Rural Conference speaker urges use of humor, 'heart' to combat problems

By Karyn Ferrera Donhoff

For "targeted" kids, school can be a scary and painful place. With the constant pressures of mandated testing, scripted lesson plans and meeting standards, it's more difficult for teachers to notice.

"We need to drop from the brain to the heart — and speak from the heart," motivational speaker Michael Pritchard told participants at CTA's Rural Issues Conference. "We've got to teach the whole child, not just the brain. We need to pay attention to the heart, the character, the spirit — the whole kid."

Teachers are the light in a sometimes dark place for children, said Pritchard. Being teased, taunted and bullied can upset and overwhelm a child — and sometimes make the child feel devalued. As educators, "we need to stand up and step in."

Pritchard offered some responses teachers could use to respond to a student in the act of being the class bully:

• That boy you tease in grade school could someday be the paramedic who saves your boy's life.
• That dyslexic girl you mock could someday be the nurse who sits with your elderly mother all night long.
• That kid you call homo and faggot and sissy could someday be on the rescue team when your house is on fire.
• That fat girl — the one you mooed at when she walked by — could someday be the teacher who gets your child to shine in the classroom.

It's hard for teachers when they're asked to produce "faster, faster, test scores, more test scores, faster," but it is possible to find time to help kids learn to love themselves. "Competition is not as important as compassion," said Pritchard. "Look, there are 98 different languages spoken in our state and we're worried we can't compete with Vermont? Hello!"

Pritchard, who has appeared on CNN, PBS, CBS "Sunday Morning" and the "Today" and "Tonight" shows, has been featured in Time magazine, and has shared the stage with Robin Williams, Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld, says President Bush's No Child Left Behind law is wreaking havoc with teachers' creativity and the time they have to make allowances for students with different learning styles. With laws like NCLB, "we're all playing toxic tag with political leaders."

Education needs to be about more than just test scores, Pritchard told the 500-plus participants. "The whole education system needs to slow down and let its soul catch up with it."

Not all students learn the same way, and when a child is offered the latitude to think and learn outside of the box, miracles start to happen. "Sometimes I'm stunned at what turns kids around," said Pritchard.

But to the politicians and critics of public schools and all those who insist on strict adherence to mandated, one-size-fits-all methods of teaching, "I say, 'If you're going to point the finger to blame, then you need to be willing to lend a hand to help.' It's not enough to 'respect and tolerate' from the country club lawn chair," said Pritchard. "At the end of the chess game, the pawn and the king go back into the same box."

As a struggling student, later diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Pritchard said he thrived in classes where he was allowed to learn "differently." Bullies routinely call classmates retarded, using the word as if they can't learn from — or love — someone who is different. To them, Pritchard said, "We're all retarded. It just depends on the subject."

When Lincoln Unified Teachers Association member Josie Meza Malik learned that the speaker is a former comedian and a former parole officer, she was impressed. "No wonder he's so successful. He uses humor to deal with misery and the troubles of life."

Using humor and caring to the point of tears are essential elements when working with at-risk kids, agreed Richard Valles, who teaches algebra and English to incarcerated youth at a regional boys' camp. "You need to reach out to [at-risk youth], but once you've got them, you've got them for life."

"We need to get to their hearts before we can get to their heads," added the Shasta County Certificated Employees Association member, who is also chair of the Redding Service Center Council.

The Jan. 14-16 conference in Las Vegas offered sessions of interest to teachers from rural areas. Among the topics were "School Finance: Rural Rhythm and Blues" and "Understanding Poverty: How to Work More Effectively With Students and Families."

CTA President Barbara E. Kerr and NEA President Reg Weaver also delivered addresses. Kerr described how Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger broke his promise to California's education system. Weaver, in a cane-stomping address, talked about President Bush's NCLB law and the education budget on the federal level.

As Pritchard said in the conclusion to his keynote address, teachers need to be strong in their hearts and to speak truth to power. "We need to talk to the hearts of California parents and community members. We need allies to stand up to the folks who are turning us into squirrels on a wheel."