The End.

1. If President Obama gave me a call after dismissing the Secretary of Education, the first thing I would suggest to do is get rid of NCLB.  Secondly, try to put together a group of veteran, highly respected (within their teaching community) teachers from schools across the country.  Teachers like Ms. Ratcliffe.  Ask that group to discuss their thoughts on standardized testing, it's effects on education and whether it can be something that is used to effectively represent student learning and progress.  Then, they would come up with suggestions, positives and negatives, things that have worked well for them and how to make these experiences effective resources for colleagues.  Thirdly, I would say an effective method of evaluation for teachers has to be developed.  This should include making sure that administrators, school board members etc. had at least 5-7 years of classroom teaching.  With this experience under their belt, they would be able to (hopefully) help evaluate teachers, their teaching styles and student progress with a better understanding than an administrator with no classroom experience.  Fourth, put into place an effective new teacher program that actually offered SUPPORT for 1-3 year teachers.  This would then branch out to collaborations between veterans and younger teachers; in hopes of retaining great teachers in the profession.  Lastly, I would say that there are many schools that are thriving and that most schools should have the opportunity to individually thrive on their own curriculum rather than having standards shoved down their throat.  Let teachers remember why they fell in love with this profession in the first place and then see the response that students can have to learning.

2. Through reading Ravitch, I absolutely agree that there is no cure all for education.  I have learned that although business models  may bring on quick and efficient ways of making decisions, the concept does not work for teachers and students.  I have learned that the amount of variables and the inappropriate use and measures of standardized tests have been holding back our students, teachers, schools and overall education for many years.  We need to get back to the basics of education and delve into curriculum in order to make sure that LEARNING is taking place and our students are being prepared for higher education; not to take a multiple choice test.

3. As a teacher, I can continue to help myself develop a deep knowledge of  my content area, improve my instructional strategies based on my students' learning, play by the rules (standards), and try to be the best educator I can be for my students.  My students are there to learn the knowledge that I have to give them and in a way that makes them successful.  I can also continue to educate myself on what's going on in education and try to give suggestions when needed.  I can also help new teachers to enjoy the profession and teach the curriculum in a way that delights their students and fulfills their passion as a teacher.  As a citizen, I need to keep myself educated on the current educational issues in order to stay in the loop.  In doing this, I can vote while being informed of the issues.

4. AAHPERD (American Alliance for health, physical education, recreation and dance)  http://www.aahperd.org/  and CAHPERD (California Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance) http://www.cahperd.org/

AAHPERD's mission is to "promote and support leadership, research, education, and best practices in the professions that support creative, healthy, and active lifestyles."  There are a lot of wonderful resources on this site.  First of all, there is an national convention every year offering more than 400 different sessions taught by educators, athletes, honorees, etc.  They also offer different workshops and conferences throughout the year with many different opportunities for professional development.  There is also a great link that give journals in the field as well as helpful newsletters in our discipline.

 CAHPERD's mission is to "promote healthful lifestyles through quality education for all populations and provide leadership to school, community and statewide programs in the areas of health, physical education, recreation, dance and other movement-related programs."  Just as with AAHPERD's site, there are many great conferences, workshops, etc. that offer professional development as well as opportunities to make connections to other professionals and learn more about effective teaching strategies.

5.
a) Bay Area sports hall of fame, contacting someone from Scores in order to get more information about the program and how to bring it to my community, contact someone from beHuman in order to get more information and help the program through my school, Breast Cancer Walk in SF, local Boys and Girls club contact.
b) Opportunity to Learn Guidelines for High School Physical Education, 3rd Edition,  Physical Education, Exercise And Sport Science In A Changing Society
c) Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal (WSPAJ) & American Journal of Health Education (AJHE)
d) California Physical Education Workshop, CAHPERD conference
e)  Cooperstown, AAHPERD conference, Olympics, Wimbledon, attend a IAPESGW (International Association of Physical Education and Sport for Girls and Women) conference.