EDUCATIONALLY SPEAKING -- Gay Geiser-Sandoval

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District board declared the first week

in May as the Week of the Teacher. So, if you haven’t done so already

this year, you may want to take advantage of this week to show your

appreciation.

While I am not discounting food and flower gifts, a gift that teachers

really seem to covet is a handwritten note about what a difference they

have made to your child. One teacher told me she framed the one I wrote

her and hung it in the bathroom to inspire her to start each day with a

positive attitude. Since learning that, I have tried to ensure that my

notes have correct spelling and punctuation.

At the secondary school level, a parent has six or more teachers for

each child, so the remembrances that seemed so easy in elementary school

become more cumbersome when multiplied by six. But, consider how many

more students each secondary level teacher has, and we expect them to

give each child the individual attention that is needed to turn out a

successful product.

If you don’t have time for a note, try to leave a voicemail message

about an assignment your child liked or a project that caused some family

discussion at the dinner table. Many teachers have e-mail now too. Those

ensure communication without class disruption. Because most parents only

communicate with teachers to complain, it must be a chore for teachers to

listen to their voicemail. Your message might be an oasis in the desert

of complaints.

Last weekend, I rented a movie called “Young Teacher.” It reminded me

so much of our schools that I wondered if the scriptwriter was from

Newport-Mesa. The brand-new teacher was filled with enthusiasm when a

slightly more seasoned teacher told her the 9-year-old students were all

ill-behaved animals.

The students played a trick on the young teacher the first day, but

the sage principal tells her not to get discouraged. The teacher’s

brother tells her that teaching is the wrong career move because of poor

pay and low prestige.

A group of 9-year-old bullies pick on the kid who stutters and makes

her life miserable. One of the bullies is kin to a high-ranking official,

so no one dares rectify the situation, until the young teacher tries to

make a change.

The president of the parents and teachers association tries to get the

young teacher fired when her son gets a bad grade. That’s why I was so

astounded to learn the film was made in 1984 in the People’s Republic of

China. As luck would have it, the students and parents recognized the

worth of the young teacher before it was too late.

I hope we do the same with the young and not-so-young teachers in our

district. Let them know you care.

***

As you may recall, Gov. Gray Davis proposed that middle school

students go to school for an extra 30 days, essentially replacing much of

their summer with school. While that has not taken effect, there are

plans for the district to provide summer school for secondary students.

This is especially important because social promotion is no longer in

place.

If you planned for your secondary student to go to summer school, I

hope you signed him or her up within a few hours of the applications

being available. Some classes are already filled.

At least for this summer, it would be more feasible to let those kids

that want or need to go to summer school have a chance to attend. It is

too soon to put the “all sold out” sign on the summer schoolhouse door.

* GAY GEISER-SANDOVAL is a Costa Mesa resident. Her column runs

Tuesdays. She may be reached by e-mail at GGSesq1@aol.com.