Chalk Talk

Conversing with a couple of strangers in Anchorage the other day, I shared that I was a high school teacher in a public school. Looking at me incredulously, one of them replied, “Why would you ever choose to work in public education?” I told her I love my job because we do great things for kids every day. Ignoring my statement, she launched into a rant about this and that shortcoming of public schools.

Employing every ounce of a teacher’s practiced patience, I offered examples of homeless kids graduating from high school, ever-growing career readiness programs and students moving on into the University of Alaska system. But it was clear she did not want to acknowledge anything positive originating from our schools.

Time to go. I later pondered how this kind of blind condemnation needs to be answered. Great things are happening in our schools and word needs to be broadcast to counter berating — even hostile — perceptions.

In its most recent annual report, the Organization for Cooperation and Development found the United States ninth of 30 industrialized nations for students attaining at least a high school diploma. Twenty years ago, the U.S. was first. Compared with kids in Europe, Asia and elsewhere, test scores indicate that our 15-year-olds are below average in applying math skills to real life. Other studies come to similar conclusions, so problems are real.

Consequently, systemic initiatives have been addressing this loss of standing, including the re-authorization of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in 2001, renamed No Child Left Behind Act. Refinement and substantial revision expected in next year’s re-authorization of ESEA offers renewed opportunity for us to regain our international standing.

Test statistics are meaningful, but only reveal part of the greater story of our education system. All the while, there are numerous positive impacts of our public schools that can too easily be overlooked in the wake of portrayals of doom and gloom. How about the Teeland Middle School Science Olympiad team making it to the national tournament last spring? Or, our Next Step Program, which matches students with local businesses so they can gain skills and confidence to enter the workforce?

Butte Elementary third-grader Jacinda Danner joined 800 students from all over the U.S. and Canada to compete at the Braille National Challenge in Los Angeles. At a recent Wasilla High banquet, the state girls’ cross-country champions were recognized, not for their place at the finish line, but for their improvement over time. Shaw Elementary recently had a “Show Me The Money” musical drama where second- and third-graders portrayed presidents and others featured on our paper currency.

Our kids provide dance performances for younger children and seniors. They conduct food drives, tree plantings and creek cleanups. School families host visitors from foreign nations and raise money for the benefit of the poor.

Classes re-enact Civil War battles, host culture fairs and sing songs in Russian, Yup’ik, French, Japanese and Spanish. Our students have mentorships with UAF researchers. They monitor water quality in ponds and volunteer at animal shelters.

Some of these things make it into the paper, some are celebrated in our district’s monthly newsletter “Mat-Su Inside” (matsuk12.us). News of other events spreads by word of mouth. But if you’re willing to look and listen, there’s much we should be applauding about our public schools here in the Mat-Su Borough School District — and beyond.

Paul Morely is a language arts teacher at Burchell High School.