Teacher of the Year Edutains
He Aims for Equity and Knows How to Edutain by F&EG Staff -S/S 2005
Jason Kamras is this year’s National Teacher of the Year. He’s the 55th teacher to win the award and the first from the District of Columbia.
A committee of representatives from 14 national education groups chose Kamras from among the 55 US state and territory teachers of the year. The national winner is selected on their ability to inspire, earn respect and serve as a community leader with a demanding schedule.
Kamras has taught math and social studies at John Philip Sousa Middle School in Washington, DC for eight years. He has a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and a master’s degree from Harvard University. He has worked diligently to raise math achievement at Sousa and helped cut the percentage of students scoring “below basic” on the Stanfords test by 50% in one year. He emphasizes the use of technology, putting instruction into a real-world context to meet all learning styles.
Kamras will be an ambassador for his profession for one year. He wants to see more equity –meaning more money and help for schools in poorer areas. Through a college experience as a “Volunteer in Service to America” teacher at a Sacramento, California school learning center, Kamras saw first-hand how limited access to well-funded, quality schools for economically disadvantaged students is a great social injustice facing America. He’s been helping fight this inequity as a teacher at Sousa.
Born in New York, Kamras moved to California with his family when he was three years old. He graduated in 1991 from Rio Americano High School in Sacramento. Between his sophomore and junior years at Princeton, he joined the university’s Student Volunteers Council, serving as a tutor for elementary school students in Trenton, New Jersey, and as a Graduate Equivalency Diploma (GED) counselor for inmates at the Mercer County NJ Correctional Facility.
After graduating in 1995 with a degree in public policy, Kamras traveled to Jerusalem to work at a non-profit, research-based organization that aids Israel as a democracy. After applying to Teach for America, a program that places recent college graduates in under-resourced urban and rural public schools, he was accepted and placed at Sousa in the fall of 1996.
Following are some insights Kamras shared in a recent interview with EF&EG combined with other comments he made in his application for the award and in his acceptance speech at a ceremony with President Bush.
What is your biggest teaching challenge?
“Finding a way to meet the needs of each child. It is very rewarding when I do find the way. Like many urban schools, Sousa faces a number of socioeconomic challenges. Chief among these are poverty, drug use, and crime in the students’ neighborhoods. But, I believe deeply in Sousa’s potential for greatness.”
What makes you an outstanding teacher?
“Commitment to equity and opportunity for all children. A promise of a better future for those who have been left behind. I have high expectations for myself and for my students. I’m always looking at my approach in the classroom, and saying, “What works? What didn’t work? Who can I talk to? That constant process of pushing the goal posts down the field has made me be a better teacher. I believe this drive to reflect and improve is the principal source of my success as a teacher.”
How do you utilize Edutainment?
“I’m a big proponent of using games and physical activities in teaching. I do ‘math aerobics’ with the kids. For example, I ask them to show me a 45 degree angle with their arms or to use the rotation of their arms to approximate the circumference of a circle. Anything that’s engaging will help children and adults learn.
To engage my students, I utilize humor (I am known for my terribly corny math jokes), in-class “Jeopardy-style” competitions, and a variety of homemade games. My ultimate goal is to engender within my students a love of learning that will persist beyond their days in my classroom.
I believe firmly that learning must be relevant to children’s lives. Thus, I work diligently to incorporate my students’ own experiences into my lessons. I use our statistics unit to help my students think more analytically about their futures. They are particularly engaged when we explore data on the relationship between educational attainment and expected income.”
How else do you motivate students?
“I create inquiry based learning. It’s a more natural process. Then I bring in other experiences the students don’t have to expand on what they started with.”
Through his love of photography, Kamras co-founded the EXPOSE Program. Sousa students learn to use digital cameras and image-editing with DVD-creation software to create photo-essays about their lives. An important aspect of this training is a series of field trips the students take to diverse neighborhoods, historical sites, and museums in the DC area.
Kamras received $65,000 in grants for this program from various sources including Apple Computer. He received an award for Outstanding Contribution to Arts Education, the highest arts honor given by the District of Columbia.
Why did you become a teacher?
“My mother was a teacher in New York City, so I always had it in my blood. Education is a means of achieving equity in our society. I’d like to see more equity in our schools, in terms of working conditions, equipment and computer systems.
My intense desire to see my school excel comes from an unwavering belief that all students deserve an excellent education, and the unique role Sousa played in the civil rights movement. Bolling v. Sharpe, the 1954 Supreme Court case that paved the way for the desegregation of all District of Columbia public schools, arose from a challenge to segregation at Sousa.
I feel compelled to guarantee that it serves as an agent of social change, advancing those who have been ignored or constrained.”
What inspires you?
“The knowledge that I contribute to the improvement of my community and my nation. I endeavor to meet the individual needs of every child on my roster. This is not an easy task, particularly with 130 students. But, I strive towards this ideal by being creative and sensitive to diverse learning needs.”
What changes do you want to see ?
“In my view, the achievement gap is the most pressing issue facing our nation today. As a country, we have a moral obligation to ensure that all children, regardless of background, achieve proficiency in reading, math, science, social studies, and the arts. If we fail to do so, we will deny millions of American children the basic building blocks of opportunity.
The roots of the achievement gap are complex and varied. Challenges posed by growing up in poverty and living in a society that is still grappling with systemic discrimination are part of the problem as are home-based factors such as adult illiteracy. Then there are school-based factors. Closing the achievement gap requires that we address all of these root causes.
The disparity in public funding between districts that serve low-income and minority students and those that serve their more affluent peers is a school-based factor in the achievement gap.
The average disparity between the more affluent districts and the bottom quartile of “high-poverty” districts is $1,348 per student. Lawmakers have an obligation to more equitably distribute public resources in order to create a truly level playing field for our nation’s children.
Another school-based factor contributing to the achievement gap is the disparity in teacher quality across districts. Studies suggest that many educators who initially choose to teach in urban and rural systems decide to leave after their first year in the classroom due to unacceptable working conditions.”
How, then, can we improve working conditions in our undeserved schools?
“First, augment wraparound services for low-income and minority students. This will help mitigate many of the external issues that often enter the classroom and make teaching in high-poverty schools challenging. Second, ensure schools are structurally, environmentally, and technologically sound. Third, redouble our efforts to provide quality and sustained mentoring.
This is vital if we are truly committed to the success of new educators serving in our nation’s most challenging schools. Offer quality professional development and include teachers in the policy-making that affects their work.
A way to attract and retain high quality educators in underserved districts is by finance. Increasing salaries is, of course, one option. But there are other creative methods. For example, our nation already allows college graduates who teach in Title I schools for five years to cancel a portion of their Stafford Loan debt. The government could also provide tax breaks and low-interest home loans to these teachers. Closing the achievement gap will not be easy. But resigning ourselves to its continued existence is simply unacceptable.”
Thoughts about mentoring
“I firmly believe that the future strength of our national teaching corps is dependent upon successful mentoring.
I find mentoring to be invigorating. When I sit down with new teachers, I am always impressed by their creativity, commitment, and passion. They bring fresh ideas and approaches to the table. I love mentoring because it is challenging. I think critically about what I do in the classroom, how I do it, and why I do it. It helps me grow as an educator.
I know that much of my success as a first-year educator was due to the support and guidance of fellow teachers at my school. Those on my instructional team were particularly gracious with their time and energy. They observed me, offered constructive feedback, and provided an encouraging word at the right moment. I am deeply indebted to them.”
Continuous Learning
“I seek out quality professional development, support my professional organizations, and read at least three education-related periodicals on a regular basis. After all, we cannot only be teachers; we must also be lifelong learners. Our responsibility is to educate children. If we fail to do this, we fail ourselves, our communities, and most importantly, our nation’s young people. Keeping children orderly is not enough.”
Testing & Diversity
“Measuring student achievement means assessing students in a manner that reflects the diversity of their learning styles.
Let’s adopt more robust standardized assessments. In addition to the traditional multiple-choice format, offer students the opportunity to answer open-ended questions, as well as the opportunity to create and interact on their assessments. Only then will we be able to honestly claim that we honor and respect diversity in the learning community.
Hold teachers accountable for treating everyone with respect and dignity. Public schools are meeting places for individuals of all classes, races, ethnicity’s, creeds, nationalities, languages, orientations, and physical abilities. Teachers can set the example by welcoming all individuals equally into the learning community.
I have deep appreciation for the challenging and important work that teachers do every day. Teaching is a demanding profession. It requires extraordinary emotional and physical energy, a broad skill set, and a commitment to long hours and limited remuneration.
Committing enough resources is key to ensuring that all children have the opportunity to receive the highest quality public education.
I am often told that our nation lacks the funds to fully support public education. I reject this contention. The resources exist; it is the political will that is lacking. A substantial increase in public education funding is essential to the long-term strength and success of our country.”
