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“10 Steps to China” - November 14, 2011

The best part of this whole, especially dull meeting, was the girls who sang a song about plant cells. It’s is a fantastic example of how the arts can be integrated with other subjects. This kind of project also meets all of the Harvard education expert, Tony Wagner’s, 21st century skills, that the Board had adopted. Those skills are:

1. Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
2. Collaboration Across Networks
3. Agility and Adaptability
4. Initiative and Entrepreneurship
5. Effective Oral & Written Communication
6. Accessing and Analyzing Information
7. Curiosity and Imagination

Apparently these, are not good enough anymore so Dr. Bryant’s has listed his own steps to “High School Rigor and 21st Century Skills”, which are:

Step 10: A passionate college essay and excellent references
Step 9: 50 hours of quality service learning and leadership activities
Step 8: 1700 SAT (score), 26 ACT
Step 7: 3 on AP exams
Step 6: Plan for four years of math, science and five to six years of foreign language
Step 5: Algebra 2 by grade 10; 85 on the Regents
Step 4: Algebra by grade 8; 85 on the Regents
Step 3: Pre-algebra begun in grade 7
Step 2: High 3 or 4 on N.Y.S. Assessments in grades 3-8
Step 1: Advanced reading and math in grades K-2

Yes, they were actually listed backwards like that, which I suppose is appropriate. Dr. Bryant’s recent trip to China has apparently convinced him that Tony Wagner is wrong and that Warwick needs to pump out thousands of little bi-lingual mathematicians. Dr. Bryant acknowledges that the Chinese education system does not reinforce creative skills like Wagner talks about. He says the Chinese can implement any idea given to them, but have trouble coming up with ideas. So why in the world would we want to copy the Chinese education system?

Dr. Bryant’s list is almost completely based on test score improvement, and has little or nothing to do with actual education. Just three weeks ago, parents and teachers met and told the Administration that pushing all 8th graders into Algebra or a Lab Science (generally reserved for 9th graders or 8th graders in honors) was a really bad idea. Not all 8th graders would be able to handle it, even if Bryant says they can.

I also don’t understand Dr. Bryant’s push for 6 years of a foreign language, just because the Chinese do it.

他生活在火星上

Yeah, that’s right, I just wrote a sentence in Mandarin. You know how long I’ve been studying Chinese? About 60 seconds. That’s how long it took me to google a Chinese-English online translator. Trust me, the kids taking a foreign language do it all the time to complete their homework. You’ll have to copy and paste that into an online translator to figure out what I wrote, or ask a student to do it for you.

So, anyone can communicate in most  languages, in writing, thanks to the internet. Most modern businesses do a good chunk of their communicating using written e-mails and other technology anyway. Do you think it will be long before Skype or some other program learns to put subtitles on video conferencing to bridge verbal language barriers?

I wonder who Dr. Bryant thinks will teach to all of his steps. Last year he recommended cuts to teaching positions while he kept his excess administrators hidden away in the central offices under new job titles. You can’t demand  Bryant’s 10 steps or Wagner’s 7 skills to be taught, and then cut more teachers.

If it’s real 21st century skills you want, just watch the two music students singing science terms, and support the teachers who came up with that project.

On a separate note, it’s really upsetting to see how the Board treats anyone who questions them. I’m used to it by now, but it still shocks me to see them ignore other community members. Times Herald Record columnist and mother, Allison Berman, asked the Board when they will create the wellness committee (which they are mandated by the State to have) and when the ingredients of the school’s food will be put online. Both were supposed to happen in August. If you watch closely, they just stare at her and then Board president Mr. Eaton asks Dr. Bryant under his breath, if he wants to respond, and Dr. Bryant shakes his head no. The reason being is that the day before Ms. Berman published an article expressing her dissatisfaction over the lack of full school days in November. So now the Board and Superintendent are not talking to her either? Really mature guys.