James L. Casale - Wise Up and Be the Solution: How to Create a Culture of Learning at Home and Make Your Child a Success in School

Copyright 2015 by James L. Casale

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover photo credit: Thinkstock

Print ISBN: 978-1-63450-408-9

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63450-880-3

Printed in the United States of America

You know more than you think you do.

Benjamin Spock

CONTENTS

Any success I have enjoyed on this planet, I owe to my parents, Frank and Carmel Casale. They are the inspiration for this book. Their love, loyalty, devotion, selflessness, and faith guided me in my desire to never disappoint them.

To my children James and Karen, who have become exceptional parents.

To all the parents who toil daily to provide a loving and learning environment for their children.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I thank my wife, Janet, for her love and her support of this project. Her understanding of the peculiarities of the struggling writer, a novice one at that, helped propel me to the finish line.

My editor, Donna Carbone, was invaluable to this exercise, not merely for her editing expertise, but for the insights she provided on a topic that is dear to her heart. Her own experiences as a parent, writer, and keen observer of schools and schooling added immeasurably to the clarity of all the concepts presented in my book.

Soon after I arrived in Naples, Florida, in 1969, I met the best mentor any teacher could hope for, Mary Cunningham. Not only was she a gifted teacher of elementary and middle school students, she inspired her colleagues with a dedication to learn more, take risks, and always try to be better tomorrow than they were today. She was the consummate reflective teacher, who co-taught with me and inspired me to be a lifelong learner and a lifelong student.

In 2013, I celebrated fifty years in my beloved profession. It would require another book to acknowledge the many students and parents who have rewarded me with their insights, loyalty, and support. They have provided learning opportunities that could never be acquired in a college classroom.

I am indebted to my colleaguesthe teachers and administrators too numerous to mentionwho have dedicated their art to helping children succeed. They are integral to every chapter in this book.

Second only to inspiring students to learn more and do more was the privilege of hiring teachers who have gone on to excel at their craft and provide their students, parents, school, and community with our nations most valuable resourcehighly effective teaching.

I will be forever grateful to the staff at Purchase Elementary School and the staff at Preston Elementary School for their loyalty, support, and uncanny ability to make me look good as their school principal.

PART 1: TAKING AN ACTIVE ROLE

It is a greater work to educate a child than to rule a state.

William Ellery Channing

I ts not about you is the first line of the first chapter of one of the most popular books of the twenty-first centuryRick Warrens The Purpose Driven Life . Throughout my time as a school principal, I have never forgotten it. The book encourages readers to live a life that serves others.

The decision to become a parent carries with it a responsibility and requires a devotion and commitment like no other. Who else could be charged with the unrelenting task of loving, nurturing, protecting, and teaching another human being from birth to adulthood and doing it unselfishly? Certainly not presidents or generals or clergy or scientists; not writers or poetsno one but you, the parent, can preside over the life you created.

No one is more important or influential to your child than you are, and no task is more important than the one you have chosen. Why should or would anyone care more about your child than you do? Your child is your legacy and the future of our world. Parents are the first mediators of the culture of a growing child.

A child is a person who is going to carry on what you have started. He will assume control of your cities, states, and nations. He is going to move in and take over your churches, schools, corporations. The fate of humanity is in his hands.

Abraham Lincoln

There is little need for me to repeat here what researchers have been consistently saying for many decades: parents are the most important influence on their childs emotional, psychological, physical, and academic growth. They are their childrens first and foremost teachers.

As a principal, I learned that childrens success in school was closely correlated to the nature of their lives outside of its walls. Considering that students spend most of their time outside the classroom, it becomes obvious that their growth and development hinge primarily on the learning environmentI prefer learning culture that parents establish in their homes.

Even back in 1966, the Coleman Report concluded that the best predictor of a childs performance in school is the quality of the family from which he or she comes. A childs achievement is not based on the money and resources families possess. Its about the determination parents possess to establish their own learning environment.

Not long ago, an NBA player changed his name to The Answer. He wasnt. He did not inspire. He did not lead. He was about showmanship and bravado and talked a good game, but he did not back up his words with actions.

W hen it comes to your childs education, the most powerful and influential names on that team are Mom and Dad. They are the coaches, and home is the training facility.

THE TEACHING PROFESSION AND PARENTS

If a doctor, lawyer, or dentist had forty people in his office at one time, all of whom had different needs, and some of whom did not want to be there and were causing trouble, and the doctor, lawyer, or dentist, without assistance, had to treat them all with professional excellence for nine months, then he might have some conception of the classroom teachers job.

Donald D. Quinn

Highly effective teachers are worth their weight in diamonds because thats what they are. They sparkle, dazzle, and amaze us with their artistry. They are beautiful to behold. I have been an educator for fifty years. I have taught at every level of public education, from elementary grades to graduate school. I have also been an administrator at the elementary, middle school, and district levels. My teaching and leadership roles have led me to positions in four states. I have learned firsthand that there are not enough highly effective teachers or principals to go around. The shortage of highly effective teachers and administrators is well known and is the root cause of school reform and parent dissatisfaction.