Hasta La Gadget!

I got involved in civil rights gradually. At the outset I simply cared deeply but didn’t know very much about it. It became clear that it was one thing to be legitimately in favor of racial justice, yet quite another to take a controversial public stand on the issue. Race was dynamite as a major issue in America. In 1961 it was sharply dividing U.S. families, places of worship, universities, you name it. Virtually everybody had an opinion. I realized that I was acutely interested. I was touched by influential writings of the time, voices speaking from books and the theater and in film. But I kept my distance intellectually and emotionally.

Yet one day I was reading James Baldwin (Notes of a Native Son,” “Nobody Knows My Name”) on a San Francisco bus and, to my genuine surprise, was crying. I was deeply touched beyond my own defenses. This mattered to me in ways I could not easily understand. The point is, I could not easily remain distant from racism. Yet organized religion of the time was largely a victim of its own implausible racism.

Organized religion — “the church” — was unmistakably an integral part of institutional America. At this time my position in it was as an Episcopal chaplain at a university in Colorado. I was sharply influenced by the worker priests in France, industrial mission in Britain, and such books as “The Diary of a Country Priest.” I was idealistic. The church was not “a job” for me; it was a vocation, a calling by God.

So, should I speak out?

Actually I was scared about drawing undue attention to myself. It seemed sinful in many ways. “Father, you gave a great sermon.” I had my doubts about that. Wasn’t a preoccupation with such a question sinful in itself? I believed “priestly servanthood” was linked to vocation. Yet a priest was a public figure, especially when such a person, playing a role of social and cultural involvement, took a public stand. So I had decidedly mixed feelings about drawing attention to myself.

Linked to this, moreover, was that I was, overwhelmingly, an introvert. This was personal stuff, but that’s precisely why it was significant. For example, how could I possibly metamorphose into some kind of media personality that would retain even the slightest element of truth? Shouldn’t my goal of priestly servanthood include not drawing attention to myself (as I would be doing in any public role), a contradictory kind of public witness?

To complicate the issue, we were moving into an entirely new era of clerical stardom in the media. Billy Graham was a superstar. So was Norman Vincent Peale. So was Bishop Sheen. Even the Oscars came aboard when Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman received Academy Awards for playing clerical roles.

Everything changed for me when I was invited by Louisiana State University to be a speaker for its Religious Emphasis Week. Soon I was invited for a sequel appearance there. Then, suddenly, I was cancelled, period. I was too frank, too outspoken. The issue was race, as the New York Times pointed out in an article. The Times quoted me: “When one becomes involved in such a situation, one must make a choice either to condone evil or to stand up and fight for truth.”

I was caught in my own public situation. I was ready to respond when, in 1961, a letter arrived on my doorstep. It invited me to join a Freedom Ride that would shortly originate in New Orleans and proceed to Detroit. A group of Episcopal priests, black and white, from various parts of the U.S. would participate. Would I like to join them?

I sat all night in a dark room. I prayed. I wrestled with God. And at last I said “yes.”

Our Freedom Ride attracted international attention. Many of our lives were irrevocably changed, mine included. This began a lifetime of involvement and active participation in civil rights.

I begin a new chapter with the blog today, as I continue with the mission: to become more, by helping others to do the same. In essence my goal is to touch other people’s lives, one word at a time. Beginning this week it’s the Sunday Series, something I will make an honest attempt to do every Sunday morning, to tell the world about you, to share your story.

The stories I am looking to share are those of tremendous courage, hope, inspiration, education and joy. In other words, those people who face great challenges yet find a way to overcome, those who lead a path we all can aspire to follow, those who have a way of lifting us up when we’re down, AND those who are living the dream, meaning from my point of view, they are doing exactly what they were born to do and have found a way to affect other people. They have been born, and now they know WHY. We can learn a lesson from all of the above.

The first ever in this Sunday Series: Ian’s Story.

His name is Ian Scher. He is the son of Marci Weinberg Scher & Brian Scher and the twin sister of Becca Scher and for most of the ten years of his life, Ian has struggled. Struggled to move, struggled to breathe, struggled to survive. His family has done the same, because every moment of Ian’s discomfort steals a piece of their heart.

Ian has a rare motor neuron disease, a mutation of the VRK-1 gene, a degenerative muscular condition. Marci says it is best described as a child’s form of ALS. The bottom line… it’s a terminal illness. Those are tough words to think, tougher to write, unimaginable to speak out loud, but yesterday I spoke to Marci for this blog post and G-d love her, she can say the words out loud because she and Brian have accepted the inevitable. Now it’s up to them to make Ian’s journey as meaningful as possible.

Currently Ian has round-the-clock care, whether it be Marci and Brian, or the daily nurse who comes to the home, (minus the weekend days). Ian has no movement at all, he needs someone nearby in case he wants or needs something and if he experiences respiratory distress, (he has a trach and a ventilator, which since coming home from the hospital, have basically saved his life.) Ian can tell you what he needs you to do for him, his parents and his sister have become Ian’s hands, arms and legs. But Ian’s voice is growing weak and communication has become a challenge.

Ian attends a half-day of school (Chatsworth Elementary) and then he is tutored in math at home a few times a week. He is part of the Gilchrist Kids Palliative Care program, more like hospice-at-home. Home is where the heart is, and Marci, Brian and Becca want him to be there.

In light of the darkness, there have been moments of wonder: Ian throwing out the first pitch at the Orioles game at Camden Yards this past August, Ian going to sleep away camp this summer for 13 days at Camp Simcha Special. And a few years ago, through the Make a Wish foundation, Ian getting to go to Orlando to meet Spiderman. I would say the honor belonged to Spiderman, the real super hero was the one who came to see him!

There has been heroism in the Scher’s struggle to learn what is wrong with Ian. For most of his life, no one could figure it out. But the Scher’s were not giving up. It wasn’t until a test, Whole Exome Sequencing, which became commercially available a short time ago, that the family finally could learn the truth. Blood was drawn in March of last year, and by July of 2012, the Scher’s had their answer. Ian had the VRK-1 gene mutation, only one of six people in the world known to have the disease. Marci and Brian are carriers. The chances of this happening, astronomical. The consequences, devastating.

But Marci told me a big moment in this journey was finding out why. She said, “having diagnosis was a huge weight lifted off of us. A huge loss would have been him passing away and not knowing what it was that caused it.”

So now there are the day-to-day challenges of Ian’s care, but Marci say it’s much more than that, “I still remember Ian walking and running around. It’s hard seeing other boys doing things I know he wants to be able to do. But maybe the biggest challenge for Marci is, as she says, “in my own mind, imagining what life will be like after. Knowing I can’t fix this.”

No one can fix it. And this is the reason I chose to tell Ian’s story as the first of the Sunday Series for this blog. Go ahead, throw your troubles out on the table, then look at what others are facing, I bet you might pull yours back pretty quick. Take a good look at the Scher family, facing life’s greatest loss, and watching it happen in slow motion. But each day they find a way to make every moment count, to give Ian every chance to live as normal an existence as possible, to make sure he gets to experience his share of this world, so he can touch others and have them transformed by him… no matter how much time is left.

Yes, the Scher family is redefining what it means to be courageous, determined and devoted.

Marci says she wants the message of this story to be about education. She wants others to know this gene mutation is out there, so they don’t face the same nine-year struggle her family did, trying to find out what was wrong with their child. But whether Marci, Brian and Becca admit it or not, their message goes so much deeper. It’s not easy to find the right words, when facing life’s greatest loss, but I need not look far, it’s the title of Marci’s own journal she is keeping during this journey: Treasure yesterday. Dream of tomorrow. Live for today.

Thanks Marci we will. And, we will pray for a miracle.

Until next time, thanks for taking the time.

Mark

Mark Brodinsky, Author, Blogger, Financial Services
The #1 Amazon Best-Seller: It Takes 2. Surviving Breast Cancer: A Spouse’s Story
http://www.spouses-story.com/, http://www.amazon.com/Mark-Brodinsky/e/B00FI6R3U6

Connect: markbrodinsky@gmail.com

“The real challenge for the Malaysian education system is twofold. Firstly, it is to embrace and engage in real and sustainable change, and secondly, to strive for the equity and excellence that the high performing systems around the word embody.” – Alma Harris

Why is transformation needed in the Malaysian education system and how will it best be secured and sustained?

In the latest PISA tests, Malaysia scored 52nd out of 65 countries. The government’s Malaysia Education Blueprint (MEP) 2013 – 2025 sets out goals and strategies for comprehensive system transformation to prepare students for the challenges of a 21st century world. The MEP was recently supplemented by the National Higher Education Strategic Plan (PSPTN), which intends to ensure that system transformation takes place from pre-school through to the University level.

In The Global Search for Education series we have learned that successful education systems around the world invest in high quality teachers and principals. Joining us from Malaysia today for Part 2 of East vs. West is Dr. Alma Harris to share her perspectives on how educational outcomes can be improved within the Malaysian system. Alma Harris is a Professor and Director of the Institute of Educational Leadership at the University of Malaya and Professor of Educational Leadership at the Institute of Education (IOE) London. Her latest book, Uplifting Leadership, with Andy Hargreaves and Alan Boyle, is published by Wiley Business Press.

“The top priority has to be changing classroom practice. Learner outcomes are unlikely to improve unless there is serious and long-term investment in improving teacher quality.” – Alma Harris

What are the primary challenges faced by the Malaysian education system?

In a complex, diverse and economically burgeoning society, the current challenges facing the Malaysian education system are considerable. Its economic potential is fast outpacing its human capital. Malaysia is rich in natural resources, plus its position within Southeast Asia makes it a central hub in the region. It is a country on the move economically but its future growth is heavily dependent on the existence of a highly educated and qualified workforce. Without doubt, the primary challenge currently facing the education system in Malaysia is to ensure that there is a steady supply of young people with the skills required for the 21st century workplace. To meet this challenge, the education system has to raise its game.

The latest PISA results have not brought good news. Malaysian students recorded an average score of 421 for mathematics, which is below the 494 mean for countries within OECD. Of most concern is the fact that Malaysian students’ reading scores plunged to 398 from the previous PISA score of 414. Science scores also showed a minor decline. These combined results mean that Malaysia currently stands at 52nd out of a total of 65 countries. It seems to be firmly entrenched in the bottom third while its nearest neighbor, Singapore, continues to enjoy a top position. In mathematics, the latest TIMM’s (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) results show that the system’s performance had slipped below the international average in both science and mathematics. Over a third of students failed to meet the minimum proficiency levels in mathematics and science.

While the Malaysian education system has made tremendous progress since its independence in 1957, these remarkable gains are now at risk both in relative and absolute terms. In summary, other systems are improving student performance more rapidly and have found ways to sustain that momentum. In addition, international assessments suggest that Malaysian student performance is declining in absolute terms (Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025).

“To be most effective, technology has to be part of a new pedagogy, a paradigm shift in classroom practice.” – Alma Harris

What changes do you believe are needed to the educational system to enable Malaysia to have the human skills needed to compete globally in the 21st Century?

The Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-25 lays out an ambitious programme for change and improvement. It has all the right ingredients, some would argue too many, but the top priority has to be changing classroom practice. Learner outcomes are unlikely to improve unless there is serious and long-term investment in improving teacher quality. This is not to imply a deficit model but simply to acknowledge that in the best performing systems, teacher quality is high and there is a deep commitment to ongoing professional learning and development. All teachers, even the best teachers, can improve with the right professional training and development. The challenge is to provide this and to not opt for a one size fits all model of professional learning, which will not work.

How has technology impacted the Malaysian education system? What do educators in Malaysia see as the pros and cons from a learning standpoint?

In 2012, a new virtual learning environment was launched for more than a thousand schools across Malaysia. With 1BestariNet, every school will be equipped with high speed 4G Internet connectivity and a classroom management tool known as the Frog VLE. This platform replicates the classroom by integrating advanced teaching and learning materials that assist in the VLE implementation in schools, taking teaching and learning beyond the classroom.

The Frog VLE is a cloud-based application which functions through an eLearning platform and may be accessed from anywhere and anytime with an Internet connection. In terms of the pros, the Frog VLE allows teachers to manage their lessons beyond the classroom setting via online courses and interaction. It also allows greater parental engagement in the learning process as parents can gain access to the platform. The cons are largely linked to pedagogy. In short, the hardware is in place but many teachers are not integrating it into their teaching. A recent study concluded that Teachers’ use of ICT in schools remains “slow and dismal”, even in those subjects such as science where there is an obvious relationship. This is disappointing but not surprising, as many countries have assumed that new technology is an automatic way to raise performance. Not so, unless there is a concurrent investment in training teachers to integrate technology into their pedagogy. To be most effective, technology has to be part of a new pedagogy, a paradigm shift in classroom practice.

“A move away from assessment of learning, in its narrowest sense, to assessment for learning is without question one positive step that many teachers in Malaysian classrooms could make.” – Alma Harris

What is your current view of standardized testing in Malaysia?

In Malaysia, students are tested frequently at all levels and in all subjects throughout their school life. As in many other countries, testing has become the habitual way of checking content knowledge and understanding. While the use of standardized tests may be less infrequent than in other parts of Asia, it remains the case that drill, skill and test is a common feature of everyday classroom practice. Regurgitating facts is at best surface learning and will do little to help students faced with international tests that require thinking skills and problem solving. Consequently, a move away from assessment of learning, in its narrowest sense, to assessment for learning is without question one positive step that many teachers in Malaysian classrooms could make.

If generalization is possible, what elements do you believe are missing from the existing system?

While the Malaysian Education Blueprint and the National Higher Education Strategic Plan are both good documents focusing on all the right things, their implementation is now the real challenge. A fractionalized and compartmentalized approach to delivering various policy imperatives, no matter how good they might be, is unlikely to work. In other parts of the world, the lack of policy alignment has proven to be a significant problem and barrier to change. Multiple demands from various parts of the reform agenda will only lead to demoralization, confusion and burn out. They will compete for valuable time, energy and resource. Ultimately, these policies will make little or no difference if there is not some overarching and coherent mechanism for putting them into practice.

Around the world we have seen so much reform and so little change. Here is an opportunity for Malaysia to not step into this reform trap. The real challenge for the Malaysian education system is twofold. Firstly, it is to embrace and engage in real and sustainable change, and secondly, to strive for the equity and excellence that the high performing systems around the word embody. Only then will its aspirations to be a global player, educationally and economically, be realized.

(The views expressed are those of Dr. Alma Harris and not necessarily the views of the University of Malaya)

C. M. Rubin and Alma Harris

(All photos are courtesy of Alma Harris)

In The Global Search for Education, join me and globally renowned thought leaders including Sir Michael Barber (UK), Dr. Michael Block (U.S.), Dr. Leon Botstein (U.S.), Professor Clay Christensen (U.S.), Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond (U.S.), Dr. Madhav Chavan (India), Professor Michael Fullan (Canada), Professor Howard Gardner (U.S.), Professor Andy Hargreaves (U.S.), Professor Yvonne Hellman (The Netherlands), Professor Kristin Helstad (Norway), Jean Hendrickson (U.S.), Professor Rose Hipkins (New Zealand), Professor Cornelia Hoogland (Canada), Honourable Jeff Johnson (Canada), Mme. Chantal Kaufmann (Belgium), Dr. Eija Kauppinen (Finland), State Secretary Tapio Kosunen (Finland), Professor Dominique Lafontaine (Belgium), Professor Hugh Lauder (UK), Professor Ben Levin (Canada), Lord Ken Macdonald (UK), Professor Barry McGaw (Australia), Shiv Nadar (India), Professor R. Natarajan (India), Dr. Pak Tee Ng (Singapore), Dr. Denise Pope (US), Sridhar Rajagopalan (India), Dr. Diane Ravitch (U.S.), Richard Wilson Riley (U.S.), Sir Ken Robinson (UK), Professor Pasi Sahlberg (Finland), Professor Manabu Sato (Japan), Andreas Schleicher (PISA, OECD), Dr. Anthony Seldon (UK), Dr. David Shaffer (U.S.), Dr. Kirsten Sivesind (Norway), Chancellor Stephen Spahn (U.S.), Yves Theze (Lycee Francais U.S.), Professor Charles Ungerleider (Canada), Professor Tony Wagner (U.S.), Sir David Watson (UK), Professor Dylan Wiliam (UK), Dr. Mark Wormald (UK), Professor Theo Wubbels (The Netherlands), Professor Michael Young (UK), and Professor Minxuan Zhang (China) as they explore the big picture education questions that all nations face today.
The Global Search for Education Community Page

C. M. Rubin is the author of two widely read online series for which she received a 2011 Upton Sinclair award, “The Global Search for Education” and “How Will We Read?” She is also the author of three bestselling books, including The Real Alice in Wonderland, is the publisher of CMRubinWorld, and is a Disruptor Foundation Fellow.

Civil rights hero Yuri Kochiyama recently passed away at 93 years old. She came to my college campus in 1995 in Providence, Rhode Island and keynoted our Asian American Pacific Islander History Month celebrations. Having grown up in a rural community in Massachusetts with very few people of color, I had so much to learn about radical activism and the tenacity of the human spirit that has come to define Yuri’s legacy.

Her talk to the students who gathered transformed me.

Now, almost 20 years later, I find myself in a position where I can continue to fight the good fight . Yuri’s passing, and the passing of Maya Angelou last month, has given the country pause as we remember their legacies and has rekindled the fire in me to fight even harder to keep her legacy alive.

In the decades since the social unrest of the 1950s and 1960s that led to the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, the racial justice movement has been disempowered. Conservatives had a banner decade in the 1980s when they began the successful rollback of hard fought wins in law and policy. Our most vulnerable communities – the poor, immigrants, people of color – are bearing the brunt.

For instance, take the state of civil rights in the national security context. After September 11, Yuri stood tall with the Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim and South Asian communities. From her experience as an internee in a Japanese concentration camp, Yuri recognized the impending injustice to be wrought against these new faces of the national security boogeyman. We have witnessed these communities be profiled and subjected to a virtual state of government surveillance. Yuri fought this paradigm.

Or, take the example of immigration. Make no mistake that fears underlying opposition to immigration reform are that of becoming a country that is majority people of color. Two million people have been deported since 2008, 250,000 of which are Asian Americans. There are 11,000,000 undocumented community members in this country because our broken immigration system offers them no path to legalization.

A final case study is our criminal justice system. The United States incarcerates more people than any nation in the world. The majority of those incarcerated are African American and Latino men. Yesterday was slavery; today is incarceration. Anti-black racism today has evolved and now escapes the reach of our civil rights statutes and the Equal Protection provisions of the constitution. Our work is undone.

We need to remember what Yuri Kochiyama taught us about building multi-racial alliances, about true democracy, about conviction, and about racial progress. We owe it to ourselves to never forget.

Sugarloaf Mountain is well known for having some of the most amazing views of Rio. I had to check it out for myself, so I took my Univision crew up to the top and I couldn’t believe the views! It’s a beautiful trip up the mountain in a cable car system with 360 degree views of the city that dates back to the early 1900s.

Posing with a Brazil soccer fan at the top of Sugarloaf Mountain: