"School-Meals Makeover Stirs Pot", Once again self-interest seems to be in charge. Never-the-less it is interesting that just because we want the food in schools to be healthier isn't necessarily going go translate into food that the kids are willing to eat. Especially if they have been brought up on junk food and fast food. It seems that a transition needs to made that will be more gradual and subtle if it is going to be effective. Along with a serious effort to educate parents.
"The time is Right to End 'Zero Tolerence', it's sad but true that some students really don't belong in any public school but reform school. Once again the tired cliches about how badly minority student have it how when they threaten and cuss out their teachers they get kicked out of school. Yeah, so what sometimes they deserve it. No teacher wants to teach kids that don't want to be in school, are disrespectful and threatening.
What happens in schools where nothing is done about that kind of behavior--it gets worse and it burns out teachers. I'm sorry I don't feel story for students that want to act like "punks"--let'em get kicked out. Maybe the remaining students will get a chance to learn and the teachers might even want to come to work.
Monday, April 18, 2011
March 30th Ed Week
"Students Shed Light On How Cheating Impedes Learning" was an enlightening article. I never realized that one of the out comes of cheating would be that one would fool themselves into believing they really are performing at the higher level that cheating seems to elevate them to. It certainly sound like as teachers we need to stress the importance of academic integrity and now that I know about the self-deception students engage in, I will make a point of telling them about the negative side-effects of cheating. Having a false sense of capability as a result of cheating is an unexpected outcome.
"Key Elements of Title I Program Broken, Researchers Say", this article brought up issues that pertain to Title I that I had previously been unaware of. I didn't realize that Federal funds that are supposed to go to add to local and state money for schools could allow schools to simply underfund schools by that amount. I was aware that most state lottery funding for education was treated this way. Once again seemingly well meaning people are trying to get away with not doing the right thing. Education, especially for those who are disadvantaged seems to be elusive. Unfortunately, the reasons are complicated and sometimes unpleasant--therefore easy to dismiss. Teaching in a Title I environment requires a "social worker" mentality on the part of the teachers and administrators. Not all teachers or administrators feel called to be "social workers".
"Key Elements of Title I Program Broken, Researchers Say", this article brought up issues that pertain to Title I that I had previously been unaware of. I didn't realize that Federal funds that are supposed to go to add to local and state money for schools could allow schools to simply underfund schools by that amount. I was aware that most state lottery funding for education was treated this way. Once again seemingly well meaning people are trying to get away with not doing the right thing. Education, especially for those who are disadvantaged seems to be elusive. Unfortunately, the reasons are complicated and sometimes unpleasant--therefore easy to dismiss. Teaching in a Title I environment requires a "social worker" mentality on the part of the teachers and administrators. Not all teachers or administrators feel called to be "social workers".
Sunday, March 27, 2011
March 16th Ed Week
"Teachers Seek Ways to Gauge Rigor of Texts" This was amazing, a bunch of teachers sitting around trying to figure out at what grade level it might be appropriate to let students read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. One teacher opined that it would be alright for 8th graders and another that it wouldn't be appropriate before college. What a joke, when you consider the education level of the readers in Mark Twain's time. I think that the education field is has more than its share of "over educated under common sensed" professionals. If we are doing such a poor job of teaching that Huck Finn can't be read and understood by students till they are in college--our educational system is a lot worse off than I realized.
"Teacher Preparation: Build on What Works" I like the idea of "free teaching training".I think it is outrageous what we have to pay (go into debt)--so we can have the privilege of working in an underpaid under appreciated profession. I think it interesting that people expect that there is going to be an abundance of highly qualified teachers that want to live and work in our inner city schools. Unless one feels a true calling to work in that environment--it's probably not going to happen and if it does it's not going to last. If I were a young teacher with small children the last thing I'm going to want to do is move them into a gang infested, drive by, crack cocaine using, housing project kind of a neighborhood. Unfortunate for the kids that live there, yes but reality--yes. So that means the only way children living in those neighborhoods can get a better education taught by better teachers is to bus them to the suburbs and teach them there. Will the kids like spending a couple of hours on a bus away from their familiar neighborhoods--probably not. So what's it going to take to put highly qualified teachers into urban schools--money. Tuition remission, extra pay(combat pay) for teaching in difficult and dangerous environments, relocation help and money when the tour of duty(no more than 4 years) is over.
"Teacher Preparation: Build on What Works" I like the idea of "free teaching training".I think it is outrageous what we have to pay (go into debt)--so we can have the privilege of working in an underpaid under appreciated profession. I think it interesting that people expect that there is going to be an abundance of highly qualified teachers that want to live and work in our inner city schools. Unless one feels a true calling to work in that environment--it's probably not going to happen and if it does it's not going to last. If I were a young teacher with small children the last thing I'm going to want to do is move them into a gang infested, drive by, crack cocaine using, housing project kind of a neighborhood. Unfortunate for the kids that live there, yes but reality--yes. So that means the only way children living in those neighborhoods can get a better education taught by better teachers is to bus them to the suburbs and teach them there. Will the kids like spending a couple of hours on a bus away from their familiar neighborhoods--probably not. So what's it going to take to put highly qualified teachers into urban schools--money. Tuition remission, extra pay(combat pay) for teaching in difficult and dangerous environments, relocation help and money when the tour of duty(no more than 4 years) is over.
March 9th Ed Week
"The High Stakes of Standards Based Accountability" article brought out some interesting points. The writer assumed that since students were having trouble on tests, going all the way back to 1983 when Nation at Risk was published, then it made no sense to raise the standards and tests because students are just continuing to fail at greater rates. Instead we should scrap the high stakes testing and go with something he calls "personalized education" Some suggestions he made were good like getting to know your students and universal preschool education, then he ventured into areas that are a little abstract like: "Each student would play a significant role in designing the curriculum, which would be anchored in the real world, not in the abstractions of most classrooms." Also, he offers that there should be no such thing as a "core curriculum. "classroom instruction would be minimal, teachers would become advisers who would guide students in educating themselves. They would tutor students and help them manage their time and energy"etc. All this would begin in middle school.
All I can say is your would have a hard time making this work with the top twenty percent of students, let alone with the struggling and underachieving students. And what kind of money would be required to provide this type of personalized instruction? This concept is pretty far out and impractical as far as I can tell.
"An Educator's Role in a Pop-Culture World" I certainly agree with his premise that pop-culture is an utterly corrupting influence on our society and children especially. It is unfortunate that greed fuels almost every aspect of our society. There is no level we will not stoop to for a buck. The problem is that we cannot stop the flow of garbage that the medial sends our way--anymore than we can sweep back the tide with a broom. As the author suggest with his "stone cutter" story all we can do is try to make an impact recognizing that we may only reach a few but that is better than reaching none. I like the way George Orwell put it in 1984: "How far away the future is no one can say--all we can do is try to expand the frontier of sanity one person at a time.
All I can say is your would have a hard time making this work with the top twenty percent of students, let alone with the struggling and underachieving students. And what kind of money would be required to provide this type of personalized instruction? This concept is pretty far out and impractical as far as I can tell.
"An Educator's Role in a Pop-Culture World" I certainly agree with his premise that pop-culture is an utterly corrupting influence on our society and children especially. It is unfortunate that greed fuels almost every aspect of our society. There is no level we will not stoop to for a buck. The problem is that we cannot stop the flow of garbage that the medial sends our way--anymore than we can sweep back the tide with a broom. As the author suggest with his "stone cutter" story all we can do is try to make an impact recognizing that we may only reach a few but that is better than reaching none. I like the way George Orwell put it in 1984: "How far away the future is no one can say--all we can do is try to expand the frontier of sanity one person at a time.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
February 23 Ed Week
"Ky. School Ratchets Up Improvement" This article deals with the "turn-around" of a failed high school I found it to be a fascinating article. I had no idea how the process works. It certainly proves that it is possible to fix failing schools--even in with "challenging" demographics. However, the amount of money and oversight required is hard to understand. If this is the model of what it takes it probably isn't going to be done very often. So how do schools get so bad that they need this kind of reconstruction?
"Study Punctures Stereotypes About Social Status of Bullies" I didn't think this article was particularly helpful or even on track. Rather than clarifying who is likely to bully it did more to muddy the waters. Sure, it may be possible that any child in a certain situation may exhibit some bullying behavior most of the serious bullying including physical violence is done by the kids with more sociopathic tendencies--just like in the adult world.
Children with capacities for compassion and empathy are less like likely to be bullies.
"Study Punctures Stereotypes About Social Status of Bullies" I didn't think this article was particularly helpful or even on track. Rather than clarifying who is likely to bully it did more to muddy the waters. Sure, it may be possible that any child in a certain situation may exhibit some bullying behavior most of the serious bullying including physical violence is done by the kids with more sociopathic tendencies--just like in the adult world.
Children with capacities for compassion and empathy are less like likely to be bullies.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
February 9 Ed Week
"States Eye Curbs on Collective Bargaining by Teachers" What good timing for this article--just as teachers are protesting Wisconsin over this very thing. Pretty similar to the "pension grab" from a Feb 2 Ed Week Blog. The same players are once again trying to "steal" from the public--this time it's "rights" that are being stolen. Once again when will we wake up to the fact that Republicans do not have the welfare of the American people in their agenda. They continue to represent the interests of the rich and corporations. They will stop at nothing to bring back the "golden age of sweat shops" that collective bargaining put an end to.
February 9 Ed Week
The "College For All Confronted" article did a good job of exposing the everybody needs to go to college myth. I think this myth has been fostered by colleges and universities to fatten their enrollments and bank accounts. Unfortunately, our colleges and universities have fallen victim to the same parasitic greed that the rest of corporate America has. Clearly, when you look at what our education costs and what we are getting for it--we are being "ripped off" in the same way we are being ripped off by our health care system. In the case of health care insurance companies play a large role. In the case of higher education it's this artificial value of the "sheep skin". The ridiculously high costs of tuition skids are being greased by the ease of student loans. "Ease" that is until it's time to start pay them off.
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