Celebrating Black History WLMS Style!

At our annual celebration of Black History Month,  WLMS sponsored a Soul Food Feast last night at the school. We had a huge turnout of for the dinner and festivities. It was awesome to see the WLMS Step Team perform, hear various students read poems and sing songs commemorating the importance of the many contributions that Black Americans have made to our nation and the world.

I want to thank our Family Involvement Team (FIT) for organizing this dinner and celebration. I also want to thank all of our VIP guests who were able to join us. They included: Mrs. Gordon, Mr. Steele, members of the Council of Elders, sisters from the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and staff from the school.

 

Finally, I want to thank all of the wonderful chefs who provided such amazing foods for us to eat. It was really delicious and the opportunity to bond with so many  people was priceless!

Wonderland Was Wonderful!

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending the WLMS production of Wonderland. It was an amazing evening...the student actors were hysterically funny and so incredibly talented as well as the student band that accompanied the entire show.

The play is a spin on the classic story of Alice and her Looking-Glass world. WONDERLAND is about a young girl who goes on a life-changing adventure, where a colorful cast of strange but familiar characters help her rediscover what's really important in life.

Thanks to Ms. Motaung, Ms. Berla and Ms. Chiarella for doing such a great job 

producing this terrific musical!

So true...

Board narrowly approves new middle school reading program

By Sara Toth, stoth@tribune.com
Howard County Times 

February 10, 2012 | 9:41 a.m.

After weeks of debate and contention, a divided Howard County Board of Education approved a new middle school program of studies Thursday, by a vote of 5-3.

Two weeks ago, the plan stalled when a 4-4 board vote forced school officials to revise a proposal that would set the middle school schedule at a uniform 50-minute, seven-period day and eliminate stand alone reading classes. The proposal is part of a massive curriculum shift placing literacy instruction in each of the schools' content areas.

Board member Brian Meshkin, who had voted against the proposal Jan. 26, voted in favor of the revised proposal, which would require some level of reading instruction for sixth-graders who read at grade level.
Under the final revised plan, students would not have traditional reading classes, but would have the option of taking literacy-based courses, two quarters of which would be required for sixth-graders who did not score "advanced" on the fifth-grade Maryland State Assessment reading exam, and who were not already in reading interventions or seminars.

One of those courses would teach the "nuts and bolts of reading skills," board Chairwoman Sandra French said.

That compromise wasn't enough to convince three of the four members who voted against the proposal two weeks ago, who voted against the proposal Thursday night, citing the elimination of reading.
"I don't see this as a compromise," student member Tomi Williams said. "Two quarters, out of three years of middle school — it doesn't seem like a balanced, compromised position in my opinion."

Beyond the debate over the middle school schedule and reading, another debate arose Thursday over the nature of Meshkin's vote.

Meshkin voted by phone, from California, where his business is located. But before he voted, he told board members he had first been told he would be unable to vote by video or teleconference because that would be a violation of the board's handbook, which states that a board member cannot vote by proxy or in abstentia.
Meshkin had previously stated that if did not see a better compromise on the program of studies, he would again vote against it, again causing a split vote.

Both Mark Blom, the school system's general counsel, and Judith Bresler, the board's attorney, advised French that Meshkin would be legally able to participate and vote during Thursday's meeting, Meshkin said.
The board unanimously voted around 6 p.m. — nearly three hours before discussion on the middle school program of studies began — to allow Meshkin to vote.

Meshkin said he was concerned about the decision. "My concern is that the only reason I was allowed to vote, was to get me as the fifth vote," he said. "That's conduct unbecoming of board members. ... You don't get to throw a member in the dungeon and let them out when you need a vote."

A Teacher In Need

On October 13, Timothy Murdock’s life changed forever when he sustained a devastating spinal cord injury. After two major surgeries, this vibrant 25-year-old Howard County 8th Grade history teacher and high school wrestling coach remains paralyzed from his chest down. He is currently undergoing inpatient rehabilitation at a local hospital, and will continue as an outpatient in rehabilitation until he reaches his new level of normalcy.

His primary motivation throughout his fight has been to return to the classroom at the beginning of the next school year.

Tim was raised in a military family which settled in Maryland in 1996. He was a National Honor Society student and athletic letterman at Wilde Lake High School, graduating in 2004. He continued his education at the University of Maryland at College Park where he was awarded his Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 2008. With aspirations to teach, Tim immediately enrolled in the Johns Hopkins University Masters in Education program, earning his degree in 2009. Tim joined the faculty at Elkridge Landing Middle School at the start of the 2009-2010 school year. He was beginning his third year of teaching when this injury occurred. Tim is well respected throughout the community and is an outstanding teacher. For the first two months of this school year, his students voted him Teacher of the Month.

To best illustrate Tim’s love for his students and teaching here are some of his students’ own words: “I feel like I could’ve gone to him with anything.” “He’s really nice and helps us out when we need help.” “He is an amazing teacher.” “He is a great teacher.” “He’s awesome, nice and cool.” “He always got us to do our work but in a fun way.”

Tim has a long struggle ahead. He will continue to need the strength and support of his friends and community throughout this challenge. One way in which we can all help is to contribute to making Tim’s home accessible and his medical costs less of a burden. To this end, a fundraising campaign in Tim’s honor has been established with HelpHOPELive (formerly NTAF), a nonprofit organization that has been assisting the transplant community for nearly 30 years.

In 2000, they expanded their mission to include those who have sustained a catastrophic injury. All contributions are tax deductible, are held by HelpHOPELive in the Mid-Atlantic Spinal Cord Injury Fund, and are administered by HelpHOPELive for injury-related expenses only. Please consider making a donation: Make checks payable to: HelpHOPELive Note in memo section:

In honor of Tim Murdock Please mail to: HelpHOPELive 150 N. Radnor Chester Road, Suite F-120 Radnor, PA 19087 For credit card contributions, please call 800.642.8399 or visit http://www.helphopelive.org/find-a-patient/profile/index.cfm/patient/61CDA299-F4F1-082C-753C0C36F411F217 

Any gift, large or small will be most appreciated. By helping to alleviate this financial burden, we can give Tim the chance to concentrate all his energy on healing so he is prepared to return to his students at the beginning of the next school year.

Thank you,
Susan Williams
Chair of the Fundraising Committee

Contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by the law. This campaign is administered by HelpHOPELive (National Transplant Assistance Fund, Inc.), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing fundraising assistance to transplant and catastrophic injury patients.

We've Got to Be that Light!

It is a Sacred Trust... Dr. Jeff Goldstein http://blogontheuniverse.org/

In What Other Profession

August 27, 2010 by David Reber 

Topeka K-12 Examiner

 

I’m going to step out of my usual third-person writing voice for a moment. As a parent I received a letter last week from the Kansas State Board of Education, informing me that my children’s school district had been placed on “improvement” status for failing to meet “adequate yearly progress” under the No Child Left Behind law.

I thought it ironic that our schools were judged inadequate by people who haven’t set foot in them, so I wrote a letter to my local newspaper. Predictably, my letter elicited a deluge of comments in the paper’s online forum. Many remarks came from armchair educators and anti-teacher, anti-public school evangelists quick to discredit anything I had to say under the rationale of “he’s a teacher.” What could a teacher possibly know about education?

Countless arguments used to denigrate public school teachers begin with the phrase “in what other profession….” and conclude with practically anything the anti-teacher pundits find offensive about public education. Due process and collective bargaining are favorite targets, as are the erroneous but tightly held beliefs that teachers are under-worked, over-paid (earning million-dollar pensions), and not accountable for anything.

In what other profession, indeed.

In what other profession are the licensed professionals considered the LEAST knowledgeable about the job? You seldom if ever hear “that guy couldn’t possibly know a thing about law enforcement – he’s a police officer”, or “she can’t be trusted talking about fire safety – she’s a firefighter.”

In what other profession is experience viewed as a liability rather than an asset? You won’t find a contractor advertising “choose me – I’ve never done this before”, and your doctor won’t recommend a surgeon on the basis of her “having very little experience with the procedure”.

In what other profession is the desire for competitive salary viewed as proof of callous indifference towards the job? You won’t hear many say “that lawyer charges a lot of money, she obviously doesn’t care about her clients”, or “that coach earns millions – clearly he doesn’t care about the team.”

But look around. You’ll find droves of armchair educators who summarily dismiss any statement about education when it comes from a teacher. Likewise, it’s easy to find politicians, pundits, and profiteers who refer to our veteran teachers as ineffective, overpriced “dead wood”. Only the rookies could possibly be any good, or worth the food-stamp-eligible starting salaries we pay them.

And if teachers dare ask for a raise, this is taken by many as clear evidence that teachers don’t give a porcupine’s posterior about kids. In fact, some say if teachers really cared about their students they would insist on earning LESS money.

If that entire attitude weren’t bad enough, what other profession is legally held to PERFECTION by 2014? Are police required to eliminate all crime? Are firefighters required to eliminate all fires? Are doctors required to cure all patients? Are lawyers required to win all cases? Are coaches required to win all games? Of course they aren’t.

For no other profession do so many outsiders refuse to accept the realities of an imperfect world. Crime happens. Fire happens. Illness happens. As for lawyers and coaches, where there’s a winner there must also be a loser. People accept all these realities, until they apply it to public education.

If a poverty-stricken, drug-addled meth-cooker burns down his house, suffers third degree burns, and then goes to jail; we don’t blame the police, fire department, doctors, and defense attorneys for his predicament. But if that kid doesn’t graduate high school, it’s clearly the teacher’s fault.

And if someone – anyone - tries to tell you otherwise; don’t listen. He must be a teacher.

Thanks Cindy and Laura for sharing this with me.

Another Super Bowl Commerical...

Since my team won't be in the big game again this year, I will be rooting for the commercials to be really funny. I think this one is great...

Ferris Bueller's Day Off ..Well Sort of...!

As a Ferris Bueller fan...this is too funny!

Why Gold?

Dam...Amazing!

South Korean Science Teachers Visit WLMS and other Maryland Schools

Wilde Lake Middle is very excited to be hosting two visiting science teachers from South Korea this coming week. Mrs. Rathmann and Ms. Drakes will be hosting two science teachers and sharing American "best practices" used in middle school science classrooms as well as their additional professional responsibilities that they perform that go beyond their daily teaching assignments. It promises to be a most exciting and informative interaction for all of us.
 
The two South Korean teachers, who will be at WLMS on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, are part of a delegation of 86 science teachers who arrived here in the Baltimore area from South Korea at the beginning of January. The South Korean educators have been receiving professional development coordinated by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) at the University of Maryland Baltimore Campus (UMBC) and sponsored by the South Korean government. As a part of this new program. the teachers will have the opportunity to visit select public schools to see how the research they have been studying at UMBC is put into practice.

In South Korea, the month of January is a time when students have a break from school and teachers are encouraged to participate in professional development. As many of you know, I had the privilege of going to South Korea two years ago and learn more about the way they educate their children. I was impressed with how committed their leaders are to help their teachers continue to learn from each other and from educators from around the world. This is just one example of how the South Korean government invests in their teachers to ensure their students are receiving the best education possible.

As a celebration of this program, Mrs. Rathmann, Ms. Drakes and I have been invited to attend a reception sponsored by the NSTA at the Maryland Science Center on Monday evening.  Each delegation participant and their hosts at each school have been invited to attend this event. We are looking forward to meeting our visitors and sharing our school with them. We believe this exchange will be very beneficial for all involved.