Pink Assignment

Sabre-Tooth Curriculum

1. Education should be based on the skills needed by the society in the present,  but with an eye on the future.   We shouldn't  be afraid to change and adapt our curriculum as need be.  New-Fist first created his curriculum as a means to find "ways in which life may be made better for himself, his family, and his group."  The skills that were to be taught were essential for the overall good of the community.  New-Fist envisioned that the children would be better off when they became grown because of the goals that he established.  So, in that regard, the curriculum was constructed to prepare for the future.

2. A curriculum change should reflect the common goals of the community.  This is seen when the members could no longer survive using the techniques established by New-Fist.  It was paramount to change their methods of teaching skills.  Some members of the community even criticized the schools for implementing change.  But without the necessary change, the community could not have survived.  So even though some members staunchly defended New-Fist's curriculum, other forward thinkers were able to change the educational process for the better.

3. I believe that a curriculum should focus on skills as opposed to content knowledge.  The Saber-Tooth curriculum defenders saw the teaching of the outdated skills as a generalization for other thought processes.  For example, "We don't teach fish-grabbing to grab fish; we teach it to develop a generalized agility which can never be developed by mere training."

This thought process would not be helping the tribe have a better life, which is what New-Fist's goal was when he developed his curriculum.  You must provide the children with the skills needed to survive in the present.

From the reading, the community faced the challenge of a changing environment.  If they continued to catch fish, club horses, and scare saber-tooth tigers using New-Fist's methods, they would not survive.

I believe that New-Fist would be very proud of the radical who implored the wise old men "Couldn't you please try these other more up-to-date activities?  Maybe they have some educational value after all?"

Dear Mr. Hirsch

Dear Mr. Hirsch,

I have been a teacher at Harrison High school for the past thirty years and after reading your prescription for school reform, I feel the need to respond.

The Harrison School District is one of the Abbott Districts in the state of New Jersey.  This identifies us as a lower income school district. Most of our students come from homes where English is not the primary language spoken at home.  After reading your list of words and terms that all students should know and be able to be tested on, I have no idea how this could be implemented here at Harrison.  This philosophy cannot work when there is no reinforcement at home or where there isn't a similar frame of reference.  This is similar to when the United States gets compared to Japan in standardized testing results.  We are a nation of many cultures, whereas Japan has one culture, therefore they can have national standards to abide by. Unfortunately, education is viewed differently in some cultures here in the United States, with some cultures holding it in high regard while it isn't emphasized enough in others.  However, these children are sharing the same classrooms.

In regard to school funding, your silence speaks volumes as we see the success of many Abbott districts, who are now able to compete with more affluent districts due increased state funding.  I wouldn't even like to imagine how our schools would perform if it wasn't for increased state aid.

Furthermore, Mr. Hirsch, children do not learn strictly by memorization or the rote method.  I believe some concepts are better taught without "telling" and "rote" memorization.  These two teaching techniques have a place in the educational process, but should not be the sole method.  For instance, the multiplication tables must be memorized, and words and terms in foreign language class must be memorized.  It is my opinion that in all subject areas , many lessons may achieve positive results with techniques such as physical experience, or the "hands on" approach, an example of which would be a science experiment. 

In conclusion, I was pleased to see that you amended your theories and philosophies in recent years.  Education must be an ever evolving process, lest we become like the cavemen in the "Saber Tooth Curriculum."

Sincerely,

        Lawrence J. Manning

This is what I believe

I believe that I am a teacher today largely in part of the influence of my role model, my mentor, my hero, my dad.  My father was an educator for 47 years in Harrison beginning as a history teacher working his way up the administrative ranks, achieving the position of Superintendent of Schools. Education was always top priority in our household and along with that a deep respect for the teaching profession.

I believe that given the proper materials, quality instruction, and a safe and nurturing environment, all students may not pass a standardized test but they can get a head start in the game of life.  Good teachers truly do make a difference in the lives of young children and young adults.

I believe that if your heart and soul are not into teaching, then you do not belong in the classroom.

I believe that the teaching to the test philosophy on the high school level has reduced or eliminated many elective courses which used to give students a different venue to stand out and increase their self-esteem, i.e. wood shop, art, home economics.

I believe that quality Health and Physical Education is more essential now than ever given the rates of childhood obesity in this country.

I believe that I made a wise decision many years ago when I chose to enter the teaching profession.

Standards

Understanding that I am a Health and Phys. Ed. teacher, the number one benefit from the New Jersey Laws and Standards is the fact that unlike most states, we mandate that all students take four years of Health/Phys. Ed.

I am also fortunate to teach in an Abbott District which provides additional funding for economically disadvantaged districts.  This has allowed for increased staffing,  smaller class size, early childhood programs,  early intervention programs, and also new school buildings.

All teachers in New Jersey must now be or working toward becoming highly qualified.  The standards also make teachers more accountable.  

Each teacher must also fill out a Personal Improvement Plan after they have been observed annually.

The laws and standards provide that all students throughout the state should be learning the same educational content.

Now for the shackles:  It is one thing to work in an Abbott District but it is another thing to live in a district that receives little state aid(North Arlington). The North Arlington district operates on a shoe- string budget and does a fantastic job in achieving its state mandated benchmarks.

All schools must implement a four year old pre-K program, but not a three year old program like the Abbott's.

I also have a benefit and a shackle:  Professional development.  In my many years of teaching, I have sat through many In-District workshops that had little to do advancing my abilities as a Physical Education teacher. Some of these workshops need to be more teaching content area specific.  For instance,  perhaps a district wide workshop solely for Health and Phys. Ed. teachers to discuss the implementation of the President's Physical fitness test.

Do most teachers adhere to the standards?

It is my opinion that most teachers at Harrison HS adhere to the standards.  Being that we are an Abbott district, we are closely monitored and at many of the aforementioned workshops , our principal drums it into our heads our responsibilities in this regard.

How about the national standards?

After viewing the national standards for Health and Phys. Ed., I must say that the national standards are a bit more comprehensive than New Jersey's. However, New Jersey is one of the few states that mandate twelve years of Phys. Ed. for their students.

I feel that the national standards could be used as a guideline that state programs should try to achieve. 

My name is Larry Manning.  I am 52 years young and reside in North Arlington, NJ. I have been happily married to the lovely Barbara for the past 26 years. We have three children, Allison, 25, Thomas, 19 and Timmy, 16. Allison is married to John Perez who recently concluded his commitment to our country achieving the rank of Captain  in the United States Army during which time he completed two tours of duty in Iraq.  Allison is currently a permanent substitute teacher of History at Washington Middle School in Harrison.  My son Thomas is a sophomore at LaSalle University in Philadelphia and is currently an Undecided major.  My son Timmy will be a Junior at St. Peter's Prep.

Since graduating Seton Hall University in 1978 with a degree in Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Driver Education,  I have been employed by the Harrison Board of Education as a  teacher of Health and Phys. Ed. at Harrison High School.  I like to say that I have one the best jobs in the whole world.

During my tenure at Harrison,  I have coached football for 17 years, wrestling for 7 years, baseball for 3 years, boys' volleyball for 4 years, swimming 1 year, and this fall I am in my 2nd year as coach of the girls' volleyball team. After 29 years my first experience coaching girls' sports continues to be a very rewarding experience.

I am in the Supervisor Certificate program as a means of being qualified to become an Athletic Director plus it will be useful to me as my new role as Facilitator of Health, Phys. Ed. and Nursing Services for Grades 6-12 in Harrison.

My interests include exercising such as walking, jogging, bicycling, tennis and I am still playing ice hockey twice a week.  I also enjoy reading, cooking and crossword puzzles.  

I am trying to fast forward myself in the computer age of college so please bear with me.

Who am I?

Hello, welcome to my world.

"Go ahead, make my day."