BOE, PSS killing the culture
When I was interviewed for the commissioner position at PSS, I told the selection committee at that time that Praxis could literally kill our teacher workforce. Everyone now knows our teacher workforce is in terrible shape. I offered the suggestion that we create feeder colleges and universities and to follow Guam’s model and create our own test to try and support and save some of teacher workforce but readers already know that the many of those in power don’t want to listen to Ambrose Bennett because they didn’t like something I wrote. To that, I say grow up and get over it as you are making students and even the CNMI suffer from your failure to listen objectively! We still have a teacher shortage a decade later after my interview and there have been classes with as many as 40 students with no teacher aide, which is totally ludicrous for the effective teaching of the sciences and arts. Only vocational courses are capable of accommodating so many students as long as they have the room, support staff and the equipment for these hands-on educational experience.
It was the bilingual teachers who suffered the most as they had no real background in the required history, math, and subject matter in Praxis. Praxis was meant for teachers who have taken a litany of coursework in the fields of arts and sciences, not Chamorro or Carolinian. Needless to say, the bilingual teachers never had a chance and, yes, I wrote about this several times so it is just another I told you so to BOE and PSS.
PSS and BOE are literally contributing to the death of the local language and cultures when our school system should be the leader, just like the school system should be a leader in the CW transition by changing to an academic/vocational institution. Their problem at PSS is they just don’t know how and wouldn’t let me tell them when the U. S. Department of Education actually sent me to Mexico to find this kind of solution for the CNMI.
Carolinian Affairs Office executive assistant John Tagabuel is right to be concerned about the simple solution of a test and policy changes. I hope this opinion will help but, if I have learned anything about BOE and PSS, it is that you can only influence them to do something by law as they don’t pay any attention to complaints with their autonomy status, which is proving to be a real mistake because our leaders in the Legislature are afraid to tell PSS to do anything. They are quick to create some legislation for the BOE and PSS but just try and get them to do something that will make BOE and PSS change! I suggest Mr. Tagabuel take his concerns and his complaint to the Legislature’s education committees in both chambers and maybe someone will finally listen and force BOE and PSS to change their policies as they are the biggest contributors to the language and culture dying a slow death one student at a time! The preservation of language and culture is purely an educational practice that PSS is not practicing. Wake up, locals, before your language and culture is literally dead.
Ambrose M. Bennett
Kagman, Saipan
What credentials do you have regarding Pacific Cultures? Do you speak any of our lingo? Or do you have a lingo of your own? Do you speak it? What’s it called, Swahili? Let’s see you speak and write it with fluency! We don’t welcome “jack of all trades master of nothing!”
People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. “Lingo?” Seriously? “Swahili?” Was that supposed to be a dig about the fact that he’s African-American? You ask about his speaking and writing with fluency, as if you speak and write English with fluency, which clearly you don’t. I have no love of Ambrose’s letters to the editor (there are often embarrassing), however, I just don’t like people who hate for hate’s sake. They don’t welcome anything.
No Mr. Davis, it is not for being an African-American, but trying to know it all for the sake of the locals. It is not hate, but putting Mr. Bennett on his place. Many of us are well educated and we don’t need BS from our cousin’s husband.
Eh, John, I fail to find indigenous genealogy going back to Africa. So tell Brother Amby to shut it!
Ambrose, my friend, you should take a visit to your local Kagman Elementary School, where they have two heritage language immersion classes. Next school year other schools are planning to do the same, with a goal to expand to all CNMI schools. The immersion classes have the full support of the Kagman principal, PSS commissioner (current and previous), the BOE, the Man’Amko Center, and there are many other outside supporters.
Mr. Welch, Mr. Bennett has a point and the CNMI Board of Education needs to have an open mind.
BtW, my friend, If this is still a Fed. requirement is the question, but at the time frame you are talking about it was. (maybe I am wrong)
The PRAXIS test is an important performance measure for prospective teachers. AS A RESULT OF FEDERAL LEGISLATION (No Child Left Behind), school districts are seeking to hire highly qualified candidates; one of the state’s measures for such a qualification is successful completion of the appropriate PRAXIS II test.
Information about PRAXIS II is available on line at http://www.praxis.org. Information regarding this requirement can be found on the RCOE Undergraduate T
Praxis or C-Best are reasonable for beginning teachers, but a waste of time and energy for experienced, already highly qualified teachers.