It Takes All Kinds

I have just been reminded that it certainly takes all kinds to make the world go round. I spent last week spending time around teachers from many different schools. Monday and Tuesday I was home with pneumonia like symptoms. Wednesday I went to a large meeting in which there were about 150 teachers from probably 12-14 different schools where we looked at samples from many Reading companies so we can all choose the magic program to "Make our reading scores go up." There were two professors from UNL there to convince us to buy one certain program or to supplement whatever we chose, with some programs that they are the only ones in the state trained to sell. They kept reminding us that they weren't endorsing any one program but we should choose a program that is vertical in nature and there is only one. Anyway, there were all kinds of people there but all of them were there with students in mind and trying really hard to pick out the best for their kids and their reading scores. Then I spent Thursday night through Saturday afternoon with 800 teachers who were spending time and money to find the best ideas for teaching reading to our students and listening to college professors from Doane, UNK and UNO telling us that what the other two told us was a bunch of hooey and that they are just pushing a program that they make money from. What is the best choice? I find it amazing that so many teachers can be spending so much time and effort to help our students learn to read. I think that shows what teachers are made of.
So even if we all looked different and all had different backgrounds and ideas there was lots of conversation and lots of listening and everyone worked together to help our students.