By Sandra Jackson and Becky Zoglman
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Participating in workshops at the Region 2 Leadership Conference are Maria Juarez from Fresno and Alex Garcia from Madera |
The burdens of the No Child Left Behind Act and its reliance on testing as the sole measurement of student achievement are weighing heavily on educators, but nearly 700 new and veteran educators found some help at this year's Region 2 Fall Leadership Conference.
"Unleashing the Possibilities" was the theme of the annual event in Reno Oct. 1-3, where teachers took advantage of approximately 85 different sessions on such topics as "Adapting Curriculum and Instructional Strategies for All Students," "California's Highly Qualified Teacher," "Closing the Achievement Gap, Professional Growth Requirements," "Classroom Management (I Can Do It)" and "Using Technology to Build a Stronger Chapter."
"They are making us test kids so much that it's upsetting the balance of teaching. When do we teach? It's making it very difficult," said Alex Garcia, a member of the Madera Unified Teachers Association.
"Trying to get my students to understand and meet the standards is my biggest challenge," said LaFleasha Owens, who has a self-contained class of 26 sixth-graders whose levels of comprehension range from first to seventh grade.
"I try to modify my teaching style to meet my students' comprehension level," said Owens. "I want them all to learn something. Even if it's just a little something."
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NEA President Reg Weaver and Mai Vue from Fresno |
Mai Vue, who has been teaching nearly seven years at the Academy for New Americans, a transition school for Hmong immigrants in Fresno, says students who attend her school have not had the same access to resources as students in other schools and often can't get help from their parents because they too are still learning to speak English.
"Congress is not giving us the funding to provide these kids access to a quality education," said Vue. "No Child Left Behind is depriving our kids of an equal education and access to resources. Yet it's penalizing them when they don't make it."
It's those penalties that worry 32-year teaching veteran Maria Juarez, a member of the Fresno Teachers Association. "Most kids are trying their best. The ones who are struggling get frustrated by the extra pressure and act out or, even worse, don't want to come to school at all."
Her concerns were echoed in NEA President Reg Weaver's keynote address.
"We are constantly being bashed for what we do and for what we don't do. I'm sick and tired of it. And often the people who are doing the bashing are people who have never been in a classroom and don't know what we do at all. Yet, these are the people who have determined they know what's best for us. Have you ever known student achievement to increase based on paperwork, bureaucracy and testing?" asked Weaver.
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Carol Roberson from Fresno |
Weaver urged everyone not to give up. He reminded conference participants that it was CTA that pressed NEA to speak out against NCLB and to push for changes in the law, which has been modified four times in the past year. He said the association's job is to speak out for students and public education.
Owens and Vue, who were part of the "Emerging Leaders" training at the conference, said they were going to go back to their districts and do just that.
"I've learned about providing effective learning in the classroom. I've learned to speak up around elected officials and parents so they know what's going on," said Vue. "I'm going to teach parents how to speak up and to talk to elected officials so their voices can be heard and their issues can be addressed, too."
