Students Need More Mentors

Weekly Elixir – Rotary Club of Parry Sound
…for the week of November 23, 2009




Teacher of the Year tells Jacksonville, FL, Rotary that
students need more mentors

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Editor’s Comment - This is where the hands-on Service Above Self is clearly seen – when it’s not so important to write a check for Rotary projects. Instead, it is important to give of yourself – your time, your talents – and make a lasting impression upon one individual at a time!

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11/19/2009 - by Max Marbut - Staff Writer
http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com
mmarbut@baileypub.com


When she stepped to the podium at Monday’s meeting of the Rotary Club of Jacksonville, Marjorie Nolan looked at the audience and said, “There are people in this room from all different backgrounds, but the one uniting element is that we have all had our lives touched by a teacher.

Just about everyone remembers the teacher who taught them to read.”

At left - Rotary Club of Jacksonville member and former Superintendent of Duval County Public Schools John Fryer introduced Marjorie Nolan, the school district’s 2009-10 Teacher of the Year.

Nolan is the 2009-10 Duval County Public Schools Teacher of the Year. During her 30-year career in education she has been recognized for excellence several times.

-- Nolan was the 1995-96 Raines High School Teacher of the Year
-- She was a finalist for the county’s top honor in 1996.
-- She was First Coast High School’s Teacher of the Year for 2004-05 as well as
-- She was a also a finalist for the Duval County title in 2004-05.
-- In 2005 Nolan was the recipient of the Gladys Prior Award for Teaching Excellence.

Nolan recently expanded her focus from teaching children to coaching other teachers at First Coast High School to improve their skills and impact more students. She specializes in reading education, a part of the public school experience she said must be improved.

“Almost 9,000 public school teachers in Duval County work every day to prepare our future local workforce,” said Nolan, who added the average public school student in America reads two grade levels below their actual grade level.

“Here in Duval County, there are 1,000 high school students who are still in a reading class of some type. It’s important to establish the foundation of reading in elementary school. By the time a student is in high school, teaching them to read is a very difficult process. Kids have to understand that when you learn to read you can learn anything else,” she said.

Many things have changed since Nolan began her teaching career at Raines in 1978 but some things have not. Nolan recalled her first contract for $7,200 a year and said salaries are still low for teachers. That is causing many people without formal education in the art to enter the classroom and many see it as a temporary career, said Nolan.

“It’s a teacher’s job to inspire and motivate children to learn, but fifty percent of our teachers didn’t earn a degree in education,” she added. “Low salaries make it hard to attract talented teachers.”

Nolan said other than awards like Teacher of the Year, there are few incentives for teachers to strive for excellence. Those who wish to specialize in teaching remedial reading must complete 300 hours of specialized training but are not compensated for their extra effort.

“And they know they will spend their careers working with the most challenged students,” she added.

When asked what she would do if by some miracle the budget for public schools was doubled, Nolan quickly replied, “I’d make sure there were smaller classes, no more than 15 students per class if they are failing the FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test).

“I would also go to Barnes & Noble and buy books the students said they wanted to read. In some student’s homes the only book in their household is the telephone book.”

Nolan also said she thinks there’s too much emphasis on getting every student into college. Other courses of study in high school that would prepare some students for jobs, in the building trades for instance, would be helpful for many students.


“We need programs for students that aren’t just academic,” she added. “I know that’s not a popular stance but that’s what I’ve seen in more than 30 years in the classroom.”

Club member John Fryer is a former superintendent of Duval County Public Schools and an education consultant. He said he believes the common characteristic among poorly-performing students is they don’t set and achieve goals.

“The ability to help children develop goals can help teachers do a better job,” he commented.

Nolan agreed and called on the club members to volunteer their time to help students.

“There is a great need for mentors. When we see truancy or straight Fs on a report card clearly there is no mentoring or supervision in that student’s home. Hundreds of children at my school alone could use a mentor,” she said.





Interesting Jacksonville Rotary Club History -
1912

With only 40 Rotary clubs in the nation, and only New Orleans in the south, the Chicago club sent a prominent member to Jacksonville to assist in chartering a new club. On February 13, 1912, at the Windsor Hotel downtown at Hemming Park, 14 charter members met and officially organized.

George Clark was elected as the club's first president, and he served two years. Later he was named President Emeritus. Clark remained active until 1928 when he was granted an honorary lifetime membership.

The club met weekly at the Windsor Hotel and later at the Aragon Hotel. The club dues were set at $10 per year, not including lunch. Lunch added another $15 per year to the cost of membership.

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Rotary Club of Jacksonville meets every Monday - 12:30 p.m. (lunch at Noon)
Omni Hotel of Jacksonville (downtown) - 245 Water Street. Tel. 904-355-6664

Source: http://www.jaxrotary.org/