Empowering young leaders

Posted on 05. Mar, 2009 by admin.

Yes, smaller class sizes, high-quality teachers and adequate funding are vital in our schools.

Yet I believe we often fail to acknowledge the power that student leaders have to improve and enhance the daily experiences of all kids in Washington’s public schools. Student leadership can make or break the climate of our schools. Youth attitudes and actions influence whether their peers choose to wake up to go to school the next morning and the level of safety students feel as they walk around campus.

Beyond the classroom walls and outside of Olympia, students can play a crucial role in the success of our schools. For more than 50 years, the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP) has been supporting and promoting student leadership through workshops, camps and conferences that serve more than 10,000 students, advisers and coaches each year.

It’s hard to articulate how powerful it is to be surrounded by 250+ high school student leaders from Forks to Central Valley, out in the wilderness of Randle, Washington, in a world free of cell phones and Facebook, tackling topics from parliamentary procedure to servant leadership. My camp experience (three years as a high school delegate and seven years as a counselor for middle level and high school camps) has been the greatest influence in my commitment to public education and service-learning.

When we look beyond today, we must remind ourselves that these students are the ones who will be the advocates, activists, parents, business leaders, teachers and legislators leading movements as a result of today’s unfinished business. In fact, we all know many students who are already initiating positive change in their schools and communities. Therefore, it is essential that we connect our youth with every opportunity possible to be surrounded by new people, new ideas and new thoughts; to ask tough questions and be uncomfortable; to take risks and to take on a leadership role whenever possible.

Please talk to your children, youth whom you know and students in your schools. Let them know of these opportunities, and encourage them to get involved. Please click on the links for more info, or get in touch with me via email or by posting a comment. This will be my eighth year with Mt. Rainier, one of the five AWSP high school leadership camps, and I look forward to working with new students from your communities and schools.

*Like most other exciting opportunities, this one is not cheap. Prices per delegate range from $275-285, depending on whether or not the school is an official member of the Washington Association of Student Councils. Some schools are able to afford to send their students to camp while others do not have the resources. Don’t miss out on the scholarship opportunities available to help students pay for camp. The scholarship deadline is March 17th.

High School Leadership Camp (Cispus and Chewelah Peak)
Middle Level Leadership Camp (Cispus and Chewelah Peak)
La Cima Bilingual Leadership Camp (Chewelah Peak)
Deaf Teen Leadership Camp (Cispus)
CheerLeadership Camp (Central Washington University)

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Becoming Señora Wallace: Paying for grad school

Posted on 11. Feb, 2009 by admin.

Here’s the breakdown:

$18,000 approx. cost of UW Masters in Teaching Program (including my additional pre-requisites)
- $4,000 approx. aid received from my AmeriCorps Education Award after taxes
- $8,000 TEACH Grant
———
$ 6,000

Wait, that sounds slightly affordable… There has to be a catch, right? Right.

TEACH Grant recipients must agree to teach for four years in a “high-need field” in a designated low-income school within eight years of graduating from their master’s program. If the recipient does not fulfill this four-year service agreement, the grant will be converted into an unsubsidized loan with retroactive interest.

Fortunately for me, foreign language falls into the “high-need field” category, and I can’t ever see myself teaching anywhere but in a low-income school.

Still, accepting this grant is a big deal. The strings attached to the TEACH Grant oblige prospective teachers to a significant time commitment. Plus, what if teaching isn’t a good fit, or what if a teacher is unsuccessful in low-income schools? What if he or she chooses (or is instructed) to teach another subject that’s not considered a designated high-need field (i.e. English, history, music, art)?

Answer: It’ll cost you dearly. The TEACH Grant definitely raises concerns. In these cases, the TEACH “Grant” is no longer a grant.

Estimated monthly repayment amounts of loans from a TEACH Grant:
• $4000 TEACH Grant
o Pay $50 per month
o Repayment will take 8.75 years
o Total repayment would be $5,343.75

• $8000 TEACH Grant
o Pay $92 per month
o Repayment will take 10 years
o Total repayment would be $11,047.20 — it could cost me about $3,050 to change my mind!

This is another costly aspect that prospective teachers need to consider before accepting financial aid that sounds too good to be true. For the government, this offer produces a high return on investment. However, considering the default terms, prospective teachers may not see this grant as an incentive. There must be less binding ways to attract people to this field. Nevertheless, I need to get going on my TEACH Grant entrance counseling. I’m taking the plunge!

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Becoming Señora Wallace: Identity Crisis: Quack goes the…Dawg?

Posted on 04. Feb, 2009 by admin.

It’s official — I am headed for Huskydom.

How did I decide? First of all, I just couldn’t justify paying $30K for Seattle U (almost twice as much as the UW Masters in Teaching program costs).

More importantly, UW’s new and improved Secondary Teacher Education Program seems like an appropriate fit. These are the highlights and advantages that convinced me to…gulp…become a Husky:

- I can pursue a second endorsement in ESL right off the bat (once again, it’s cost effective!).

- I will take classes through the summer, and I get to work with a high school summer program!

- After four quarters, I will wrap up “traditional coursework” and have the spring (2010) free to hunt for job openings.

- I will have my own classroom by fall 2010! While I won’t earn my master’s until after my first year of teaching, I will have ongoing support during the first year. Plus, the capstone project I will complete during the second year of the program will prepare me to pursue National Board Certification.

Three years ago during my last term at the University of Oregon, if someone told me I’d be headed to UW to become a teacher, I probably would have laughed. Yet, here I am — less than two months from being a full-time student again, and I can’t imagine pursuing any other path.

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Becoming Senora Wallace: Several reasons to be nervous

Posted on 04. Nov, 2008 by admin.

It’s a difficult day to concentrate. Shouldn’t Election Day be considered a national holiday? It gives me goose bumps just thinking about this afternoon and evening when the results roll in!

I’ve never considered myself very “political” (especially compared to my fellow LEVitators), but if there’s ever been a time to tune into politics, this is it. What’s most nerve-racking yet invigorating is that the implications of this election transcend the perceived boundaries of the political world.

Oh, yes… and to add to the madness of today, I had my interview at Seattle U. With that behind me, I am really playing the waiting game. Fortunately, it wasn’t as scary as I had anticipated. I sat anxiously around a conference table with four other female candidates and two SU faculty members. Each candidate had just two minutes to describe what qualities she’d bring to the teaching profession and the anticipated challenges of being a teacher.

The part I dreaded the most was the group interview. When I applied to be an Resident Assistant at the University of Oregon, our group interview involved building a model of diversity out of Tinker Toys. Today’s interview was more of a civilized conversation than anything. Thankfully there were no Tinker Toys or Legos involved.

Up next: UW’s pre-interview info session on Thursday. I’ve never attended a pre-interview meeting before. Should I be worried?

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Becoming Senora Wallace: November 4: Election and Interview Day

Posted on 17. Oct, 2008 by admin.

It’s out of my hands, and for the moment, I am relieved.

I submitted my Master in Teaching (MIT) application to Seattle University on October 1st, and I turned in my MIT application to the University of Washington last Thursday. Some people don’t like the waiting game, but I don’t mind it.

The application process was obnoxious, and it felt like I was cramming for final exams as I completed the last bit of paperwork. Maybe it was stressful because it’s been about six years since I’ve dealt with college applications. On the other hand, perhaps it was the difficulty of tracking what the Offices of Graduate Admission want vs. what the Colleges of Education require. While SU’s application requirements are pretty standard, UW asks for an endorsement evaluation (your courses/credits must match the requirements of UW departments), 60 hours of classroom observation (thank goodness for my City Year experience) and supervisor evaluation(s) from the observation.

I complained throughout the process although I wouldn’t have wanted it to be any easier. Applying to graduate school for teaching should not differ greatly from applying to any other master’s program.

On Wednesday, exactly two weeks after Seattle U received my application, I was invited to an interview! On November 4th (as if that day’s not significant and nerve-racking enough), I will participate in a group interview (with six to seven other candidates) and deliver a two-minute presentation on the following questions:

• What are the qualities that you bring to the teaching profession that will make you an effective teacher?
• What are the aspects of teaching you believe will be most challenging for you?

Seattle U is more expensive, but I would earn my certification and master’s degree in four quarters. I have always been attracted to the university, it’s much smaller than the University of Oregon (my beloved undergrad alma mater), and I love the location of the campus.

UW is less expensive… or is it? UW requires MIT students to take a course on the education of an ethnic group before the program begins, and depending on whether the UW Spanish department accepts credits from my UO Spanish degree, I may have to take additional Spanish courses. Taking classes prior to the program may mean additional fees. The newness of the MIT program can be exciting, but the info session made me nervous because many aspects of the program are still uncertain. The UW College of Education is revamping the MIT Program so that students can earn certification in one year and have an opportunity to observe and student-teach in more socioeconomically and racially diverse schools.

It’s eerie but energizing to think about college again. Just walking the two campuses made me nostalgic for Eugene but eager for a new academic experience. I am reassured to know that I can’t lose by choosing either program. With any luck, UW will offer me an interview by the end of the month. I am crossing my fingers that I will have the luxury of deciding between the two schools because they both have great programs to offer. For now, I’ll enjoy the anticipation of another interview and the relaxation of no longer worrying about applications!

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Becoming Senora Wallace: The adult version of the WASL

Posted on 12. Sep, 2008 by admin.

Posted by Katie.

Just as high school students have to take exams to graduate, aspiring teachers have to take exams to reenter the classroom.

In Washington State, teachers must pass a subject-area Praxis test and the Washington Educator Skills Test – Basic. The Praxis evaluates a person’s proficiency in a specific subject-area while the WEST-B evaluates one’s basic skills in reading, writing and math. Potential educators must pass both exams before pursuing their Masters in Teaching and in order to earn their teaching certificate.

I have never been a good test taker. Through all my years of schooling, I could always make the grade, but standardized testing has been one of my lifelong enemies. Initially, as my test taking anxiety got the best of me, I was hoping that the Praxis and WEST-B would not be too difficult. The Praxis, which tested my content knowledge in Spanish, pushed me just enough. It clearly illustrated my strengths and areas in which I need to improve. However, as I sat through 4.5 hours of the WEST-B, I wanted to cry – not because it was too hard but because it was a joke.

I describe the WEST-B as the “adult version of the WASL,” yet the scary thing is that it’s much easier than the WASL. According to this exam, navigating a table of contents and reading a bar graph are components in determining a quality teacher.

What does it mean that the math skills required to become a certified teacher in our state are more basic than the skills measured by the WASL for 10th grade students? We need to expect more from our teachers. Our teachers should be held to higher standards than their students.

Let’s just put it this way – if Washington students only had to pass the WEST-B in order to graduate, graduation rates would soar.

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Becoming Señora Wallace

Posted on 05. Sep, 2008 by admin.

In case we haven’t met yet, my name is Katie, and I’m an aspiring teacher. I joined the League of Education Voters at the beginning of July as a stepping stone to my next challenge. Teacher quality and preparation is something that comes up in conversation daily in the LEV office. Fortunately, I am on the brink of knowing firsthand what teacher prep looks like in Washington State. Let me tell you about it…

They say nothing makes sense in your twenties. You’re young. You don’t know what you want.

But I do know what I want, and I can’t stop thinking about it. I want to teach Spanish in Seattle Public Schools, preferably at a high school in south Seattle beginning in fall 2010.

I thought I “needed” to do “other things” first. For six years I was convinced that I would be a sportswriter. A few weeks into my first quarter at the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon, I woke up to the reality that writing about baseball everyday was not going to be as fulfilling as it was fun to dream about.

The funny thing is that I have always wanted to teach, yet I always had an excuse as to why I should wait, why I should pursue other careers.

Then again, maybe there were reasons that I was discouraged from teaching. It is pretty daunting to waltz into a broken system. Our failure to adequately fund our schools is aggravating. It is disheartening that we don’t invest more in our youth and our teachers. When you look at teacher salaries and school funding, it appears that we don’t put a high value on education.

Why would I spend roughly $80,000 on Bachelors degrees (journalism and Spanish) and eagerly apply to graduate school for my Masters in Teaching (which means another $30,000 on top of outstanding student loans!) to go into a career where I work 10-12 hours a day, take my work home with me and start out earning less than $40,000 per year?

Because there’s nothing else I would rather do. I have never felt so compelled to commit to anything in my whole life. Despite the pessimism and harsh realities of the education system, I can’t wait to have my own classroom.

As a corps member with City Year Seattle/King County last year, I had the opportunity to tutor in a Seattle high school two days a week. Those two days a week clearly reminded me of a) why I’m up for the challenge and b) why I can’t wait any longer.

Two years from now I will be standing in front of my own classroom. However, until then, I have my work cut out for me.

First step – grad school applications. Eek… October 1 is closer than I thought… I’ve been sensing the urgency of jumping into education, but this quickly approaching application deadline adds a different kind of pressure! Thankfully, I have already passed my entrance exams – the WEST-B and the Praxis II in Spanish. We’ll dive into a discussion of these educator skills tests next week…

I invite you to join me in this adventure. I’ll update you every Friday, and if something comes up during the week that I can’t wait to post, I’ll fill you in. Oh, and by the way, starting Tuesday of next week, I’ll be volunteering in high school Spanish classes once again… stay tuned!

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