Ron Clark: Not every kid deserves a cookie. But they all deserve a quality education to high standards.
It was the first day of a school for fourth graders in a rural Georgia district, and I was there to watch their excitement — slowly shrivel and die. For 50 minutes, the teacher recited her class rules in a voice so listless and flat that she could have been reading from the telephone book.
I was literally praying for a fire drill so I could escape, and it still saddens me that those 27 children returned to that lifeless classroom day after day.
“That’s a molasses class,” says Ron Clark, the desk-jumping, algebra-rapping, superstar teacher whose astounding success with struggling East Harlem students was celebrated in a movie and by Oprah Winfrey. In 2007, Clark used his fame to create his dream middle school in one of southeast Atlanta’s poorest neighborhoods, intent on practicing the craft he still considers his first mission and also on training other teachers.
Today, the private Ron Clark Academy vibrates with the energy and passion that earned its founder a national teacher-of-the-year title and helped him pen a bestseller, “The Essential 55.” Now, he has a new book that speaks to parents and teachers, “The End of Molasses Classes: Getting Our Kids Unstuck. 101 Extraordinary Solutions for Parents and Teachers.”
In a conversation and throughout his book, one theme dominates: All children can learn to high standards and Clark will Double Dutch, bungee jump or rap U.S. history to motivate students to reach those standards.
Contrast the first day of classes at Ron Clark Academy to what most schools will do this month. Clark and his staff choreograph the first few hours to convince their students that this is going to be the best year of their lives. The students arrive to a boisterous band and the entire school staff lined up to hug and high-five them. Some children are swept up and carried into the schools amid hoots and hollers. Once inside, staff members barrel down a two-story twisting blue slide in the school’s atrium to introduce themselves.
Borrowing from Harry Potter, Ron Clark Academy established four houses, and students are assigned by a 6-foot-wide spinning wheel. Children run up the coin steps —coins from every nation are embedded in the steps — and take their first ride down the slide as their houses are announced. It’s pandemonium
And then it’s silence —for three days.
An unexpected side to Clark’s Willy Wonka persona is his insistence on Sunday-best attire for staff and students, impeccable manners, firm handshakes, strong eye contact, hard work and earned rewards. As he says, “Not every child deserves a cookie.” (Somewhere in his hometown of Chocowinity, N.C., there must be a proud Sunday school teacher.) After those wild, first few hours, Ron Clark students are not allowed to talk for three full days unless asked a question or at lunch.
For while the 39-year-old Clark describes his school as the most magical in the world — his classroom is entered through a secret passageway behind a moving bookcase, and a noted graffiti artist painted the hallways — he also calls it the strictest. “I was brought up in a strict Southern household, no back talk,” he says. “You have to set the right tone from the start.”
His students accept the rigid discipline, he says, because they see the deep commitment behind it. While the school charges $18,000 annual tuition, only 10 percent of students pay the full freight. Most pay according to their means, on average $45 a month. The school accepts only 30 of 400 applicants, and Clark visits each of their homes before classes begin, believing he has to understand “what that child experiences every night.”
If students are falling behind, Clark shows up at their home to work with them. He demonstrates math in parent/student classes so families can work together. Every parent’s phone number is programmed into every staff member’s phone. In their four years at Ron Clark, the students travel to six continents with their teachers and to several U.S. cities. On a New York trip, Clark cajoled Panasonic to thrill his students by flashing their school photos from a giant screen in Times Square.
Clark asks a lot of his teachers, who earn salaries comparable to their public school counterparts. In return, he works to uplift them, rounding up donations to present each with a $1,000 gift card to buy school attire and honoring them at public events. (And throughout his new book.)
Proceeds from his book go into the school, which also earns income from the 3,000 educators who come each year to watch and slide. Clark knows that not every teacher can jump up on a desk or perform a rap but he believes his school and its use of music offers a model with wider application. “We are a big store. You are shopping for something that works for you,” he says.
I know that many people will dismiss the Ron Clark Academy’s accomplishments by citing the considerable corporate aid that the school receives. (Delta flies students for free.) But I don’t think it is the kid-friendly facility, the two-story slide or the trips abroad that distinguish the school.
It’s the teaching.
I asked Clark whether we can expect any teachers to demonstrate the level of dedication he shows toward his students, a dedication that claims his every waking moment and probably invades his sleep as well. I suggested that his dedication could be called unhealthy since it left no room for anything else.
“Sometimes, it is unhealthy,” said Clark, acknowledging that he could not put in these hours if he had his own family. He feels that he is a parent to his students, saying, “I have too many children.”
But Clark does think all teachers can adopt some of his principles — the book contains 101 — to enliven their classrooms, such as incorporating music and song, a hallmark of his academy. (He is a big fan of adding a djembe drum in his classroom.)
One simple idea I wish every middle school in Georgia would adopt is Clark’s Amazing Shake in which students introduce themselves to a variety of community volunteers in a series of stations set up in the gym or cafeteria.
Each volunteer station presents a unique challenge – one person might have a bandaged hand, another may be on a cell phone, another just dropped a stack of boxes – and kids are graded on how they maneuver this social obstacle course. Do the students first help the lady pick up the boxes and then introduce themselves? Or, do they introduce themselves first?
The students receive feedback on how they could have better handled each situation. The feedback stresses three things every child should know: The power of eye contact, a firm handshake and a big smile. The students with the highest scores win a prize. (Clark is big on public celebrations for work well done.)
The guiding philosophy of the Ron Clark Academy is that one of the students will be president some day. Since they have no idea which student it will be, Clark says the school must prepare all of them to be the leader of the free world. That includes providing them with a global perspective, academic excellence and a firm handshake.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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121 comments Add your comment
dawggirl
July 31st, 2011
9:07 am
I’m entering my 12th year of teaching middle school and I love the enthusiasm that comes from Mr Clark. I believe that many of the techniques he uses can be used in my public school classroom, and if not the actual technique then at least a similar method that includes the spirit of excitement for learning that students need. Where I differ with Mr Clark is in the assumption that what he is doing can be accomplished anywhere. I teach 115 students, so visiting homes of those who are falling behind (in most cases because they choose not to do the work) is impossible unless it becomes all I do every evening of every week. Parent involvement is another huge difference. I can’t even require a parent of a failing student to come to a conference much less participate in any way in their child’s education. More and more schools are refusing to assign homework because kids won’t do it and they won’t do it because parents refuse to be parents and make sure it is done, or to have consequences for poor performance at school. We’re comparing apples to ham when we compare a private school to a public school. In a class of 30 I will have 5 receiving special ed services and 2 more who need it but haven’t been diagnosed, I’ll have 4-5 who have been raised to believe they are the center of the universe and must receive all attention at all times, so I spend an absurd amount of time disciplining them. There will be at least 2 who have received no discipline at all at home and who are rude and belligerent on a good day, again more time on discipline. I’ll have 2-3 who are receiving ELL services and if I’m lucky they’ll speak “some” English. This leaves about half of my class not in those categories and about half of them will be lazy on most days and choose not to do the work given them. Everyday I come up with interesting, active ways to teach my students, but at the end of the day I toss a little reality at them as well. The world isn’t going to entertain them and neither am I. If they find something boring, get over it. If they’re rude, accept the consequences. If they follow the rules and put forth effort, I will go to the moon and back to help them succeed.
www.honeyfern.org
July 31st, 2011
9:08 am
HoneyFern has one teacher to five students. And doesn’t cost 18K. I’m just sayin’…
I think the best part about Ron Clark (and I would love to go visit his school, professionally, to observe for a day) is that he brings the focus back to quality of teaching. I don’t believe that you have to jump around like a monkey on angel dust (that was a funny image!) to engage students, but you do have to be engaging and let students know that you actually like your job, have made an effort to understand where they are coming from and demonstrate some enthusiasm for your subject. Not everyone can jump around and rap history (nor should they), but students know when a teacher cares and when they don’t.
Only 2/3 completing 8th grade is a little ridiculous, though, regardless of student body.
Maureen Downey
July 31st, 2011
9:14 am
@Question, I asked Clark and His first class is now 10th grade and doing quite well with the exception of a few students. Almost all the grads are at private high schools on scholarships.
Clark told me that he and his staff plan to follow their graduates closely.
Maureen
Maureen Downey
July 31st, 2011
9:17 am
@Digger, In the past, a thriving America didn’t have to worry as much about kids finishing high school and getting some postsecondary education as well. There were jobs for high school dropouts. Now, there aren’t and even basic jobs require far greater levels of literacy.
Maureen
Write Your Board Members
July 31st, 2011
9:19 am
I know that the KIPP middle school administrators spend an extraordinary amount of time locating magnets and private school placement for their graduates. (Though a KIPP high school is coming this year, I think.)
I am sure his kids do pretty well at the next level. They have committed parents.
Redweather, Actually only DSA and now Arabia Mt. have such contracts for the magnet schools in DeKalb. The theme schools have them as well. You can’t have them at every school because traditional public schools have to take all comers. No option to kick them out if the parents or students don’t do what is required.
RCA Parent
July 31st, 2011
9:21 am
I read all the comments listed but now I thinks its time to hear from a parent who has a kid at the Ron Clark Academy. The school is not a one size fit all. There are probably a lot of kids who would not do well under this environment. I was extremely apprehensive about my child attending. My thoughts were that it would be just like “Fame”, where kids would dance and sing their way through school. My child was an above average acheiver in the Fulton County school system. He was also in the TAG program. The work at Ron Clark Academy is intense and difficult. It forced my child to really focus and learn good study habits. Two things that I would like to point out. 1) While my child has to stay up late and work hard and even spend a good amount of his weekend studying, HE LOVES SCHOOL! Any school that can get a child to appreciate education should be applauded. 2) We teach our child good social skills at home but to see it enforced at school can only make kids better individuals and citizens. No institution is perfect. As my mother used to say, you get out what you put in. The Ron Clark Academy should not be judged by standards for now. Because it is a different school. I believe the real judgement will come when these students finish matriculating through college and become leaders in their community and country.
TeacherMom4
July 31st, 2011
9:24 am
Amen, dawggirl, amen.
old dude
July 31st, 2011
9:29 am
I have heard RC speak with inspriration to teachers and watched him as he did; a RC speech must be attended with both modalities. I found him engaging, entertaining and reminding me of the energy, enthusiasm and optimism that so many of us felt as young teachers ‘back in the day’ but a colleague of mine broke into my reverie with the thought “I bet he is not married with children of his own!” The stuff of life takes a toll on everyone in every walk and the best way to dedicate one’s full life to a calling (as I believe St. Paul noted in one of his letters) is to not be married. This is to say that RC is unique and I applaud him on that point. Another point is brought to mind by a blogger who mentions RC’s past experiences in NC and NYC; RC is also an entrepreneur and in order to concentrate on his philosophy of education, he had to leave the public school setting in order to have control over his product. Now, he controls the raw materials (students), his labor force (teachers) and his compensation (non-profit status, tuition, corporate and foundation grants, etc). He has turned his profession into a business. Frankly, I applaud him for that as well. But, let us not get too ‘worked up’ over the question of the transferrability of ideas from the RCA to the public classroom. In some shape or fashion, teachers have been using the concepts long before RC put them in a package and put a spotlight on it. Leave RC alone and let him do his thing and every once in a while he will publish a book and somebody will read it and find it helpful for a while. But, he is not the direction the guiding forces of public education are moving. THAT is an issue which frightens me.
SPARKY
July 31st, 2011
9:48 am
Non-scalable gimmicks.
So ridiculous but people eat it up.
I wish the kids well but it’s not like public and private schools have never succeeded with educating children.
I went to a strong public school in NY. Yes, some teachers were boring. Most were good and all the top kids ended up at Ivy Leagues or equivalent.
old dude
July 31st, 2011
9:49 am
@RCA Parent. Thank you especially for your telling phrase “judged by standards for now.” It is the movement toward ‘performace standards” at the state and national level which, to me, represents the greatest threat to the creativity and autonomy of teacher. I am not a reactionary; I know it is impossible to go back to the way things used to be. That is the way it goes. RC’s principles and methods are designed to ENGAGE children, the critical first step toward learning. It is really a tough sell when I have to begin class by saying to my students “we may have visitors in our classroom today who will ask you questions about the lesson such as ‘what is the Performance Standard for today’s lesson?’, ‘how will your teacher know you have mastered the Standard?’ or ‘what will your teacher do if you have not mastered the Standard?” Yes, in Georgia, public education is really about mastering the Standards. Hmmmmm?
HS Math Teacher
July 31st, 2011
11:11 am
“Not every kid deserves a cookie”. Does this mean that if a kid fails 7th grade Math, he/she will not be permitted to take 8th grade Math, just because he/she passed 5 out of 7 “other” subjects?
catlady
July 31st, 2011
11:22 am
Totally apples and oranges.In most middle schools (with all the caveats the others have listed) you bring in slides, etc, and you have kids getting thrown off the slides and all kinds of mayhem. Nothing invested, not even 45$, in the school. While interesting to see, totally unworkable in the Real World.
www.honeyfern.org
July 31st, 2011
11:45 am
@catlady, I respectfully disagree. I think it is workable, but it is hard, and as RC pointed out, as did a responder above, RC has no family life and no kids. I think kids rise or sink to our expectations, and our expectations for (especially middle school) students are ridiculously (and unsustainably) low.
Steve Perry on CNN says
July 31st, 2011
11:49 am
RCA, like Steve Perry’s school in Hartfort, CT., have almost 1/4 of their staff involved in fundraising. Just look at their website.
Reduced to its core, these schools are private schools like Paideia, Lovett, and others whose funding is through charity instead of tuition and fees. They rely also on teachers as mother Theresa.
Ms. Art Teacher
July 31st, 2011
11:51 am
I taught in a very diverse, poor, and rough school my second year teaching. Everyday was a full-out battle wherein in I lost and the students lost (because no teaching was happening). Over my Winter Break I read as many behavior management books as possible, including The Essential 55 by Ron Clark. After I implemented 24 of his 55 into my Art Room, my class management turned on a dime. Suddenly learning was happening and the kids and I were excited to be in the classroom. His whole philosophy is based on respect between students and between teachers and students. It works. And, we need more teachers like Ron Clark in the world.
Maureen Downey
July 31st, 2011
11:51 am
@Steve, Have you ever seen how much time and energy is spent on fundraising in public schools? There are many teachers who sponsor clubs that require lots of fundraising. From what I have seen, raising money for high school bands is a second full-time job for band teachers.
Maureen
Ms. Art Teacher
July 31st, 2011
12:04 pm
I also have to add: I don’t believe RC advocates that all teachers should do what he is doing in order to reach students. His books are very conversational. Instead, I think he shares what has worked for him in a tone of “take what you think will work for you.” I’ve read all of his books and I’ve never felt that RC was advocating that I drink tons of milk in order to throw up just to gain student attention. . . Does he expect a lot from the teachers at RCA? It appears he does. But, those teachers had to apply for those jobs and I’m thinking it was very clear from the beginning that the expectations would be high and that at some points the devotion to school would overtake personal lives. . .And, that was a choice those teachers made. I agree, that choice isn’t a realistic one for most teachers to make -including myself. I don’t visit student’s homes etc. etc., but I do implement a lot of the classroom procedures that RC advocates and IT WORKS.
Bill
July 31st, 2011
12:10 pm
pskybskt,
You make a good point about the proportion of administrators being out of line. I have to fundamentally disagree with the competition suggestion though. Competition can be good and productive in the right circumstances. But, competition always has losers as well as winners. Often the losers outnumber the winners by a huge margin. We already have too few winners in public education, we cannot afford to make it worse.
One huge problem for public education is that often those with the means put their kids in private schools. This means that the very families which might help to improve public schools are gone. This has been an accelerating trend ever since 1970. If you really want to improve public schools, ban private ones.
As for schools of education you seem to want to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Education is a “course of study”. I don’t mean to suggest that there is not room for improvement at schools of education, of course there is. But that doesn’t mean that they are worthless.
Maureen Downey
July 31st, 2011
12:14 pm
@Ms. Art, Thanks for your perspective. I have no doubt that many of Clark’s classroom strategies are applicable to any classroom. I also think he has sensible advice for parents.
Maureen
ANGELA
July 31st, 2011
12:18 pm
Maureen,
Have you by chance seen this article?
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/philadelphia-english-teacher-explains-why-she-helped-students-160244016.html
I cannot say that I agree or disagree but I did find her reasoning interesting.
Bill
July 31st, 2011
12:18 pm
Based on what I have read here and elsewhere, it sounds like his philosophy can be boiled down to – you need to find was to engage kids. Duh!
Harold
July 31st, 2011
12:27 pm
My daughter went to the Chamblee Magnet School for High Achievers in DeKalb. Her best teacher in 8th grade (and in her entire middle and high school experience) was a chemist who left the private sector to teach middle school physical science and got certified while he taught. Ken Townsel was knowledgeable, hands-on, and lab oriented. He also had great disciple.
This was the time when co-operative groups were becoming the vogue. At the first of the year, Mr. Townsel told my daughter’s class that he didn’t believe in grouping students who did no work with students who worked hard. He said in his opinion, the non workers let the hard workers put forth all of the effort. He said he would group them by grades. The top scorers in his class would get grouped together and the bottom scorers would be grouped together and so on. My daughter said the slackers freaked out. They had been in co-operative groups for years in elementary school and had always depended on the hard workers to complete everything while they contributed very little to the project. Now they were in groups with other slackers and had to figure out how to get the work done. Shaking things up and using different approaches was typical of Mr. Townsel.
I’ll never forget his enthusiasm, intelligence, and genuine love of teaching. I’ll always be grateful for the science content and processing skills my daughter learned in his class. Five or six years later, Mr. Townsel was promoted to be a science coordinator in DeKalb. I felt sorry for the kids that would never have the opportunity to be challenged and taught by him. If anyone ever belonged in a classroom, he did.
I guess Mr. Townsel felt the same way. He’s been at the Ron Clark Academy for quite a few years now as a Science teacher. When I was looking at their staff list one day, I saw his name and that spoke volumes to me as to the quality of teacher that Ron Clark hires. Lucky students to have such a wonderful teacher.
ANGELA
July 31st, 2011
12:29 pm
With regard to Ron Clark I would love to go and observe for about a week beginning with the first day of school. However, I must point out that a lot of what he is able to do is because he has the choice of hand picking his students. He also, has a specific criteria that each student and their family must meet. I did a recommendation for a former student who was not selected. She did not meet (I assume) the criteria. I must admit that because I know a little about that situation I might some what understand why.
We in public school don’t have that choice of hand picking our students and we would not even dream of going to these students homes for many reasons. If I could hand pick my students I would have all perfect scores and behaviors.
I have not had the pleasure of reading any of Ron’s books but I will make it a point to order one immediately.
A Face in the Crowd
July 31st, 2011
12:32 pm
“The guiding philosophy of the Ron Clark Academy is that one of the students will be president some day.”
This, in my opinion, is the fatal flaw of the educational system today, and until it is properly and honestly assessed we will remain on this pell mell ride into a new Dark Ages.
We have predicated our curriculum and expectations toward that rather asinine piece of feel good rhetoric. Well, the chances of that happening are about the same as becoming a star professional athlete, a rock star, a Nobel laureate, or what-have-you. This philosophy sets the child up for failure from the get-go if s/he is the average, run-of-the-mill student. Instead of providing them with life-sustaining skills oriented to the workforce needed in the community in which they are resident, we are not teaching anything much but a belief in fairy tales of the Harry Potter type.
I speak from the experience of my own classroom experience focused on a predominantly “at risk” population, the majority of whom couldn’t aspire to the presidency should they so dream, nor can they aspire to a college degree. They know that from an early age. They can, however, aspire to opening a business, learn to play the paper game of capital investment, and a host of other pursuits which can be lucrative without the need of a piece of a Papa Doc degree purchased at Mail In U. We need plumbers, electricians, mechanics, dry wallers, carpenters, and those hundreds of other skilled professions. This educational “philosophy” does not produce them and such “trade” programs as do exist are predicated on a dumping ground mentality.
Here, I speak from personal experience. Of my three, one was a top of the scale test scorer with a resume of accelerated classes, leadership positions and all that brought the Ivy League calling. The second was the artsy type whose academic courses in the maths and sciences resulted in mediocre scholastic results. The third wanted to be a mechanic. He had no interest whatsoever in chemistry or trig, getting him through high school was a major accomplishment. Because of our family’s socio-economic standing, the schools insisted that the three all go onto the “going to be president one day” track.
The “top of the line” one decided to be a stay-at-home wife and mommy. The artsy one decided to make a career of the military. The hands-on one works construction and is studio musician “for fun.” All three are successful and we are equally proud of them all. The truth be told, though, it is the youngest who has been the most self-sufficient, still has the first nickel he ever made, and can talk fairly knowledgeably about investments. All three are making their own contributions to the future of our society, but in ways far, far removed from the limiting “expectations” of the fairy tale world we see in so many of these “feel good” dream worlds.
pskybskt
July 31st, 2011
9:07 am
“If you want to improve education within 4 years, ban every School of Education at every university.”
I agree. These diploma factories are in the business of perpetuating this myth. They and what they “teach” are the root of the current problem.
Cobb Teacher 2
July 31st, 2011
12:36 pm
For all of the naysayers out there, let me tell you that I am a teacher who had a wonderful opportunity to spend a day at the Ron Clark Acadamy last November. The teaching is for real. The manners and respect of the students are impecable. I ate lunch with a young lady from the school and she was telling me about all she was learning in many subjects. She had better table manners than most adults and is prepared to eat lunch with the Queen of England. Everything was “Yes, Ma’am” and “No, Ma’am”. She was a sixth grader who was able to eighth grade algebra. Every teacher in the school has an amazing way of engaging students. Some are crazy like Clark, while others are more reserved.
I went into my visit there with many of the same complaints of posters on this blog. He picks his students, he doesn’t have to give the CRCT, he has major corporate sponsors, etc. BUT…I decided to have an open mind and enjoy every minute of my visit. I even jumped on the amazing trampoline in the school’s library. Mr. Clark was more than happy to speak personally with teachers and answer their questions. A friend of mine is a teacher at the school and loves the high energy environment.
I teach first grade. When I arrived at RCA, I thought, “How can I make these middle school techniques work for my first graders?” Of course I can’t do everything Ron Clark does. I’m teaching public school and have a family at home. But Ron Clark is right when he says there is something for everyone at the school.
Here is what I learned and what I have implemented from my visit. 1. We can teach our kids respect and manners and expect them to use them. 2. Music and movement work wonders in the classroom. Putting content to simple songs (Ron Clark uses popular music, but I use simple nursery rhymes and songs for the little ones) can help kids better understand what you are trying to teach them and help them hold on to that information long term. 3. Have a positive attitude. Yes, even in the pressure cooker of NCLB we can have fun with our students and be positive about what we are accomplishing together.
I don’t think Ron Clark expects every teach to be like him, but I can say from experience that a visit to his school is worthwhile for any educator at any level.
Georgia Coach
July 31st, 2011
12:50 pm
@grandma and @ chuck Research shows that class size must drop below 15 before it has any significant impact on student achievement. Clark is correct in that the focus must be on improving teacher quality.
Dekalbite
July 31st, 2011
12:54 pm
Ron Clark’s ideas are like a buffet. Choose what works for you and the students you are teaching at that time. There are many teachers and educational researchers who have great ideas. The hardest part is finding, choosing and implementing the ones that work for you and your students.
The idea of program duplication is one of the major problems in education today. This is the major stumbling block for school systems that use scripted learning programs such as America’s Choice, Springboard, etc. Teachers have different teaching styles, and forcing an effective teacher to change his/her learning style just to fit a program an administrator likes is bound to be inefficient.
I suspect Ron Clark seeks teachers who subscribe to his basic educational philosophy, but I sense he appreciates the unique teaching style each teacher brings to the classroom.
Steve Perry on CNN says
July 31st, 2011
1:11 pm
@Maureen
The mighty South West Dekalb award winning band surely does not raise $18 000 per band member. The bulk of the funds they receive is not free money from Oprah and others.
Putting 55 rules out there and stating the obvious that you should pick what works is clever. My worse teacher in high school had a few worthy rules that I wish my best teacher in high school had followed.
We can’t compare the foreign policy and power projection of the USA with the foreign policy and the power projection of Monaco as they are very different world powers.
Steve Perry on CNN says
July 31st, 2011
1:25 pm
@ pskybskt July 31st, 2011 9:07 am
Ron Clark is a threat to public education as much as the Indianapolis Colts football team is a threat to the Cross Keys High School football team!
Ron Clark is no even a minor threat to the staff of public school in the $200 000 per family income zip codes!!
SallyB
July 31st, 2011
2:16 pm
For years and years, I have been recommending that all college students planning to enter the teaching profession make it a priority to include drama and acting classes in their preparation.
It seems Ron Clark has elevated this notion to celebrity status.
It is imperative that a person who is in front of a class of 30 students on a daily basis be able to command the attention of the audience somehow, some way….it matters not how diverse that audience is.
The point is, the method[s] that are successfully employed can be and are as diverse as the audience.
As many have said today, many styles of teaching can be and are successful, just as many types of actors [ typecast or not] command attention.
One of the teacher’s who was finally able to get math concepts across to me was white haired, cigar smelling old man who spoke in a monotone and made bitterly sarcastic remarks on a regular basis. He engaged the whole class and commanded attention. Did everyone pass? Heck no. But at least 80 % learned enough to pass, LEGITIMATELY!
SallyB
July 31st, 2011
2:27 pm
I am sad to say, however, Bottom Line, that unless something is done about the outrageous behavior that must be tolerated by teachers [due to lack of administrative and parental support ] in today’s classroom, I just don’t see significant improvement in student achievement coming any time soon.
Without being able to demand common courtesy and some modicum of respect in the classroom, [which ,of course, Ron Clark Academy is able to do consistently, strictly, and with support,] good stuff just AIN’T gonna happen.
USTP
July 31st, 2011
2:29 pm
Kudos to Ron Clark Academy for the important work they do.
An earlier post regarding the question of their funding catches the eye. Beck @ 2:09 a.m. posits that the school is not supported by the taxpayers but rather by “donations”. The school’s website indicates the primary donors are large corporations. We must’nt lose sight of the fact that those corporate donations are subsidized by taxpayers in the form of a dollar for dollar tax deduction. For every $1 Delta Airlines, e.g., reduces its tax bill by a charitable donation another taxpayer has to make up the difference. It’s wonderful that companies have stepped up to this noble cause, but it’s also important to understand that at the end of the day it is the taxpayers – not companies – who are actually supporting the school.
Dr. John Trotter
July 31st, 2011
4:56 pm
I like the fellow. I think that he’s doing much good. I only wish that much of it could be replicated in the public school setting.
Here’s my thoughts on it…in a larger context. >>>
The Ron Clark Academy; Let Teachers Teach And Be Creative; Clayton County Schools; Newt Gingrich & David Worley; Acting Too White; The Brain Drain From The Blight Of Urban Schools; Pat Conroy & Conrak; Green County & McDonald’s; UGA & ECU; Judas Maccabee & The Revolt; And A Few Other Controversial Considerations!
http://www.georgiateachersspeakout.com
Former APS student
July 31st, 2011
5:19 pm
False advertisement?
Ron Clark Academy sits in an area where just about every elementary school was apart of the cheating Atlanta public school cheating scandal. I would like to know how many children from the surrounding communities that the school is located in are actually benefiting from the educational experiences this school is offering.
When the school first open up in 2007. It was presented as a school for low income children from various academic background now it has changed to mixed income w/ some of the families coming from wealthy homes. It was suppose to be a bright light in a very dim location. There are many children who live in the area where the school is located that would benefit greatly from the the education that Ron clark AcADEMY has to offer.
But I bet any amount of money there arent any children from that area attending the school. When and why did the vision change.
Why is this school located in that neighborhood if it isnt benefiting the children who live in that neighborhood?
I guess it looks good for the corporate sponsors.
NewMinority
July 31st, 2011
5:33 pm
America fiddles while America burns!
Teachers, if the economy goes down, EVERYTHING goes down with it! Public schools will disappear over night. There will be no money to run them. Our current central banking system has left the dollar on life support!
Call your Senators and Representatives NOW and demand that they pass an
“ANDREW JACKSON AMENDMENT”
1. Repudiate the interest on the debt, and any debts owed directy to the Federal Reserve bank.
2. The remaining debt should be refinanced by a real Bank of the United States that is actually owned by the American Taxpayer and authorized by the original Constitution, not a private corporation like the Fed.
3. Since a real Bank of the United States owned by the American Taxpayer would not pay interest to itself, and print an interest free currency, the United States could be in the black in a few short years.
4. Tariffs would need to be re-enacted so America could rebuild its manufacturing and retail base without having to compete with Third-world sweat shops that rely on virtual slave labor.
5. Our Gulf and Alaska oil will be nationalized until the new economy is stabilized. Excess can then be sold to pay off remaining debts and grow the economy.
5. Illegal Immigrants would have to be expelled from the country and all of our military force would need to be brought home to protect America’s Borders from those countries whose loans will not be repaid.
6. The only Constitutional amendment that needs to be passed is one that would revoke the Federal Reserve Amendment of 1913.
The ONLY options currently proposed by Congress are those that would benefit the private banking cartel that runs the Federal Reserve:
1. Raise the debt ceiling, destroy our credit rating, trigger inflation and higher interest rates to ultimately crash the economy.
2. Default on our debt payments and crash the economy right now.
Any hopes of “cutting the deficit” while under the control of the Federal Reserve is IMPOSSIBLE! We are currently unable to make MINIMUM INTEREST PAYMENTS on our 14.3 TRILLION DEBT! Congress’ only solution is to GET ANOTHER CREDIT CARD and DEFAULT ON ITS SOCIAL SECURITY INTEREST PAYMENT to U.S. citizens!! Notice, they don’t mind stiffing the U.S. citizen as long as they pay their banker overlords!
Your inaction is this country’s DOOM!
Nikole
July 31st, 2011
5:45 pm
Discipline is key and that is why the RCA works.
TeachMom
July 31st, 2011
6:55 pm
I had the pleasure of working with Ron Clark at Kennesaw State’s “Future Educator” event held about six years ago. It was a forum for high school students who were interested in becoming teachers. He was great and trust me when I tell you that he could handle kids from Atlanta and other inner city locations!
We had a few kids who were quite talkative. Right in the middle of his presentation, Clark kindly told them that they could leave or be quiet, but they would not disturb those who were actually interested in the forum. You could have heard a pin drop! About five minutes later, he was on the floor breakdancing. It was hilarious. I think he can more than handle his own.
While not a fan of the singing and dancing in education, it seems to work. I’m from the old school but we’re becoming extinct;-)
TeachMom
July 31st, 2011
6:59 pm
Also, Ron Clark allows teachers to come in and observe how their system works. If your principal signs off on it, it can be used for professional development.
school observer
July 31st, 2011
7:18 pm
Ron Clark lives in educational LALA land. A place where he can choose who he educates. I agree that his methods are over the top and the Essential 55 is just good old common sense and what our parents use to call “home training. Whatever happen to expecting students to be respectful and have self-discipline? It’s easy to get results when you skim the cream. I agree with Title I educator, it’s his dedication to his mission that cause most believers to think that his methods are a panacea for what ails public education. Improving public education is about accountability and responsibility for everyone students, parents teachers and administrators.
NewMinority
July 31st, 2011
8:01 pm
The Federal Reserve System: Too complicated to be honest……
http://sanders.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/GAO%20Fed%20Investigation.pdf
Here’s a “Ron Clark” challenge for all government school teachers: Accurately explain how the Federal Reserve works and how they supposedly averted financial disaster with the bank bailout of 2008.
sloboffthestreet
July 31st, 2011
10:17 pm
Perhaps the biggest part of any educators resume should be if you can’t think like a 5 year old you should not be teaching Kindergarten. The same goes for 4th grade and thinking like a 10 year and so on. The emotional makeup of students is such a rapidly changing dynamic in their ability to relate to presentation of subject matter, methods of encouragement, and discipline. I see teachers in system that have been outside a classroom for years and with budget cuts are now returned to a classroom without reguard to ability or grade level. The only thing that matters is they are a friend of the administration and will keep their job. I see teachers that specalize in yelling while others conduct a very organized, calm classroom. It’s not magic and respect sometimes is given before it is expected. Inspire a child and you will have their attention and respect forever. It’s just that easy.
Digger
July 31st, 2011
11:26 pm
I just can’t see Indian or Chinese teachers rapping and dancing on their desks, and wonder what it says about the cognitive state of our students and society that we need these types of stimuli to get off our butts.
Michael
August 1st, 2011
12:03 am
So where can I find these wonderful teaching tools for free online. I mean if it is so important to him.
Blythinian
August 1st, 2011
1:58 am
Students, no matter what societal, economic, ethnic, or other group, will succeed again when they no longer feel like a simple cog in the wheel. They feel anonymous in large 1200 plus population schools with more nose in the air administrators than teachers.
Small, community schools that house students from k-12 grade are the answer. Keep the big high schools for sports and tech and other non academic classes that students could participate in two days a week as long as their academic/core classes are kept up to par. Ditch bubble answer (scantron) testing for MOST assessments until mastery via written assignments shows readiness to take Standardized exit exams.
Give teachers the opportunity to become a ‘force’ in a child’s education for more than 180 days…Let teachers teach them for 2 or 3 years or so. Students and teachers are happier and grades (knowledge) are higher when students are able to form a bond with their teachers and they know they will not be forgotten over summer break.
Not a Fan
August 1st, 2011
9:07 am
Ron Clark cherry picks his students, guilts and manipulates them (and their parents) into behaving like robots, and ostracizes those who don’t get with the program. Ask some of the parents whose children did NOT graduate from RCA what the real deal is with the school. His jazz hands don’t work for me.
Don't Understand
August 1st, 2011
11:47 am
The FREE MARKET at work. This cannot be duplicated in a government setting because government schools DO NOT HAVE TO EARN THEIR MONEY !
Notice that only 10% pay the full price with other mechanisms worked out to fill the gaps. That’s what the market does – it does what it can to keep its customers happy.
And as for parental involvement, we need only look at funding. Parents don’t education for their kids that is “FREE.” They are responsible and accountable. Part of keeping costs low requires involvement by them, not just showing up with signs at the county commission meeting and begging for more theft from their neighbors or businesses.
Government is government and private enterprise is private enterprise. People seem to think that you can transplant success from one to the other but it is NOT POSSIBLE. So long as you get your money by force or the point of a gun, you will never do what is really required to keep your customers happy. The minute they have to pay their own way and can walk with their money is the day you become responsive to their needs.
But parents would rather have their children suffer and their schools fail then give up the gravy train of having everyone else pay to educate their kids. Seems like a poor deal you made with the devil.
Don't Understand
August 1st, 2011
11:49 am
Just imagine how many creative Ron Clark type of solutions we might see if we just got rid of the government schools and their funding mechanism, and put the responsibility for education back in the hands of parents and creative entrepreneurs.
Mum
August 1st, 2011
12:21 pm
My college student still speaks about an 8th grade math teacher who used rhyme to teach concepts that are still with her. That teacher retired at the end of her 8th grade and she laments that her younger siblings won’t have the honor of being in his class. I know I still remember the names of my most engaging teachers and how they made me WANT to be at school because I didn’t want to miss their classes. Something is not working in many, many schools, socio-economics aside, and we have to remember that the mindset of children has changed dramatically, plus education is a political and financial football nowadays. Heavens, even Sesame Street is considered a threat.
Ole Guy
August 1st, 2011
1:23 pm
It would ppear that Mr Clark has taken a page from the “Father Flanegan School of Cliches”. While every kid does indeed deserve THE AVAILABILITY of a first rate education, no one…least of all an education system which all-but ties the hands of those responsible for “product delivery”…can force-feed the kid who simply don’t want it/who don’t have the discipline to reach out and grab it.
As much as there are many who disdain any thoughts of re-acquiring the teaching methods of yesteryear, I repeat…IT’S THE ONLY WAY. Anything else is tantamount to fornicating in the name of chastity. When are we going to remove our collective heads from the warm dark recesses of blind followership, start taking the tough steps which, though not popular, though extremely non-pc, and definetely prone to rejection by the very kids who will most-benefit…and get with the program. The “kinder and gentler” methodologies we have insisted upon are obviously not working. Any method of objective measurement will bear this out, yet we insist on going down the same road to mediocrity and ultimate failure which has already failed many generations.
WAKE UP and stop paying needless homage to these snake oil salesmen.
catlady
August 1st, 2011
1:37 pm
And what would have happened if Mr. Clark had told those children to leave or be quiet and they did neither? Cause that is how it is in the REAL WORLD of teaching.
Ron Clark’s degree of success is first and foremost about investment–parents have to invest time and some money in their child’s education. Contrast that with public schools, where there is NO investment required. Some parents cannot tell you their child’s school, much less their teacher’s name! Just get on that bus in the morning, go wherever it takes you, get off, eat breakfast, sit in class, eat lunch, sit in class, go home on the (again, taxpayer provided)school bus. No muss, no fuss!
Clark also demands certain behaviors. Absent those, you are outta there. Contrast that with public schools.
Clark operates on freely given donated money–lots of it. Contrast that with public schools, where ever cent is resented from the legislature on down.
Then, Clark encourages his teachers to get down with the kids. Any teacher trying that would be PDPd in a heartbeat.
At the present time, Ron Clark Academy offers little that will help 99.9% of the public school kids.
Ms. Downey, look into and interview those who “didn’t make it.” See why a third of the kids went somewhere else.