SAVE HUBBARD

Hubbard's History:

The Hubbard building was completed in 1895. It was built and opened as a public school. It housed all grades until 1916. The first Principal of the building was chosen before the building was completed her name was; Carrie O. Shoemaker. The original 13 teachers in the school were all women. It was not thought of as acceptable for men to be elementary teachers. Miss Shoemaker was chosen by the Superintendent of Columbus Public Schools Jacob A. Shawan 1889-1916. The school was also built during his regime. He stated the following in regards to the building of new schools:

"It is the present policy of the Board to build neat houses with good light,
heat and ventilation, but without unnecessary ornamentation, believing that
thorough equipment is of greater value than outward adornment. Some of the
buildings recently erected have been larger than usual, which, I believe, is in
the direction of permanent economy, as supervision will cost no more than
smaller buildings and will be just as effective. The aim if the Board had been
to keep the cost of construction within the limits of $2,500 per room."
-Jacob A. Shawan
Superintendent's Report 1895-1896

The building totaled around $36,000 at its completion. The building was built by D. Riebel, Architect as supported by the Committee on Buildings: F.J. Heer, C.E. Morris, D.J. Fisher, and E.J. Aston.

The Hubbard students walked to school rain or shine. They would walk home midday for lunch just to return in time for classes to begin. Students who returned early could play outside in the commons. The girls and boys played on separate sides of the yard. Girls would jump rope, sing songs and play hopscotch. The boys would play tag or ball. The boys played with their friends whom they called boyfriends as did the girls who played with their friends whom they called girlfriends. The students sat in rows where their desks were screwed into the floor rendering them immobile. The students were not to talk unless they were asked to speak. If a student spoke without permission or broke a rule they would receive a demerit. If a few demerits were accumulated over the day the student would have to go to the office.

The students dressed very differently. Girls were to wear dresses everyday pants were not acceptable. The boys were to wear short pants or slacks (long pants). The students did not have to wear uniforms.

The classrooms were very minimal. The building was considered such a beautiful building and the neighborhood, such a peaceful place, that the teachers tried not to distract from the scenery. Principal Shoemaker stated this of the school:

"The fact of the matter is, that we were really set down in the midst of a great commons;
for beyond the school, on every side, stretched the great
open spaces. It was no uncommon sight to see from our windows our
neighbor's horses grazing in the pasture, and, if by chance, we were early
enough to school in the morning, we could catch a glimpse of a boy milking
the family cow in our school yard."

In 1912 the Health Department of the Public Schools was organized. The first school nurse was Bessie Pontius. She would go to Hubbard every Tuesday to help the students. She would record the weight, height, vision and hearing conditions of each student. If a student was 10% below weight a tuberculin test is given. If a child needed dental services the nurse would have made an appointment at a clinic. The school nurse's goal was to protect the health of the public school child.

In 1917 the building opened as a Junior High School. Hubbard stayed a Junior High until 1924 when it was opened, in September, as a Elementary School- grades 1-6. At that time a Sight-Saving classroom was instated in the building as well. This was Columbus' first classroom servicing the visually impaired. Students went to the Sight-Saving classroom for short periods of time for additional services. There were 13 students the first year with Lillian Tonner leading the class.

The PTA meeting minutes from the 1930's show that Hubbard was an important part of the community. The PTA spent money on canned goods for families in need. They even went as far as buying trousers and shoes for the student's fathers. This was a time of great need and the school did not let the families down. Money was spent on items that were truly needed even if they were not educational, per say.

There was a rotunda on the third floor of the building that looked down on to the first floor and up to the dome at the top of the building. Sometime between the late 1930's and early 1940's a student fell from the railing onto the floor under the dome. Edward Yates, former student (graduated sixth grade in 1943) and former custodian (1995), stated that:
"The boy was not hurt seriously, but it was enough to cause the school to cover the hole."

As the neighborhood began to grow, the commons, that was the school yard, disappeared. Houses were built up to the school. During fire drills the last student out of the building and into the class line, would be touching the building. This was an extreme hazard. The district bought a few houses on both sides of the building and leveled them to allow for space for the school yard.

In 1975, renovations were made to the building and the gymnasium was added for meals and Physical Education.

In 1995, the school celebrated the 100th anniversary under the leadership of Principal Rebecca Price. The school had an open house for neighbors, former students and visitors. The guests were encouraged to wander around the building. The staff displayed the old ledgers and PTA Minutes.

Hubbard became an alternative school in 2004 when The Franklinton Alternative School moved into the building. The staff and students from the Franklinton building moved into Hubbard and were joined by approximately 60 additional students. The school was renamed: The Literature Based Alternative School at Hubbard.

SAVE HUBBARD

Time to pull together and SAVE OUR SCHOOL!

Hubbard is ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK! L

Story link below:

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/10/19/ccs_closings.html

Committee narrows list of potential Columbus school closings

Monday, October 19, 2009 4:05 PM

By Jennifer Smith Richards

The Columbus Dispatch

The outside committee charged with recommending which Columbus schools should close now has a list of 17 schools from which to pick.

Seven are elementary schools and 10 are middle schools. Not all will be closed, but the district has said six or seven will.

"Everything we look at is tentative. This is not the final stage in the process," said Floyd V. Jones, co-chairman of the committee.

The elementary schools are: Deshler, Heyl, Moler, Literature Based Alternative @ Hubbard, Douglas Alternative, Fair and Parkmoore. Out of Deshler, Heyl and Moler, only one will make the final cut as all are in the same region.

The middle schools are: Clinton, Medina, Beery, Buckeye, Eastmoor, Johnson, Sherwood, Indianola, Franklin Alternative and Monroe. Only one will be chosen from each of the following groupings: Clinton and Medina; Beery and Buckeye; and Eastmoor, Johnson Park and Sherwood.

The committee will narrow down the school-closing options again at its next meeting.

Columbus City Schools officials promised to close six buildings as part of a five-year financial plan linked to the passage in November of a combined levy and bond issue.

Here are the basics:

-There are six schools to be closed.

BASED ON THE ARTICLE:
-Out of Deshler, Heyl, and Moler... TWO will be closed
-Out of Clinton & Medena... ONE will be closed
-Out of Berry & Buckeye... ONE will be closed
-Out of Eastmoor, Johnson Park, and Sherwood.... Two will be closed

- Two plus one, plus one equals SIX.
- By this logic, Hubbard Hubbard may be spared.

- Keep in mind, this newspaper ALSO endorsed George Bush.... TWICE!

The threat of school closing will be a topic at our next parents meeting.
PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND!

All comments will be posted ASAP

- Pate Hutson

Talking to Children About School

"Parents can ask ‘how was your day?' but children often can't answer. It's asking kids to boil down every aspect of their day into one response. And that's hard for kids (and even grown ups) to do! What a child might really want to say is, `My day was so complex, it was jam-packed with classes and social problems that I can't even begin to tell you. After all, I'm only in second grade!'"

"However, the parent is still starved for information and thinks it's important to know the details, but actually not all details are important."

Michael Thompson Ph.D.

Author, The Pressured Child

Why is it so hard to talk about school? Parents often get exasperated with kids' monosyllabic answers to their simple questions. That one well-intentioned line, "How was school today?" has probably provoked more bad feelings between parents and kids than either party ever intended.

"'How was school today?' is a frustrating question for both parents and kids,” notes Michael Thompson, Ph.D., author of The Pressured Child. “Parents never get the answer they want and often don't understand how difficult this question really is. Without meaning to, parents are asking for a summary but kids don't summarize the way adults do. So most kids just say ‘fine' or try to avoid the question entirely." And then the problem escalates. "Many parents will repeat this question if they don't get a good enough response because they don't know how else to ask it," adds Lawrence Cohen, Ph.D., author of Playful Parenting.

Fortunately, some simple strategies can get kids and parents talking and listening. "What was fun? What was the worst part of the day? Did your teacher explain that math homework? How did soccer go?"

However, communicating effectively about school goes deeper than just asking the right questions. "What are the goals of talking with kids about school and what is the role of the adult in these conversations?" asks Diane Levin, Ph.D., professor of education at Wheelock College. "More than just finding out how their day was, we want to help kids become problems solvers and independent learners. Good conversations help kids see we care about their lives, that we are there to support them, and to help them develop strategies for solving problems themselves."

Try these strategies to get kids and parents talking about school and listening to each other in meaningful ways.

So why don’t our kids want to tell us about their day at school? And why do we think we need to know every detail? And how can we become more effective listeners? To find out, take a look at the situation from your child’s perspective and compare it to your own.

"How was school?" and "how are you?" are not really questions — they're greetings. A problem arises because we expect an answer. But the question is so general that it’s difficult for kids to answer, particularly when they are on overload from a challenging day at school. "What parents are trying to do when they ask ‘how was school?’ is to make contact with their child," explains Michael Thompson, Ph.D. But we don’t realize that the question "how was school" may not be the most effective way to connect.

Kids often think adults ask too many questions."And they are right," adds Thompson, "we do. Adults are often just trying to start a conversation and don’t understand that their questions make a child feel put on the spot. Be aware that a question from a big person like you can place demands on a small child, even though you don’t mean it that way.""It’s important to also be clear why you are asking children about school. Is it merely chit chat, are you looking for something more meaningful, and are you communicating in ways that relate to your child’s experience?" notes Diane Levin, Ph.D.

School can be hard for kids and that’s why it’s hard for them to talk about it. Every day at school, kids get things wrong and make mistakes. That’s how they learn. But generally, kids don’t want to come home and say, "I was frustrated by my mistakes but I learned from them." They would rather come home and say, "I got everything right." Their feelings about meeting the expectations of their teachers, their parents, and themselves can make school a challenging topic to discuss.

So — should we stop asking questions? No. But you might ask fewer ones and try not to get crazy when your kids don’t respond the way you want them to. Remember that if your kids don’t want to talk, it’s not a rejection of you. When you do speak, try to find ways to discuss what’s meaningful to both your child and you, because this shows that you care.

8 Tips for Building Healthy Parent/Teacher Relationships

By Marie Hartwell-Walker, Ed.D.
September 1, 2009

It’s astonishing but true: Many children spend more of their waking hours with their teachers each weekday than they do with their parents. By the time parents get home from work and kids get home from afterschool activities, there are only a few hours left in the day to get dinner, do homework, perhaps go to a kid event, and get everyone to bed.

Yes, those are all important activities. Yes, parents can get some quality time in at dinner, while helping with homework, and in the car going to and from whatever is on the schedule. But meanwhile, there’s another adult who is teaching, influencing, and, I certainly hope, having some fun with our kids for 6 hours a day – their teachers.

When we’re on the same team, our kids usually do better in school. When we know and trust each other, our kids can’t play one against the other when they find work challenging or want to avoid a task. When there’s good communication between us, accomplishments get acknowledged, little problems don’t tend to become big ones, big ones can be better managed.

I’ve been on both sides. As a junior high English teacher in the early part of my career, I had over 100 kids a semester whose personalities and progress I needed to learn well enough so that I could respond to concerned parents. As a mother of 4 kids, at times I’ve been one of those concerned parents who wanted her kids’ teachers to know their personalities and progress well enough to keep me informed. What I learned from both experiences is the importance of a strong parent-teacher partnership, especially when a child is having a hard time.

8 Tips for Building Healthy Parent/Teacher Relationships

Here are a few reminders of what we parents can do to build a positive and productive partnership with our child’s teachers.

• Introduce yourself to the teacher. Start the year off right. Don’t wait for a problem before making contact. Find a way to say hello, to help the teacher attach your face to your name, and to make a cordial connection. If the school limits contact immediately before and after school, email the teacher and ask if there’s a convenient time when you can just stop by. This isn’t the time to have a lengthy conversation. It’s a time to simply let the teacher know who you are and that you are a parent who is interested in your child’s education.
• Introduce your child. Elementary classroom teachers often have 20 – 40 new children to get to know each year. (Secondary teachers and specialists like art and gym teachers may have as many as 200!) Help them out a little. Write a brief note or email to the teachers telling them a little bit about your child’s strengths and interests. Add a few goals and hopes you have for the year. If you have a particular concern or your child has a particular challenge, briefly describe that as well. Include phone numbers and times when you prefer to be contacted.
• Go to “open house.” Teachers tend to be most interested in the families who show some interest. Open house, or back-to-school night, is a great time to get a sense of the teacher’s goals for the year and to learn about his or her approach. Most teachers spend hours preparing their classrooms and lessons. Take the time to really look around the room and to comment positively on what you see. This is not the time to corner the teacher with your own concerns. Other parents want time too. Instead, make an appointment for a parent-teacher conference to discuss your child’s strengths and goals.
• Go to the parent-teacher conference prepared. Respect the teacher’s time. Get to your meeting on time and don’t overstay your assigned time. Take the time to jot down things you feel are going well as well as concerns. Share the whole list with the teacher right away. Then go back to each item together. You are much more likely to cover everything you want to cover if you are both keeping track.
• Remember the Golden Rule. Always assume good will on the teacher’s part. People go into this profession because they like kids and they love the process of teaching and learning. Don’t go by anyone else’s (including your child’s) opinion – especially if it’s negative. Different people react to each other differently. Your best friend may not like someone you find to be terrific. Your child may need some help adjusting to a new teacher’s style.

  Also, please remember the teacher is human. Sometimes teachers have a bad day. Sometimes there is a crisis going on in their personal lives. Sometimes they get overwhelmed by all that is expected of them every day. If the teacher snapped at your kid or seems unreasonable, start by asking if everything is okay. A little support often turns things around fast.

• Communicate regularly. Email is a great way to maintain a connection. Every few weeks, send a comment on what your child has brought home from school. Be sure to compliment the teacher on interesting lessons and to share moments when your child repeats something positive that happened at school. Thank the teacher for any special efforts on your child’s behalf. Let the teacher know early if a particular skill or subject is giving your child trouble. In addition, keep the teacher informed if there are issues at home that should be borne in mind if your child is struggling. Children don’t leave family crises (like a parent’s or sibling’s illness, pending divorce, parental stress) at home. Conversely, they don’t leave the excitement about an anticipated event (like a new baby, visiting favorite relatives, a special birthday) at home either. Kids who are unhappy and kids who are excited are often distracted from school work.
• Help out. The strained economy is having an impact on schools. Many school systems have increased class size, reduced the number of paraprofessionals, and cut the supply budget. If you have the time, offer to help. Some teachers welcome parent involvement in the classroom. Reading to a small group for an hour each week can let the teacher focus on kids who need extra help. If you have a special talent or interest that is compatible with the curriculum, the teacher may appreciate having you do a guest appearance to enrich the class. Others appreciate it a lot when parents do some of the preparation for lessons at home and bring it in. Still others are enormously grateful when parents donate such items as tissues, pencils, and art supplies to the class.

  Always ask before taking action. Schools have different policies for parent participation and donations. Do take no graciously if you’re turned down. 99 percent of the time it isn’t personal but a matter of school rules.

• If there’s a problem. This is where the good relationship you’ve worked so hard to establish pays off. You know that you and the teacher both want the best for your child. If your child carries home a tale of teacher meanness or unfairness, maintain a neutral stance until you have more information. Don’t talk negatively about a teacher in front of your kids. Instead, email or call the teacher and ask politely for the teacher’s point of view. You’re on the same team. There is no need to be aggressive on your child’s behalf or defensive on your own. When both parent and teacher stay focused on the problem at hand, be it a child’s need for practice with a skill or a bit of an attitude transplant, things can usually be worked out.

Public Supports Higher Pay for Teachers

By Cindy Long

Ask Americans what they think of public education and their answers may surprise you.

According to the “2009 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools,” Americans think more money should be spent on early childhood education; they're weary of the No Child Left Behind Act; and they feel inadequate funding is the biggest problem facing our schools.

They’re also in favor of higher starting salaries for public school teachers, to the tune of $43,000, about $7,000 more than the average starting salary of education majors graduating in 2009.

Seven out of 10 respondents also said they’d like a child of theirs to become a public school teacher -- and with higher salaries, it's a lot more likely that they will.

“If we want to attract, retain, and motivate the best and the brightest, we need to raise the starting salaries of teachers to be competitive with other professions,” says Bob Willoughby, Associate Director of Research with the New Jersey Education Association. “Otherwise we’re not going to raise the standard of teaching and invite a broader spectrum into the field – graduates who might otherwise have thought to become lawyers, doctors, or accountants.”

In states across the country, the public is beginning to recognize that a quality education begins with quality teachers who earn professional pay – even in states with a high number of conservative GOP voters, like Wyoming.

“With an average beginning salary of nearly $43,000 state-wide, Wyoming’s teachers can attest to the sense of professional respect that comes with a fair salary,” says Wyoming Education Association President Kathryn Valido.

Phi Delta Kappa (PDK), an international association of educators, has conducted this survey with Gallup every year since 1969. According to PDK Executive Director William Bushaw, Americans have consistently shown support and respect for educators.

“I think Americans recognize what an important role teachers play in shaping future generations, and as a result, see the need for increasing teacher salaries,” he says.

Key Findings of the 2009 Poll:

NCLB Fatigue? Americans are growing weary of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). In fact, support for NCLB, which was passed in 2002, continues to decline as almost half of Americans view it unfavorably and only one in four Americans believe
that it has helped schools in their communities.

Split Views on Teacher Tenure. American views are split on teacher tenure depending on how the question is phrased. They disapprove of teachers having a “lifetime contract” but agree that teachers should have a formal legal review before being terminated.

Dropout Rate of Top Importance. Almost nine out of 10 Americans believe that the U.S. high school dropout rate is either the most important or one of the most important problems facing high schools today. Offering more interesting classes was suggested most often when asked what could help reduce the dropout rate.

Support for Required Kindergarten. Americans strongly endorse making either halfday or full-day kindergarten compulsory for all children. Five out of 10 Americans believe preschool programs should be housed in public schools, with parents even more supportive of that idea. This is a significant change from 18 years ago when Americans were evenly divided between public schools, parent workplaces, and special preschool facilities. Almost six out of 10 Americans would be willing to pay more taxes to fund free preschool programs for children whose parents are unable to pay.

Americans Well-Informed by Newspapers. Almost 75 percent of Americans say they are either well-informed or fairly well-informed about their schools, citing newspapers as their primary source of information about schools, despite the declines in the newspaper industry, and school employees as their secondary source.

Support for Higher Teacher Salaries. Overall, Americans demonstrate a deep respect for public school teachers, stating that beginning teachers with a bachelor’s degree and teaching certificate should earn an average starting salary of approximately $43,000, a substantial increase over the current average starting salary of $35,300. Additionally, seven out of 10 would like a child of theirs to become a public school teacher, the highest favorable rating in three decades.

Building a Nation of Readers

Welcome Back to School
It's back to school and back to books, and NEA's Read Across America is dedicated to providing you with the resources and materials you'll need to keep students reading all year long.

Celebrate a Year of Reading

The 2010 Read Across America Resource Calendar will be out soon, so don't miss your chance to order a copy. This year's spectacular calendar features books by award winning authors and illustrators, a math, science, and history theme, and posters for your classroom and school. To order your calendar, please send your name, mailing address and NEA state affiliate name to readacross@nea.org. Supplies are limited. The calendar and posters will also be available to download from this site.

Where the Wild Things Are Resources for Educators

Maurice Sendak’s popular tale is now a major motion picture, opening October 16. Before you see the movie, check out the following resources from RAA partner Reading Rockets and the National Wildlife Federation. Both offer downloadable resources and Reading Rockets even offers an interview with Maurice Sendak. Go to http://www.nwf.org/beoutthere/parentsguide.html. and http://www.readingrockets.org/articles/33292

Read Across America on SchoolTube

SchoolTube has created a Read Across America channel designed to showcase student and educator videos from around the country. To sign up and share your videos, go to www.schooltube.com.

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month begins September 15. If you're looking for books and bilingual lesson plans, check out the site from REFORMA at www.reforma.org/CYASC.htm.

Read for the Record October 8

The Pearson Foundation and Jumpstart need your help to break the Guinness World Record by reading Eric Carle's beloved A Very Hungry Caterpillar on October 8. To pledge your participation, to to http://www.redfortherecord.com.

Youth Leaders for Literacy Grants Available

The 2010 Youth Leaders for Literacy Grants competition is now open--time to encourage students to send in their project descriptions and applications. The grant is $500 from NEA and Youth Service America and $500 in books from the Pearson Foundation. Deadline is October 30. Get details and an application here.

Read Across America on SchoolTube

SchoolTube has created a Read Across America channel designed to showcase student and educator videos from around the country. To sign up and share your videos, go to www.schooltube.com.