Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, May 04, 2005, Page 6, Image 6

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Page A6
Advertise/// íl!‘^Jortlaub (D hsm w r
503-288-1M133
Better diversity and
quality teachers
________
May 3rd is National Teacher Day— a day to honor America’s
classroom teachers.
By
Reg Weaver,
President,
National
Education
Association
When it comes to expectations, we have high ones for
America’s public school teachers. We want them to help stu­
dents to learn to read and write and understand math and sci­
ence. We want them to help students learn to think, analyze
and create. We want them to model and teach values such as
hard work, respect and responsibility.
We want teachers to care. We want them to see our child as an
individual, and we want them to tailor instruction to how our
children best learn.
“We should treat
America’s public school teachers rise to the occasion in all of
those areas. But when it comes to investing our hopes and
dreams into what teachers do, we should also be willing to
invest in enhancing the teaching profession. Compensation is
part of it. Salary, health care and retirement ought to be set at
levels that truly attract and keep quality people in jobs that are
physically, intellectually and emotionally challenging.
teachers as profession­
als, not just test prep
coaches, as is increas­
ingly the case with the
so-called No Child
We should also invest in the kinds o f efforts that make a differ­
ence, such as better preparation programs, good mentoring
programs and quality professional development. And we
should treat teachers as professionals, not just test prep coach­
es, as is increasingly the case with the so-called No Child Left
Behind Act.
le ft Behind Act.”
nea
At the same time that we address teacher quality and the role
of teachers in the classroom, we should also work to enhance
the diversity of the teaching profession. A more diverse teach­
ing force advances significant educational goals— preparing
students for the workplace they will encounter, making sure
students of both genders and all racial and ethnic backgrounds
are taught by people they can identify with, and making sure
every school has a ready resource for understanding cultural
distinctions and how they affect learning styles.
N A T IO N A L
EDUCATION
A SSO C IA TIO N
nea.org
Great Public Schools
f o r Every Child
NEA's 2.7 million
members are the
nation’s leading
advocates for
children and public
education
If you can read this, thank a teacher. And if you want to help
improve America’s schools, give teachers the thanks and sup­
port they deserve.
SAFEWAY O
Visit Safeway's
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by
R on W eber
bite, iron ore,
coal, limestone,
lead, and zinc.
N ig eria’s is
N I G E R I A
b a sic a lly d i­
vided into three
-
•A buja
areas. The north
is arid and un­
changing. The
center is very
I ago*
tro p ic a l w ith
good
p la n t
g row th, w hile
a
the south is ba­
sically blistering
Thè August 2001 launch of dual band GSM mobile networks
hot and does not
reptesents a telecommunications revolution for Nigeria's
h av e e n o u g h
U S million people
water or cultivat-
able land. To complicate matters forty percent are Christian and ten
even more, various parts o f the percent are local indigenous beliefs.
country are prone to flash floods While over 250 ethnic groups in­
and severe droughts.
habit Nigeria, English is the official
A current environmental issue is language. Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo, and
the rapid deforestation of the land. Fulani are some of the more common
Closely behind is the damage to the indigenous languages.
land from ongoing massiveoil spills.
The government is considered
So much oil is being pulled out of “republic, “transitioning from mili­
the ground so fast that spills are tary to civilian rule,” with Olusegun
often ignored. Two and one half Obasanjo as the country’s presi­
million barrels of oil are exported dent. N igeria’s independence was
daily, with over 15 and a half billion gained the United Kingdom in 1960.
cubic meters of natural gas. Urban Nigeria has three television sta­
water and air pollution along with tions, two o f which are government
rapid urbanization are also major controlled and the third closely
concerns.
monitored. As a republic, people
With many areas suffering from expect greater freedoms to come.
land that can't be farmed, people are
Some of Obasanjo’s top political
moving into the cities causing over­ goals are reforms in health care,
crowding and sanitary problems.
education, and moderate transfer
Religiously, N igeria is split almost o f the nation’s vast petroleum dol­
in half. Fifty percent are Muslim, lars to those in need.
New Courses Connect Oregon, Africa
The University of Oregon in
Eugene will increase African stud­
ies this fall and expand the college’s
identity as an international univer­
sity by offering an undergraduate
certificate and eventually a minor in
African Studies.
“Our students need to know
about Africa’s richness and diver­
sity,” said Stephen Wooten, UO
assistant professor of international
studies and anthropology.
The additional course offerings
are made possible by a $160,000
grant from the U.S. Dept. of Educa­
tion.
“W ith this grant, we can teach
more and better courses on Africa
and send more students to the con­
tinent,” W ooten said. “The grant
also supports research to identify
how and where Africa is repre­
sented in Oregon, and to explore
the many ways in which Oregon is
visible in Africa through the work
o f many organizations and compa­
nies.”
The grant enriches and expands
the current Swahili language offer­
ings; adds the languages of Bamana
and W olof and creates new oppor­
tunities for students to study and
intern in Africa.
Ingredients for life.
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W e think about crowded Cali­
fornia with its 35 million people.
Imagine an area with more than
twice as much land and almost 150
million people. Unlike our western
sunshine state, Nigeria is overrun
with poverty and the average citi­
zen is only expected to live to 50.
This African nation is rich in
natural resources such as gas and
oil, but most of the money is closely
held by a small percentage of the
population. Nigeria is also facing
huge medical crises in fighting HIV/
AIDS. Although massive advertis­
ing campaigns have emphasized
the need for monogamous mar­
riages, celibacy until marriage and
safe sex, the battle is far from over.
Four out o f 10 Nigerian adults
are unable to read or write. The
illiteracy makes most health warn­
ing pamphlets and similar literature
ineffective. About 60 percent of
N igeria’s population lives below
the poverty line. Proper medical
care is out o f the question for many
of them. As many cannot afford to
go to a doctor, sexually communi­
cated diseases often go unnoticed
until it is too late.
The majority of the nation’s la­
bor force is found in agriculture.
The remainder is found in service
jobs and industry. A gricultural
products include cocoa, peanuts,
palm oil, com, rice, sorghum, millet,
cassava (tapioca), yams, rubber,
cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, timber,
and fish. Natural Resources con­
sist o f natural gas, oil, tin, colum-
Nigeria’s Independence
Brings Hope to Africans
lb
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PRICES EFFECTIVE
MAY 2005
e
C o u n tr ie s
o f A f r ic a :
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Available at
Safeway:
W E STERN
U N IO N
May 4, 2005
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Nam« & price« in this ad are available at your local
Safaway store* No sale * to d e a le r, reetauranta or
institutions Sales in retail quantities onty
Quantities of some items may be limited and subject
to availability Not responsible for typographical or
pictorial errors W e reserve the right to correct aN
pnnted errors. O n Buy O ne, Get O n e Free
säässä
Lucerne
Large Eggs
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SAVE up to $2.75 on 2
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i “B O G O ") offers customer must purchase the first
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B O G O offers are not 1/6 price sales If onty a
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an g le item purchased the regular price appi.es
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0 6 0 0 6 Safew ay Stores Inc.
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