I was honored this past week to be mentioned in Crystal River High School science teacher Greg Biance’s column below. I wanted to also add a couple of additional details that are further worth mentioning. Pearson holds a $254 million FCAT testing contract with the state of Florida. Only 40% of teacher’s in Citrus County belong to the teachers union. Last year DOE released data that showed that 10% of Florida charter schools earned a failing grade while only 1% of public schools earned a failing grade. In addition almost half of all the new private charter schools earned a failing grade.” ~Thomas
Chronicle Editorial – Biance: Get out of my schoolhouse
I know that asking questions is easier than finding any solutions. As a science teacher, I explore both aspects with academic scrutiny. So this question is simple and hits the core of teacher’s confusion: If we can separate church and state in education, then why can we not separate politics from education? Why must the people of least knowledge in the educational arena dictate a methodology that reflects a crap shoot in the business world, but is now rolling the dice across our academic desk? I just don’t get it.
When accountability hit the educational world in the early 1990s, the business powers to be were biting at their bit to start a revolution. No one wanted to attack the real problem of family values or academic drive as the culprit. It was assumed that the poor management skills of educators created our dilemma. So the lobbyists lined up with dollars in their eyes and possible profits to tap into. Opportunity with the growing technology interest and virtual online programs to sell was their bottom line. In business, it is always about the bottom line.
But wait, I am manufacturing moving parts with varied brain capacities…
This week State Representative Jimmie T. Smith asked if I would accompany him to visit and tour Beacon College in Leesburg, Florida, a college exclusively for students with learning disabilities. BC is the only accredited college offering Bachelor of Arts and Associate of Arts degrees exclusively for students with, dyslexia, ADHD, gifted LD and/or other learning disabilities (LD).
Our tour guide was a young sophomore student named Katie. She was an outstanding hostess, showing us the school’s facilities and introducing us to several of the faculty. Katie, like all the students at BC, has a learning disability. Katie matter-of-factly shared with us that she has dyslexia and ADHD. She also shared with us that one of the first writing assignments each BC student is given is to provide a research paper on their specific learning disability, how it affects their life, and how they are coping with their disability. Among the many benefits of this assignment is the self-awareness and self-advocacy that the student learns about them self.
One of the first areas we visited was the Writing Lab which is a computer lab above the schools media center. This lab provides computer writing tools to aid the student. One of the tools is a Microsoft Word add-on ‘word predictor’ which helps a student as they write. As an example if a word starts by typing “en” you might then get a word list that pops up with words such as “encourage”, “enough” and “encore”. If the list included the word that you were looking for, you would simply click on the word you’d like. This is a small but powerful program for someone with spelling challenges. Another tool in the writing lab that has been used by BC students for many years is a book reader. Even if a textbook is not digitalized for reading this device scans, and then reads, the page to the students. These are the types of everyday tools that can tremendously aid an LD person to become successful.
Katie brought us through the mentors’ offices. Every student at BC is assigned an individual mentor and psychological counselor. Katie showed us several classrooms and explained that the class sizes are small with the average class size being about twelve students and no larger than fifteen students.
Next Katie brought us to the Math Department where we met one of the Math professors that shared with us about a new program that they are using called, ALEKS. This is an assessment and learning system that provides individual instruction in a variety of course areas. Available from McGraw-Hill over the web, ALEKS helps students learn and strengthen the fundamental concepts and problem-solving skills that are needed to succeed in their individual course of study.
The campus is in historical old down town Leesburg and many of the BC buildings are historical buildings and former store fronts. We visited the student dining hall which was a former large restaurant located next to the School’s media center. It was more like going to your favorite home restaurant than a student dining hall. We visited a typical student apartment (yes, not a dorm as we were told by the students). They were well designed and even included a washer and dryer in each apartment for the students.
We then met with Dr. John Hutchinson, Interim President for Beacon College, along with several of his executive staff and faculty. Dr. Hutchinson shared that BC has a 75% graduation rate. He explained that BC does not have the traditional SAT or ACT admission score requirements, but rather the college requires a standard high school diploma or GED, and recent psych-educational evaluation documents. BC has about 130 students from over 30 states and countries.
It was hard for this “old dyslexic kid” not to be a little bit jealous about not having the opportunity to attend a college like BC that is specifically designed to accommodate LD students. What was evident at each area that we visited at BC was that the administration, faculty and staff were all focused on “the whole student package” and how they could assist each student to be successful. Rep. Smith and I each shared with the College President and his team why we are so invested in better assisting learning challenged students and why it is so personally important to the Representative and me. We shared our own personal learning challenges, for me as a severe dyslexic and Rep. Smith as a frustrated 9th grade high school dropout, who later received his G.E.D.
If you have, or know of, an LD student in high school I would encourage them to visit Beacon College. It may just change their life.
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This week, according to tradition, the School Board, Superintendent Sam Himmel, the Assistant Superintendents, Principals, Directors, school and district staff attended all of the high school graduations. It is by far our very favorite activity of the year. Each of our high schools has their own special traditions that make each ceremony unique and personal for every school. Each high school had several student speakers that did an outstanding job of entertaining, challenging and reflecting for their fellow graduates.
Citrus High School Class of 2012
This was the 100th graduation class for Citrus High School and what an impressive group of young people they were! The evening began with the signing of our National Anthem by graduate Ashlyn Gibbs who did nothing less than a spectacular job. The Reflection Speech was effectively given by Megan Gallery and a wonderful humorous, but meaningful, Vision Speech was given by Evan Kegler.
One of the significant things that made this evening so special was that it was the first Citrus High School to have its graduation ceremony broadcasted LIVE and worldwide. Tim Stuart, Media Specialist at CHS and Jerry Swiatek, Instructional Technology Specialist, setup a live Internet feed for CHS graduation ceremony. The motivation for doing this was a father of one of the graduates who is serving in Afghanistan. As a result of the use of additional technology, by evenings end, over 60 additional viewers from around the world were watching their own personal student participate in the 100th graduation Class of CHS and receive their diplomas, including that one father far away serving his country that inspired the class to do this.
Lecanto High School Class of 2012
This was a special year for Lecanto High School as it is the first graduating class for the Citrus International Baccalaureate (IB) and the last graduation for Principal Kelly Tyler who is retiring after serving for 11 years as principal of LHS. Mr. Tyler gave a heartfelt good by speech to the students and staff of LHS and praised his wife and daughters for the family time that he had to give up in order to serve the many long hours as a principal. The Reflection Speech was given by Alexis Strickland who got a loud laugh when she thanked, “Bing, Google and Wikipedia for helping her get through high school”. The Vision Speech was given by Andrew Choung who was also the 2012 Golden Citrus Scholar Humanitarian Award winner. Mr. Choung gave an impressive speech.
Crystal River High School Class of 2012
The Pirates know how to throw a party and always have an impressive ceremony that ends with a loud “bang”, cannon bang that is! Walking onto the CRHS graduation stage is a bit like a Rocker must feel when walking on to the rock stage as the concert begins. Lt. Commander Wayne Walker of the Naval Science JROTC program announces you as you walk on to the football field and up the center aisle to the stage which has a 20ft. video screen that reaches high into the sky. This was an exciting night because it was the first class graduating that Principal Mark McCoy had when he was the principal of Crystal River Primary School. He then continued on with them to Crystal River Middle School and, lastly, as principal at Crystal River High School. Mr. McCoy promised the class that they would do many great and wonderful things in the future, but, they would be doing it from now on without him, as he was NOT going to, “follow them all to college”! The Reflections Speech was given by Kora-Ann Manz and the Vision Speech by Lacee Cowart. Both young ladies did a wonderful job speaking to their fellow graduates about their days at CRHS and their future after graduation.
As the gradations finished and the planning for next year’s graduation begins it is a time for happiness, reflections and the beginning for next year’s planning. As I watch these young people I worry for them for the many challenges they will faced but I am so proud of the work they have been and overcome to be high school graduates! God Bless Them ALL!
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This week continues the celebrations of our students. This week each of our high schools will hold graduation ceremonies and walk down the aisle to receive their diploma. Before they leave Superintendent Himmel will not let them leave before asking those students to commit to driving safely and being responsible celebrating. This is not simply words for Ms. Himmel this is all too real. The school district has lost far too many students over the years to vehicle accidence.
In 2007 after two Citrus High School teens, Melissa Hess and Molly Paquin tragically died the community came together to do something. With the help of Sheriff Jeff Dawsy, Superintendent of Schools Sandra “Sam” Himmel and board member Pat Deutschman, along with parents Tim Hess and Mary Jo Fallinske the CCSO and the school district created the Teen Driver Challenge program that is available to every high school junior in Citrus County.
I know many students that will be enjoying the next few days. Please, I ask you to be safe, be smart, and drive carefully!
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For over 75 years May has been selected as Better Hearing and Speech Month. It is a time to increase public awareness, knowledge, and understanding of the various forms of communication impairments to include those of hearing, speech, language, and voice. Communication impairments affect the most defenseless in our communities, the young, the seniors, the physically challenged, and the financially challenged.
Helen Keller once noted that of all her impairments, she was perhaps troubled most by her lack of speech and hearing. She explained that while blindness separated her from things, her lack of speech and hearing disconnected her from people the human connection of communication. My wife Thomasine has for many years during the month of May taught her reading students about Louis Braille and his braille books which assisted in bridging the gap for Ms. Keller. She shows them a traditional book and then shows them the same book in braille.
Our district Speech-Language Pathologist and Music teachers want encouraged me to share with you all to be aware of safe listening habits when using Personal Listening Devices (PLDs). In this age of MP3 players, iPods and earbuds, we need to keep safe listening in mind. Check out the website www.listentoyourbuds.org for more information! Listen to great music and audiobooks but do it safely!
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Students, parents, educators, administrators, superintendents and school board members from around the state of Florida have continued over the years to say that the use of the FCAT test and its data is not positive for students. A coalition of parents, educators, board members and community members from around the state have begun meeting to organize to make Florida voters and Florida citizens aware of the hours and tax payer dollars that are going to giving the test and not into student instruction. Some of them have understandably been referring to their movement as “Occupy Education”. Our own Citrus County School Board Member Pat Deutschman along with Orange County Rick Roach are two that are a part of this coalition. You might remember me bogging about Mr. Roach last December for his own adventure in taking and failing the FCAT. (click here see Thomas’s blog post, “Orange County School Board Member Took FCAT”, Dec. 12, 2012)
Now Mr. Roach with the help of students at one Florida high school recently teamed up to produce an anti-FCAT video. Watch their video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej4evcUkcAc
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Chronicle Editorial – Biance: Get out of my schoolhouse
