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9486 in the collection
Allapattah students pen words of hope to laid-off Macy's employees
Ohanian Comment: What
a terrific project. This makes me proud to call
myself teacher. Thank you, Ms. Martin. And
thank you, Paul Moore, for putting this in the
horrible NCLB/FCAT context.
If you'd like to write a note of appreciation
to this teacher's class, here's her address:
Cointa Martin
Cmartin22@dadeschools.net
WRITE!
I can't help but add that my research has shown
that Maya Angelou, for whom this school is
named, is probably the author most used on high
stakes standardized tests.
Paul Moore Comment:
Something is terribly wrong at Miami's
Maya
Angelou Elementary School! According to the
Florida Department of Education, Maya Angelou
became a failing school last year. Strange
since the year before it was a model school, an
"A" school, judged by the same Florida
Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). But test
scores don't lie so Maya Angelou was placed,
along with neighboring inner-city schools like
Holmes Elementary and Liberty City Elementary,
on the state's list of schools subject to
Differentiated Accountability (DA). DA is a
fancy way of threatening that Maya Angelou will
be closed if the kids there don't become better
test takers.
One can only imagine the goings on in one of
these failing schools. That may have inspired
the Miami Herald to send its education
reporter Kathleen McGrory into Maya Angelou for
a look see. And McGrory found Ms. Cointa
Martin's second grade class ignoring FCAT test
prep and living in the real world. It's the
world where Macy's lays off 600 of its Miami
office employees and the children dare to care.
McCrory's story is accompanied by pictures of
Kayla Yorks, a 7-year-old, and Daniel
Hernandez, 7 too. Daniel wrote about
unemployment, "It isn't easy when you lose your
job. You have to buy things for your family,
but you don't have enough money." Daniel's
classmate and budding philosopher, 8-year-old
Charlene Montero, added, "Deserts may seem
empty at first, but if you know where to look,
you will find they are full of life." The story
ultimately introduces us to a cross section of
Ms. Martin's class and of the community.
There's Kayla, Daniel, Charlene, and Cierra
Rodgers, Jackeline Ramirez, Javier Nunez, and
Michael Hollomon.
Incredibly, the kids from the failing Maya
Angelou Elementary seemed to reach accomplished
adult professionals with their concern. Their
"little tiny inspirational posters" brought
tears to the eyes of broadcast manager Margaret
Torok. Retouching specialist Nelson Viera said,
"It reminded me that there's so much hope out
there---we just have to open our eyes and see
it. Truthfully, it made me feel so much
better." The Macy's employees responded with
letters and a book created by Viera. Veteran
teacher Martin wrapped up the lesson for her
kids, "When you are kind to someone, they will
be kind to you."
Next year, as third graders, Ms. Martin's
charges will face the FCAT. The test awards no
points for kindness. Florida is in the middle
of a groundbreaking experiment with childhood
accountability and the educational value of
humiliation If the 9-year-olds do not meet the
reading standards of the FCAT they will be
severely punished. The educational policy of
the state, executed by Governor Charlie Crist
and the Commissioner of Education Eric Smith,
is to brand such children as failed. That is
kept in confidence but then to make sure the
lesson on accountability is seared into a
child's brain and self-image forever, they are
publicly humiliated. During the next school
year their classmates proceed to grade four
while they join a new group of kids to repeat
third grade.
The FDOE does not report this but the vastly
disproportionate number of the children
retained in the third grade come from schools
like Maya Angelou Elementary. They are children
living in poverty. They are children of color.
They are Ms. Martin's children.
BY Kathleen McGrory, Miami Herald
The students in Mrs. Martin's second-grade
class were saddened by the news: More than 600
employees at Macy's would be losing their jobs.
So the kids put pencil to paper.
"My teacher told me you are losing your job,"
one little girl wrote. "I don't have anything
to give you. But I will share what I learned
today."
In a series of two dozen letters, the children
from Maya Angelou Elementary in Allapattah went
on to describe their favorite science facts.
"Did you know that only two ants can lift a
dead bug?" wrote Cierra Rodgers, 8. "Also, ants
communicate with their antennae. Hope you find
a new job."
Perhaps unknowingly, 8-year-old Charlene
Montero offered some insightful words.
"Deserts may seem empty at first," she wrote.
"But if you know where to look, you will find
that they are full of life."
600 JOBS GONE
The children learned about the layoffs through
their teacher, Cointa Martin. Martin's husband
was among the Macy's employees affected by the
cuts, which eliminated more than 600 positions
in the company's Miami office.
The layoffs, which were announced in February,
take effect April 30. One of the Miami business
district's largest employers, Macy's is one of
dozens of Florida companies having to eliminate
positions because of the economy. The state's
unemployment rate has already reached 9.4
percent, the highest it's been since 1976, and
is likely to go even higher.
"Everyday, my husband came home with stories
about different employees who were losing their
jobs," Martin said. "Some of them have their
husbands sick in the hospital."
Martin, a veteran elementary-school teacher,
told her students what was happening. It struck
a chord with the kids.
Daniel Hernandez, 7, said he felt sad and
worried for the workers.
"It isn't easy when you lose your job," he
said. "You have to buy things for your family,
but you don't have enough money."
Daniel and his classmates wanted to send gifts
to the Macy's employees.
But their teacher had another idea. "I said to
them, `We don't have any material things to
share with them, but we have knowledge. You
have so many books. You can find something that
you can share with them in there.'"
The students got to work right away, scouring
their science books for interesting nuggets
they could share with the employees.
They wrote their notes in pencil on loose-leaf
paper.
Some were funny.
"I learned that snakes can eat big animals such
as a leopard," wrote Javier Nuñez, 8. "I
learned that pythons are the largest snakes."
Others were full of insight.
Penned Jackeline Ramirez, 8: "How will you find
your way to where you are going? The North Star
helped sailors know where their ship was
located."
All of the children affixed an inspirational
picture to the bottom of their letter. And many
urged the employees to believe in themselves.
"I started to tear up," said Margaret Torok,
who is losing her job as a broadcast manager
for Macy's.
"They read like little tiny inspirational
posters. If that doesn't lift your spirits, I
don't know what will."
The Macy's executives hung the notes in the
main hallway, beside the advertising
department. Many wrote back to the children,
thanking them for their thoughtfulness.
Nelson Viera, a retouching specialist, was so
moved he made the class a book of colorful
nature photographs he had taken.
"It reminded me that there's so much hope out
there -- we just have to open our eyes and see
it," Viera said. "Truthfully, it made me feel
so much better."
WELL RECEIVED
Recently, Martin gathered her class in the
school library. "Boys and girls, your letters
were very well received," she told the
children. "Some of the people were so grateful,
they cried."
Then, Martin held up a dozen envelopes and the
colorful book.
"These are letters that the people at Macy's
wrote to you," she said. "And this is a very
special book made especially for you."
The children cheered.
"I'm glad that they are happy," Michael
Hollomon, 8, said of his new penpals.
Martin said the kids had learned an important
lesson: "When you are kind to someone, they
will be kind to you."
— Kathleen McGrory, with commentary by Paul Moore
Miami Herald
2009-03-28
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/5min/story/971891.html
INDEX OF OUTRAGES
Pages: 380
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