An Open Letter to Parents:
Hi, I’m Marc Feldmann, the coordinator for Project Prospero. I have been a teacher for over 30 years in the same public school system. I love my job and like many teachers I have always strived to perform at the highest level possible. Not too long ago I developed kidney disease from taking a certain medication. This has progressed to the point I am on home dialysis and don’t get to leave the house much. I have had to take a leave from my teaching job, because the hours conflict with my dialysis.
I don’t tell you this for sympathy. What this has done is motivate me even more to create the opportunities for students that I could not before. Through technology such as zoom I am still able to connect with and teach students. I have assembled a top-notch group of educators who are masters of their craft and are highly motivated to get students where they need to be.
There are so many good intentions in the teaching world, unfortunately there is also a lot of stumbling in the dark and bad practice. Students accumulate bad habits or no habits. They aren’t engaged or motivated or worse they are engaged by activities that don’t push them further toward College and Career Readiness. In my 30+ years I have seen all kinds of teaching. And I have tried to guide some teachers closer toward effectiveness. However, I have developed techniques and practice that work. That amplifies the skills students need to succeed in college and in life. And the teachers I have invited to work with me have developed similar techniques over time with a lot of trial and error. While a lot of less experienced teachers struggle at the expense of student education or creating gaps and deficits in student’s skills, these deficits add up. By the time your student reaches 11th or 12th grade they may think they are prepared for college, because of severe grade inflation that has taken place ever since Covid was an issue. The problem is their record looks superb, yet they have not learned and developed skills well enough to succeed in college. I point you to all the articles I’ve provided to back that reality up. This situation is real and occurs more than you would probably realize. Students are effectively gas lit through their high school career and believe they are ready for college. When they get there, so many are overwhelmed by the reading and writing workload, that they give up and drop out.
I created Project Prospero just to address this situation, because I have seen it time and time again. Me and my colleagues have worked hard to develop pedagogy that builds up these skills and we have a deep and long track record of doing just that, as the testimonials will attest to. We are all highly invested in every student getting their skills to a level that will serve them well in college and beyond. Sign up to help your child gain engaging reading, writing, and discussion skills for College or Career. Spaces are limited and big discounts are available for early adopters.