My husband and I recently attended back-to-school night. Bells rang, kids aka parents, hugged and kissed and an occasional school representative straightening us all out on where to go for our next class.  In an instant, my own high school days flooded back.
What impressed me most about back-2-school 2011 is the level of technology in the classroom. Each classroom at Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills had a SMART system, which was an overhead projector and touch-screen Internet. The economic instructor was creative and used it to show parents how to access their child’s attendance and classroom performance online in an easy how-to demonstration. The science teacher related to her students on their preferred platform and had them take pictures of their science project from their cell phones and email to her as proof of their lab results.
What was common throughout each instructors presentation was the challenge of doing more with less and their concern for the real world application of the subject they each taught. In economics, it was the need for students to have a basic understanding of economic principles, in addition to a greater understanding of the recent credit downgrade. In english, it was the ability to discern an argument or point from various media platforms, particularly the Internet, which is where most teens tend to get their information.
I’m thrilled to know that the quality of our local public education is exceptional and there are my competent and motivated teachers in our local communities. Thank you ORHS and other for the very difficult work that you do, during these very difficult times.