Responsibility for Hawaii last in reading?
On 9/20/05 Kim Eaton, West Hawaii Today, wrote:
"Hawaii last in nation in reading. 8th-graders haven't shown improvements since 1998." by Kim Eaton
In a Letter to The Editor, Frank Jung, a Kailua-Kona attorney, is quoted as saying, “If a student does not advance, then it should be determined . . . whether it's the teacher's responsibility.”
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I would like to read a follow up letter from Frank Jung:
Dear Readers:
I, Frank Jung, wish to retract my comment made to Kim Eaton, West Hawaii Today, in which I wrote, “If a student does not advance, then it should be determined . . . whether it's the teacher's responsibility.” This is of course inaccurate; it implies that student advancement could be someone else’s responsibility other than a teacher’s.
It was irresponsible of me to speak about responsibility other than my own. Each teacher has his/her own definition of the word responsibility and like myself has a choice, to operate from responsibility, from blame, or from the commonly held 50/50 definition as sometimes used in the legal profession.
I find that it works to talk about a problem from my cause in the matter. When I take 100% responsibility (“100%“ is used here to make my point but in truth responsibility is always 100%) then I’m not waiting for another to take his/her share; they may but not at my insistence. For example: If I was a teacher it would be irresponsible of me to blame low scores on parent participation, low salaries, or resources. It would be my job to communicate subject matter. It would be my job to enroll parents into accepting his/her 100% responsibility. If I were a principal, it would my responsibility to ensure that my teachers were getting the job done. If I were a school superintendent part of my job would to make sure I had the funds to get the job done or else I’d be spending lots of time with a leadership-communication skills coach.
A teacher’s contract includes responsibility for communicating subject matter, no excuses, no reasons. Teachers have a wealth of resources to support them in getting the job done, to include requesting coaching on how to cause parents and students to honor their behavior, homework, and participation agreements.
Sincerely,
F.J.—Kailua-Kona attorney
