Literacy as writing

In her latest newsletter, Dr. Wiegand focuses on (what I see as) one leg of Literacy known as “writing”. She uses the story of a high school out on Staten Island that underwent dramatic reform as a backdrop to the need to focus on writing skills. And not just the ability to press a pencil on paper, but translating the rapidly firing neurons in our grey matter into “coherent, well-argued sentences”.

 

The article she references is a bit lengthy; what I have read so far seems to resonate. What strikes me from the article is the picture that is painted of the teachers and how they seem to think their teaching cannot possibly be a part of the problem. That is perhaps a trap any of us have to watch out for – it almost necessitates that we not only allow but also invite critical, honest and constructive analysis of ourselves and our work. That is very humbling and thus very difficult to swallow. I truly believe that if a relationship of trust is fostered, than those much-needed truthful and well-intentioned corrections can be made by others. Without that trust, we are like turtles hiding inside our shells.

Reflection of the Sept 27th Social Justice Committee meeting

I think we barely scratched the surface. But we did scratch.

Dr. Taylor, who says she was called Laura or ‘LT’ while at Urbana, followed her publicized agenda very thoroughly. I totally failed on naming the musical selections – I might have recognized one of them. One of the ladies at our table couldn’t stop dancing to most of them. 🙂

On “The Purpose of the Committee”, I am pretty sure Laura said that this will NOT be a committee. I had to grin at that. She talked briefly about some of her visions for this group, about how we are going to try engaging in “Courageous Conversations” (hat tip to Karen) and how we have to put ourselves in uncomfortable situations. I very much appreciate her passion and vision for this.

We were divided into about 8 tables averaging about 4 or 5 each and Laura did not take long to give us our first group task; discuss the ground rules. For instance, our table talked about things like respecting each other, employing active listening, don’t take things personally, don’t dominate the conversation, have a thick skin and just be honest. Each table had an opportunity to relate to the whole some of these ground rules, which were complied by Angi Franklin (the designated notetaker). I am anxious to see that list posted on the website.

Although Laura never really attempted to define “Social Justice”, she did have us collaboratively come up with thoughts about the term “Ideology”. Several folks shared common ideas about belief systems; I wrote down “A framework for belief or world views”. She used this as a springboard to launch into the Big QuestionⓇ – Who defines what is ‘normal’? She passed out her “Circle of Ideology” (will link when I find it) and we spent a bit of time

The evolving story of the CFT/Board negotiations

Keep checking back on this: http://www.news-gazette.com/news/education/2012-09-27/updated-champaign-teachers-union-take-strike-vote.html

I asked (in the comment section):

What role does the public play in all this? The CFT held an “informational picket” before the regular board meeting at the beginning of the month, but it was not clear to me then (and nor is it now) what the public is actually supposed to do. I get that the event supposedly applies pressure on the Board, but to do what exactly? All we know are very general things. And maybe that is the way it is supposed to be – I just don’t get what part we play in this little saga. It is our tax money afterall, right?

I have also asked the PTA Council if they have any plans to hold a panel/discussion with CFT and Unit 4 reps – I know I would appreciate knowing more about what’s going on. But moreover, I really want to figure out what my own role is. Am I supposed to be just a bystander? I don’t think so.

UPDATE: Meg updated her article at 4:07 pm – I think some of the new text (in addition to an important change in the title) is as follows:

The school district issued a statement saying the school board was “surprised and disappointed” to hear of the vote while the district and union are still negotiating.

A strike authorization vote is when the union’s negotiating team goes back to its membership to report on how negotiations are going, said Illinois Federation of Teachers Spokesman David Comerford.

The union members then give the team feedback and takes a vote to give the bargaining team authorization to call a strike if necessary, Comerford said. The vote has to do with the union’s constitution and is different than the intent-to-strike vote the union would have to file with the state Educational Labor Relations Board at least 10 days before striking.

Comerford said a new state law has changed the timeline on which downstate teachers strike.

 

Additionally, I spotted Cathy Mannen, Sue Grey and Tom Lockman at the Mellon Center after 5:pm – I did not see them meeting or talking, so I cannot relay any facts other than that I saw them.

Supper with the Superintendent: October 11th

[Edit – adding text version which is SEO-friendly]

Carrie Busey Dedication & Supper with the Superintendent

Please join the Champaign Community Unit 4 School District #4 Board of Education and Superintendent Dr. Judy Wiegand for the formal dedication of

Carrie Busey Elementary School

304 Prairie Rose Ln. Savoy, IL  61874

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Dedication Ceremony 5:30 pm

Tours and Supper with the Superintendent 6:00 pm

PS – I don’t see the flyer up on the Unit 4 website, yet, but I am sure it won’t be long.

OT: are you ready to vote?

So right now there are big pushes to get folks out to vote. I have been chatting with Jamar Brown about his awesome trip out east for the Democratic National Convention, and he was really pumped up about it. He also relayed how he was struck with how little political discussion we have here in Champaign.

So on that note, I bring a microcosm (or rather, a nanocosm) of IlliniPundit. When I looked at my specimen ballot, the very first thing is this wall of text about amending the Illinois State Constitituion. When I read it, I was completely confused. So I started calling folks. I’ll not drop names (except one) to keep the guilty hidden for now. 🙂 But I didn’t get many helpful answers until I finally talked to Senator Mike Frerichs – his advise was very sound. Something to the extent of “If the wording doesn’t make sense, you probably do not want to vote for an amendment to the state constitution.” Right-o, buddy! It boggles my mind that we have something this big to vote on (I mean, changing the Constitution for crying out loud!!) and nobody is talking about it? I cannot even find someone who fully understands it. I have heard theories and rumors about labor unions, etc, but I do not understand why this question of changing the constitution is even on the ballot in the first place. Is this the will of the people? Is this even a good thing for the people? What if we had a ballot question that asked you about whether or not Siberia should have a 3/5th vote on the Yukurzi Committee’s policies (*evil grin* google is not your friend today, but feel free to try)? Would you vote yes? Would you vote no? Where is the relevance? We have no context.

On another note, we have something a bit more closer to home; Municipal Electric Aggregation. Interestingly enough, I have talked to a few people on both sides of the fence (politically but also in terms of support of this measure) and have received some interesting viewpoints. From what I have gathered, Power Smart Pricing is potentially cheaper (depending on your usage), and even with MEA you have the option of opting-out. In fact, if you have Power Smart now, you are not automatically opted into MEA, which I think is a good thing. Regardless, there is still a huge lack of public discourse about these items. And we call ourselves a democracy?!? Ha!

And I haven’t even gotten to the races and candidates. Personally, I am less enthused about that section. But I understand that some of you are very passionate about the positions and offices.

Early voting starts October 22nd – I intend to know exactly how I want to vote by that date.

Oh IP, how I miss you some days.

Houlihans today

I plan to be at Houlihans, but Chuck Jackson is of town. I am hoping to talk more about the Board Meeting on Monday – maybe I can convince a board member to join us again. 🙂 I still do not have the video so I have not had a chance to review the meeting.

 

If that topic gets old, we can always talk about the social justice committee, or the County’s Community task force on social justice or the citizens for peace and justice.

 

Or bring a topic of your own. Come shoot the breeze with me. 🙂

Social Justice Committee Meeting, September 27, 5:00 – 6:30 pm

re: http://www.champaignschools.org/news/news_files/2012-09-24_SJC_First_Meeting_Agenda.pdf

 

As stated earlier, Chuck Jackson and I are keeping ears to the ground and eyes open. 🙂 “Why?” you might ask.

 

Whatever images come to your mind when you hear the words “Social Justice”, I can almost guarantee you that we each have a different mental image, but some where in that swirl of subjectivity we have to boil it down to some form of “justice” in the context of something that is “social”. The way I see it, the “have nots” are constantly getting screwed over by the “haves”; sometimes deliberately, but probably more often than not it is subtle, unconscious, maybe even systemic. Note that even when it is systemic, injustice is still not right; just because it is hard to take responsibility at the individual level does not absolve one of taking action.

 

To that latter point, I see something like a social justice committee addressing the ‘systemic’ issue dead on. I am not saying it is a perfect approach, nor that it will solve all our problems. My hope is that it starts to open the door so we can better understand each other and learn to walk in each others’ shoes. “We make the path by walking.” I believe (I could be wrong, and it wouldn’t be the first time) that this is the first step to take towards things advocacy and helping each other have a voice and a place to stand. When you think about it, we don’t need a manual to tell us how to do things – what we really want is someone to walk next to us. This is what I personally see “social justice” doing.

 

Of course, you are free to disagree. As always, I very much welcome different points of view, so let me have it. 🙂

CPL sponsoring afterschool tech projects at Douglass

I have always been drawn to techy things as a kid, and that kid inside me still gets excited when I hear about legos and robots. So when I heard about a new “mentoring” opportunity at the CPL’s Douglass Branch, I read about it and am now sharing.

 

A Free Mentoring Program

 

Registration begins September 24

 

Tuesdays & Thursdays
3:30 to 5:15 pm
October 16 – December 13
(No session November 22)
Douglass Branch Library
504 E. Grove St.

 

Working in small groups with adult mentors, middle school students in Project Next Generation can learn to
use computers, the Internet, digital cameras, and other cool technologies while practicing problem-solving and communication skills.

 

This free program is sponsored by the Illinois State Library. Grab a friend and sign up together! To register, call 403-2090, e-mail png@champaign.org, or talk to us at the Branch.

 

 

In other news, I had the opportunity to meet Ms. Jessica Pitcher of the JMS Science Tech room; cool stuff! Other than legos and robots, they also have a makerBot Replicator! 🙂

 

Future Facilities Blog (aka, high school site selection)

My gerbils found a Unit 4 Future Facilities Blog (dated Sept 12th) – NOTE there is also a twitter feed on there *grin*:

http://unit4futurefacilities.wordpress.com/

Welcome to the Champaign Unit 4 Schools Future Facilities Blog. Here we will provide information to the public regarding facilities planning for our growing district.

As of Monday, September 10, 2012, the Board of Education approved the contract for public engagement firm DeJong-Richter to work with Unit 4 regarding comprehensive facilities plan.

Please click here to view the accepted proposal from DeJong-Richter. 

Please review this information and provide feedback in the comments section below. We will provide information on this page regarding upcoming meetings.

– Champaign Unit 4 School District

 

Two meetings tonight: which one will you choose?

Tonight, we have not one but two meetings! 🙂 I have talked about the Board Meeting and the agenda. In addition, Sheri Williamson is kicking off the first Parent Advisory Group.

Monday, September 24th @ 6pm at Stratton Elementary School

“What is YOUR ideal school setting for your children? What is your ideal environment for your community?
I am a current co-chair of the PTA Council Vice-Presidency seat. I am working on establishing a parent-advisory group to work with the faculty, staff, and PTAs at each school. After speaking with Dr. Wiegand, the Unit 4 superintendent, this type of collaboration can allow for a productive facilitation between parents and school administrators regarding changes at schools. The parent-driven group can focus on issues the community has faced, such as bullying, gun violence, stranger danger, literacy, and any other topic parents feel is worth discussing. A parent-driven group can offer support and advocate for parents in need. It can also brainstorm ways to provide more cost-efficient services to Unit 4 families.
Working with local organizations I will be holding parent cafes at a different Unit 4 school each month during the school year. At the first meeting the goal is to identify priority topics that parents would like addressed by the district. We need your voice to help create positive change in the district and in the community!
The first meeting is Monday, September 24th. Come enjoy a free meal from Texas Roadhouse!”

Possible Topics for Discussion
Bullying
Gun Violence
Stranger danger
Youth Social Trends

Contact Information
Sheri Williamson
swlmsn79@gmail.com
217-721-6540