THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION HELD PUBLIC HEARINGS TODAY about three charter school applications. I was there to listen to the arguments and to support my former colleague and friend, Emma. I was unable to speak at the hearing, but this is a copy of the letter I wrote after I returned home. Comments?

Dear Department of Education charter school application review committee- I attended the public comment hearing today from 4pm-7pm. While I was unable to speak, I thought it necessary to make my thoughts in favor of the CCCS known to you as a former physics teacher at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS). I was employed as a physics teacher at CRLS from September 2002 - June 2003. In that time I came to realize that our specialty department in the school, namely physics, had access to something special. It was something that teachers from all other departments did not enjoy and something that drove us to continually review our evolving curriculum. It drove us to assess the needs of our students in a continuous fashion and to change our approach to teaching if the situation demanded it. This resource was something that seemed to end at the physics room door. This resource was flexibility. During my brief time at CRLS I came to see that there were several "camps" of new and experienced teachers in the building. One camp embraced the heterogeneous classroom as an opportunity to promote meaningful group work, to engage in lively discussion, and to involve all students in the class. Another camp was unwilling to adjust to the idea that best teaching practices developed in 1980 were out of step with the student body of today. Just as our society, our state, our language, and our job prospects have changed since 1980, so too have our students. Students today are often less willing to grant unearned respect to teachers simply because of their position as "teacher". The prevailing attitude is "show me why I should respect you". A teacher with flexibility in their teaching style and a willingness to adapt to the changing needs of students has the opportunity to gain the respect of the students, not because of their position as teacher, but because of their display of attention and caring to the needs of a human being in their classroom. They show why they should be respected and they can be granted respect. Too many of the teachers and administrators at CRLS are unwilling or unable to alter their teaching methods, to commit to additional teaching and mentoring responsibilities, to do more for students that require more. You saw many of them in the back of the conference room in Malden today. They were the teachers with an empty afternoon schedule. The teachers that you did NOT see were the teachers tutoring students after school, rewriting test questions, grading homework, advising after school clubs, and preparing make-up work for students with difficult home situations. These flexible, committed teachers are the core of a positive educational experience for the students of Cambridge. Emma Stellman is a teacher who does these "extra", but very necessary things. Ms. Stellman was one of the driving forces behind the adoption of a new and innovative science curriculum at the high school, a co-developer of the portfolio grading system in the physics department at CRLS, the impetus behind last year's incredible "Science Expo" with family, community, and student support, and a tireless advocate for her students. Unfortunately, this tireless effort on behalf of students was not encouraged by a high school administration that was essentially out of touch with the classroom. I urge you to support the granting of the CCCS charter on behalf of the students in Cambridge underserved by a faculty without the drive to change the learning experience for them. The CCCS is an opportunity to incorporate the flexibility demonstrated by the physics staff at CRLS into an overall school mission and structure. Heterogeneous grouping of students will not be looked on as a "new" system that causes pain to inflexible teachers, but as an important opportunity for student achievement. The CCCS is an opportunity to make a real connection to students. The CCCS is an opportunity to serve every child, not just the child in the "Honors" classes. The CCCS is an opportunity to show children that they can achieve great things. It deserves your support. ps- I find it troubling that the format of today's meeting favored elected officials over teachers, school administrators, parents, and students. Your meeting format disenfranchised many people who are intimately and directly involved with education in Lynne, Marlborough, and Cambridge. It was undemocratic and unprofessional and the practice should be terminated immediately. Those who are the first to arrive should be the first to speak, with no exceptions. Eric Chilton