Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/13098
cards, in cluding Assembly Members Tom Torlakson and Tony Mendoza and state Sen. Leland Yee. “This past year our class sizes have soared, with up to 55 stu- dents in our PE classes and 39 in academic classes,” said Wylie, president of the Travis Unified Teachers Association. “We have one librarian for our 5,200 stu- dents — and only one school nurse for all of our students.” Lawmakers showed unity with teachers by signing the commitment cards. “I stand with the students, teachers, and parents who are saying enough is enough,” said Sen. Yee (D- San Francisco). “The state bud- get should not be balanced on the backs of students, schools, and the most vulnerable. I will continue to oppose all budgets that put the interests of corpo- Q & A Continued from page 13 hurt you. If you don’t differentiate between real and paper tigers, you’re always “running” and therefore unable to focus. Is it harder for today’s kids to cope these days than in previous times? No one can answer that question. Who really knows? I can tell you kids are under an enor- mous amount of stress today. The desire to succeed stresses them out, and there is a deep fear of failure. They are much more afraid now that they won’t be able to succeed unless they get a certain spot in certain colleges. They sometimes feel as if they are letting down a whole village when they don’t receive a fat en- velope from that certain college. How can teachers foster resiliency in youngsters? The specific thing is to be part of the solu- tion by helping to praise effort rather than results. When kids are only noticed for re- sults, it increases their anxiety and fear of failure. If teachers learn to notice and praise effort, it takes away a lot of stress. Teachers rations and the rich before the interests of public education and California families.” “The people of California are telling us it’s time to stop starving our schools and get on with the business of educating our children,” said Assembly Member Torlakson (D-Anti- och). “They know that well- trained teachers and strong neighborhood schools are go- ing to be the backbone of this effort. It’s time to reject the proposals by the governor and others who make teachers the scapegoats of their budget cuts. I’ve already signed this pledge. It’s a first step toward restoring California’s public schools.” Sonia Martin-Solis, a sec- ond-grade teacher at Hillcrest Drive Elementary School in Los Angeles, told lawmakers that educators and students RIGHT: Sonia Martin-Solis, an NEA director and member of United Teachers Los Angeles, speaks at Lobby Day. cannot be expected to do more with less. “Es- sential support services such as nurse time and counseling have been severely impacted,” said Martin-Solis. “Our state lawmakers must stop the cuts, and I’m in Sacramento today to ask my own legislators to sign the commitment card and stand by their promise to make schools a priority. Our students deserve a chance at a better future than they are get- ting through these unprece- dented budget cuts.” “Even before the governor proposed more cuts in his re- can notice when kids are in trouble, and be that extra loving adult that holds them to high expectations. The bottom line of resil- ience is that kids live up to or down to your expectations of them. By expectations I mean who they are as people inside — their essential goodness — not just their perfor- mance. Teachers can also embrace the “Sev- en C’s” of resilience: confidence, compe- tence, connection, character, contribution, coping and control. How will being resilient help students navigate through school — and through life? Kids who are resilient can bounce back, han- dle stresses and ultimately succeed. Kids who have fear of failure in school won’t be able to think outside the box for fear of being judged. And young people who can’t think outside of the box lack the creative energy, innovation and other ingredients needed to lead us into the future. Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg specializes in adolescent medicine at The Children’s Hospital of Philadel- phia and is the co-author of several books, in- cluding A Parent’s Guide to Building Resil- ience in Children and Teens. JUNE 2010 | www.cta.org 29 vised budget, California’s schools already ranked at the very bot- tom of all 50 states in staff-to- student ratios,” said President Sanchez. “Our classrooms are alarmingly overcrowded, and we rank 46th in per-pupil funding. If lawmakers don’t find a way to protect public education from further devastation, generations of students will pay the price.” MIKE MYSLINSKI