OCT. 8, 1997
------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------( E h r ‘P o r i l a t t ò ( J D b s e m r r
Page A3
Thanks For Holding,
How May We Help You!
B y P r o f . M c K inley B i
kt
nd th an k s fo r g oing
alo n g w ith o u r little
attem p t at h u m o r in
the title o f last w e e k ’s a rtic le . We
know how try in g th ese days are
as m edia an n o u n c e s, “ S ch o o ls
take th e ir c ru c ia l h ead c o u n t 6 f
s tu d e n ts .”
A re you g o in g to re q u e st a
“c ru c ia l head c o u n t” o f p a re n ts
and g u a rd ia n s — th a t is those
w ho have the en e rg y , c o m m it
m ent and tim e ’ to m ake a sig n ifi
cant d ifferen ce in the e d u catio n al
prog ress o f th eir ch ild ren ? G iven,
o f co u rse, that m ost H u m b o ld t-
ty p e ’ situ a tio n s w ill be c o rre c te d
in a re a so n a b le tim e.
We m ay e v a lu a te an d reach
co n c lu sio n s a b o u t the m an y p a r
en ts and g ra n d p a re n ts w hom we
know - but how d a n g e ro u s in
deed has it p ro v en in the p ast
w hen one tries to e x tra p o la te that
kind o f info rm atio n to the general
p o p u la tio n o f an e n tire c o m m u
n ity ? O r to te a c h e rs?
A n d a fte r ‘h o ld in g ’ fo r so
long , are you g o in g to d em an d
full and c o m p re h e n siv e an sw ers
in re sp e c t to fu n d in g , c la ss loads
and a d m in istra tiv e stru c tu rin g ,
in c lu d in g the tim e ta b le fo r re
p la c in g the su p e rin te n d e n t? R e
m e m b e r th e “ P ie d P ip e r o f
H am ein” !
♦
A read er has called to m ake my
A
view o f te a c h e rs u n io n s’ seem
relativ ely w ishy w ashy A form er
te a c h e r h e rse lf, she says, “ I have
been trying to tell my children for
y ears - one a teacher, and all three
p a re n ts - y o u 'r e looking at the
m ost so p h istic a te d and re fin e d
eco n o m ic m achine and p o litic a l
o rg a n iz a tio n you w ill ev er e n
c o u n te r. T he N atio n al E d u cation
A s s o c ia tio n .”
“ N o t th a t it i s n ’t a g o o d
u n io n ’, I w ent on to tell them , it
is p erh ap s the b est in the n ation.
(T h e T eam sters could learn a lot
from them ). T hey do b est w hat
they w ere d e sig n e d and in c o rp o
rated to do - they are p rim a rily
c o n c e rn e d w ith the w ages, hours
an d w o rk in g c o n d itio n s o f the
m em bership: O f course this basic
co m m itm en t is not shro u d ed in
such c o llo q u ia l term s. Som e say
th ey g et a rcan e at tim e s.”
The reader em phasized that in
clusion o f the world “education” in
the title o f the union assures a high
level o f respect from the populace
at large and for m ost, com pletely
obscures that fact that the organi
zation, purely and simply, is a labor
union. And certainly, the average
layperson and parent thinks the
principal activity and resources
quite naturally w ould be directed
to achieving educational goals in
the academ ic sense.
O ur read er says she finds m any
p a re n ts u n d e r the a ssu m p tio n
th at the e d u c a tio n a sso c ia tio n s -
NEA and OEA (O re g o n ) - are d i
re c tly in v o lv ed in the te stin g .
T rain in g and c e r tif ic a tio n o f
teach ers. A nd that m em b erssh ip
in d ic a te s a re c o g n iz e d and a c
cepted degree o f a b ility and c o m
p eten ce in the te a c h in g p ro fe s
sion ( “ w hy else w ould the o rg a
n iz a tio n adm it th e m ? ,” the la y
person asks. Isn ’t it like the M edi
cal A sso c ia tio n ? ” )
O f c o u rse it w ould be n ice if
you co u ld sit dow n and p a tie n tly
take a perso n th ro u g h a te a c h e r
tra in in g c la ssic like the “T a x
o n o m y o f E d u c a tio n a l O b je c
tives: The C la ssific a tio n o f G oal,
H andbook I. C o g n itiv e D om ains.
H ere you have the nuts and b o lts ’
o f the te a c h in g /le a rn in g p ro cess.
T h an k s for h olding.
And then be able to take the
same person through the national
and state m onthly publications o f
the education associations. N ot
only the basics, w ages, hours and
w orking conditions - but the big
time stuff, credit unions, travel agen
cies and tours, the tie-ins w ith m a
jo r insurance com panies, invest
m ent firm s, auto rentals, publish
ing houses, m utual funds, ju st for
openers. It’s a huge m ulti-m illion
dollar industry. We w ant our teach
ers com fortable and secure - and
our students?
H orslpv R,ta
U s i blnhday
; n
,
'
Janice Hudson,
r ' yn,h'a >Vash' ^ '^unana
‘c" ’- had wasnmgton,
Audrey Washington
c e r n e Robin
Taluna,
Third Math SummitforTeachers, Administrators
More than 400 Oregon teachers
and administrators attended the third
slate Mathematics Summit Thursday,
October 2 at Oregon State University
in Corvallis to learn how to help stu
dents achieve the new high math stan
dards.
Attending in teams from schools
across the state, educators learned
from outstanding Oregon teachers and
others how to help students meet the
new high standards.
Beginning with this year's ninth
grade class, students must pass the
1 Oth grade state math test to receive a
Certificateoflmtial Mastery. Hie 1997
test showed that only 30 percent of last
year's tenth graders passed the test.
Dr. Roger Penrose, Oxford Univer
sity math professor and world-re
nowned mathematician, cosmologist,
philosopher and author, spoke at the
opening session in the I .aSells Stewart
( enter at 9 a m. Penrose also spoke at
:30 p.m. at the same location on “ The
I arge, the Smalland the Human Mind.”
Other speakers included Dr. Ralph
Abraham, I JniversityofCalifomiaatSanta
Cniz math professor, author and leading
chaos theorist; Ivars Peterson, Science
News math and physics editor and book
author, and Keith Devlin, math and sci
ence dean at St. Mary's College ofCali-
fomia and columnist and author.
OSU President Paul Risser gave a
welcome at the opening session, and
State Schools Supt. Norma Paulus
spoke at a noon luncheon at the CH2M
Alumni Center.
T h e S ou l Of Au Addivi
B y S avon L indsay
R eviewed B\ O.B. H u i .
ot long after Reflections started hosting our monthly open
mike poetry readings, it became apparent that one of our
poet's message needed a larger audience. Not only were the
poems entertaining and recited in a style reminiscent to a down home
blues song, but these gut-wrenching sermons caterwauled from
within letting all listeners know that these words were not of mere
fiction, but of real life.
N
The poems are now comprised in a book entitled, The Soul Of An
Addict. This self-published book represents a majoraccomplishment,
if not, a miracle of sorts. It can be read very quickly; however, with
lingering results.
Dealing with a struggle faced by many, The Soul Of An Addict gives
aclear-cut understanding of a confused situation, i.e.. facing the sober
reality of drug addiction. Attempting to beat the odds through recov
ery, Savon Lindsay lets us know the heartaches and the pain of
battling with this insidious foe.
Savon, a somewhat soft-spoken man, shouts out his message loud
and clear. Inner peace is fragile. The heartless among men are
rendered hopeless sin the heartless among men are rendered hope
less in the foggy reality induced by drugs. According to Lindsay you
become, “a prisoner of your own mind...being so blind; until it was
time... until it was time.. The Soul Of An Addict is a very timely book.
It’s about time and the time is now.
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I