As I look back on all the great friends I made early in my life, I’m struck by how so many of them have gone on to do some pretty incredible things. Today I received an email from one of my high school/college compatriots that blew me away. Check this out:
Congratulations, Dr. Campbell, on what looks like a fascinating and exciting project. Can’t wait to see where this goes for you!
Assorted nonsense and marginally relevant shenanigans via my personal delicious.com bookmarks.
- EightShapes Unify: Filing this one away for future reference. Via my good friend and UX guru @francisrupert.
- Wireframing: Tips, Tools, and Techniques (Pt 2) | UX Booth: A little meatier information than the typical 101 on wireframing techniques. Really like the ideas here around rapid ideation.
- Wireframing: Tips, Tools, and Techniques (Pt 1) | UX Booth: Some 101 on wireframing with regard to tools. Good info for folks that need a starting point.
- Voltier Creative » DIY Guide to Successful Linkbait Infographic: I do like creative infographics. More emphasis on the "info" rather than the "graphic" on this particular one, but solid nonetheless.
- How many users have JavaScript disabled?: Never assume the best case scenario when it comes to web design. Researching and benchmarking YOUR actual user base is always a good thing.
- Information Architecture 101: Techniques and Best Practices: Wow. Great article. As far as 101s go, this one is pretty deep stuff.
- Are brand names lost on believers?: For most people brand names are a form of self-expression and a token of self-worth, just like symbolic expressions of faith.
[Given the current political climate around educational issues in this country, where everyone from politicians to Bill Gates to Oprah is weighing in on the subject and documentaries like Waiting For Superman are drawing much-needed yet controversial attention to the issue, it would seem that one important group really isn't getting a chance to be heard: the teachers themselves.
The following was written by Christopher Eager, a close friend of our family, a member of our church and a gifted and talented teacher in the Independence School District here Independence, MO. My personal thanks to Chris for allowing me to publish his thoughts here on this blog. ~ JAK]
Schemes of so-called “educational reform” are gaining momentum throughout the country – including Missouri. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) – parts of which are also known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) – are up for reauthorization in the next Congress. Our profession will be a political football as these reform schemes are tossed about and pundits express opinions about “bad teachers.”
I offer this personal reflection for your consideration:
IN MEMORY OF A BAD TEACHER
You may not have heard about the teacher named Rigoberto Ruelas. This 39 year old veteran fifth-grade teacher in the Los Angeles United School District was a “bad teacher.”
How do we know Mr. Ruelas was a “bad teacher”? The test scores of his students “proved” it. On August 29, 2010, thousands of parents and students “knew” that Mr. Ruelas was a “bad teacher” when The Los Angeles Times published the rankings of 6,000 third- through fifth-grade teachers based on their students performance on English and math standardized tests. He was ranked as a “less effective than average” teacher. In other words, he was a “bad teacher.”
How do we know that publishing this data about Mr. Ruelas and his students’ test scores was a good idea? The US Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, said that it would be a good idea. In his address at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, on August 25, 2010, Secretary Duncan acknowledged the imminent publication of the test data and said, “The truth is always hard to swallow but it can only make us better, stronger and smarter. That’s what accountability is all about – facing the truth and taking responsibility and then taking action.”
By all accounts, this “bad teacher” took his job seriously. He worked at Miramonte, a large elementary school in south Los Angeles. Nearly 60 percent of the students are Spanish-speaking and are still learning the English language. The neighborhood is poor and gang violence is commonplace.
Despite all the problems that his students came to school with, Mr. Ruelas was a “bad teacher” because these students did not make sufficient progress on the standardized tests. The tests cannot lie.
This “bad teacher” lived nearby the school and had begun working there when he was 22 as a teacher’s aide. Later he became a teacher and worked in the school for nearly 14 years. According to the school district, he received the highest ranking possible in his last evaluation in July 2010. He rarely missed a day of work.
Despite an enviable work ethic, Mr. Ruelas was a “bad teacher” because his students did not progress when compared with the students of other teachers. The tests cannot lie.
We do not know exactly why this “bad teacher” called in sick on September 20 and headed out into the woods outside of Los Angeles. We do know that on September 26 the body of Rigoberto Ruelas was found and his death ruled a suicide.
Certainly, the decision to end one’s life is complex and the complete picture is often unknown or unclear to the surviving family and friends. Nevertheless, his family, friends and peers acknowledge that he had grown increasingly despondent since the publication of the rankings.
One reporter from The Los Angeles Times went to the funeral of this “bad teacher” and wrote this:
“But I got a different message in the church that night, from the burly man who broke down at the mike and the mothers wearing sunglasses to hide their swollen eyes. They told stories in Spanish that I didn’t quite understand, about bicycles and shared sandwiches and music lessons, but there was no mistaking the love in the air. To them, some things might matter more than a 10-point jump on a math exam. Ruelas earned their gratitude and their confidence; he reminded them of all their children could accomplish.” (Emphasis added)
Here in Independence, Missouri, this tragedy may seem far away, but personally I am desperately trying to create some meaning out of it. Yet such meaning may be elusive since Mr. Ruelas is not some hero or martyr to our struggles against ill-conceived “reforms.”
So today, I am going to remind myself how I create meaning in my life: I want to teach and to learn; to understand and to be understood; to speak out and to listen; and to love and to be loved.
Some things DO matter more than a test score.
~ Christopher Eager
Assorted nonsense and marginally relevant shenanigans via my personal delicious.com bookmarks.
- Content Strategy « Michael McWatters: I love Venn diagrams and this one is beautiful in its simplicity. This ain’t rocket surgery, folks. [Link via @thehilker]
- TED Initiatives: Ads Worth Spreading: Holy crap. This seriously has my gears turning.
- Why are Social Behaviors Plateauing?: Is the social media gold rush officially over? Has the time come for consolidation? Or is there still something new on the near horizon?
