I'm still waiting for a personal reply.

Here is what I sent today:

November 18, 2008

President-elect Obama – as I said on the first day (this is now my 5^th day of writing to you) I am a special education teacher near Portland, Oregon, and my students and I are so excited that you are our next president!  I teach 9^th grade boys in a residential treatment center and for months they’ve been following your steady road to success.  My students are inspired by you!

On the first day I suggested that education in the United States needs major reforms, similar to the reforms of the Meiji Reformation in Japan.  Here are some specific ideas that I have seen implemented in other countries that I think would help our schools.

1)      In Japan, schools are set up with six years of elementary school, three years of middle school, and three years of high school.  At the end of middle school, students split into various tracks with an emphasis on a trade or on academics (college-bound).  I think we need to offer more trade school options and also have students work-ready at the end of high school. 

2)      In some Scandinavian countries, students who go to college are given a free education and a stipend for attending college.  They can travel in the summer and learn through personal experiences.  When they finish college, they are debt-free and have had many interesting experiences.

3)      I believe children learn languages best at a young age and we should teach language immersion courses from first grade.  For example, science or health could be taught in Spanish from the first grade so that students learn both a language and a core subject.  As you know from your own personal experience, this is not a hardship on children.

4)      In Japan, there are no janitors in the elementary schools.  Students clean the floors, bathrooms, take out the trash and do everything to take care of their school.  They also take off their shoes before entering the building, as you know, I’m sure.  But think of all the money that would be saved by not having janitors in public schools!  And think how much cleaner the schools would be and how entitlement would decrease if students were responsible for their own space and surroundings.

I think there are many things we can offer other countries about our educational system, but I also think there is so much we can learn from other countries.  I would be thrilled to be involved with a team of professionals who are researching educational reform by looking at what is happening in other countries.

Thank you for having an open forum and for “LISTENING.” 

Bonnie Becraft, M.A., Special Educator

Levi Anderson Learning Center

Northwest Regional ESD

Hillsboro, Oregon