Running head: Article 2

Article 2

Spencer D. Borens

EDUC 5333 Technology in Todays Classroom

Dr. Kristy Duckworth
East Texas Baptist University

June 22, 2015

Version 1.0

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From the title of the article, Marge Scherer makes it clear how education is supposed to
improve from within: Not Someone Elses Job (Scherer, 2015). The article begins with a story
of a Washington DC convention with a Missouri Superintendent named Tiffany Anderson.
Anderson started her speech with the action that she believes will bridge the learning gap for
students in poverty, all within the power of educators: carefully choosing the kind of teachers
who, for example, make home visits to families to learn about the lives of the children they will
be teaching; adopting a standards-based curriculumnot teaching to a test, not teaching to a
textbook, but teaching to the standard; and, most important, building good relationships because
"kids will work hard for you if they trust you; they wont if they dont. Guess what? Adults are
the same way" (Scherer, 2015).
Anderson does not stop with these high expectations in her school, but also has a strong
relationship within her community. Her school district has started a partnership with the St. Louis
Food Bank that feeds 400 families a month (Scherer, 2015). Another act was installing a washer
and dryer into her schools to make it easier for family members to both volunteer and do a load
of laundry (Scherer, 2015).
This type of improvement within a school is special and takes creativity. It takes a
willingness to look inside as well as learn from one another, instead of thinking it is someone
elses job to move schools forward (Scherer, 2015).
Scherer calls for action giving the stat that 51 percent of schoolchildren in U.S. public
schools now live in a poverty that crosses all schools, from suburbs to cities to rural areas
(Scherer, 2015). She ends her article with a plea for movement. Let these stories shared by
educators for educators provoke both conversation and action (Scherer, 2015).
I agree with the actions of Anderson and the words of Scherer where improvement must
come from within. If educators wait for assistance from outside resources to facilitate
improvement, than it will never come. It is just like changing something within yourself.

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Someone else may bring to your attention that improvement is needed, but you will never change
until you make your mind up and commit. Educators have to make these issues important to
them, rather than thinking of collecting their checks at the end of the month. It is a difficult task
to want to change. Most educators have home lives that are very important to them, and the last
thing they want to do is brainstorm about ways to change work. This is why it takes a special
person like the Superintendent from Missouri to be innovative, creative and make change
within school districts to become better (Scherer, 2015).

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References

Scherer, Marge. (2015). Not Someone Elses Job. Educational Leadership, Summer 2015, pp (5).
Retrieved from http://www.educationalleadershipdigital.com/educationalleadership/2015summerfree#pg5