Governor lauds  Miami University program

Strickland rails against conformity  in visit to Oxford campus.

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By Ryan Gauthier, Staff Writer 1:22 AM Thursday, May 28, 2009

OXFORD — Conformity could be the death of the education system, Gov. Ted Strickland said Wednesday, May 27, during a visit with Miami University faculty and students.

He said he was inspired to hear the new directions the university’s School of Education, Health and Society is taking, utilizing cutting-edge technology in the classroom and preparing students to thrive in urban environments.

“It’s so needed, but change is threatening,” Strickland said. “It’s safer to conform. It’s safer to not experiment, because you might fail. And you will fail. That idea of conformity ... is deadly to education.”

Students and faculty presented the governor with an overview of several of the school’s innovative approaches, including using Skype and a SMART Board to interact with a class of ninth-graders from Madeira High School near Cincinnati.

Several undergraduates in the school’s urban teacher education cohort talked about their experiences in a program aimed at enhancing the learning experiences of students in urban communities.

Robert Hendricks, a junior who became an education major two weeks ago, told Strickland he hopes to be a role model for black males at city schools.

“The only successful black men that the young black boys see are athletes and rappers,” Hendricks said. “I want to go in front of the classroom to show them that it’s possible.”

Hendricks said many of the students have a substantial amount of potential, but lack the drive to achieve success.

By helping students see someone from a similar background finding success, he hopes to stop that potential from going to waste.

University President David Hodge said the school is trying to help students realize that “learning is not a spectator sport.”

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