See students as individuals!

I came across this note worthy comment by Algot Runeman on the Diane Ravitch Blog.

“A funny thing. No two districts are the same. No two schools are the same. No two classes are the same. No two students are the same. What worked once for one of them doesn’t always fit with the others.

Educators of note, as well as those of lesser repute, have observed that it is best to take a class of students, see them as individuals. Meet them where they are in their set of needs and help them move towards personal progress. Educators know that there is no quick fix. That “revolutionary” change isn’t as useful as targeted change within the dynamics of a classroom.

When students engage in one classroom, they are more likely to engage in others with similarly motivated teachers. When many students engage across classrooms and with many teachers, they gain the pride to talk, shout and even sing the praises of THEIR school.

That is educational reform. One student to one classroom to one school at a time. It isn’t legislated. It isn’t mandated. It is nurtured, supported and praised for the good of its current students and the anticipation by its next crop, you know, the ones who will next be met where they are and helped to move toward their own successes.

Effective educational leadership provides the resources to remove the barriers to such learning. Unfortunately, it is not easy. It takes commitment. It’s hard work. Teachers in classrooms know about hard work. Many principals still do after leaving the classroom. Some superintendents still do, if they’ve ever been in a classroom.”

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Of note also:  The publication of Victoria M. Young’s book  The Crucial Voice of the People, Past and Present . It is the 2nd edition of Education’s Missing Ingredient about which one reader said, “As a mom of two non-graduates, I wish Victoria M. Young had written this book earlier. My children’s outcome may have been different; their lives would have surely been changed.”