Two remarkable students

Lance Chapman writes:

So it has finally arrived – the three-week winter vacation. And here is my holiday thank you, to two of my eighth-graders, and I hope you know who you are.

A high school senior's resolutions

Nick Giulioni writes:

With this time off -- which I have been enjoying to the fullest, with naps, Halo 3, and football -- I have had some time to think about what I hope to accomplish in the coming months. This conveniently coincides with the start of a new year, a time when people tend to reflect on their aspirations. Here are my resolutions:

1. Pull off an “A” in AP literature; only one person has one in the class today, and my goal is to make it two.

2. Graduate from high school.

3. Lose five pounds.

4. Pass my Advanced Placement tests with flying colors.

5. Remain in shape despite my busy schedule.

6. Keep my GPA up; it’s hard to stay motivated in my senior year, but I’ll have to find a way.

7. Make the best of my last few months at South Pasadena High School; it’s time for me to make my mark.

8. Help the Tiger newspaper remain in the top 10 high school newspapers in the country.

9. Find some time to sleep.

10. And last, but certainly not least, get accepted by my top colleges!

Please feel free to tell me what you have planned for the coming months.

State schools chief top 10

Don't worry, Letterman et al. Your late night TV throne is safe. Jack O'Connell, the state superintendent of public instruction, has a Top 10 list that is a follow-up to his taking on a hotly debated issue this year: the achievement gap that separates white and Asian students from their black and Latino counterparts.

San Diego charter school problems

An investigation at San Diego's acclaimed Preuss Charter School has concluded that, among other things, "the principal and former counselor likely had knowledge of and/or directed inappropriate grade changes."

Read the report.

San Diego Unified's new boss -- for now

One of the state's largest school systems, the San Diego Unified School District (with 135,000 students) has been the locus of major reform efforts in recent years, overseen by some high-profile superintendents.

Pay to Play

A San Fernando Valley youth sports league urged the Los Angeles school board Wednesday to reject a plan to charge youth groups that use district athletic fields and facilities.

Schooled for the job market

Much of the current push for education reform is built on the premise that the United States will not remain economically competitive if it doesn’t dramatically raise its education level. But in a new analysis of government projections, the Economic Policy Institute says things aren’t so dire.

Selling soda

Concerns about childhood obesity have led some school districts, including Los Angeles Unified, to ban the sale of sodas on campus, at least during school hours. Now, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome is proposing to take the campaign one step further.
According to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, Newsome has proposed a city fee (he won't call it a tax) on large retailers of soda. "The bottom line is that there is a direct nexus between high-fructose corn syrup drinks like colas and Big Gulps and obesity among schoolkids," Newsom said.
Details, including the size of the fee, are still being worked out. The Chronicle article can be found here.

-- Mitchell Landsberg

Cost of environment

A new study has documented what most urban educators well know: Children who grow up in poor, crime-ridden communities have less developed verbal abilities, and gradually decline in their performance on IQ tests. In fact, the study says, their environment costs them the equivalent of a year of school.

Monday morning inspiration

Lauren McCabe writes:

I have to admit, I was dreading coming back from Thanksgiving break. I was already ready for winter break and three weeks seemed like an awful big mountain. I walked into our morning meeting on Monday, low on energy and dreading the moment when class would actually start.

Then, first period came around and one of my students walked into my classroom. He greeted me with a smile and asked how my weekend was. I was writing on the board and so I gave him a quick “It was fine. How was yours?” He sat down for a minute and then said, “Ms. McCabe, you look like you had a rough weekend.” I laughed at first and turned around and apologized for my short answer, and we talked a little bit about our Thanksgivings. As the rest of the class came in and began their Do Now, I realized how quickly that one student had picked up on my negative mood. I also realized that as soon as I saw my students walk through the door, I wasn’t dreading the work week as much anymore.

Throughout the day I heard about my students' Thanksgivings and had a smooth day of teaching.
The students are the reason I get out of bed every morning. I forgot how much I enjoy engaging them in academic discussion and hearing their ideas and realizations. They take a lot out of a person, but they also add so much to my day!

Between our vacation for Thanksgiving and the winter break, my class has to finish a novel and write and present a research paper. And although it’s going to be a hard finish to the first semester, I’m more energized to teach than ever before. Coming back from winter break may be even harder, but I just have to remember why I wanted to teach in the first place and what I’m here for: the students.

A gym for the mind

Nick Giulioni writes:

With three days left until UC applications were due, my parents were hounding me to finish up the three essays. They nagged me constantly, not sure that I would be able to complete them. But I knew something they didn’t. I knew that I had been training for this for years. While my school work and grades went directly into my application, they did more than simply provide me with a decent GPA. Whether directly or indirectly, the teachers who assigned excessive work over the years prepared me specifically for the fall and winter of 2007. They showed me my limits, teaching me exactly what I could and couldn’t do. While I may not have appreciated the sleepless nights at the time, I certainly do now. Three essays that could dictate the next four years of my life in three nights? No problem; English courses have made me more than capable of pulling off this fantastic feat. Countless forms to be filled? Math, history, and sciences have assigned hundreds of worksheets over the years; what are a few more? All I would need was caffeine, and my refrigerator was stocked with Red Bulls; I would be fine. So while my parents were hyperventilating, I was not concerned. I was cool as ice as I sat down to write those essays, my nerves were of steel as I filled in the forms. I was cool, calm, and collected while my already balding father pulled on his remaining hair. But he needn’t worry as I finished that application with time to spare. So thank you, high school; your years of torture prepared me for some of the most important nights of my life.

Changing teams

The demographic shift that has so changed classrooms in Southern California has spilled out onto the playing fields too, writes The Times' Eric Sondheimer. Check out the rise of soccer at schools such as Canoga Park's and consider the ethnic history of dozens of L.A. Unified schools here.

-- Mary MacVean

Time off, stress on

Nick Giulioni writes:

As the holidays approached, I eagerly awaited Thanksgiving weekend for the time off from school. I looked to catch up on sleep, watch a little bit of football, and maybe squeeze in a few short moments to work on my college applications. This was supposed to be a time of rest and relaxation, but instead, it has caused me quite a bit of angst.

Is it a miracle?

Lauren McCabe writes:
My students finished reading the novel "1984" by George Orwell two weeks ago. I learned a very valuable lesson during this unit: Giving students a book and a reading schedule does not correlate to students ACTUALLY reading the book, let alone comprehending basic plot elements. I held the students to a 12th-grade reading pace (roughly 10 to 15 pages per night) and included chapter questions to help them guide their reading. After setting up what I thought was a pretty supportive system, I was shocked to see the low quiz grades throughout the unit. They couldn’t answer basic comprehension questions!