Sample E-mails

Here are two sample e-mails that you may use ideas from or even copy and paste from to send your messages to our our SBOE members.

Sample E-mail to Tom Maynard:

Mr. Tom Maynard,

 First I would like to thank you so much for your time and willingness to listen tentatively to the testimonies yesterday. I feel very confident today that you see the problems that these new TEKS have presented. As I watched you listen and ask questions to clarify this case I know you truly want to do the best for our children. I am writing to you as well to I urge you to now recommend that Commissioner Williams suspend district accountability for STAAR Math Test in grades 3-8 for 2015.  By removing the impact the STAAR Math will have on districts' and schools' rating, we may be able to reduce some of the stress felt by administrators, which can trickle down to teachers and ultimately down to the students. I have no agenda except to be the voice of these struggling children. Please help us open the ears of those that can make the changes necessary to give these little voices a face!

Sincerely,

Mary Russell

Sample E-mail to Barbara Cargill:

Please ask Greg Abbott, the Attorney General, to provide a formal opinion on how closely the new math TEKS align with Common Core standards. Our state needs the assurance that common core hasn't slipped in through the back door. We owe it to our children.
Thank you,
Alison Howell 

Math- the hot topic in Austin today

Today was surreal.  I almost don't know where to begin.  The State Board of Education Committee on Instruction meeting began at 9am, and it lasted until after 3pm.  The meeting began with an update from TEA letting Board Members know the process by which the TEKS were adopted.  Then began the public testimony.  

Over a dozen parents and educators stood in front of the board and pleaded for their child's future.  The testimonies were touching and the message was consistent - the gaps in the math TEKS this year are best described as the grand canyon and students are plummeting off the cliff emotionally and educationally.  One educator said she feels she is better described this year as a bully than a teacher, intending her students harm as she purposefully races through developmentally inappropriate material.  Another father cried as he explained what homework time looks like at his house every night.

But all those impactful testimonies would be for naught if something isn't changed.  And now is the moment when that change will either happen or our board members will look the other way.  And the change is up to you and me!

Here is what you can do…

First, e-mail Tom Maynard (Tom.Maynard@tea.state.tx.us) and urge him to recommend that Commissioner Williams suspend district accountability for STAAR Math Test in grades 3-8 for 2015.  By removing the impact the STAAR Math will have on districts' and schools' rating, we may be able to reduce some of the stress felt by administrators, which can trickle down to teachers and ultimately down to the students.

Second, e-mail Barbara Cargill (sboecargill@sbcglobal.net) and urge her to ask the Attorney General, Greg Abbott, to provide a formal opinion on how closely these new Math TEKS align to Common Core.

What's next…

As a result of the meeting today, the Committee on Instruction will be recommending to the full board tomorrow that a Focus Group be formed to continue the discussion of how the gaps created by these new math TEKS are affecting our children and their teachers.  Each SBOE member will be allowed to nominate one teacher and one parent to serve on this group, which will meet with SBOE board members and Commissioner Williams.  I have asked David Bradley to nominate me as the parent in my district.  The group will need to meet quickly, as every day that goes by is a day our children grow more anxious, more frustrated and more desperate for our help.

Comic Relief

A little comic relief before the big day...my husband, Lance, forgot his dress shoes so he will be sporting these with his suit tomorrow.

From the Mouths of Babes

Tomorrow my husband and I are leaving for Austin with my mom and three close friends, Lindsey Vannett, Kacy Havard and Karen Croft.  We are hoping to see dozens more when we get there who are headed that way for the same reason that we are.

I spent a lot of time preparing for this trip, and I have bathed it in prayer, as I know many of you have too.  During my quiet time yesterday, I spent a few moments just being still and knowing that God is GOD.

He brought to my mind a time this summer when Mackenzie received the opportunity to be on the local news because she was awarded a scholarship from Kohl's for her philanthropic efforts to support children in Haiti.  She told the reporter that she plans to use the scholarship to get a teaching degree from Texas A&M.

I watched the video of the news story about my sweet baby.  It was titled "Fighting a giant at age 8."  In the story she says, "Anybody, any age or any size can do anything."

(If the video below doesn't work, click this link to view the news story)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eZUsvtjSKKY

Anbody any age or any size can do anything - Mackenzie Howell

Her passion for her cause is unquenchable because she believes that.  As an adult, sometimes I look at the giant and feel defeated before the fight even begins.  May I have her faith and her passion in my life too.  Not because I am big, I am strong or I am important.  I am not any of those things.  But because God is big, He is strong and He is important.  All I have to be is obedient.

THANK YOU for your prayers!

If you would like to learn more about Mackenzie's efforts in Haiti, visit our blog ahowellinhaiti.blogspot.com or check out her book at https://www.etsy.com/listing/158879836/leilas-big-difference-a-childrens-book

The Cost of Doing Nothing

Thank you to all of you who are e-mailing your concerns to me or directly to your SBOE members.  I have received many and plan to include each one I receive in my presentation materials for the Instruction on Committee Members.

As I prepare for my trip this week, I am researching possible solutions, such as asking the SBOE to test on common TEKS this year and asking them to postpone the second reading and final adoption of the TEKS.  But I have also learned a lot about the cost of doing nothing.  It's something we should all consider.  Expecting our students to perform poorly but ignoring the impact that will have on students and educators is irresponsible.  The impact in the classroom and at home is real.  Some of the negative effects are:

• ·      Math Anxiety – According to a July 14, 2011 News Release from Texas Instruments titled “Easing your child’s math anxiety”: Math anxious kids aren’t always just ‘stressed out’ or dislike math; many feel they are unable to succeed in mathematics. They may have struggled in the past and are convinced they’ll always have trouble.  In the second six week of the 2014-2015 school year teachers are already expressing their concerns that students are developing a paranoia of math due to the fast paced curriculum with significant instructional gaps brought on by TEKS revisions.  Math anxiety can have real and long lasting effects.  In his article published in the Journal of Cognition and Development, University of Chicago Psychology Professor Sian Beilock recounts these findings from his research: “Early math anxiety may lead to a snowball effect that exerts an increasing cost on math achievement by changing students’ attitudes and motivational approaches towards math, increasing math avoidance, and ultimately reducing math competence,” - See more at: http://news.uchicago.edu/article/2012/09/12/math-anxiety-causes-trouble-students-early-first-grade#sthash.uOGuz6p1.dpuf

• ·      Aggression/Depression– According to Victoria Tennant of John Hopkins School of Education, negative stress occurs when a person feels threatened or unable to manage a situation.  By creating intentional gaps that illicit significant challenges in the classroom, children are faced with situations that solicit threatening or out of control feelings.  John Hopkins’ scholars say these feelings lead to impulsive, aggressive behaviors or withdrawal and depression.  Those students who react aggressively will be at risk for violence at home or at school and bullying behaviors.  And according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, students who become depressed are also at risk for lethargy and apathy in the classroom, or even worse, thoughts and attempts of suicide.  This cost alarms me even more when I consider that my SBOE member, David Bradley, provided me with information that indicated Singapore math was one resource used for developing these TEKS.  This is not a country we want to follow considering facts presented by the Singapore Democratic Party: 22 percent of Singaporean children aged between 6-12 indicated or entertained thoughts of killing themselves and 17.2 percent of primary-school children in Singapore have symptoms of depression.

• ·       Decrease in Extracurricular Activities – Struggling students are being pulled out of extracurricular activities that could benefit them socially, physically and creatively either because parents do not feel their children can handle school work and extracurricular activities or because students’ poor performance at school precludes them from being allowed to participate.  According to the National Center for Education Statistics, which is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations, participation in extracurricular activities is key to student success.  This is asserted in the following excerpt from the June 1995 NCES Education Policy Issues series:  Extracurricular activities provide a channel for reinforcing the lessons learned in the classroom, offering students the opportunity to apply academic skills in a real-world context, and are thus considered part of a well-rounded education. Recent research suggests that participation in extracurricular activities may increase students' sense of engagement or attachment to their school, and thereby decrease the likelihood of school failure and dropping out (Lamborn et al, 1992; Finn, 1993).

• ·      A Breakdown in Parent-Teacher Relationships - Many parents who are upset about the new standards in the classroom unfairly blame teachers for the unreasonable expectations placed on their children causing stress in the parent-teacher relationship.  According to the National Education Association’s article “Research Spotlight on Parental Involvement in Education,” regardless of family income or background good parent-teacher collaboration is key to achieving the following: Earn higher grades and test scores, and enroll in higher-level programs; be promoted, pass their classes, and earn credits; attend school regularly; Have better social skills, show improved behavior, and adapt well to school; Graduate and go on to postsecondary education

• ·      Financial Burden on Parents – According to the online service, payscale.com, the average US tutor makes $16.94 per hour.  Students are typically tutored for one to two hours each week, making the financial burden on families between $600 and $1,200 per child per year.  Locally, private math tutors are in high demand.  I pay $20.00 per week to have my child tutored for one hour a week.  Mathnasium, a local learning center to boost math skills boasts record enrollment with a cost of $279 per month per child.  These costly extra resources have become necessary, especially because parents often cannot help their children in math.  The NY Times recognized the trend with this quote in their June 29, 2014 edition, “Across the country, parents who once conceded that their homework expertise petered out by high school trigonometry are now feeling helpless when confronted with first-grade work sheets.”  While it may be difficult to fit tutoring into the budget, it is a sacrifice many parents are willing to make.  But what about the families who cannot afford this service?  The 2010 U.S. Census reported there are 3,434,533 families with children under the age of 18 in Texas, and 19.9% of those, or 683,472, are at or below poverty level.  That represents hundreds of thousands of children who most likely have nowhere to turn for extra help.

• ·      Teacher Turnover – According to the Texas Center for Educational Research, teacher turnover is costly – “the cost estimate is between $3,000 and $4,000 per teacher for most districts, depending on geographic, economic, and community characteristics, as well as ability to pay signing bonuses and stipends for shortage areas. “  Teachers are expressing frustration and stress at unprecedented levels this year.  Cy-Fair TSTA has voiced their concern about the effects these new TEKS are having on teachers and students through social media outlets.  Bill Conway, who serves as a TEA consultant for campus intervention and a private campus coach for several districts in the state says he is hearing frustration from teachers at every campus he goes to.  The costs will be felt both financially and in the classrooms if we loose good teachers because of the stress caused by the rushed implementation of these new TEKS.

If our leaders were told that their children would loose their love for learning, but children behind them will be better in math; that their granddaughter will have to quit the ballet class she loves so she can attend tutoring instead of dance; or that their son will develop a fear of math that he will carry with him for the rest of his life, I imagine that would be an unacceptable cost to them.  As the mother of a bright nine year old who says she used to be smart, but she doesn't know what happened because she can't do math this year, I find those costs unacceptable too.

Time To Stand Together

Today, I met with State Board of Education Representative, David Bradley.  He agreed that our concerns are real and valid.  He also invited me to make a presentation to the Committee on Instruction in Austin on Thursday, November 20 at 9am in the Travis Building.

He invited you to come too.  He said any parent or educator who had concerns about these new Math TEKS could stand up for their children by attending the committee meeting in Austin on November 20th.

You may support by simply attending to help demonstrate the number of people who have concerns or you may request to make a public comment.  Click on this link to register for a public testimony.  http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=25769818745

If you just cannot make it to Austin, but you want to do something, e-mail me a statement that expresses the impact the new math TEKS are having in your home or in your classroom.  I will compile the concerns and present them in written form to the committee.  My e-mail address is aliphil413@hotmail.com.  Your e-mails do not have to contain scholarly rhetoric or researched statistics, they just need to express the effect these new expectations in math are having on your child.

If you want to do something to help your child who is struggling in math this year, please consider making the trip to Austin.  You really could make a difference.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.  Indeed it is the only thing that ever has."  Margaret Mead

Following Singapore

David Bradley sent me the following information: 

In 2011-12 the State Board of Education oversaw the rewriting of math standards.  This process, more than any prior math standards (TEKS) process, brought input from a large pool of math leaders and teachers.  Literally hundreds had input via the internet.  As the groups assembled in Austin to produce these new TEKS they relied upon a number of sources….Singapore math, the current TEKS, etc.  They even looked at Common Core Math Standards.   

 Notice the first source he mentions they used when creating the TEKS was Singapore math.  Take a look at this article about children in Singapore.  IT WILL SCARE YOU TO DEATH!

http://yoursdp.org/news/why_do_we_do_this_to_our_children/2014-05-06-5810

They believe our children can accomplish these rigorous standards.  Maybe they can, but will this be the cost!