Edutopia - February/March 2008 - (Page 8) Feedback PUBLISHED BY ™ The George Lucas Educational Foundation Go Home, Teachers I’d like to express my appreciation for the excellent Editor’s Note in the November/December 2007 issue. Having taught for decades in private, public, parochial, same-gender, and company schools, and now in one of the largest school districts in the United States, I totally concur that the home visit is so vital! Without the contact with the home, we are seeing only part of the child. Though some people do not understand the words “home visit,” the fact is they are a very important tool for education. Vera Bunting Librarian Florence Nightingale Elementary School Chicago, Illinois and elementary school), and I’ve come to understand that often when a child “doesn’t like” a certain teacher, it is actually an incompatibility of learning and teaching styles. Children want to succeed and enjoy but can be easily deterred by seemingly small obstacles. This article is great inspiration for the lessons of working hard and trying hard. Michelle Hoffman Milton Chen PhD, Executive Director Cindy Johanson Chief Operating Officer Todor Grigorov Director of Finance Sheila Tuck Staff Accountant Silvia Tisell Accounts Payable Accountant Colleen Reichling Finance & Grant Administrator Sharon Murotsune Executive Assistant & Office Manager Sandy Miller Administrative Assistant Suzi Stadelman Product Associate Advertising Sales Chip Fesko Senior Director, Advertising Sales & Strategic Alliances chip.fesko@edutopia.org (415) 662-7612 Katie Sullivan Director, Advertising Sales (West) katie.sullivan@edutopia.org (415) 662-1637 Gerry Woodworth Consultant, Advertising Sales (East) Bloomsday Marketing gerry.woodworth@edutopia.org (607) 264-3362 Michele Yoskovich Production Supervisor For advertising inquiries, please call (415) 662-1674 or email sales@edutopia.org Carton Conundrum “How to Reduce Your School’s EcoFootprint” (October 2007) was a great article, but I’m looking for a solution for recycling milk cartons. My school uses about 300 4-ounce cartons a day. Even my local municipal-utilities authority couldn't recommend a place that would take them. They are wax coated and burn nicely. I can’t believe no one wants them. Any advice from your readers? S. Rivlin Principal Merriam Avenue School Newton, New Jersey A Question of Style As parents, we often forget what it was like to not know or not be interested in a subject because it was hard for us then or because we didn’t like the teacher (“Mr. Martin’s Oopses,” November/December 2007). I have four kids (one each in college, high school, junior high school, Marketing Sara Inclenrock Senior Marketing Manager Board of Directors Life Prep In the September 2007 Dispatches essay, “Unacceptable: It’s Time to Redefine ‘College Prep,’” author Jill Flury discussed the need for high school students to learn skills to handle living independently for the first time. She included the need for personal wellness, stress management, financial health, time management, and social skills. I agree wholeheartedly with Flury about the need for teaching these vital life skills to all students, regardless of their plans. Many such classes already exist in the high school curriculum; they are generally part of the family and consumer sciences department. I teach a class for juniors and seniors called Independent Living that addresses all the issues Flury noted. When students ask what it’s about, I tell them, “It is everything I can cram into one semester to help you survive living on your own.” A semester-long simulation project is part of the class, in which students have jobs, checking accounts, bills, roommates, and the related squabbles. They must be able to reconcile their checkbook to pass the class. When students come back to visit, they usually ask me if we still do “that checkbook thing” and then tell me, “I use stuff I learned in that class every single day.” Deborah Nelson Family and consumer sciences teacher Alameda High School Lakewood, Colorado George Lucas Chairman Stephen D. Arnold Vice Chairman/CFO Milton Chen Secretary Micheline Chau Kim Meredith Kate Nyegaard Marshall Turner National Advisory Board Nínive Clements Calegari Cofounder, 826 Valencia Chris Dede Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education Patricia Harder English Teacher, Henley Middle School, Virginia Ted Hasselbring Professor, Vanderbilt University Jason Kamras 2005 National Teacher of the Year Larry Leverett Executive Director, Panasonic Foundation George Miller (Ex Officio), U.S. House of Representatives Susan Patrick President, North American Council for Online Learning Will Richardson Learner in Chief, Connective Learning Steven Sanchez Educational Consultant, New Mexico State Department of Education THE GEORGE LUCAS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION Established in 1991 by filmmaker George Lucas, GLEF is a nonprofit operating foundation that produces and distributes materials that share hundreds of powerful examples of learning and teaching from our nation’s schools. We hope this information will stimulate active involvement and guide choices in redesigning schools. www.edutopia.org FEEDBACK is a vital par t of the conversation. Comment on ar ticles at Edutopia.org or write to letters@edutopia.org or Edutopia, PO Box 3494, San Rafael, CA 94912. Please include your name, affiliation, and contact information. 8 EDUTOPIA FEBRUARY/MARCH 2008 http://www.edutopia.org http://www.edutopia.org http://Edutopia.org
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