Posted by: Dean Fink Posted on: May 17, 2001 at 9:27 PM Message: I apprciated your candour and pragmatism. You have captured some of the most important keys to sustaining change. I'd put some money on your project lasting over time. Too often as you suggest we can be blinded by our own mind-sets. Chris Bede raised the idea of integration with mathematics. My question pushes this a bit further. My very clear impression as a non scientist( my initial training was as a historian)is that most projects in the 'poster hall' arequite focused on science or math and give little acknowledgement to other subjects that an elemntary teacher might be called on to teach. In fact the shear weight of the NSF initative and funding for science and math suggests to me that the overall program of students would be fragmented further than it already is. Have you or your colleagues built bridges to other subjects to bring some coherence for teachers and students? I will look into your website on dealing with children who live in poverty. I feel frustrated by our community's paradigm that somehow people who live in poverty deserve their fate ( and by extension so do their kids). As an unrepentant liberal, I still think kids need to be well fed , clothed and rested to learn very much that is positive and productive. Unfortunately policy makers in my country seem to think we can teach hungry, ill-clad, tired children kids. Thanks for inspiring and tolerating my 'rant' - I feel much better now.

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• We share a lot of the same concerns - Bob Box