The Gazette
SSCHOOL CHOOL LIFE LIFE www.gazette.net
|
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
|
Page A-14 start. My biggest problem is boys, they just don’t read. As a teacher I know they are cutting themselves short, stunting their progress.
VOICES IN EDUCATION
Andrew Leddy
Do you think the schools are ignoring reading for STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Math]?
Sure we do. I really think we need to up our requirements and give them more reading of the classics and emphasize writing on what they read.
n Age: 53 n Job title: English teacher, Springbrook High School, Silver Spring
list?
n Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colo. n Education: Bachelor of Arts, Russian Studies, University of Virginia, 1982; Master of Arts, Slavic Languages and Literatures, UVA, 1986; Masters of Teaching, Johns Hopkins University 2006
BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE
Andrew Leddy, an English teacher at Springbrook High School, Silver Spring, in his classroom on Friday.
n Favorite activity/vacation spot: Avid runner; Colorado mountain climber n Lesson to live by: “The imagination will not perform until it has been flooded by a vast torrent of reading.” Petronius (27-66 A.D.)
Andrew Leddy is an English teacher at Springbrook High School in Silver Spring. He was interviewed at the school Sept. 25. In an email you sent, you stressed the importance of reading for high school students. You wrote, “Simply put,
we are in the midst of a reading and knowledge crisis.” Can you tell me more about this?
[The students] are not reading, they simply don’t read. So I created a Springbrook Reading List. Last spring I asked every English teacher: tell me what you think are the most important books [for students] to read in high school. There were 18 teachers. This list is limited to novels. We need another for plays, poems and speeches.
So you turned the list into a poster [listing 60 books] and that is in every classroom?
The English Department created
the graphic. The larger the type size [on the poster], the more frequently the novel title was mentioned by teachers. This isn’t an absolute, its representing a real nice foundation in literature, a core of books we think are really important. Have you presented this to your class?
Oh yeah! The problem is, it’s as though they didn’t know these books were out there. What I didn’t want was for a kid to get out of school and say nobody ever told me to read. If they look at all the people who made this list and talk to them about it or ask why, that’s a
Do you have a favorite book on this
So much of what I’m into is things that are culturally significant. When they miss reading them they miss out on cultural allusions. Take Frankenstein [by Mary Shelley]. The idea of an experiment overtaking us. That’s relevant when you talk about science, genetically modified seed. It seems small but I think it’s big, the beginning of industrial agriculture, worries and fears. At the end it’s just a great chase story. Who is the monster? The creator or the created? What is your plan for the list?
At Back to School Night get every English teacher to talk about it. I want this to be schoolwide, to get parents to know the way to get into IB [International Baccalaureate] and AP [Advanced Placement], you need to read. I only have 45 minutes a day [with the students] so it’s about impressing on the student the need to read. I read a lot of books, one is “The Shallows” [by Nicholas Carr] about what the Internet is doing to our brains,
another is “The Dumbest Generation” [by Mark Bauerlein]. The evidence is that despite all the information [young people] have at their hands, they aren’t smart. I don’t want to be Chicken Little here, but I don’t want to understate it either. So what is the role of parents?
I can’t say it enough, parents need to be impressing upon students how important [reading] is. I defy the world to find a Nobel Laureate that did not start off with books. It’s about curiosity, it’s of enormous cultural importance, it’s a big deal. Everybody is saying they are going to college but I can say they would do much better [in college] if they start here. Is this a new mission for you?
In a sense it is. I’m getting really worried about this generation. We’re not getting the best citizens we could have. I would like to challenge other teachers, other schools, to come up with their own lists. It would be interesting to see [them], every school would be different. To see the Springbrook Reading List visit www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/ schools/springbrookhs.
“Voices in Education” is a twicemonthly feature that highlights the men and women who are involved with the education of Montgomery County’s children. To suggest someone you would like to see featured e-mail Peggy McEwan at pmcewan@gazette.net.
EDUCATION NOTEBOOK Baker students get firsthand career knowledge Eighth-grade students at Baker Middle School in Damascus got a head start making career choices at the school’s annual Career Day on Sept. 27. Almost two dozen parents, teachers and community members spent the morning at the school talking to students about what they do and the training it took to get where they are. Students selected five talks they would like to attend. They got to attend three of their choices. Each session lasted 30 minutes. “It was a fabulous day. We had a good bunch of presenters,” said Cindy Loweth, counseling secretary at Baker. “They kept the kids involved and answered lots of questions.” Among the 21 career professionals speaking with the students were teachers, medical professionals, business people, engineers, public safety chiefs, accountants, contractors and computer specialists.
Residents encouraged to participate in Walk to School Day County’s focus school for the event will be Kensington Parkwood Elementary School Students, parents and community members throughout
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
Jennifer McCloskey (far left), a civil engineer with the Department of Energy, gets ready to place a fifth tuna can on a structure built from toothpicks and soft candy by John T. Baker Middle School eighth-graders (seated at table, from left) Blake Schmaltz, 14, Jordan Anderson, 13, Jacob Hamrick, 14, and Ryan Commarota during a career day activity at the school. Algebra teacher Karen Emmerick (far right) points out the inevitable collapse, which is about to occur. Montgomery County will celebrate International Walk to School Day Oct. 9 by walking or bicycling to school as a healthy way to start the day. Walk to School Day was founded in 1997 as a way to bring community leaders and children together to promote more walkable communities, safer streets for walking and biking, healthier habits and cleaner air. It become “International” in 2000, when Canada and the United Kingdom joined with the U.S. to celebrate. Around the globe, International Walk to School Month brings together more
1894406
1894407
than 40 countries in recognition of the common interest in walking to school. The first-ever National Bike to School Day took place on May 9, 2012, as part of National Bike Month. Nearly 1,000 local events in 49 states across the U.S. encouraged children to safely bicycle or walk to school. Last year, 47 schools in Montgomery County participated in Walk to School Day and this year all schools are encouraged to organize an event. Students who would like to participate but live too far from school are encouraged to
carpool part of the distance and walk the rest of the way. This year, the county’s focus school for the event will be Kensington Parkwood Elementary School, 4710 Saul Road, Kensington. For more information about Walk to School Day or organizing an event at a local school, contact Nadji Kirby, 240-7777169 or nadji.kirby@montgomerycountymd.gov or visit the county’s website.
in responding to life’s stressors with clarity and balance. Attendees will be able to explore meditation practice first-hand. Suggested donation for the evening is $10, cash or check only. No reservations are necessary. For more information call 301675-3177.
Discussion on mindfulness to be held at Whitman HS
Montgomery County Public Schools, in collaboration with county and nonprofit partners, is scheduled to host a community forum on youth substance abuse and prevention from 6:30-9 p.m. Monday at Richard Montgomery High School, 250 Richard Montgomery Dr.,
Walt Whitman High School Stressbusters Committee invites parents and students of all ages to learn about and experience mindfulness and meditation at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Walt Whitman High School auditorium, 7100 Whittier Blvd.,
Bethesda. Tara Brach, founder of In-
sight Meditation Community of Washington, and U.S. Congressman Tim Ryan, (D-Ohio), author of “A Mindful Nation,” will lead a discussion: Cultivating Resilience: How Mindfulness Training can Benefit Students and the Adults who Nurture Them. They will share the growing body of empirical and anecdotal evidence on the benefits of mindfulness for youth, educators and parents both in the classroom and out, as well as how to use mindfulness to manifest our full potential and
MCPS to host forum on alcohol and drug abuse prevention
Rockville.
The event, titled “Time to Talk: Alcohol and other Drug Abuse Prevention Forum,” is being coordinated by MCPS, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Montgomery County Collaboration Council, the Montgomery County Alliance to Prevent Youth Substance Abuse and the Brave and Bold Coalition. There will be a resource fair, presentations, and a question-and-answer session. “Recognizing and preventing substance abuse in our children is a very important topic for our schools, our families, and our community at large,” said Superintendent of Schools Joshua P. Starr in a statement.
“It is an issue that will require us to collaborate on solutions that will help our young people making healthy choices, so they can lead productive lives.” Among those expected to speak at the event are Starr and other MCPS staff members, as well experts in the area of substance abuse and prevention, including: Dr. James M. Bjork, program officer, National Institute on Drug Abuse; Dr. Raymond Crowel, chief, Montgomery County Behavioral Health and Crisis Services; and Sgt. Keith Matthis, Montgomery County Police Department. To register for the forum visit www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org.
Norwood to host Secondary School Fair The 15th Annual Secondary School Fair is scheduled to be held from 6-8 p.m. Thursday at Norwood School, 8821 River Road, Bethesda. Admission representatives from more than 100 day and boarding schools will be available to answer questions as well as provide information on the application process, tuition and financial aid, curricular and extracurricular offerings, class size and what makes their schools unique. Admission to the fair is free. For more information contact Cathy Russo at Norwood School, 301-841-2101, or email crusso@norwoodschool.org.
1894411
1894410
1894409
Buying or Selling! Visit The Gazette’s Auto Site At Gazette.Net/Autos Dealers, for more information call 301-670-2548 or email us at sfrangione@gazette.net