by the diverse needs of my students – and I love it! The students who come to me are the best their parents can send – and I believe that! Stay put!
Now here’s the clincher! The challenge for my students is to rise to the high academic, intellectual and social expectations that I have established; however, not to exceed Arkansas’ Curriculum Frameworks. Tell me, are you a parent or even a grandparent who has reservations about teachers who set high expectations for your child(ren)?” Perhaps, a quick examination of some empirical evidence might provide a few answers.
*As a concerned teacher, I share my home telephone number with students and parents, for the sole purpose of minimizing and eliminating students’ tendencies to retell the “usual” tales – “I did my homework at school,” or “I don’t have any homework.” Which makes more sense – believing the ”usual” tales or using my phone number to ascertain the truth? Wow! I receive very few calls, unless I am in error, which I am from time to time.
*As a concerned teacher, I insist on communicating with every parent in the classroom daily, by expecting parents’ signatures on daily homework assignments for the entire school term. Why then, are some parents, who neglect to check and sign homework, upset when their child is penalized for incomplete and incorrect assignments?
*As a concerned teacher, I will always remain firm in my conviction that all students are learners in the classroom, thus, undesirable behavior will not be tolerated. How can I do a better job of explaining, “not tolerated,” to students and their parents?
*As a concerned teacher, I support an “open door” policy for parental involvement in my classroom. How should I assess the thinking of some parents who will arrive at the school’s office to pick their children up prior to dismissal, but find no reason to “peek inside the classroom?”
*As a concerned teacher, I encourage students to arrive at school daily, on time and ready to learn. How do I define the actions of some parents who will say, “that’s my child’s responsibility to get to the bus stop on time;” “that’s my child’s responsibility to accurately complete homework”; “that’s my child’s responsibility to study, because I’m in school, too.”
Indisputably, the empirical evidence that has been generated in my classrooms for the last decade, is steeped in a growing body of research which explains an epidemic – the high school dropout rate – that President Barack Obama refers to as “unacceptable” [2010]. The report, On The Front Lines of Schools, Perspectives of Teachers and Principals on the High School Dropout Problem, Civic Enterprises, www.civicenterprises.net [2000], raises the awareness that our nation’s underperforming children even recognize the gap - the “expectations gap.”
According to the report, “two-thirds of dropouts said they would have worked harder if more were demanded of them” Yet, I’m frequently baffled, but never surprised, when some of my students, parents and colleagues “skirt” around the matters of accountability and responsibility. Ironically, accountability is never foreign to educators; thus, we must shoulder our share of the guilt, also.
Civic Enterprises, www.civicenterprises.net [2000], reveals, “Teachers and administrators in public high schools recognize there is a dropout problem, know they are confronted with daunting challenges in classrooms and in schools, and express strong support for reforms to address high dropout rates. Yet, less than one-third of teachers believe that schools should expect all students to meet high academic standards, graduate with the skills to do college-level work, and provide extra support to struggling students to help them meet those standards.” I invite the responses of the readers of my message.
Simply email me at courageousconversations10@hotmail.com. I really do want to get to know those of you better who embrace my message – “our children don’t believe in themselves because they understand, very well, that many of us don’t believe in them.” Consequently, they rebel in our classrooms because many parents and teachers fail to provide and expect the structure that children require and want. We can no longer pretend to ignore reality – the children are in control! Yes, I said it and I’m standing by it – far too many children are “in control.”
Far too many children are “in control “ in our homes; classrooms, communities, etc., etc., etc. Mature minds will agree that responsible, caring, and mature adults have never, and will never, support such madness. Yes, you’re scratching your head, I know, but that won’t solve anything. The children can be “the solution,” but they need mature adults to expect them to succeed and to hold them, and ourselves, accountable until they do succeed.
Parental involvement is so important to a child’s education and development
Finally, “The gap between the attitudes of parents of students in low-performing schools and parents of students in high-performing schools was highlighted in the recent report, One Dream, Two Realities: Perspectives of Parents on America’s High Schools. The report showed a large majority of parents with children in high-performing schools, 85 percent, said their schools were doing a good job encouraging parental involvement, while less than half, 47 percent, of their counterparts with children in low-performing schools reported the same sentiment.
Parents and children in low-performing schools were less likely to feel that their child’s high school took appropriate and timely steps to inform parents about their child’s academic performance, outline the requirements necessary for high school graduation and college admission and provide a single point of contact for school-related questions.” If you can embrace my message, I’d like to hear from you at courageousconversations10@hotmail.com.
Hafeeza Majeed is a longtime educator and community activist. She welcomes your comments at courageousconversations10@hotmail.com. To learn more about her exciting “Courageous Conversations” webinar, please click here.