Wouldn’t it be great if more teachers ran for school board
and for the legislature? Then when policies are written and
implemented, there would be an experienced voice at the table,
explaining the consequences of decisions made far from the
classroom. I don’t know Liz Hallmark, but I am very impressed that
she knows teaching and learning, she cares passionately about the
arts, and she would be a great school board member. This is the
letter she sent to potential supporters:
August 15, 2013
Dear Colleagues,
My name is Liz Hallmark and I am running for School Board
this fall. I’m writing to tell you why I’d like to serve on the
board. First of
all, I am a teacher with a background in the performing arts. I
began my work in schools as a dance-teaching artist who planned and
co-taught integrated lessons with classroom teachers, working
through organizations such as Wolf Trap Early Learning in the Arts,
Aesthetic Education Institute, Young Audiences, and Empire State
Partnerships. I have also run professional development on
curriculum design for teachers through BOCES and cultural
organizations within the City of Rochester. I earned my doctorate
in Education at the University of Rochester, teaching writing
classes to freshman while I was a graduate student. I now manage an
educational project through RIT and teach teacher-candidates at
Nazareth College and Warner School of Education as an Adjunct
Professor. My children both attended and graduated from City
schools. Because
of my teaching experiences in primary, secondary, college and
beyond, I have had classroom, staff, and building experiences that
captured a sense of the district as a whole. I know the challenges
of teaching within changing assessment metrics, in the face of
scarce resources, and despite demonizing messages about teachers. I
am wary of reform initiatives that exclude the voice of teachers,
the very people who know what students’ learning needs are. I want
to help improve schools – and believe this cannot be really be done
without having at least one Commissioner on the board who
understands instruction and learning from the inside
out. If elected to
the board, I would call for more teacher leadership in improving
instructional practice in schools because this is where it must
start. I would better link classroom practice and district policies
by advocating for flexibility in programmatic implementation at the
building level. Please take a moment to visit
http://lizhallmark.com for more of my platform, and consider
supporting my candidacy by talking to friends, coming to house
parties, placing signs, or contributing financially. I ask for your
vote on September 10th and hope to hear from you by email or phone
call. Both are below.
Sincerely,
Liz Hallmark
358 Mulberry St Rochester, NY
14620 http://lizhallmark.com
efhallmark@gmail.com
585-414-7285
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As more experienced teachers get pushed out of teaching, there is at least this upside.
You may think the corporate raiders did not anticipate this consequence, but I think it may be one of the reasons they are doing all they can to take community control out of the picture.
Good luck, Liz Hallmark! This is what needs to be happening in every school distict, city and state.
ON SEPTEMBER 10, 2013, VOTE FOR HOWARD EAGLE & RONALD HALL — PART OF THE SOLUTION IS BOLD, KNOWLEDGEABLE, COMMITTED LEADERSHIP.
AS CANDIDATES FOR THE ROCHESTER
BOARD OF EDUCATION WHAT WE STAND ON:
As it relates to focus and contribution — if we are elected — we will continue doing what I have been doing for nearly 35 years, and what Mr. Hall has been doing for 8 or 9 years which is working collaboratively and cooperatively with parents, grandparents, guardians, students, other family members, righteous educators, Board members, and anyone else who is serious about widespread change and improvement within the RCSD — in the process of building an ongoing movement, which we are thoroughly, unequivocally convinced will be necessary in order to produce substantial change and improvement. As Board members we would be better positioned to help build such a movement. Of course any credible movement must necessarily center around concrete issues and conditions that are negatively impacting our children and families. Those include, but are not limited to the following.
We will work to help insure that we get focused (with laser-like precision) on the foundational academic development of our children — by making certain that they master literacy skills and knowledge — that is reading, writing and math skills and knowledge at or above grade level (right from the very beginning), which is one of the most important reasons why we must address / change the standardized testing process, i.e., because it is driving everything that happens at the classroom level, and deprives teachers of the necessary time and energy to concentrate on developing foundational skills and knowledge. Instead, largely because of state and federal mandates, rules, regulations and policies — teachers find themselves (more and more) teaching narrowly to tests. There is no mystery surrounding the reason why so many of our children don’t do well on tests. It’s because they don’t have adequate reading writing and math skills, which again represents the very foundation of all knowledge, and which is necessary for them to be able to master higher-order knowledge and skills — such as critical and analytical reading, writing and thinking. So, I’m saying if we lay the foundation properly, then we won’t have to worry so much about tests. If the proper foundation has been laid, then the testing issue will take care of itself (as long as that which is being tested, is fundamentally the same as that which is being taught).
So there are two issues wrapped up together: 1) the need for more local control (as opposed to far too many dictates from the state and federal governments, and 2) the need to free teachers and other educators up — so that they will have the time and energy to focus, again, with laser-like precision, on laying the academic foundation upon which all knowledge and skills-development rests. This issue is even more important when you consider that huge numbers of our children enter the system lagging far behind their middle class peers — right from the very beginning.
The latter referenced issue is clearly among the most important of all issues that we face, and is connected to another issue, i.e., the issue of widespread, concentrated poverty. Please don’t misunderstand us regarding this critically important issue. We do not subscribe (under any circumstances) to any theory or idea about children not being able to learn because they live in poverty. If this was the case, many whom we’ve known (as children of migrant farm workers) would be among the most uneducated people on earth. On the other hand, for us to stick our heads in the sand (as an ostrich would do), and pretend that issues and conditions that often come along with abject poverty —does not impact our ability to educate well — is frankly ridiculous, but the main point is that we need to do all that we can to make sure that we have the necessary, equitable resources to provide whatever our children need in order to develop to their full potentials, which is currently not the case, and to be honest, in order to secure such necessary resources probably will require a struggle and a fight (politically speaking). As you probably know, often those who need less — actually get more — because they are well organized and very effective advocates for them and theirs (often exclusively). The other side of this coin is that we must make sure that the vast amount of resources that we do receive are being utilized efficiently and effectively, which obviously is not the case currently, and which raises another issue that we would be better positioned to help focus on as Board members, i.e., rooting out massive waste, and possibly fiscal mismanagement, malfeasance and corruption, which is currently occurring in the RCSD.
Two other critically important issues we must deal with are 1) the need to address individual and institutionalized / systemic racism and the establishment of cultural equity relative to curricula, hiring and retention practices, as well as other ways, including revisiting a number of existing policies and practices. We realize this is a sensitive issue, but it is one that we will not shy away from. It needs to be addressed; 2) it is amply clear that traditional educational approaches and systems will not work for many of our students, especially many of those who have been shuffled through the system via the criminal practice of social (age) promotion. Thus, we need to get serious about developing authentic, alternative models of education.
So, these (above) represent the areas that we have been focused on, and will continue to focus on as Board members.
Also, we would like to be clear about the fact that we do not view ourselves as, and we are not presenting ourselves as some sort of supermen. On the contrary, as stated at the outset, in our humble, but staunch view, probably, not much of this will get done unless and until we build a deadly serious, ongoing movement of parents, grandparents, guardians, students, righteous and extraordinarily committed educators, politicos, including and especially Board members, and anyone else who is really serious about widespread, fundamental change and improvement — working cooperatively, collaboratively and constantly around concrete, well defined, measurable goals strategies and tactics, which is in essence what a movement is.
Just to recap — our focus and contribution relative to helping improve education for all of the children in the RCSD — will revolve around the following issues:
-Establishing relevant, broad-based parent, student and community engagement at every level of the system, and throughout the community (movement)
-Systemic change regarding standardization (in order to produce a new reality, in which the overall, initial focus is on properly and adequately laying the academic foundation upon which all else is built)
-Increased local control
-Development /Implementation of serious, authentic, alternative educational models
-Addressing / reducing systemic / institutionalized racism, and establishing cultural equity
-Addressing / ending systemic, social promotion
-Reducing / mitigating the impact and effects of concentrated, widespread poverty (equitable resource acquisition and efficiency, which includes rooting out massive waste, and possibly fiscal mismanagement, malfeasance and corruption)
Those who will elect us and all others can absolutely count on the fact that, if elected, we will lead. However, if we are to produce widespread, fundamental change and improvement, voters will necessarily have to remain active supporters. Again, we are not supermen. No one is. Change and improvement can only occur via deadly serious, ongoing, collective efforts.
Sincerely,
Howard & Ronald
We are currently accepting donations. Checks can be written out to: Committee To Elect Ronald Hall, and mailed to PO Box 67671, Roch., 14617, and/or Committee To Elect Howard Eagle, and mailed to Po Box 15604, Roch., 14615. Any contribution at all will be appreciated, and definitely well-spent.
For more information, contact Howard Eagle at howard.eagle90@gmail.com and/or Ronald Hall at rohall2@yahoo.com
https://www.facebook.com/groups/change1change/
Thank you,
Howard & Ronald
We live in Rochester,NY and we don’t need the same old stuff. This city is truly in trouble. It is not just the kids it’s the parents that also need to be educated. The parents were never educated on how to bring children up, eat right, and to contribute to society. These people need help!! I see it out there as someone who works on the TBI & NHTD waivers. There is no time for political non-sense as written above. Be genuine people. And care about someone beside yourself. This is not a political game anymore this is about people’s lives. Rochester city school is the worse district in the state of New York. Some help is desperately needed. Stop the political games!!!!
Howard Eagle continues his delusional tour. He hijacks this page as he has done on the Occupy Rochester Facebook page. Not even his Mother would read his long-winded rant.
I am a retired teacher who taught for nearly 26 years in the town I live in. I am now on the school board and I am working hard to stand up for our teachers. I convinced our school board to adopt an anti-testing resolution–one of the few boards in New Jersey to do so. Being on the school board is wonderful but challenging!
Liz, I hope you will run again next cycle- I was very impressed with your resume, and views- unlike the incumbents who won yet again- you are actually qualified!