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Barnes: We can employ her as early as Thursday morning as a long-term substitute at $50 per day pay. SO HE WAS RELIEVED WHEN JILL TODD CAME ALONG. SHE HAD JUST GRADUATED FROM DELTA STATE AND WAS LOOKING FOR HER FIRST TEACHING JOB. Ms. Todd: You know I went over there thinking I was picking up an application, and they hired me.... I mean, it could not have been much better. THIS SEEMS LIKE A PROMISING TIME FOR THE SCHOOL. MISSISSIPPI IS LAUNCHING A STATEWIDE EFFORT TO TEACH READING MORE EFFECTIVELY. AND THIS YEAR, BEARDEN WILL GET EXTRA HELP WITH ITS READING PROGRAM. Barksdale: This is a national problem. 44 million Americans are functionally illiterate. That’s 22% of our adult population. That is a sin, in a country that’s this rich. JIM BARKSDALE AND HIS WIFE SALLY HAVE PLEDGED $100 MILLION TO HELP THE WEAKEST SCHOOLS IN THEIR HOME STATE. BEARDEN WILL GET $200,000 THIS YEAR TO TRAIN ITS TEACHERS AND TO BUY CLASSROOM MATERIALS. THAT’S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR ROSEMARY WOLFE, WHO MR. BARNES RECRUITED TO RUN BEARDEN’S READING PROGRAM. Ms. Wolfe: We don't have the right to play with a child's life, and that's exactly what's been happening. HER ROLE, LIKE VANESSA KEMP’S AT WALTON, IS TO PREPARE THE TEACHERS AND THEN MAKE SURE THEY DO THEIR JOBS WELL. Ms. Wolfe: I feel like we’ve pretty well eliminated excuses, and that’s exactly what we’ve intended on doing… Ms. Todd: The title of this book is just Me and My Babysitter… Ms. Wolfe: If … you have four to five thousand dollars to enhance your classroom … you have a teacher assistant who is going to be fully trained. You have people coming into your classroom that can assist you at any time. I don't think there is any excuse…You perform, you do the job that's expected of you, or find something that may be more suitable. Nothing personal. But we don't have time to play. Kathleena: I have a… AS PART OF ITS NEW READING PROGRAM, BEARDEN INDIVIDUALLY ASSESSES KATHLEENA AND EVERY OTHER CHILD IN THE SCHOOL, BEGINNING IN SEPTEMBER. BEARDEN HAS ALSO ADOPTED A READING CURRICULUM CALLED PROJECT READ, THAT USES PHYSICAL CUES—LIKE SKYWRITING—TO HELP CHILDREN LEARN. Ms. Todd: Say that sound and clip it. Kids: Kkkk. Ms. Todd: Good! LIKE READING MASTERY, PROJECT READ HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL AT MANY SCHOOLS. BUT IT’S A MORE COMPLEX PROGRAM THAT’S HARDER FOR TEACHERS TO LEARN. THE COMPANY RECOMMENDS EXTENSIVE TEACHER TRAINING. BUT MS. TODD HAS HAD ONLY TWO DAYS, AND, LIKE THE OTHER SECOND GRADE TEACHERS, SHE FEELS UNPREPARED. Ms. Todd: Have you been trained in any of this? Ms. Jackson: No. Ms. Todd: Okay. Ms. Jackson: That’s why I’m listening. Second-year teacher: To be real honest, I’m not that comfortable with it either cause last year was my first year to do it. Ms. Todd: It’s foreign to me. I mean I, you know, no training. I wouldn’t know where to begin. Ms. Jackson: We’re talking Greek. Second-year teacher: Well, they’re gonna have training sessions. Teacher with hat: You know, one session is not going to get it. Second-year teacher: Well- Teacher with hat: But when you’re trying to do it yourself in class, you don’t happen to have enough training to do that. |
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© 2003 WETA/Reading Rockets. All rights reserved. Photo Credit for Bearden Elementary: Maude Schuyler Clay |
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