I Really Don't Like My Child's Principal

I have two children in a public elementary school. It is one of the top schools in the area. Our school draws from many wealthy areas and many of the families at our school have the option to send their children to private school. Houses in our neighborhood are sold at a premium because of our elementary school. We chose to move here in order to send our kids to this school.
Our principal has been at our school for a few years. She is not popular among the parents or the teachers. She treats the parents as meddling nuisances rather than a resource. In meetings between our principal and prospective parents, parents come excited to attend the school and leave considering other options.
Our parents do expect to have power within the school and get ruffled pretty easily. Many of the mothers do not work outside the home and the school is flooded with volunteers on a daily basis, even the dads help out. However, if our school remains strong, I think it may be in spite of our principal. Most of the teachers are fabulous and we have some wonderful individuals in administrative positions.
After a few years with my children at this school, I wonder if I just expect too much of our public school. If you decide to send children to a public school, are you just at the whim of the principal, the school board and the superintendent of schools? Sometimes I wonder if I am just not cut out for the public school environment. Am I too uptight to be a public school parent?
Even with her rough exterior, this principal is running a school that you enjoy. You do not have to like her, and remember that you may not like everyone at a private school either.
If you pay for private school it does not necessarily give you a louder voice. Parents often feel more at liberty to say things in a private school, but hiring decisions are made by the school and parents are often told to leave private schools if they are unhappy with the people they have working there. It can be the same with public schools. You have a voice and the school and district will listen, but they have to run their schools. So you may not like the principal, but you do like the school and she is running it. Find peace with the fact that you just do not communicate the same. You do not have to be her friend. That does not mean she does not have strengths. On the other hand, if she is doing something wrong or harmful, report her.
It sounds like she is blunt, perhaps too much so, and she is managing a group of parents that are very involved and may want to run the school. So she may be putting up a front to keep the parents at arm's distance so that all the kids, even those with less involved parents, get access to an education.
Ask yourself this: why move to an area just for the schools, enjoy the schools, send your children there and watch them receive a quality education and then worry too much about how friendly the principal behaves?

When Translators are Needed to Get Parents Involved

I am a 5th grade teacher with 33 students. 6 are English language learners. They speak Spanish and Korean. There are other students who come from homes where no English is spoken. I am beginning to schedule

Parent Teacher conferences. More than ever, I have parents requesting that I provide a translator for the conference. (I speak English only.) I've asked our school secretary what the provisions are for translators during conferences. She indicated that there is no money to pay translators. There are some school staff members who speak Spanish and Korean, however they will have gone home when school is out and when conferences begin. Is it the responsibility of the school or the responsibility of the parent to provide a translator? I feel like

I'm spending too much time addressing this problem, when I could be working on report cards!

The school and the principal should help you in this area, but that doesn’t always happen. Still, you need translators if you are going to have a valuable conference with the parents. We need all parents to be partners in education and communication with them needs to be clear.
My suggestion to you is to write a letter in English, Korean, and Spanish and send it home to your students explaining your dilemma. If you have school staff members who can speak these languages, just write the letter and give it to them to translate for you.
In the letter, tell the parents you need their help in finding translators. Perhaps some parents will volunteer for each other, you never know. Ask for volunteers to send you their name, time availability, and contact information. Encourage the families to bring their own translators. Suggest that they consider asking older children, relatives, teenagers, neighbors, co-workers, or friends. If you are all working together, as you should, translators will come forward.
Have a portion at the bottom of your letter for parents to indicate times they choose to come to conferences, and have a space for them to check if they need a translator, can bring a translator, or can volunteer to be a translator.
Once you come up with the letter this year, keep it and use it each conference time. Conferences are already upon us, and you are working on borrowed time here, so make sure to start this process earlier before the next set of conferences in Spring.

From the Reader this week Upset with Whining

This was sent in from the reader who wrote in upset with teachers whining as well (click at the bottom to see my comments as well as many other readers who wrote in response to this):

I have much to say, but will try to keep this as brief as possible.

First, I wanted to comment on your comment to my letter. You said that I consider the teaching profession to be of "such little significance". That is so far from the truth it is amazing. I am a person who LOVES to learn. My life is all about learning. My vacations are about learning (Lay on the beach? Hardly. Museums, historic home tours, factory tours, botanical gardens, etc. Yes). My free time? All about learning. What part of my email gave you the impression that I believe that what teachers do is insignificant? You may want to read my email again.

As for teachers serving the kids and the communities, I agree. Many do. But my kids have had quite a few teachers (at both private and public schools) who were sub-par.
The private school: My daughter had a science teacher in HIGH SCHOOL who gave extra credit to anyone who brought in videos that relate to science in any imaginable way. It seems unbelievable, but the teacher showed videos almost every day of the year, including The Magic School Bus (isn't that supposed to be for young kids?) on many occasions. He allowed the class to be so out of control that kids would jump up on their desks, run around the room, etc. The great majority of their teachers were great, but some were not what I expected to pay for, like the 2nd grade teacher whose grammar and pronunciation was severely lacking. The administration kept parent comments and complaints to a minimum by offering veiled threats ("maybe this isn't the right school for your child" was heard by several parents I knew---I was too scared to complain about ANYTHING--maybe that's one reason I wrote to you---no fear of dismissal).

Public schools: My son has had a teacher who admitted to the kids that he is a lousy teacher (he was fired last year). He had the kids read for the whole class period so he wouldn't have to teach. The problems with this teacher are too numerous to mention. My son had a science teacher 2 years who spent the whole period yelling at kids because he couldn't control his class like other teachers do. My son was the only kid who he didn't yell at. Last year's science teacher spoke of everything BUT science, and was so boring that kids fell asleep on a semi-regular basis. When I went to Back To School Night and listened to his little talk, I knew my son was headed for trouble... Then there were the math teachers all 3 years of Middle School. The first was forced to teach Math even though she told the admin. that she's horrible at math (I found this out after the year was over and the damage was done). She didn't know how to do the 6th grade math, so if the kids didn't work out a problem EXACTLY the way the teachers' manual showed, she marked it wrong. I had to go over every homework assignment, quiz, and test to make sure they were corrected properly, then contact her so she could adjust his grade each time. I also had to tutor him because the teaching was counter-productive. 7th and 8th grade were spent with a teacher I had high hopes for. Her major was Math!! YEA. NOPE. She messed up the kids as badly as the previous teacher had. She was banned from teaching math like the 6th grade teacher was eventually (but again, the damage was already done). The kids who had those 2 teachers were behind, and couldn't take Geometry in 9th grade like they should, because they were behind in their skills.

There have been some good teachers along the way, but there have also been some really poor teachers. I don't understand how or why poor teachers are allowed to continue to teach. It does our kids a disservice, and wastes our money. In case you think that I am an unsupportive parent, let me tell you that is not the case. I volunteered in my kids' classrooms once a week(until the teen years), chaperoned field trips, substitute taught at my daughter's school, have always written encouraging notes to the good teachers, and even some of the not so good ones, gave ALL of the teachers gifts (even the ones I've mentioned above) until my son was said it embarrassed him this year, volunteer at teacher appreciation events and many, many other events that benefit the teachers, administration, and students. I donate several hundred dollars to my son's school each year. Etc., etc., etc.


I asked my son to read your article this morning before school. He is almost 17 years old, and is NOT the type who sides with his parents, except with regard to politics. He said that even his English teacher knows that there aren't any real cuts coming. The teacher says," There are no cuts,ha, ha, no cuts", with a smirk. At least he's honest.
I won't tell you about what my son said about your response (the tone of your response). But you should know that people who read your column, and hear other teachers and their union speak about their plight, aren't moved in the way you would hope and expect. It comes across as whiny and sad. And I stand by my previous sentiment: If a person doesn't like the working conditions inherent to a position, he/she should make the mature, intelligent decision not to pursue it. And if he/she does anyway, either he/she should quit or give it his/her all and not complain. Physicians, fire fighters, police officers, military personnel, etc. know what they are getting into, just like teachers. They know that long, irregular hours are required. When was the last time you heard or read of one of these people complaining about their job? They knew what they were getting into. They can either do their best, or quit. But I don't want to hear how hard they have it. We are all free to choose our own career paths. We should choose wisely, and make the most of it...

I was surprised that you considered my email to be a "razor sharp attack" that you considered "a disturbing lack of respect", which even you can't stand for. I was "voicing" how I'm tired of hearing the disinformation (the kids will suffer, it's only about the kids, etc.), and the teachers' complaints. I have the right to voice my opinion and experiences just like anyone else. I didn't write the email intending for you to print it. I wanted you to know what OC Register readers are thinking and going through. You are a teacher, and don't know what it's like to have a child in school being just a regular parent. You must realize that it is different for us. I have no doubt that you are an excellent teacher, which is why you believe that all other teachers are as dedicated as you are. Some are, some are not.

I will end here.

How far back will the lay offs go this year?

How far back will the layoffs go this year in Orange County? Are the districts making any comments yet?

Districts have only said that all items are on the table. We are in the business of educating children, so I think it is better not to start guessing at rumors because it raises the levels of stress for our teachers. Districts do not know the full extent of what is going to happen this year and next. They do not know if there is any room to hope for an improvement from the rather bleak picture currently being painted. All of Orange County districts are on notice from our Department of Education that they need to halt all unnecessary expenditures and save as much as possible in preparation for mid year cuts. Districts have to send out layoff notices to show they will be able to balance their budgets in the worst case scenarios. Layoff notification must begin in March, according to California Education Code, so we will know soon enough how far back each district decides to notify.

LAUSD Will not be laying off???

Did you see that LAUSD announced there will be no layoffs? Is the news getting better?

Eyes were on LAUSD because they had permission to begin significant teacher layoffs next month. They announced there will be no layoffs before the end of the year. The whole statement released to the press included preminitions that layoffs will occur for next year, but they want to see what money comes in the Stimulus Package. There could be significant relief and Sacramento is due to release its budget package in Feb. Everyone is watching each other unsure of what is to come. There are avenues of hope, but also significant fears out there. The news got better for the students of LAUSD, however, alongside the teachers. The kids' classrooms would have been significantly interrupted had they followed through with mid year layoffs. Students would have been moved and services stopped. It is good news for LAUSD, but even they warn the news is not expected to be good for next year.

Where do I find the link to write letters to my legislators?

Scroll down to find many links for your representatives. The heading is Stop Mid Year Cuts, although I am not sure that is even possible. Still all of our ideas should be heard, so send yours.

Will teachers get laid off before the end of this year, 2009?

Will teachers get laid off before the end of this year, 2009?
LAUSD is starting the lay off process and other districts in Orange County will have to prepare to make cuts as well. Anyone looking at the state budget knows cuts will come.

There have to be special circumstances to start the lay off process early, and this budget crisis qualifies as a special circumstance.

I will address this topic in my column next week in the Orange County Register's Local section, page 2. Feel free to post comments or questions here or email me directly to goasktheteacher@yahoo.com

Cutting the school year 5 days short?!!?

What is up with this idea to cut the school year 5 days short? This is outrageous. I know, 'let's just let them out early, who cares, it's only the end of the year, they aren't doing anything then anyway.' What a better way to send the message, 'school really isn't that important to us in California, but please move here because it is so desirable.'

I am curious how this will play out. Cutting the school year will save a great amount of money. I was surprised how much it will save, $1.1 billion. If we are sure there will be cuts to schools, if the government really is about to run out of money, then cuts have to come some way. I get the impression that it is going to happen, but I doubt we will be posting it on any ads for our state. You have a good point.

Ask a question

If you have a question or would like help researching a topic, post it here. Many parents are often struggling with an issue that comes up at school or home. You can leave it anonymously or leave your name. You can also email me directly to goasktheteacher@yahoo.com

Measurement Song and Lesson for Conversions

My students are having such trouble with measurement. Particularly changing units, like feet to yards, etc. I teach fifth grade and it is my first year. I am stumped and all of the things I’ve tried aren’t working. Do you have any suggestions for a rookie?
My first suggestion is to make your question known to your staff. Do not be embarrassed to ask for help. Other teachers will not look down on you. Teachers love sharing ideas and teaching other teachers what they learned works for students.
When I taught fifth grade, I made up a song, sung to the tune of Yankee Doodle Dandy, to help the children with this very subject. The title is “The Mile Song.” You sing the song and write these words and numbers in a row on the board while the students write it on their paper as a key to help them answer the questions:
1760 (for the song, with the beats, we said “17” “60”)
Yards
3
Feet (and)
12
Inches
The song ends by the students adding “Going down you multiply, back up it is division” and some students drew arrows to remind them of that part of the key. Any time they had questions about conversion with these units, I had them sing and write this key at the top of their paper. Try it right now. Here are a couple of math problems and how to use the “key”:
1.Convert 15 yards to inches. The students look up at the key, and they see that in order to get from “yards” down to “inches” they will have to multiply (because “going down you multiply”) by 3, then by 12. So the children start with 15 x 3 = 45 (make sure to point out to them that this gets you to “feet” so they know how to use the chart), then 45 x 12 = 540. The answer is 540 inches.
2.How many yards is 72 inches? Again, use the key and remember the song so you know that when you go up the chart, it is division. In order to get from the word “inches” up to “yards” the kids know they have to divide by 12, then by 3. So you start with 72 ÷ 12 =6 and 6 ÷ 3 = 2. The answer is 2 yards.
3.How many inches are in 3 miles? Since it is “The Mile Song” you start at the top and go all the way down the chart. First you convert to yards, then feet, then you get inches. Try this on your own.

The students love creating their own “answer key” and it really works. Later, if they remember the song, they can always produce their own route to solving the problem. I used to have the children make up songs with me, sung to other favorite tunes, as a study method. I remember one of my student’s parents came to conferences that year saying their child absolutely loved “The Mile Song” and sung it all the time. In fact, when it was time for other tests, she would make up her own songs, sung to favorite tunes, to help her study. It is an excellent study tool. I used it a lot.

Soldiers Lose Benefits if They Go Into Teaching

I am retired military, and I continued working in a second career as a teacher. I retired from the State Teaching Retirement System (STRS). I believe that all should pass the competency tests in order to teach. As far as ex military personnel going into teaching they should remember that they will eventually collect their Social Security benefits since they paid into this system while in the military. However, in teaching they are not under Social Security and upon retirement from teaching and when applying for Social Security they will have their Social Security benefit reduced. This unfair practice is or was before Congress in the form of S 206 since 2007. Help is needed to get these bills in congress passed. For this Social Security offset see SSA's Publication # 05-10045.

This is unfair. We agree that soldiers need to pass the competency tests in order to teach, and we agree that their benefits should not be reduced for doing so. That is sometime worthy of change. If soldiers choose teaching and go through the steps to prepare themselves for this career, their benefits should not be touched. Once our soldiers earn something it is unfair to take it away later. This provision applies to any government agency position since these offer pension programs. The title of the provision is interesting. It is called the ‘windfall elimination provision.’ There is no windfall to be had when moving from military service to service in the classroom.

Stop Mid Year Budget Cuts

These are tough economic times and cuts are coming everywhere since there is less and less coming into the state budget. That does not change the fact that our children should suffer the least. Mid Year cuts will cause a disruption to the school year and to our classrooms.

WRITE OR CALL YOUR LEADERS
What should they do instead?
1. Stop mid year cuts.
2. Ease restrictions on funding for next year if cuts must come to free districts to be more creative with their funds since less money will be coming in to the schools.
3. Ask our state leaders to appeal more effectively to the Federal Government to fully fund the Special Education IDEA act. That would mean the districts and the state would have more money for all students. Right now the Federal Government says schools must provide very expensive services, and the Federal Government was supposed to fully fund this act and never has followed through with that promise. The Orange County Superintendent Bill Habermehl wisely points out that if the Federal Government even started an incremental pay-back program to start funding more and more each year, this would be money for the state and the schools. It would cost California NOTHING and it would mean a lot to our special education students as well as all students in our state.


Our leaders pile these letters in piles FOR and AGAINST to see what the electorate think. We all need to tell them. Here is all the contact information I have so far:

The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor (R)
State Capitol Building Sacramento, CA 95814
Ph: (916) 445-2841; (213) 897-0322 Fax: (916) 445-4633

California Senate Districts Senator Dick Ackerman - Senate District 33 (R)
17821 E. 17th Street, Suite 180 Tustin, CA 92780
(714) 573-1853 • FAX (714) 573-1859
e-mail: senator.ackerman@sen.ca.gov

Sacramento Office—Room 4066 •
(916) 445-4264 • FAX (916) 445-9754

Find your representatives and assembly members here:
http://www.ocvote.com

or

Click “find my district” on this page http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/defaulttext.asp

Other Contacts

Senator Tom Torlakson
Senate Education Committee
7th Senate District State Capitol Building,
Room 5050 Sacramento, CA 95814 Fax:
(916) 445-2527

Assemblyman Fabian Nunez Speaker of the Assembly
California State Assembly State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849 Sacramento, CA 94249-0046
Fax: (916) 319-2146

Senator Don Perata
President Pro Tempore California
State Senate State Capitol Building, Room 205
Sacramento, CA 95814
Fax: (916) 327-1997

Assemblyman Michael N. Villines
Assembly Minority Leader
California State Assembly State Capitol, Room 3104
Sacramento, CA 94249-0029
Fax: (916) 319-2129

Special Education Funding Congressman John Campbell House of Representatives – District 48 610 Newport Center Drive, Suite 330 Newport Beach, CA 92660 Fax: (949) 251-309 Congressman Gary Miller House of Representatives – District 42 1800 E Lambert Road, Suite 150 Brea, CA 92821 Fax: (714) 257-9242

Lazy Failing High Schooler - What do we do?

What should I make my failing son do over the summer? He is in high school. He failed a lot of classes. He is not special ed. He is lazy.

First, he should attend summer school. If he is failing now, he is mapping a tough route for himself after high school. Focus on making him graduate. Before school is out, make an appointment with his high school counselor to see what he needs to do to graduate. At this point, you might need to explore the school district’s alternative high school. The kids that fail in high school sometimes need to go here to get the credits to graduate. Also, make him get a job, the tougher the better. If he can do any manual labor, hauling, loading, digging, outdoor physical work, sign him up. You need to show him that by failing classes, he is not destined for an office job. No one will hire a child to run an office if he cannot pass high school English or Math. Check to see if any grocery stores need cart retrievers. This is a tough job and it may open a door for a career for him later since grocery stores have positions he might be able to move into if he gets his act together.

Who Gets Called on More?Boys or Girls?

Dear Teacher, For our science experiment our question was do teachers call on boys or girls more. Our question to you is who do you think you call on more, boys or girls? Did you have any training at college that said you have to call on children in that way?

From, Two Students who are doing a science project.

This year, I think I call on boys more. There is a reason for this. I have 13 boys and 7 girls in my class, so if I am fair, I call on boys more often. I did have training on this in my teacher credentialing classes. We were alerted to the fact that you will tend to call on the same children unless you plan otherwise. I have a collection of names, either on the attendance cards or my jar with sticks, one with each child's name written on a stick. When I am asking a question to the whole group, I randomly pick a student to answer. I also have a child of the week each week and that child is asked to do all errands, office trips, attendance, line leader, etc. Everyone gets a turn. During lessons, when I am checking to see who is learning and who knows the answer to something I am in the process of teaching, I call from raised hands, and I try to call on different kids.

I think your science question is a good one. It would be really interesting to sit in different classrooms for an hour and tally who is called on more in each class. Try going to classrooms with female and male teachers in case that also impacts your findings. Remember to take into account the number of boys and girls in the class.

Teachers Should NOT be paid more

I am a compensation expert and you seem to be a nice well meaning person. But please stop the myth of teacher salaries in comparison to anything. I'm sure that you misspoke when you said salaries are less than the rate of inflation. The comp would be rates of increase and rates of inflation. I doubt your3.9 number for inflation and quoting an increase on the "average" pay hides too many issues. Compare the 5year step with someone in industry in their position for 5years and increase the teacher pay by 20% (number of days worked less than industry). In that case 70k becomes 84k, etc. Add to that a benefits package that no one in a profit making world could afford and a work day that is usually less than 8 hours and one sees a lucrative job. The real test of wages is supply and demand and it would seem that there are more people available for gov't jobs like teachers and firefighters than ever.

There are no teachers in OC quitting because of pay.

I'd be happy to continue the point if you wish

I am a nice, well meaning person. We just disagree. I said the average increase in teachers’ salaries was below the rate of inflation. That number was presented by the National Education Association. Our salaries are not increasing at an astronomical rate and other industries have seen much sharper increases in a 5 year period than the increases teachers have seen.

Even putting that point aside, your representation of what teachers are paid is unfair. Many people looking at the teaching profession from the outside use the argument that teachers should really consider their salary what they make plus 20% more since there is that much vacation time built into a regular school year. That makes no sense to me. If I decide to be a teacher, I understand that I am taking a salary that is less but that I also get vacation time as a benefit to consider. I cannot, however, consider my salary of $57,000 really a salary of $68,400. Would I pull that money out of thin air? How would I pay my rent with that figure I am not receiving?

Some have said that we should get additional jobs in our time off, and many teachers do work during vacations in order to support their families. These jobs do not pay the additional 20%. Again, if you decide to be a teacher you understand what you are accepting and looking for a summer job will more than likely not give you the additional $11,400. There are not many industries that will hire a teacher just for 2 months and pay them this type of salary. That would mean working your 8 weeks off, at 40 hours a week, earning over $35 an hour. If you know of such a job, tell me and I will let other teachers know because many seek summer employment.

Many male teachers are becoming unable to support a family on a teacher’s salary alone anymore, and I consider that a shame and a reason we are seeing less male teachers enter the teaching profession. On top of that, you might have an unrealistic view of the types of benefit packages teachers are now offered.

As for the age-old argument that teachers work less than an eight hour day, that is so untrue. We are with the children for 6-7 hours a day, depending on the school schedule. That is the time we are in front of the students. Let me take a moment to say that this is the most precious and important part of our day and the part I most enjoy. If I am in front of the children, I had better have spent my time outside of the school day preparing for what I will do with them. I have to have my materials prepared, my lessons planned, schoolwork corrected so I know who needs to review or move on, not to mention the time we spend thinking about the children and what they need or ways to adapt to their changing needs throughout the year. We spend hours, and much of our own income on preparing the day for the children. Go to any school 2-4 hours after the children have left and even on weekends and you will find countless teachers. Plus, ask our families how much work we bring home.

It may sound boastful, but I feel like I am a really good teacher. I have a good heart, great intentions, and I spend time creating meaningful lessons often tailored to 20 different little people’s needs. I will not say that teaching is not a rewarding and emotionally fulfilling career, it is. To say that we should not be paid more is silly. I cannot foresee a time when we will be paid more, districts don’t have the means and our government does not seem to agree with this sentiment, but if it is a question of ‘should,’ we definitely should be paid more.

Failing High School Students

Be careful when advising people to simply "blame" their kid’s problems on "learning problems". My kids is having much of the same issues [as the mom in your column last week], he's the same age and grade. But I see it as my lack of involvement is the real problem.

People have suggested that my son may have some learning problems, but I know this is nonsense due to his complete ability to do other things in life that "he wants to". He can operate a computer in the dark, if he needs to find the latest clothes or the latest skateboard, he has no "problem" then. My kid can do anything he wants when it is in "his" favor.

I suggest you tell that lady to be more active in the learning process, and not buy into the "learning problem” thing. Ask her if her kid gets things done when it's in the kid’s best interest? I bet you her kid has no problem then! Kids aren't dumb either. They pick up on this "learning problem" thing and use it as an excuse. One more sign that kids are "smart."

You make an excellent point and I thought I was clear last week. Last week, my words were, “If a child fails, it is an indication of either a learning problem or an active attempt to do nothing.” You have to rule out the learning problem because there are parents out there looking for excuses. Once you take away the excuse, you make more progress.

There are good parents out there with rules, expectations, and an understanding of their own children, yet their children are still failing. You sound like one of these parents. You have your child’s number, and you are not giving him wiggle room; yet he is not performing. There has to be a constant pursuit for change. Your child, and all children, cannot be allowed to fail. Failing an assignment is much different than failing a class. You cannot let a child flounder for whole semesters or years and still say they are learning from this method. I hope your child has no computer, fashionable clothes, or skateboards to turn to while he is turning away from books. Also (and this comes back to giving an excuse to kids, so you might not want to show him this comment), if your child excels at hands-on technical experiences but is not reading or writing on grade level, there can be learning deficits that should be explored. This does not mean that he should get away with it. His interests may have helped him build skills in one area while ignoring another, but he still needs to read and write. We all need that skill. If he needs remediation, find it for him while he is still in school.

ONLINE Translation site FREE for parents and teachers

There is a web site called babelfish that could be very helpful to anyone who needs to communicate with someone in a different language. It is very easy to use this site that translates your text into your choice of many different foreign languages. I hope this is helpful to you.

This is why I love writing this column. I am still in the classroom, and there are times I need things like this. I had never heard of this site, but it was incredible. Teachers, administrators, PTA, and room moms should keep this site in mind. We need to communicate with all of our families. Even small notes about upcoming field trips, classroom projects, behavior concerns, compliments on progress, etc. can all be passed along thanks to this site. You have no idea how often I plan to use it. Here is the web address I used to find it: http://babelfish.altavista.digital.com

Can you help me translate for my students' families?

Parent Teacher conferences. More than ever, I have parents requesting that I provide a translator for the conference. (I speak English only.) I've asked our school secretary what the provisions are for translators during conferences. She indicated that there is no money to pay translators. There are some school staff members who speak Spanish and Korean, however they will have gone home when school is out and when conferences begin. Is it the responsibility of the school or the responsibility of the parent to provide a translator? I feel like

I'm spending too much time addressing this problem, when I could be working on report cards!

The school and the principal should help you in this area, but that doesn’t always happen. Still, you need translators if you are going to have a valuable conference with the parents. We need all parents to be partners in education and communication with them needs to be clear.

My suggestion to you is to write a letter in English, Korean, and Spanish and send it home to your students explaining your dilemma. If you have school staff members who can speak these languages, just write the letter and give it to them to translate for you.

In the letter, tell the parents you need their help in finding translators. Perhaps some parents will volunteer for each other, you never know. Ask for volunteers to send you their name, time availability, and contact information. Encourage the families to bring their own translators. Suggest that they consider asking older children, relatives, teenagers, neighbors, co-workers, or friends. If you are all working together, as you should, translators will come forward.

Have a portion at the bottom of your letter for parents to indicate times they choose to come to conferences, and have a space for them to check if they need a translator, can bring a translator, or can volunteer to be a translator.

Once you come up with the letter this year, keep it and use it each conference time. Conferences are already upon us, and you are working on borrowed time here, so make sure to start this process earlier before the next set of conferences in Spring.

Why did you become a teacher and what is your experience?

I teach a "Careers in Education" class for high school students. It is an elective for them and they also receive college credit through a program at a local university. We discussed your column in class last week. In addition, for a class assignment I had my students write you a letter.

If you have space and time, we would love it if you could select one of these to answer in your column.
All you had to do was mention that your students wanted to learn, and I was hooked. I am happy to share some information about myself with your students. I chose the letters that asked about my experiences first. Later, I will answer more of their questions about becoming teachers themselves. I am excited that you are helping them become excited about a career in education. It is the field I know, and I highly recommend it.

What grades did you teach and what inspired you to become a teacher?
My mom was the office manager of my elementary school, St. Polycarp. This was a small private school, and I attended First through Eighth grades with the same small group of children. It was a unique experience that I loved. Since my mom worked at the school, she became friends with my teachers. I would stay after school and help them in their classrooms. From a very early age, my mom and my teachers inspired a love for school. At my wedding, my First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth grade teachers, along with several other women involved with the school, were all there to celebrate with me. When I got my first job as a full time Third Grade teacher in LA Unified School District, my third grade teacher helped me prepare.

I have taught Kindergarten, First, Second, Third, and Fifth Grades. When you become an elementary teacher, you need to be ready to step into any grade. My experience helped me understand the whole child and the importance of my child development classes.

What is the most rewarding thing about being a principal or teacher?
It is easiest to find the rewarding part in teaching. As a teacher, you see your students learn and grow each day. All different types of students teach you each day how lucky you are to be before them as their instructor. When you offer a positive influence and a professional commitment, you see them blossom and it changes you in the most positive ways.

As a principal, you need to develop programs and experiences to find the rewards. You are often dealing with the problems at a campus - behavior problems, management issues, parent complaints - so it can sometimes feel negative. On the other hand, when you solve these problems or resolve issues, it can feel very rewarding. When you stay focused on helping others - teachers, students, parents, and the school population - it helps offer a sense of purpose. A career in education is rewarding because it offers you this sense of purpose. You see that you are making a difference in the lives of children and there is no more important job than that.

Write to Government Leaders to Stop Budget Cuts

The most common question I keep getting is how to fight these cuts to education. My best suggestion is to stay involved with your school district to find out about events and forums occurring. Also, WRITE letters to your representatives telling them you what you think. In fact, if you can, CALL them too because the phone calls are supposed to be the most effective method of contact. Simply state if you are for or against the cuts. They pile these letters in FOR and AGAINST piles to see what the people think. We all need to tell them what we think.

Here is all the contact information I have so far:

The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor (R)
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Ph: (916) 445-2841; (213) 897-0322
Fax: (916) 445-4633

California Senate Districts
Senator Dick Ackerman - Senate District 33 (R) 17821 E. 17th Street, Suite 180 Tustin, CA 92780 (714) 573-1853 • FAX (714) 573-1859
e-mail: senator.ackerman@sen.ca.gov
Sacramento Office—Room 4066 • (916) 445-4264 • FAX (916) 445-9754

Find your representatives and assembly members here:

http://www.ocvote.com

or

Click “find my district” on this page http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/defaulttext.asp

Other Contacts
Senator Tom Torlakson
Senate Education Committee
7th Senate District State Capitol Building, Room 5050 Sacramento, CA 95814
Fax: (916) 445-2527

Assemblyman Fabian Nunez Speaker of the Assembly
California State Assembly State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0046
Fax: (916) 319-2146

Senator Don Perata President Pro Tempore
California State Senate State Capitol Building, Room 205 Sacramento, CA 95814
Fax: (916) 327-1997

Assemblyman Michael N. Villines Assembly Minority Leader
California State Assembly State Capitol, Room 3104 Sacramento, CA 94249-0029
Fax: (916) 319-2129

Special Education Funding
Congressman John Campbell
House of Representatives – District 48
610 Newport Center Drive, Suite 330
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Fax: (949) 251-309

Congressman Gary Miller
House of Representatives – District 42
1800 E Lambert Road, Suite 150
Brea, CA 92821
Fax: (714) 257-9242