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  Q1: Are you, or do you know, a young teacher who has felt under-prepared, under-resourced and under-supported? (1 pieces of advice)

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  by scientist_entrepreneur 

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  08.09.08 | 10:08 AM

  I've seen many teachers crash and burn their early years because they did not have the necessary resources to maintain an interactive learning environment, where both teacher and student were empowered to do their best. It's certainly heart-breaking to see teachers not have the support system to carry them on. Your idea speaks to me from th e very heart. I had valuable connections with some wonderful teachers as a student on a one-on-one basis as I talked to them as individuals, however, in the classroom they couldn't carry their agenda across. Its unfair to both student and teacher to have a disruptive learning environment.
  
  Thank you, and good luck. I hope the best for you.
  
  - Bryan

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  by KooDooZ 

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  08.31.08 | 06:02 PM

  The mission you have to “close the teaching gap” is phenomenal. There’s no doubt Americans need to change the fundamental nature by which they support our community of educators.
  
  Because your core belief is that teachers need to be exposed to supreme examples and come together to discuss ideas, I beg you to consider enabling an online forum alongside your real-world one to support your model of "a free exchange of ideas."
  
  I think the potential of the Critical Educator Network is bigger than aspiring to serve one community of teachers (in this case NYC). If you are going to gather & create content (such as unit ideas & videos) as well as have seminars (with guest speakers), there’s no reason you couldn’t be leveraging some of the free tools that we have to extend these offerings online.
  
  I participate in, or sit on the boards of, associations which have simultaneous online & offline meetings to engage their nationwide audience. With the high availability of streaming video & audio, teleconferencing and the …moreability to moderate real time questions, you could navigate around a geographic limitation.
  
  Every participating teacher should be encouraged to blog about their ideas & what they have learned with your 501c3. Get them engaged. Get them to talk. Get the PTA on board with your program.
  
  Hands-on workshops and real kid-engagement is going to be key to your success as well. Sometimes though, we forget to empower our kids to have a voice in the sea of decisions that are being made for their benefit. As your teachers learn from one another and try new things, could your group gain meaningful insight from the kids to whom these techniques were applied? If so, would online surveys or a website social networking element assist your group to evaluate and learn in real-time?
  
  Can you affect legislative change around how our government allocates monies for schools, and teacher resources? Can you build powerful connections with the members of the press to further drive awareness?
  
  With what other groups would you be able to form partnerships? STEM-based resources, Arts-driven resources, etc. Are there corporate sponsors that welcome life-branding opportunities? (Dove has a great campaign for young girls with grant opportunities to encourage the implementation thereof).
  
  It looks to me like your off to a great start, and have already enjoyed many phenomenal successes. Keep up the good work.
  
  Good Luck!
  
  ~Lee Fox
  

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  by matthewblock 

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  08.27.08 | 02:57 PM

  Thanks so much for this advice... An integral part of all of our work is to understand where students are coming from, developmentally as well as culturally. We are founded on the principles of constructivism by which we believe that only through a profound understanding of students' historical and social contexts can we empower them with an education that meets their personal and collective needs. Thanks again!

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  by jpower 

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  08.27.08 | 09:46 AM

  When working with young people, I find that the more I can keep in mind oppression, the clearer my work is. I have worked with homeless, GLBT, and HIV positive youth and youth in **** industries for over 15 years. Understanding poverty, racism and white privilege, history, and institutional oppression has helped me deliver better services and be present with young people as they face numerous obstacles that are often heartbreaking. There are rational reasons why young people are so angry, are on drugs (anti-depression and for ADD, etc.) and it's not because there is something wrong with them.
  
  I suggest a cultural competency curriculum as well as anti-oppression work be intrinsic to all of your materials. This will insure your success! Good luck and I'm very excited for your work to transform things!!!
  
  
  

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  by itistime 

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  08.25.08 | 09:11 PM

  -Look comprehensively throughout the website for AERO (Alternative Education Resource Organization); it's www.educationrevolution.org. Be sure to include reading about Sudbury Valley School in Massachusetts.
  -Have all your members read and discuss one of the democratic education books in their store. An excellent one is A Free Range Childhood : Self-Regulation at Summerhill School (Paperback) by Matthew Appleton. Easy and fun read, profound re youth empowerment and the relationship between adults and young people. An important read, not just for educators, but for parents!
  
  All of this will add to whatever good things you are already doing.

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  by LegacyMan 

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  08.18.08 | 05:06 AM

  I believe that the greatest challenge to young teachers today is the disconnect between theory and the real classroom environment. Many young teachers become disillusioned when they discover that education is really only a numbers game, and many schools are simply concentrating on keeping their rankings up for budgetary concerns and administrator bragging rights.
  
  Unfortunately, it seems that the aspirations of teachers and the politics of administrations run counter-productive to each other.
  
  Today's challenge is to engage the average student in a manner that allows each student to learn in their own way. Unfortunately, standardized ciricullum seems to cater to the lowest common denominator. Either slower students are marginalized or gifted students are held back.
  
  I have been on both sides of the equation. Once a student who was disruptive because even in my AP classes, the work wasn't challenging enough to keep me engaged. Then as a substitiute teacher for a couple of years who saw many students that reminded me of myself.
  
  …more>The entire system needs a philosophical overhaul, and it seems that a program such as this would be a step in the right direction.
  
  Best of luck to you.

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  by LegacyMan 

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  08.18.08 | 05:06 AM

  I believe that the greatest challenge to young teachers today is the disconnect between theory and the real classroom environment. Many young teachers become disillusioned when they discover that education is really only a numbers game, and many schools are simply concentrating on keeping their rankings up for budgetary concerns and administrator bragging rights.
  
  Unfortunately, it seems that the aspirations of teachers and the politics of administrations run counter-productive to each other.
  
  Today's challenge is to engage the average student in a manner that allows each student to learn in their own way. Unfortunately, standardized ciricullum seems to cater to the lowest common denominator. Either slower students are marginalized or gifted students are held back.
  
  I have been on both sides of the equation. Once a student who was disruptive because even in my AP classes, the work wasn't challenging enough to keep me engaged. Then as a substitiute teacher for a couple of years who saw many students that reminded me of myself.
  
  …more>The entire system needs a philosophical overhaul, and it seems that a program such as this would be a step in the right direction.
  
  Best of luck to you.

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  by waser12345 

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  08.15.08 | 07:53 PM

  yes as a matter a fact i do

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  by JeremyAmes 

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  08.11.08 | 12:02 PM

  I'm a huge proponent of leveraging partnerships with companies or organizations that share your beliefs.
  
  One such company that immediately came to mind when reading your post is World Blu (www.worldblu.com). They are a company that teaches organizational democracy for businesses. You may be able to engage them in contributing time and/or resources to this non-profit. It certainly fits in-line with their company beliefs. It could be a good opportunity for them to obtain some PR while giving back to a cause for which they would likely be passionate.

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  by Alvahom_Ayga 

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  08.10.08 | 07:19 PM

  Hey this might sound bizarre at first, but bear with me. Imagine that instead of desks and chairs, each studen has one of those rotatable & height adjustable rolly chairs with 3 wheels (u know?). Now the teacher has some sort of blue-tooth enabled transmitter, as does each student. The vertical turney height adjustable axis rotate so as to face the teacher, the three small wheels on the floor interact somehow with the "chatter"/"frequcency"/"vibe" of the students around them. Imagine how that might work out.
  
  The idea I'm trying to convey here is that on top of "innovative" techniques to guide student attention & to maintain a classroom-wide collaborative atmosphere, is that the teacher is JUST ONE PERSON. There's a fundamental necessesity for, particularly at the beginning, for a teacher to classify student into groups. If the new teacher's background is inimical to the way the various grouping/tribes interact with each other, chaos and dischord result.
  
  don't know what I'm getting at here, but thoses are the g…moreeneral ideas
  
  have at it !!! avast :-))))

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