Friday, September 21, 2007
FROM THE COURSE TO THE CLASSROOM
I will be off the air today, playing in and emceeing my final (sigh) golf tournament of the year.
The goal of the tournament is simple and direct: raise scholarship money so good kids can go to good colleges. 
All of the tournaments at which I represent NBC 30 are for worthy causes, but today's is especially worthwhile.
It's the CALAHE Scholarship tournament at Hop Meadow in Simsbury.
CALAHE stands for Connecticut Association of Latinos in Higher Education.
The goal of the tournament is simple and direct: raise scholarship money so good kids can go to good colleges. 
There are many success stories, but there should be more. They should start at home, and they should start at the earliest levels of education.
Based on my experiences and observations over the years, all students are not created equal. The student in Trumbull has a better chance than the student in Bridgeport. The student in Watertown has a leg up on the student in Waterbury. The student in Avon has an advantage over the student in Hartford. You get the idea.
We're frequently invited to read to kids in schools, and the differences (urban vs. suburban) are stark.
When it comes time for "questions and answers", one of the questions I'm always asked in suburban schools (without fail) is, "How much do you make?"
Another is, "What kind of car do you drive?"
And the question I'm almost always asked in a Hartford elementary school is, "Can I have a hug?"
The answers to those two questions in the suburban schools are gentle variations of, "None of your business."
The answer to that question in the Hartford schools is always, "Absolutely."
And I wish I had the answers to fix the schools in Connecticut cities.
I don't.
People much smarter than me have tried. And failed.
I have high hopes for the new superintendent in Hartford, as I had for his predecessors, with the possible exception of Anthony Amato.
Amato was fixated on raising the students' scores on standard testing.
Forget the Mastery tests (easy for me to say).
Teach them math, how to read and write. Teach them English to complement their Spanish.
Just teach them.
Because one thing I do know. They really want to learn.
Grab them while they do.
Posted at 12:45 AM by Gerry
4 Comments:
From a Hartford elementary school teacher (who LOVES my job), believe me, we try just to teach... there are just too many things getting in the way!
ps... the hugs and smiles are the best part!
I know.
And please know you have my utmost respect and admiration.
what happened? you take the night off? I come to work and expect to read the latest witticism from the sachem of the news world and I get a four day old blog entry. Were you too tired after the 11? You do know who this is I hope.
The blog machine is broken! I can't post.
I have such deep thoughts and important ideas to share with the universe and I can't!
I'm waiting for Michele, the goddess of the blog, to get the problem fixed.
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