January 15th, 2016
“It seems to me that education has a two-fold function to perform in the life of man and in society: the one is utility and the other is culture. Education must enable a man to become more efficient, to achieve with increasing facility the ligitimate goals of his life.
Education must also train one for quick, resolute and effective thinking. To think incisively and to think for one’s self is very difficult. We are prone to let our mental life become invaded by legions of half truths, prejudices, and propaganda. At this point, I often wonder whether or not education is fulfilling its purpose. A great majority of the so-called educated people do not think logically and scientifically. Even the press, the classroom, the platform, and the pulpit in many instances do not give us objective and unbiased truths. To save man from the morass of propaganda, in my opinion, is one of the chief aims of education. Education must enable one to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal, and the facts from the fiction.
The function of education, therefore, is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. But education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society. The most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason, but with no morals.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., The Purpose of Education
Every Friday afternoon I spend a few minutes writing the 102 Review, and then many many more minutes editing out the superfluous. However, our quote this week is 3 paragraphs long because 1) I have no business editing the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and 2) I figure we, like our students, could use the opportunity to experience worthwhile text by reading it.
The “legions of half truths” Dr. King describes is particularly pronounced in the world of education. Asked to adopt one conflicting philosophy after another, it’s easy for schools to lose the focus and confidence to find and do what’s most effective. Our only defense against unsound initiatives and policies is to continually learn and think about what we do. Our work in book study is doing just that and thank you everyone for stepping up in learning as a team.
Things You Need to Know:
School Messenger: 102 is transitioning to a new alert system that allows us to send text messages to families. We will be sending out a form to homeroom teachers to send home for parents to provide us with their cell phone numbers. Thank you for your assistance and we will have more information for you once the system is fully operational.
Promotion in Doubt: Please review student progress to determine the students in your class(es) that is in jeopardy of not meeting the criteria to promote to the next grade in June. All teachers must submit the names of students who they determine to be PID by Tuesday, 1/26. A memo will be in your mailbox next week with more information.
Reminder to Turn Off Smartboards: You must turn off your smart board when it is not being used. I do not want to see the blue “Smartboard” screen in empty classrooms.
Special Education Referral Process: Do not ask parents to write letters to request special education evaluations. Parents are informing me that teachers are asking them to request evaluations and this must stop immediately. If you suspect a student who may have a learning disability, you should request a meeting with your AP to discuss your findings with support staff. We have limited resources to conduct evaluations, meetings, and paperwork for students with special needs and we must do our due diligence in this work. Additionally, it is ethically problematic to suggest to parents that their child may have a learning disability based on an assessment made by one person who lacks the qualification to do so. IEPs are legal documents that can significantly alter the trajectory of a child’s education, for better or for worst, and you should respect it as such. Please ask to speak with me or any of the APs if you have any questions.
Enjoy the long weekend and see you Tuesday!
mrkobot.com 