Holy smokes! This stuff works!

I just had to post what I just received via email from a parent. To make sure you fully understand this, let me give you some background:

Our FLES program is being cut completely from 1st-3rd grades for next year and the 4th-5th grade is being reduced to only once a week, down from twice a week. We have tried as a FLES department to educate the School Board on how terrible this decision is, but we are not really getting through to them. We have a Facebook page and a petition out there too (which you are welcome to sign!) that we are trying to use to prove that people in this community are not happy with this decision.

Also, you need to know that my second unit for my practicum this semester is dealing with restaurant and food. The authentic problem I came up with (with a lot of help from Priscilla :) ) is to have the 3rd graders make videos teaching manners in restaurants for Sesame Street. So, I have started this project and the students are in HEAVEN. They are so excited, the entire school is talking about it.

So, back to how "this stuff works". I just got an email from a third grader's mother saying that she emailed the School Board in favor of FLES (she included the email and it was awesome!) and that she has signed our petition and emailed it to 30 of her friends (yay!!). She ended the message by saying:


"Thank you for all that you are doing to teach our children about the world outside of Loudoun County.   Brendan is very excited about the Sesame Street puppet show that you are working on with the class!"


This makes me think that the real reason she is being so outspoken and standing up for the program is because of the authentic learning her son is experiencing in my classroom!! I know the other part is how great of a teacher I am, of course ;). 


I hope you are as excited as I am right now!! I hope that word gets out more and parents see how an effective teacher can inspire real learning-something which we should never be removing from our schools. 


:D