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July 24, 2008 To Whom It May Concern: As an alumni and former student, I am writing this letter in support of Dr. Arthur Siebens as a biology teacher at Woodrow Wilson Senior High School. I had Dr. Siebens as a biology teacher for two of my three years at Wilson. He taught me general biology in my sophomore year and then Advanced Placement Biology in my junior year. He is by far one of the most enthusiastic, effective, and fair teachers I have had in my entire lifetime of education (including through my recent completion of a PhD in biology). Dr. Siebens is an effective teacher because he does not simply allow us to regurgitate facts about biology. He used interactive discussions, experiments, work in teams, and live music to help students understand general biology. The foundations of biology I learned from him served me very well, as I went on to college majoring in zoology. It was evident to me that what I knew about biology exceeded my average freshman peer. This certainly was not the case for me in a variety of other subjects, because sadly very few Wilson teachers I had even approached the effectiveness of Dr. Siebens. Dr. Siebens is not only effective, but he was fair. One of the things I admired most about him was this quality. Many of the teachers I had at Wilson clearly treated students differently, seemingly based on race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or current educational achievements. It was apparent to me that Dr. Siebens did not do this. Although I performed very well in his class, he did not at all hesitate to discipline me at the slightest misbehavior. He also did not treat students differently, based on how “fast” they learned or what they already knew in the subject. He really treated us under the belief that all of his students had the same ability to do well. Certainly, most teachers are not committed enough to make learning science fun for their students, that they would compose and sing songs about biology for their students. Even though most students rarely wanted to sing, it was evident that Dr. Siebens loved us and he loved his job. For him to write these rhyming biology songs, lug in his guitar, and force us to sing, he must have cared. I feel that deep down, through this, students knew how much he cared. This level of commitment is certainly exceedingly rare in any educational setting. Frankly, I am shocked that Dr. Siebens must even face losing his job, given he was one of the best out of only a handful of excellent teachers I had at Wilson over ten years ago. I really learned from him and was motivated by his faith in me. He often pulled me aside and told me that I was good at biology. He was the first science teacher that ever told me that, and I really did believe him. Because of this, I had the confidence to pursue and complete a Bachelor’s degree in biology as well as a Ph.D. in Biology, just like Dr. Siebens. I continue in biology now a postdoctoral fellow studying molecular genetics. I am not sure how far I would have made it through this field if Dr. Siebens had not given me that initial push. Sincerely, Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:27:18
-0400 Good evening Your Honor: My name is Brendan Norwood. I am a fourth-year medical student at Columbia University's College of Physicians & Surgeons, a native son of Washington, and an alumnus of the DC Public School System. I write to you today to inform you of a gross injustice against a dedicated public servant and against the youth of Washington, and to implore your help in rectifying this inequity. Dr. Arthur Siebens is a talented, dedicated, and remarkably effective teacher at Woodrow Wilson Senior High. He has taught biology for eighteen years, inspiring and informing his students with outstanding didactic lessons, humorous educational songs about biology, and high standards for his students and for himself. He has been featured in the Washington Post for his innovative teaching approaches. His skill and effectiveness as a teacher are evident in his students' scores on the Biology AP exam: since 1994, over 70% of his students earned scores of 3 or higher. As a reward for his years of dedicated teaching, Dr. Siebens was dismissed this summer and asked not to return to teach in the Fall. He was given no other explanation for his dismissal other than "you don't fit in". The decision is nominally related to the school's restructuring under the No Child Left Behind law. Certainly, the educational disparities present in schools like Wilson should be addressed, but the removal of a dedicated and gifted teacher (two-thirds of whose students are not in AP classes) helps no one. I was personally affected greatly by Dr. Siebens' dismissal. Ten years ago, I graduated from Wilson with my eyes on a career in medicine, a path I would not have chosen if I had not taken Dr. Siebens' AP Biology class. I had been a mediocre student up until senior year, when I found myself inspired by Dr. Siebens, who pushed me to work harder and set my goals higher. As I enter my fourth year of study as president of my class at a prestigious medical school, preparing to embark on a career in pediatric emergency medicine, I look back and realize how much I owe to that man. Of all the teachers under whom I studied during my 14 years in the DC Public Schools, none inspired me or taught me as much as Art Siebens. I humbly ask you to do everything in your power to reverse the Wilson administration's decision, and to investigate and remedy the kind of bureaucratic perversity that could lead to such a failure of educational leadership. Thank you, |
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