AUGUST 16 - 22, 1987 THE M ICH IGAN CITIZEN
13
eadi g
Together
arva Collin , the te cher who proved that r ce and cla
have nothing to do ith learning bility, did quite rvice for
the educ tional system. Her program at Chica o· e 'de
Preparatory School should provide a model for the improve­
m nt of education throughout the country.
But what wa the cret of Collins' succe? a it her
prior teachin ability? her teaching techniques? the
curriculum? the material ?
e arched for the answers in the book, Marva Collins'
Way by rva Collins and ivia Tam ark in Houghton if-
fin 19 2 and concluded that it wa none of the above.
arva Collin is indeed a superior teacher and she mu t
have al been a superior teacher when she taught in the
publi hool system. But like thousands of dedicated hard-
working teacher ho till wor in the public hool her
effort re ulted in frustration and discouragement. he
rates: The longer I taught in the publi hool tern
th more I came to thin that schools were oncerned with
everything but teaching.'
The secret of arva Collins' uc e wa that e left the
public hool sy tern here she had no power to control the
educational environment, nd open d her own hool. By
doing she became the poli y-maker with the power to
di ard tho rules, systems and practices which form a nega­
tive learning climate.
s the poli y-rnaker, she could decide against the use of
aptitude te and psychological tests in her hool. She
state: 'no ing all the things that can contaminate an
expert' judgement of a child, I refu d to view any child as
unteachable. I didn't know whether my ne tudents had
clinical dysfunctions. aybe some did. But I was never
going to teach them as though they did." This is very dif­
ferent from a school where test determine everything about
the learning proce : from the a ignment of tudents to
certain clas s to the decisions about what and how much
they re able to learn.
s a policy-rn er, Collin could decide that her hool
would not u competition as the basis for timulating
learning. he says:' e had to be a support group, urging
one another along and delighting in each other's small accom­
plishment. . .' This is unlike a h 01 climate in which
udents have been given positive and negative status, uch a
top and bottom tudents: fast and slow learners' or gifted and
non-gifted people.
a policy-m er, Collins could decide that students
would not fail' that she would not let them fail. This created a
totally different learning climate from the kind found in
hools where failure is used as a means of showing that the
hool has high standards.
The list of differences between the educational policies
of the estside Preparatory School and mos public schools
could go on and on. The important thing is that the difference
wa in hool poli . s and sy terns rather than in the teacher,
the tudent or the parent. arva Collin' success proves
that when the same te cher, students and p rents are taken
from negative learning climate and placed in a positive
learning climate, positive result will occur.
alton receives award
1391 Bru Ave., u egon,
I, recently reported for duty
at Marine Corp Base, Camp
Pendleton C .
He joined the arine Corps
in October 1981.
avy Seaman KARE A.
INSKI, of Grand Rapid ,
I, recently reported for two­
eek active duty training at
aval Supply Center, orfolk,
VA.
in
vy Petty Officer 2nd Cla
HARRY STEAD, of
Grand Rapids, I, recently re-
ported for two-wee s ctive
duty trainin t aval Supply
Center, orfolk, VA.
arine Lance Cpl. RO ill
CORD, n of Donald
. and orma J. Sumara of
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