Monday, March 27, 2023

"Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world."​ Nelson Mandela

 

                                                                          AZ Quotes


I have been following the state of Education even more closely since the pandemic of 2020.  I have written about the teacher shortage, but his week, my subject is even more compelling, because our students, the future leaders of our country, are suffering from the effects of pandemic education. 

CBS Sunday Morning did an expose on how the pandemic affected students, and it is well worth the watch.  https://www.cbsnews.com/video/covids-education-crisis-a-lost-generation/  Here is my takeaway from the piece.

Tracy Smith of CBS did a deep dig into the after-effects of remote learning.  She interviewed Jeffrey Canada, an educator for more than 45 years, and founder of The Harlem Children's Zone, which educates students from K-college.  He sees the ravages of the shut down first hand.  Student scores on a national test given to 4th and 8th grade students show that reading scores are at the lowest point they have been in 30 years.  Math scores were similar - in fact, 40% of the 8th graders who took the test could not understand basic math concepts.  This score is the worst since this testing began in 1969.  By the way, these results are from across all socio-economic areas, not just areas with lower incomes. (National Assessment of Educational Progress)  Additionally, school enrollment and attendance is down, and guns/shootings and other issues related to violence have skyrocketed. 

Mental health has been impacted tremendously.  Dr. Heather Huszti, aChief of Psychology at the Children's Health Center in Orange County, California, told Tracy Smith that their facility was overrun with 50% more students with suicidal thoughts and the inability to cope with life, school, and deaths during the pandemic. It follows that students cannot learn effectively when they are suffering from these kinds of mental health issues.

What about physical activity?  Many students did not even go outside during the pandemic, and Physical Education teachers such as Dan DeJager at Meracki High School near San Diego,  is doing his best just to get them moving again.  Using relay races, frisbee, and any fun games he can invent, his program is aimed at easing kids back to the important physical activity they need for health and mental health.  Dan likens students to "wet cement",  saying that educators only have a short time to make a positive impression of their early habits. 

What about the correlation between physical activity and mental health?  In some cases, the physical activity can be just as effective as taking medication, and with no side effects, according to Dr. Hustzi. . 

Mr. Canada from The Harlem Children's Zone fears that the pandemic may have created a "lost generation" of students, an entire group whose lives will be impacted by the glitch in their education. He predicts that their lifetime earnings will suffer because of their undereducation, and so will America, as these students are the future leaders of our country.

What can be done?  At The Harlem Children's Zone, classrooms are open in the summer, the school day is extended, and teachers are paid extra to work with students for intensive tutoring. 

Of course, all of this costs money.  I happen to think the students are worth the investment. They are our future, our country's future, and they were robbed of their education.  I hope schools and teachers can work together to correct this situation in a timely fashion. 

As always, I welcome your comments and suggestionsRittman Publishing, LLC ®

Please invite GRADY GETS GLASSES (and me) into your school, in person, or on Zoom. Email us at GradyGetsGlasses@gmail.com

I do college and university presentations for student teachers with my practical "Dede's Three C's for Classroom Success: Confidence, Communication, and Creativity" in person or via Zoom. Please email me at DedeRittman@gmail.com

Please invite Grady Gets Glasses (and me) into your school.  if you are not in the Pittsburgh area, we do virtual field trips with groups called Field Trip Zoom and Streamable learning . We will come into YOUR classroom via ZOOM. GRADY GETS GLASSES was the winner of Best New Children's Book 2016 and 2018 (new edition) from The Authors' Zone. Grady also won a 2018 prestigious Moonbeam Award for Best Children's Book with Merchandise.


Visit Dede's web page for complete details on her award-winning book, STUDENT TEACHING: THE INSIDE SCOOP FROM A MASTER TEACHER. Many colleges have made the book required readingSigned copies are available  www.dederittman.com Dede is also a national speaker on The Three C's for Classroom success: Confidence, communication, and Creativity; Avoiding Teacher burnout; and many other inspirational topics. 


I LOVE writing. And I love writing children's books- my newest passion. Although it will be a ton of work, I am looking forward to selling my books.  Since I was a secondary teacher, I know that I have much to learn about elementary students, and I will have to follow my own advice and be my genuine self.  However, I also know that I am passionate about helping kids who have to wear glasses, and that GRADY GETS GLASSES sends a positive message. I am willing to work hard and do all the things that also made me a successful teacher for 37
years. I remain inspired! 

Elementary teachers in Western Pennsylvania and beyond - I am willing to come into your classroom in person or as a virtual field trip through a group called Field Trip Zoom.  Check them out!  http://www.fieldtripzoom.com/ 

Teacher friends- let me know if you want me to read GRADY GETS GLASSES at your school. I am willing to come in to discuss the creative writing process, why writing is important, and personal fulfillment through writing, along with reading my book.  I would appreciate the exposure, and I would make signed copies available for purchase in your classrooms following the reading.  Please email me at dederittman@gmail.com  The website www.gradygetsglasses.com now has plush Grady bunnies for sale!
 Please like Dede's new page Grady Gets Glasses for updates about her children's book. https://www.facebook.com/gradygetsglasses?ref=hl 

Connect with Dede!

Twitter       @dederittman
Facebook   Dede Faltot Rittman,  Rittman Rules,   Student Teaching: The Inside Scoop,    and Grady Gets Glasses
LinkedIn   Dede Rittman
Google +   Dede Rittman
Tumblr      The Bunny Teacher
Instagram   GradyGetsGlasses
Pinterest   Rittman Publishing, LLC ® 





Monday, March 20, 2023

"The influence of a great teacher can never be erased." Unknown

 

GraciousQuotes.com 


I attended a fundraiser at Top Golf a few weeks ago, invited by the CEO of the charity holding the fundraiser.  While introducing me around, I was pleased to meet a graduate of North Allegheny High School, the district in which I taught for 35 years.  The man graduated in 1977, and he said I could not have possible been teaching at NA back then, but indeed, 1976-77 was my first year at NA, teaching grade 10 English.I mentioned some of his fellow graduates, and we had quite a nice conversation.  Eventually, the talk turned to the teaching staff.  He had fond memories of so many of my retired colleagues, which prompted me to think, once again, about the lasting legacy of a good teacher.  I have written about this many times before, but I never tire of the subject.  

I taught in a school district that boasted a staff of teachers who all seemed to be over-achievers.  The joke was always this - that covering the entire application was one big box to check - OVER-ACHIEVER.  I swear - almost everyone loved their jobs, and our district grew in leaps and bounds, and so did the honors bestowed upon the teachers, the academic strengths of students, the sports programs, and the extracurricular activities. Every school building became a blue-ribbon school. I have long believed that excellence creates more excellence, which is what happened all those years at North Allegheny.  As the man and I continued our conversation, he asked me about his former Shop teacher, and said that he still had the gun cabinet he made as his senior class project.  I told him the teacher was still around, and I connected them via email.  When I called my Shop teacher friend to tell him about this chance encounter with a former student at Top Golf, he said that I made his week!  Even all these years later - it is still so wonderful for teachers to know that their hard work mattered then, and their lessons in curriculum and life continue to make a difference in the lives of former students.  

I love seeing former students and catching up with them, hearing their stories, and knowing that our staff made a difference in their lives.  "The influence of a great teacher can never be erased." 

As always, I welcome your comments and suggestionsRittman Publishing, LLC ®

Please invite GRADY GETS GLASSES (and me) into your school, in person, or on Zoom. Email us at GradyGetsGlasses@gmail.com

I do college and university presentations for student teachers with my practical "Dede's Three C's for Classroom Success: Confidence, Communication, and Creativity" in person or via Zoom. Please email me at DedeRittman@gmail.com

Please invite Grady Gets Glasses (and me) into your school.  if you are not in the Pittsburgh area, we do virtual field trips with groups called Field Trip Zoom and Streamable learning . We will come into YOUR classroom via ZOOM. GRADY GETS GLASSES was the winner of Best New Children's Book 2016 and 2018 (new edition) from The Authors' Zone. Grady also won a 2018 prestigious Moonbeam Award for Best Children's Book with Merchandise.


Visit Dede's web page for complete details on her award-winning book, STUDENT TEACHING: THE INSIDE SCOOP FROM A MASTER TEACHER. Many colleges have made the book required readingSigned copies are available  www.dederittman.com Dede is also a national speaker on The Three C's for Classroom success: Confidence, communication, and Creativity; Avoiding Teacher burnout; and many other inspirational topics. 


I LOVE writing. And I love writing children's books- my newest passion. Although it will be a ton of work, I am looking forward to selling my books.  Since I was a secondary teacher, I know that I have much to learn about elementary students, and I will have to follow my own advice and be my genuine self.  However, I also know that I am passionate about helping kids who have to wear glasses, and that GRADY GETS GLASSES sends a positive message. I am willing to work hard and do all the things that also made me a successful teacher for 37
years. I remain inspired! 

Elementary teachers in Western Pennsylvania and beyond - I am willing to come into your classroom in person or as a virtual field trip through a group called Field Trip Zoom.  Check them out!  http://www.fieldtripzoom.com/ 

Teacher friends- let me know if you want me to read GRADY GETS GLASSES at your school. I am willing to come in to discuss the creative writing process, why writing is important, and personal fulfillment through writing, along with reading my book.  I would appreciate the exposure, and I would make signed copies available for purchase in your classrooms following the reading.  Please email me at dederittman@gmail.com  The website www.gradygetsglasses.com now has plush Grady bunnies for sale!
 Please like Dede's new page Grady Gets Glasses for updates about her children's book. https://www.facebook.com/gradygetsglasses?ref=hl 

Connect with Dede!

Twitter       @dederittman
Facebook   Dede Faltot Rittman,  Rittman Rules,   Student Teaching: The Inside Scoop,    and Grady Gets Glasses
LinkedIn   Dede Rittman
Google +   Dede Rittman
Tumblr      The Bunny Teacher
Instagram   GradyGetsGlasses
Pinterest   Rittman Publishing, LLC ® 









Monday, March 13, 2023

"Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another and feeling with the heart of another." Alfred Adler

 

                                                                HappierHuman.com 

A program called Narrative 4 has been actively running across 600 high schools in America and in schools in 35 other countries. https://narrative4.com/  This program offers educators an opportunity to teach compassion and empathy and to help to develop strong student leaders in their schools.

The TODAY SHOW had a short clip about the program.  Students from Floyd County High School in Kentucky met with students from University Heights High School in The Bronx.  Students were paired with a new friend, not from their own school, and each one shared a significant story with the new friend.  The listener then recounted the story - including the emotions of the story - to a large group, as if it were their own story.  Two girls - Char from the Bronx, and Taylor from Kentucky shared their stories with each other.  Taylor talked about the loss of her beloved grandfather from cancer, and Char talked about her close call with a medical emergence of a ruptured appendix.  When each told the other's story to the large group, as if it were their own, great empathy was elicited from the group. 

What lessons can students learn from sharing these stories?  They teach both vulnerability and strength, and the students learn that even though their lives and where they live are different, they actually share many similarities. Students learn the importance of both giving and receiving  support, and they learn that empathy is an important trait for a person to have and share. Author Colum McCann, a co-founder of Narrative 4, says that sharing stories helps students to recognize each other's common humanity. 

Interestingly, some of the schools that participate in narrative 4 have noted better attendance and improved graduation rates.  It seems that seeing each other with empathy has more than one benefit. 

"Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another and feeling with the heart of another." Alfred Adler 

To see the clip from THE TODAY SHOW, please click on this link: 

https://www.today.com/video/inside-a-story-exchange-program-that-s-changing-lives-164402757802


As always, I welcome your comments and suggestionsRittman Publishing, LLC ®

Please invite GRADY GETS GLASSES (and me) into your school, in person, or on Zoom. Email us at GradyGetsGlasses@gmail.com

I do college and university presentations for student teachers with my practical "Dede's Three C's for Classroom Success: Confidence, Communication, and Creativity" in person or via Zoom. Please email me at DedeRittman@gmail.com

Please invite Grady Gets Glasses (and me) into your school.  if you are not in the Pittsburgh area, we do virtual field trips with groups called Field Trip Zoom and Streamable learning . We will come into YOUR classroom via ZOOM. GRADY GETS GLASSES was the winner of Best New Children's Book 2016 and 2018 (new edition) from The Authors' Zone. Grady also won a 2018 prestigious Moonbeam Award for Best Children's Book with Merchandise.


Visit Dede's web page for complete details on her award-winning book, STUDENT TEACHING: THE INSIDE SCOOP FROM A MASTER TEACHER. Many colleges have made the book required readingSigned copies are available  www.dederittman.com Dede is also a national speaker on The Three C's for Classroom success: Confidence, communication, and Creativity; Avoiding Teacher burnout; and many other inspirational topics. 


I LOVE writing. And I love writing children's books- my newest passion. Although it will be a ton of work, I am looking forward to selling my books.  Since I was a secondary teacher, I know that I have much to learn about elementary students, and I will have to follow my own advice and be my genuine self.  However, I also know that I am passionate about helping kids who have to wear glasses, and that GRADY GETS GLASSES sends a positive message. I am willing to work hard and do all the things that also made me a successful teacher for 37
years. I remain inspired! 

Elementary teachers in Western Pennsylvania and beyond - I am willing to come into your classroom in person or as a virtual field trip through a group called Field Trip Zoom.  Check them out!  http://www.fieldtripzoom.com/ 

Teacher friends- let me know if you want me to read GRADY GETS GLASSES at your school. I am willing to come in to discuss the creative writing process, why writing is important, and personal fulfillment through writing, along with reading my book.  I would appreciate the exposure, and I would make signed copies available for purchase in your classrooms following the reading.  Please email me at dederittman@gmail.com  The website www.gradygetsglasses.com now has plush Grady bunnies for sale!
 Please like Dede's new page Grady Gets Glasses for updates about her children's book. https://www.facebook.com/gradygetsglasses?ref=hl 

Connect with Dede!

Twitter       @dederittman
Facebook   Dede Faltot Rittman,  Rittman Rules,   Student Teaching: The Inside Scoop,    and Grady Gets Glasses
LinkedIn   Dede Rittman
Google +   Dede Rittman
Tumblr      The Bunny Teacher
Instagram   GradyGetsGlasses
Pinterest   Rittman Publishing, LLC ® 



Tuesday, March 7, 2023

"Teaching is a great way to keep learning." Matthea Harvey

 

                                                                        QuoteFancy 


You hear it on the news almost every day - our country is suffering from a teacher shortage. A story on the TODAY SHOW March 7 caught my eye.  It outlined, for me, that the teacher shortage is even worse than I first thought!

Teacher resignations are rolling in at alarming rate.  Seems that ever since Covid, the job has become more difficult.  Why are teachers leaving? Teaching requires such long hours - there is so much work to be done at home to prepare for the next school day!  The shortage itself is contributing to the resignations, as fewer teachers results in a much larger class size.  Then, there is the lack of any personal space or time during the actual school day, as teachers try to scarf down their lunches in the allotted 23-30 minutes lunch break.  The pay is low, and the stress level is high.  Parent demands on teachers have skyrocketed. Also, more and more, teachers must be all things to all students - parent, coach, counselor, therapist, friend, truant officer, mentor, encourager, conscience, teacher - and that list is not comprehensive enough to embody all that teachers must do every day, all day. 

In Louisiana and Maryland, last year was the highest number of resinations in a decade; Washington state had the highest number of resignations in three decades!  

What can be done?  We must do better at paying the teachers as the professionals they are.  We must instill the virtues of teaching into junior high and high school students, letting them know that teaching is a noble calling, and it one way that a person can actually change the world. The impact of a good teacher is like the ripple of a wave, going on to infinity.

When I began my teaching career in 1974, I made $8100 my first year. I also was the only one in my class to get a teaching job, since there was an abundance of teachers! I sold Avon and worked in the summer as a playground supervisor to supplement my income and to be able to afford all my bills - and that was before so many add-ons, like cell phones and wi-fi.  I used to think that if I ever made $20,000 I would be rich!  I briefly considered leaving teaching during my fifth year, but I left my marrisge instead. I loved my career for all 37 years, and I was sad to have to retire when my husband was dying in 2011. I still miss it.  A good teacher can make such a difference in the lives of others, and as a lifelong learner, teaching gave me the platform to continue learning.

I wrote my book for student teachers (available at www.dederittman.com ) because teaching can be both lonely and isolating, I felt it was important to share my expertise. 

I encourage young people to go into teaching.  Not only are there the joys in the classroom, but the relationships formed while coaching, directing, or sponsoring a club are so rewarding.  Here's to teaching!  Here is the link to the TODAY SHOW story about teacher shortages:  https://www.today.com/video/teacher-resignations-hit-new-high-164621381920

As always, I welcome your comments and suggestionsRittman Publishing, LLC ®

Please invite GRADY GETS GLASSES (and me) into your school, in person, or on Zoom. Email us at GradyGetsGlasses@gmail.com

I do college and university presentations for student teachers with my practical "Dede's Three C's for Classroom Success: Confidence, Communication, and Creativity" in person or via Zoom. Please email me at DedeRittman@gmail.com

Please invite Grady Gets Glasses (and me) into your school.  if you are not in the Pittsburgh area, we do virtual field trips with groups called Field Trip Zoom and Streamable learning . We will come into YOUR classroom via ZOOM. GRADY GETS GLASSES was the winner of Best New Children's Book 2016 and 2018 (new edition) from The Authors' Zone. Grady also won a 2018 prestigious Moonbeam Award for Best Children's Book with Merchandise.


Visit Dede's web page for complete details on her award-winning book, STUDENT TEACHING: THE INSIDE SCOOP FROM A MASTER TEACHER. Many colleges have made the book required readingSigned copies are available  www.dederittman.com Dede is also a national speaker on The Three C's for Classroom success: Confidence, communication, and Creativity; Avoiding Teacher burnout; and many other inspirational topics. 


I LOVE writing. And I love writing children's books- my newest passion. Although it will be a ton of work, I am looking forward to selling my books.  Since I was a secondary teacher, I know that I have much to learn about elementary students, and I will have to follow my own advice and be my genuine self.  However, I also know that I am passionate about helping kids who have to wear glasses, and that GRADY GETS GLASSES sends a positive message. I am willing to work hard and do all the things that also made me a successful teacher for 37
years. I remain inspired! 

Elementary teachers in Western Pennsylvania and beyond - I am willing to come into your classroom in person or as a virtual field trip through a group called Field Trip Zoom.  Check them out!  http://www.fieldtripzoom.com/ 

Teacher friends- let me know if you want me to read GRADY GETS GLASSES at your school. I am willing to come in to discuss the creative writing process, why writing is important, and personal fulfillment through writing, along with reading my book.  I would appreciate the exposure, and I would make signed copies available for purchase in your classrooms following the reading.  Please email me at dederittman@gmail.com  The website www.gradygetsglasses.com now has plush Grady bunnies for sale!
 Please like Dede's new page Grady Gets Glasses for updates about her children's book. https://www.facebook.com/gradygetsglasses?ref=hl 

Connect with Dede!

Twitter       @dederittman
Facebook   Dede Faltot Rittman,  Rittman Rules,   Student Teaching: The Inside Scoop,    and Grady Gets Glasses
LinkedIn   Dede Rittman
Google +   Dede Rittman
Tumblr      The Bunny Teacher
Instagram   GradyGetsGlasses
Pinterest   Rittman Publishing, LLC ®