Educational Excellence in New Milford

Awesome things are happening in New Milford’s educational system, and it’s because we are blessed with an exceptional group of administrators:  The teachers, principals, BOE, and Superintendent Polizzi.

Most people follow form.  They go with the flow, whatever the flow may be, and many times regardless of the direction. They don’t seem to ever question status quo. It takes a real leader to break from that and to make advances. They oftentimes have to do it against popular opinion, but fortunately for us they are people of vision, and their vision drives them toward their goals.

So much has gone wrong in this country -- we’ve drifted so far away from so many lines that we don’t even know where the lines are anymore.  So when I see something going so right, right here in my hometown, it’s a thrill, and a relief.  Great people are in control, and we can find comfort in knowing that our childrens’ education is in really great hands.

Homework

There is a growing trend nationally and internationally to stem the tide on homework, and I am THRILLED to say New Milford has gotten on board with that. Last year I had the privilege of being on a homework committee comprised of students, parents, teachers and principals, who were tasked with revising the district’s homework policy.  Superintendent Polizzi is the driving force behind this initiative, and with his vision articulated, Danielle Shanley headed up the task force and rolled out one of the most beautiful homework policies ever.

Supported by much research, and the fact that the top-performing countries assign the least homework while the lowest-performing countries assign the most, the policy is a “first step toward revolutionizing our schools and our culture.” It recommends that homework be assigned on an as-needed basis, when essential, rather than as a matter of routine. It takes into account that the student has, and needs, a life beyond school. And a student can forego doing homework in exchange for a 10% deduction -- the maximum the overall grade average can be affected. Considering, respectfully, that the time beyond when school lets out is not the school’s time to use one way or the other, this is a just policy that acknowledges the educational experience from every aspect, and in a way that is fluid and flexible.

The educational system had been increasingly overstepping its bounds for some time now, taking over our evenings to the point of becoming a serious intrusion into our family life. A review of the old policy revealed that approximately 6 hours minimum per night was the homework mandate, so it’s no wonder children, parents and teachers were feeling swamped.

Everyone remembers what the first few days feel like at a new job.  Every day is a new job for these students, and the amount they are doing is increasing with volume and intensity from year to year as they revamp and revise the curriculums. Add to that mounds of homework with no end to how much was being assigned (holidays, weekends, everything was up for grabs); no coordination between the teachers giving the assignments; and no one measuring the end result of this barrage, or the stress levels of our children in response to the continual additional loads. It’s a recipe for meltdown. And there’s no bell a child can ring once he’s reached his limit. They have to suck it up, or else.

Rather than a quality educational experience, it had become an endurance test.

Yet there are some who feel that the current demands on our children is not enough. They believe we need to cram more into them -- give them even more homework, lengthen their school days, extend school year-round, etc. -- so we can compete with China.

These ideas always make me cringe, not because of the effort involved but because of the wasted time.  We have to work smarter not harder.

And I don’t believe in the philosophy that our kids are going to get walloped when they enter college or the real world, so let’s start walloping them now so they’re used to it by then. The walloping just drives the passion and creativity out of a person, and replaces it with an abiding attitude that life has to be painful. And it takes the joy out of the experience and replaces it with dread.

I am also not interested in stuffing my child’s head with a bunch of useless facts. What is the value of an education if you don’t retain it?

The only way we will ever be able to compete with China is by producing passionate students who know their strengths and who choose careers that utilize these strengths. Bring out the genius in each child -- find out where their talents lie -- and match that to career paths. Put people where they want to be, let their passions become their jobs, and their chances of making significant contributions to our society will increase a thousandfold.

School could very easily be a joy.  And I believe that is the direction Superintendent Polizzi is going in. The Indian writer Jiddu Krishnamurti said “It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” We have to strive to cure the ills. Get back to the original principles.

Superintendent Polizzi is a pioneer and a visionary who was willing to redefine what the school’s purpose was and to rethink accepted homework practices. He gave us back our evenings, so that we may nurture our children in all the other ways necessary to produce happy, healthy, capable young men and women.

It’s like a weight the educational system had been dragging around has finally been lifted -- freeing up the teachers so they can put more energy and effort into the classroom experience; freeing up the students so they can rejuice in preparation for their next lessons; and freeing up the parents so they can tend to the other equally important aspects of raising their children.

Connected Math

I’m pretty sure math injured me. There is a spot in my brain that has been damaged by it. I believe this spot reaches all the way to my soul because it still hurts. In all my years, I’ve had little need for math beyond the basics.  I’ve always felt that learning algebra, geometry, calculus, etc., was equal to doing something like spending hours and hours memorizing how to build a General Electric refrigerator from scratch without a manual.  And unless you go to work for General Electric in their refrigerator division, how is that education going to be useful? 

I never got the reasoning -- for me it was useless. There was no apparent reason for being required to plod year after year through that fruitless territory.

However, though I’m still not a math person, the new Connected Math brought it home for me.  I really love it.  It makes so much sense because it very much relates mathematical concepts to the real world. That was the part that was missing for me when I studied it.  Designed for grades 6-8, funded by the National Science Foundation, developed at Michigan State University, and adopted by New Milford Middle School, Connected Math blows traditional mathematics away. Students using this curriculum are developing sophisticated problem-solving skills and achieving significantly higher scores. A big Yay!

Board of Education

This is the first year the elections for BOE are going to be on the ballot. If you want to keep the system infused with cutting-edge thinkers, please remember Darren Drake when voting. He is a true asset to New Milford’s educational system -- an extraordinary young man. Sharp and accomplished, he is a Business Systems Analyst who attained his master’s degree and is pursuing a second. As Vice President of the Board of Education, he helps shape educational policy. And though he has every potential to rise to the very top of any arena he enters, I cannot think of a more important place for him to be. I hope New Milford is lucky enough to keep him, since I have no doubt that great things will come from him.

Voting is one of the best ways to ensure a solid future. “The flowers of tomorrow are the seeds you plant today.”

p.s. Thank you Superintendent Polizzi.  Thank you Danielle Shanley.  Thank you BOE. Thank you Principal Perro. Thank you to the teachers, and all the other educators who have applied knowledge to policy and embraced a new today.

p.s.s. New Milford has a lot to be proud of.

p.s.s.s.  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8601207.stm

p.s.s.s.s.  I do know that p.s.s. should be p.p.s. but I don’t like it  : )