Let’s talk about education

Welcome! Education is an issue that affects all of us. The majority of Bangor Daily News readers are not only products of the education system, they also fund that system through their tax dollars. My goal in this column is to provide readers with access to education issues in a user-friendly format. Each Monday, it will provide a forum for a conversation that is interactive and open to express a variety of viewpoints.

I am inviting readers – those with young children, those with children in the system, those whose children have graduated from the system, and those who have never had children in the system – everyday folk, to ask questions or express opinions about everyday practices in the classroom.

Who am I? Like everyone else, I wear many hats. I am a teacher, a mentor, a wife, a parent, a voter and taxpayer, a friend, a sister, daughter, aunt, cousin, niece and in-law. Instead of introducing myself to you through my perspective, I am using the words of those who know me from some of the different hats I wear.

Claire, one of my incoming first-graders who spent a brief time in my classroom in a meet-your-new-teacher activity, said:

“Mrs. White is very nice. She was reading some books and in the books there was a bunny named Claire, and that’s my name. I’m excited to be in her class because we get to make cutouts of our own faces on the first day of school. I’m glad I’m in her class because she does good things and she’s really nice.”

Matthew wrote this after having spent both first and second grade with me:

“Mrs. White is very nice. She doesn’t yell, she’s not too strict, but she has expectations for us. She teaches us science ideas like balance and motion and she’s fun to work with because she’s a fun person. Sometimes she’s silly. One time at Halloween, she dressed up as a ‘how-to book’ as her costume. We were working on writing our own ‘how-to book’ at the time. The best thing I learned to do with Mrs. White was how to write my own books. I had to do some reviewing and some editing before I got it just right. And I also got some advice from Mrs. White about how to make it better.”

A former student, Eileen O’Donnell, is now a University of Maine education major who recalls:

“If ever there was a teacher that affected me in a profound way, or helped me along in years of uncertainty … or was willing to have extra help volunteering, or just plain be there to share important moments, Mrs. (Debbie) White is your teacher.

“Her funny, comical way of getting and holding your attention is just what an eight-year-old needed. Just be sure that the answer to your question was not: ‘It’s on my desk.'”

A colleague who was also my son’s Resource Room teacher said:

“Well informed personally and educationally about students with special needs … Strong parent advocate … Willing to share.”

Gert Nesin, of the master of arts in teaching program at the University of Maine, said:

“You truly care about your students. Your nature and approach naturally integrates all students, no matter what the personal ability or disability. You are also a strong and effective advocate for students of various disabilities.”

Joelle Bouchard, former student intern in the MAT program wrote:

“As a student teacher in Debbie’s classroom, I witnessed first hand how the relationship she builds with her students opens their hearts to the exchange of learning.”

Seven-year-old former pupil Elizabeth wrote: “Mrs. White is funny. She says funny things. Mrs. White is nice. We wrote stories with her. We tried to write a magazine.”

Former student teacher and writer Matthew Jackins reflected:

“Debbie does not see her class as a group of students who can all learn by the same methods, but as a group of children with many different needs. She has a profound ability to communicate with children at their level, creating a trusting environment, and often finding ways to incorporate their individual interests in the curriculum, increasing their desire to learn.”

A friend, Pat, often says:

“Debbie, you are always a teacher. You’re a teacher 24/7. You never stop being a teacher. Have you ever tried not being a teacher?”

My 14-year-old daughter said, “I don’t know how to describe you. Just don’t embarrass me.”

So, that’s who I am according to students, colleagues, interns, friends and family. In reality, I’m much more than these observations, and I’m very human, with very human flaws and foibles.

Now it’s your turn. Tell me about yourselves. I want this column to be a conversation so I need to hear from you. What interests you about education? What confuses you? What do you want to know more about? What is your opinion on a particular educational issue? What’s good about the current state of education? What needs improvement? E-mail me at conversationswithateacher@gmail.com.

Let’s continue this conversation.

Deborah C. White is a classroom teacher. Her column appears each Monday in the Bangor Daily News.