A tornado or an oven? That was the choice as I got into car service from Newark to Princeton after enduring numerous cancellations and delays yesterday at Logan Airport. I am not a happy camper when I am tired and hot. Luckily after a good night sleep I was ready for the day this morning. Today we TOYS began a bittersweet week called Next Steps. What will we do from here on in with our positions, our knowledge and our connections? Will we stay in the classroom? Go into politics? Become leaders in our fields? Quoting Rhode Island teachers in "The Teacher Leader," Roland Barth said, "If schools are going to become the places where all children are learning in worthy ways, all teachers must lead." Introspection is so unsettling but healthy at the same time.
Today's provocative discussion centered around content knowledge and what teachers need to know to teach. I wonder if it is not what the teachers know that we need to be looking at but the organization of education. If an elementary teacher needs to know ALL the content just think exponentially what he/she would need to know. All the content in math, science, social studies, reading, writing, health and child development not just from their own grade level but from grades 1-6! Do lawyers need to know divorce law, patent law, and criminal law and be experts in their practices? Do doctors know how to be brain surgeons, dermatologists, neurologists, and orthopedists? It is unrealistic to expect an elementary teacher to know all of this! If we truly want teachers to be knowledgeable in the content areas maybe it is time for the elementary structure to change.
After a day examining these intense issues we were treated to an amazing dinner tonight at Rat's Restaurant at the
Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ. The garden restaurant was inspired by the
Wind in the Willows. It was just beautiful and the food was delicious. The menu was created by chef Kevin Sbraga, recent winner of Top Chef!
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