Get Schooled

By Robert

April 4, 2006 11:02 AM | Link to this

I tend to agree with this assessment of middle school in GA….

As a high school teacher in GA, I regularly have students not prepared. I ask them what they learned in middle school and they say “nothing.” I ask middle school teachers what they teach and they reply “social skills.”

There is such a big push for high schools to improve (end of course tests, graduation tests, etc.), but high schools can only do so much for students that are not prepared. IMHO, the push should begin before high school. High school teachers (at least the ones that I know) would love to teach at a high level with challenging content, but the current “product” that we get coming into high school simply cannot do the work.

By Nikole

April 4, 2006 11:21 AM | Link to this

I moved to Georgia from Texas in middle school and didn’t notice much difference….is that saying much?
But really, I also noticed the work was not as challenging, a friend that moved from New York at the time would also agree, but maybe it has more to do with the particular school, rather than the entire state.

By Susie

April 4, 2006 11:28 AM | Link to this

I agree with you, Robert. I told my oldest son, (now in the 9th grade) when he started middle school in the 6th grade that now is the time for him to realize that everything he does from here on out “counts.” Middle school should “count” towards getting him ready for high school, and how well he does in middle school will most likely indicate how well he does in high school, which will indicate how well he does in college, which will indicate how well he does for the rest of his life.

It’s disappointing to learn that middle school is NOT getting kids ready for high school, because in the “chain of events,” it can set them back on how well they do in the future. I had always thought that middle school should be the “foundation” for their futures.

By mnt

April 4, 2006 11:51 AM | Link to this

Do many middle schools need to work more to prepare students for life and less to protect their fragile “self-esteem?” Judging by the number of 9th graders who come poorly prepared for high school and the high percentage who actually fail a class in 9th grade, yes.

However, using our critical thinking skills to analyze this student’s particular arguments, we can immediately identify two major problems.

By comparing a middle school magnet program to a regular middle school, regardless of the state, she is not comparing apples with apples. If she had enrolled in, say, Chamblee’s middle school magnet program, and then had the same observations of the contrast between programs, her contentions would have more credence.

On a second point, she paints the entire state of Georgia with the very broad brush of her particular experience. In Fulton County (at the moment at least), students are offered band and orchestra beginning in the fourth grade as well as middle school. Honors Algebra and Honors Geometry are both offered in middle school, and arrangements are made for those who need higher math. Students who score high enough on the ITBS in reading are offered the opportunity to take foreign language beginning in sixth grade if they’ve had foreign language at their elementary school.

As to the rigor of the curriculum, the sixth grade language arts teacher who taught both of my sone had expectations that many of those who post on this blog would not meet. The vocabulary words on which they were tested came from a high-frequency SAT list and the vocabulary tests were cumulative throughout the year. Not only did they learn grammatical rules, they were expected to use them, and to spell correctly, in all their work. She has her students rewrite essays and research papers until they get a 100. (Yes, she reads and comments upon every edition.)

Recently, at a math tournament (not debate, math), I asked a group of sophomores if they remembered “hypocatastasis.” ALL of them immediately recited the definition AND an example of its use FOUR years after its introduction by this teacher.

The teachers my sons had (and have) in middle school routinely deduct 10 points (no excuses) if an assignment is a day late, and give zeros if the assignments are missing.

Obviously, there are differences between school systems, and even between schools within a system, in expectations of students. However, there are public schools (including non-magnet schools) in Georgia which offer an education comparable to the one from which this student relocated. Our challenge is to provide this for all students!

By Teacher Teacher

April 4, 2006 11:54 AM | Link to this

I completely agree. Discipline in middle schools is off the chain, so very little learning occurs. For instance, in DeKalb County, look what happened at the relatively good Tucker Middle School when George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind affected it. Students at McNair Middle School, a horrible place that did not meet AYP, were able to transfer to Tucker Middle. What resulted? Disciplinary chaos, overcrowding, and a decline in educational effectiveness.

By LHK

April 4, 2006 12:03 PM | Link to this

I was in middle school in the early 90s in north Fulton county. Even in the notably affluent Roswell / Alpharetta area, middle school academics still seemed to play to the brain power of the kids who lagged behind. Those of us in the TAG (talented and gifted) program were only able to take two of our academic classes as TAG classes, which left us to take the other two academic classes with the rest of our “team.” I loved my TAG classes. In social studies, we had actual lecture periods during which we had to take notes, high school-style. In English (oops, I mean “language arts”), we read classic novels and learned SAT vocabulary. During my 8th grade year, however, TAG English wasn’t offered, and so I went back to the “regular” class, which spent half the year learning basic grammar. Or relearning, I should say. These kids could barely identify nouns and verbs. I particularly remember our comprehensive grammar test at the end of the year. Most of the scores were under 50. One of my friends got a 2 (yes, out of a possible 100!). The girl who sat behind me threatened to beat me up and steal my test with the 100 on it. Wouldn’t you know, my English teacher (who I remember as always looking very, very tired) let everyone retake an easier version of the test.

That’s what stands out about middle school to me — the uneccessary forgiveness. The second, third, and fourth chances. I think my middle school years came near the beginning of the touchy-feely, raise-everyone’s-self-esteem trend in education. I had only a few teachers who were hard on homework (including a math teacher who made a girl cry because he wouldn’t accept her “no, I really swear my homework was in my backpack this morning!” as an excuse).

In my professional life, I’m a textbook writer. I write grammar and reading textbooks for non-native English speakers. My low-level reading textbook is disturbingly reminiscent of some of the curriculum I remember from middle school. Reading a couple paragraphs and then answering questions that merely require the student to grab a stated detail from the text and rewrite it is a fine exercise for someone who’s just learning to read English… but I swear it’s the same kind of thing we did in 7th grade science.

By SET

April 4, 2006 12:05 PM | Link to this

I’m wondering how much of this affect is a red-state blue-state thing. CA is a blue state even when we have republician governors. CA has no intention of maintaining standards in public education which have been eroding steadily since the Great Society programs were started.

I suspect the morals of the Great Society (best seen in Berkeley CA and Santa Monica CA) flourished in the blue states and not the Red. One of the cardinal principles is that people should be happy and do what they want, not that people should defer gratification and do what has to be done. There’s another rule that “If I want it, it’s mine”. (Thus rent control, Afirmative Action, Discrimination legislation, etc.)

Snapping the whip on the adolescents would make them unhappy so we don’t do it. Hell, if they want to cut school and march in the streets under the flag of a foreign power, our elites think it’s “cute”.

So we set up public schools that feed “self-esteem” and abhor merit. I suppose you can’t have both.

So what happened to GA, TX and the other states? Were your standards and performance levels always where they are now or have they changed in the last 40 years?

Does anyone really believe poverty explains what is happening? We are richer now than in 1965 aren’t we?

By jim d

April 4, 2006 12:14 PM | Link to this

While I understand the plight of high school teachers here getting students that are ill prepared for high school. I question if Ms. MCNIGHT is comparing apples and apples? “Coming from a magnet school in Kentucky to a public school in Georgia”

Unlike Public schools, Magnet schools are afforded some levity (1) Magnets have a unified curriculum based on a special theme or method of instruction; (2) enrollment is open to students beyond the geographic attendance zone; and (3) students and parents choose the school. These subtle differences may make comparisons moot.

By Jeff

April 4, 2006 12:16 PM | Link to this

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: With Ch 9 in my CPS classes, I was literally teaching things I learned in ELEMENTARY school. Granted, Ch 10 should have been at least decently exposed in middle school (it was exponents and Pythagorean Theorem), but I have SENIORS that didn’t know this stuff!!!!

As to the ACTUAL question: Are GA’s schools more lax than other states? When I was working on the National level of a collegiate honor society (and I just gave away my identity to anyone who has ever met me), I met and became friends with students from UMich, LSU, FSU, USC, Princeton, Brigham Young, Texas, Texas A&M, and many more. We were all in this organization together, yet many of them knew FAR more than myself, and I consider myself to be among the top students GA graduated 5 yrs ago.

As a teacher, I CONSTANTLY see lower standards from my administration. (Including one thing that my Principal does that I won’t mention because it will ID my school.) I try to promote responsibility and high academic standards in my class, only to have my legs cut from underneath me.

By F

April 4, 2006 12:20 PM | Link to this

To: Teacher, Teacher

Its amazing how a school can be called horrible when your on the outside looking in. As a product of that “horrible middle school,” I will make sure to send you a photo of my diploma from an Ivy League University. Tucker has had all the benefits that some of the other schools have not, so teach the kids and stop complaining.

By BlindHomer

April 4, 2006 12:20 PM | Link to this

Once Ivy League material, now planning on attending K-K-Kennesaw State, that just about says it all. Four years in the GA public schools and she went from amazing grace to a floating opportunity, although her parents probably aren’t complaining about the free tuition.

By Amazed (Independent Woman)

April 4, 2006 12:21 PM | Link to this

I agree with this student 100%. Middle school should be preparing the students for high school and it appears that most are not being prepared. She is correct, most are learning the basics - things they should have learned in elementary school. But, the worst thing is that they are not grasping the material and move into high school at the same reading and math levels as they came into middle school.

If you can’t read in elementary school, someone should be doing something to correct it in middle school. I hate it when I find out that an 11th grader reads at a 6th or 7th grade level.

I’m not blaming the middle school, but that’s when you can at least work to move the students 2 reading levels forward - before you send them into highschool. The best scenario would be to correct reading problems in elementary school.

In my opinion, middle school is the ground level between high school drop out and college graduates. We need to pay very close attention to the education, social issues and motivation of middle school students. This is the place, where many kids get lost in transition.

By Jeff

April 4, 2006 12:31 PM | Link to this

Blind,

Kennesaw State can rank right up there with any Ivy League school you name in anything other than name recognition. Talking about my alma mater’s accomplishments would be like Will Smith’s “Lost and Found” track, so do I really need to do it? Older doesn’t always equate to better, nor does harder admission standards equate to a better education…

By Robert

April 4, 2006 12:33 PM | Link to this

I’ll float an idea…

There is a graduation test to get a diploma from high school, right?

How about a test at the end of middle school for a student to display a minimum knowledge/mastery of material in order to be promoted to high school? This “test” could be created to be much more straight forward, simply testing the basic information expected of a student at that level in math, English, science, and history. Face it, if a student cannot identify a verb then they should not get out of middle school!

By Teacher2

April 4, 2006 12:37 PM | Link to this

To answer SET, the standards are definitely lower, at least in my community. I teach at my alma mater and I am appalled by how low the expectations are and how dumbed-down the curriculum is from what it was when I graduated. For instance, the grading scale then was an 8-point scale (93-100=A). It is now a 10-point scale. We no longer teach one of the great classics, The Scarlet Letter, to regular college-prep classes, because the students cannot handle the difficulty of the language. It is very discouraging.

Much of the problem stems from our middle schools. They are set up like accelerated elementary schools, just as Kristy described, and they act as an extended remedial/review period for the students rather than a period of preparation for high school. The students are not challenged, and they are coddled. The vast majority of our incoming ninth graders lack even basic reading skills. They have had knowledge handed to them, and they expect the same from their high school teachers. They have not had to work for their grades, and, at least at first, they refuse to do so. Thinking for themselves, at least initially, is out of the question. These students are unprepared for high school work, much less high school responsibility. We spend much of our time training them how to study, how to take notes, and how to organize their time. This should have been done well before they reached us.

We try to work with our middle schools via transition teams to help the students know what to expect, but when the students have been coddled for three years, they find it difficult to break bad habits.

By jim d

April 4, 2006 12:38 PM | Link to this

Robert,

Gwinnett has such a test.

Learn more: http://www.gwinnett.k12.ga.us/gcps-instruction01.nsf/pages/8thGradePromotionRequirements

By Teacher Teacher

April 4, 2006 12:44 PM | Link to this

Hey, F

I’ve taught there and have friends who still teach there. The school has definite problems with behavior of its students. Very little learning takes place there. That you succeeded is great, and I compliment you. What percentage do you represent though? How many of your “peers” will be able to send me a photocopy of their Ivy League diplomas? In any event, what makes “Ivy League diplomas” better than diplomas, say, from Fort Valley or Clark Atlanta? There seems to be a subconscious problem with your thinking. Plus, I do like your moniker, “F.”

By Nikole

April 4, 2006 12:54 PM | Link to this

Teacher Teacher- I think that your comment implied that we should allow McNair to be a terrible school and that students that live in that area are not entitled to be in a good school like Tucker. That type of thinking is exactly why politicians felt that NCLB was a good idea. Clearly, the parents that sent their kids to Tucker want a better learning environment for their kids. The goal is for the administrators and teachers at McNair to make sure their school is offering the type of environment that those parents are seeking. I don’t think it is fair for you to rag on the school, especially seeing that you quit, rather than being part of the solution at that school and helping to turn it around.

By Robert

April 4, 2006 12:55 PM | Link to this

The Gwinnett County Gateway test nor the State CRCT is sufficient nor do they test what I suggest.

Jim d - re read my suggestion. For some reason you have a lot of trouble with reading comprehension.

My suggestion is for a student to be promoted from middle school to high school. This means after 9th grade. The Gateway and CRCT are given in the 8th grade.

In addition, the gateway tests writing/English only. The CRCT only tests math and English. Neither of them teach what I suggested: math, English, science, and history.

By Robert

April 4, 2006 01:08 PM | Link to this

Nikole -

I feel the pain of which Teacher Teacher speaks. The high school where I teach met AYP and per NCLB, students from non-AYP schools flooded our school. The result is over crowded classrooms and an explosion of behavior issues from the “new” students. Because teachers are now dealing with these new issues (over crowding and behavior issues) rather than teaching, instruction has suffered over all. So, the end result will likely be that my high school will not meet AYP this year.

It seems that NCLB has this side-effect of pulling down successful schools. Is this really intended? I hope not.

By jim d

April 4, 2006 01:09 PM | Link to this

Which high schools start in the 10 grade?

By BlindHomer

April 4, 2006 01:12 PM | Link to this

Teacher Teacher and Jeff - You’re putting me on right? I get it now. You get through the mediocre GA public schools so you can matriculate at Fort Valley State or KSU so you can qualify to teach in GA public schools and continue the mediocrity. If that’s what you want to do, that’s fine, Princeton really isn’t for people that want to teach 4th grade in the APS. But take your KSU diploma and compete for a real job at a prestigious law firm, investment bank, or a professor’s chair at a real university against the Harvard or Yale grad and see how you come out. Hint: did the President go to school at Yale or KSU?

By Terri

April 4, 2006 01:12 PM | Link to this

Same experience coming from a public in Florida to public in Gwinnett.

By jim d

April 4, 2006 01:14 PM | Link to this

Robert,

Speaking of reading for comprehension 101.

Love to see you there.

By Professor

April 4, 2006 01:16 PM | Link to this

After reading over the article and many other postings, I’ll have to say that I definitely agree. I’ve stated to many friends and colleagues that the Georgia public school system is so far behind that it almost prepares these kids to be failures. They are not adequately prepared when moving from one stage to the next. Once they’ve reached high school, they’ve been babied so much that they don’t want to do any work and aren’t motivated to do so. Now the high school teachers and now forced to “raise” these kids and give them some knowledge to take them to the next level and by the time they reach me on the college level, most of them can barely even read. The scariest thing beyond just being an educator is being a parent and now wondering and worrying about trying to find the best schools in Georgia, so now you’re faced to move to the opposite of the town and have a two hour commute into work just to ensure that your child is even receiving a decent education. So I opted to send my child to private school where a 90 in his class is a B. I push my son continously to strive and maintain his A average, meaning nothing less than a 94. At six, my son was given a term paper assignment to do. I was both shocked and thrilled at the same time. His mother felt that it was too challenging for a six year old, but I loved the fact that he teacher was forcing him to excel even beyond our expectations. I can see that the problem isn’t necessarily that these schools have bad teachers, but there is a lack of support and effort on Administrations part. The Georgia public school system needs to be entirely revamped and this “No Child Left Behind” was a half-a*******ed attempt at doing so. Reality is that these children are not being challenged and once they hit college, they still want to get babied and be spoon fed their material. Give them any homework assignments and challenge them to think outside of the box, you’ll find yourself sitting in the Dean’s office trying to explain why they feel that your course is too hard when it’s the bare basics that they need to succeed in your class.

By Nikole

April 4, 2006 01:21 PM | Link to this

Robert- Point taken, but ALL students, regardless of where they live are entitled to a good education. And also, middle school ends at 8th grade, so if you test in the 9th grade, that means the student is already in high school.

By Nikole

April 4, 2006 01:27 PM | Link to this

BlindHomer- You are putting me on right? I have no respect for a school that accepts and graduates our current president.

By Teacher Teacher

April 4, 2006 01:27 PM | Link to this

Nikole,

Who said I quit? The school system moved me to another school a couple of years ago without my request to be moved. Don’t assume.

Also, who said I’m ragging on McNair? I provided an example for this blog, nothing more. I do point out, however, that McNair has had a very bad reputation for over two decades. Why is that? I do not knock the kids. I do not knock the parents of kids who transfer their children out of McNair. (Its nickname is McNasty.) I do knock the school system for having allowed the school to decline to the point of no return. Teachers are attacked by students who receive no punishment for the attacks. The teachers are punished for having provoked the students to go on the attack.

Recall that McNair, under Dr. Johnny Brown, was completely flushed of all its employees and totally restaffed. It did not work. There have been a number of well-documented instances of murders in the McNair area as well as a high incidence of gang activity and drug sales. What does this do to a school when such a decline is allowed to continue for decades?

I love teaching, and I do believe I make a difference. I made a difference at McNair. The students adored me, and I, them. I had no behavior problems with my students because, primarily, I expect kids, no matter what their socioeconomic status might be, to test boundaries. I roll with it and sneak learning in through the back door. My problem was not children, but adults in control of the school who seek to blame teachers for problems at the school rather than face the awful truth.

But I feel truly sorry for the community at Tucker Middle. Its travail was recently written about in the AJC. Schools should be neighborhood schools, and all schools in such a large county like DeKalb should be as close to one another as possible in terms of courses offered and quality of staff. Such, of course, is not the case in large counties like DeKalb. If you were to devise a solution for the problem, then you would become wealthy.

And, Robert, thanks!

By JEff

April 4, 2006 01:32 PM | Link to this

Blind,

I CHOSE teaching. And I CHOOSE to remain in this state, even though I could go to other states and have job offers at the drop of a hat. Why? Because I am a Georgian, just as much - if not more so than - I am an American. I believe in my state and I believe in its people. And I FIRMLY believe that we CAN turn this tide of low standards/ low expectations. Its gonna be a LONG fight, more than likely with several casualties. I will quite possibly be one of them. But that doesn’t mean that I will stop doing what I do best: Planting my feet firmly on solid rock and declaring to the world I WILL NOT BUDGE. My solid rock? Let’s put it this way: Of my students, I demand excellence and expect perfection. Of myself , I demand perfection and expect excellence.

In the words of Jaime Escalante, “There will be no free rides, no excuses. You already have two strikes against you: your name and your complexion. Because of those two strikes, there are some people in this world who will assume that you know less than you do. Math is the great equalizer… When you go for a job, the person giving you that job will not want to hear your problems; ergo, neither do I. You’re going to work harder here than you’ve ever worked anywhere else. And the only thing I ask from you is ganas. Desire.”

By Leia

April 4, 2006 01:46 PM | Link to this

jim d - In New York, Jr. High Schools go from grades 7 through 9, and High Schools start in the 10th grade.

By BlindHomer

April 4, 2006 01:56 PM | Link to this

Nikole - He probably only got in as a legacy, but you get my point. Politics aside, becoming the leader of the free world is a signficant accomplishment, one achieved by several Ivy League grads and not one from KSU or Fort Valley that I can recall, and the same holds true in business or law or academia. The real point is that I have two teachers telling me KSU and Fort Valley are perfectly fine and acceptable goals for their students. They may be real stretch goals for many of their students, but shouldn’t they be aiming a little higher for at least some of their students? That presumably 1000 (old SAT) is also okay since that’s about what it takes to get into those schools. That mediocrity is good enough for GA public school kids. That’s the problem. Aided and abetted by NCLB and lots of other mandates driving teaching toward the lowest common denominator we have a school system of self-perpetuating mediocrity with only a few exceptions.

By BlindHomer

April 4, 2006 02:05 PM | Link to this

Jeff - we need a few thousand more just like you, as long as you don’t teach your students KSU is just as good as Stanford! I decided 10 years ago to fight from within, send my daughter to public school and try to make it better. It has been largely uphill and futile, but we did get her middle school to continue offering a gifted class other than just language arts instead of devoting those resources to getting the special ed kids to make AYP (not that that ‘s a bad goal either). I have no illusions she’s getting the best possible education, but she makes her school and the community better by being there.

By high school teacher

April 4, 2006 02:07 PM | Link to this

Robert,

In Georgia, most students enter high school in 9th grade. Why the harsh comments to Jim D? He is as entitled to an opinion as any other blogger.

By Jim in Marietta

April 4, 2006 02:17 PM | Link to this

Public school through middle school is tax payer financed baby sitting. Any questions? Our youth are capable of doing meaningful work. The trouble is we can’t lawfully pay them what they are worth, so we baby sit them until they are 16 years old. And to top it all off we can’t even put together any type of meaningful training for them through at least age 14 while they waste away in the class room.

By Jeff

April 4, 2006 02:21 PM | Link to this

Blind,

Let’s be honest: Outside of metro ATL, the avg GA income isn’t that high. A lot of the parents of my students can afford food, clothes, a place to live, the car, and HOPEFULLY the auxilliary bills (phone, water, tv, etc). They can prolly take a vacation HOPEFULLY once a year, more than likely every two or three - assuming nothing catastrophic happens.

All this said to get to this point: HOPE paid for my college degree, as it has paid for thousands of GA students. And for the vast majority of students that I work with, they are in the same boat I was in: without HOPE, they simply cannot afford a college education. Therefore, they have to stay in state. And therefore, Kennesaw State University is just as good - if not better than - Stanford, Harvard, Yale, or any other Ivy League school. At least at KSU they’ll get a college education, and one from one of the top schools in the southeast with many of its colleges ranked in the top 10 nationally. (Coles College of Business and - as much as I hate to admit it - Bagwell College of Education come immediately to mind there…)

By Carrie

April 4, 2006 02:36 PM | Link to this

Prolly??? From a teacher……..

By Robert

April 4, 2006 02:37 PM | Link to this

high school teacher -

To answer your question, go to the previous blog. You will see that jim d enjoys spending time on these blogs antagonizing people while adding very little to the discussion. Basically, I have had it with him. Again, I ask that you go to the previous blog concerning critical thinking.

By BlindHomer

April 4, 2006 02:51 PM | Link to this

I understand your education and career path is a stretch for most of your students. I also admit I have a gifted bias. My daughter said just what you did last year when she was in 8th grade “KSU might be all I can afford.” I think she got that from her mother. I suggested she aim a little higher. She told me her Venture (gifted) language arts teacher graduated from KSU and asked what was wrong with that. I told her nothing if she wanted to teach public school, but I suggested she aim a litle higher and settle for UGA if it came to that. I must admit if ‘a little higher’ turned out to be something like UVA, I don’t know how she’d pay for it.

By high school teacher

April 4, 2006 03:09 PM | Link to this

I may be speaking for myself, but I enjoy reading comments by both Jim D and SET. They do pose some interesting questions. In one of my education courses, my professor presented a line of thinking that compared public school with the Nazi’s. This scholar (whose name escapes me at the moment)said the the Nazi soldiers were not allowed to make judgement decisions; they just acted on order. The scholar also stipulated that public schools’ agenda is to produce mindless citizens who will succumb to governmental authority. Sound familiar?

I might not agree with all of SET’s or Jim D’s comments, but they do make me think twice about some issues (critical thinking at its best??).

By Robert

April 4, 2006 03:21 PM | Link to this

high school teacher -

I have no problem with anyone adding to the topic at hand by suggesting a different opinion or additional insight. I do have a problem when one posts off topic to further their personal agenda. I also have a problem when one posts to simply antagonize.

If jim d, or SET, or you, or anyone wants to discuss another topic then they can ask Patti to create a blog on that topic.

By Carrie

April 4, 2006 03:53 PM | Link to this

I enjoy reading posts by Jim D and SET so I hope they don’t take the discontent of one as the majority. I do have one thing to say in response to complaints of off topic blogging or tangents. Stop being such a baby - if you don’t like it then don’t read it. Stop whining to Patti about it. I think you have spent too much time in the classroom where the kids are coddled so much. In the real world we don’t all have to stay on topic ALL THE TIME.

By Peaches

April 4, 2006 04:06 PM | Link to this

Can’t comment on other states but in our middle school in Cobb there was very little academic focus. The administration was running a holding pen for high school staffed by teachers who didn’t get the high school jobs they really wanted. The teachers who took teaching middle school students seriously were wonderful. Too many… the majority were just waiting out the middle school years.

By luvs2teach

April 4, 2006 04:15 PM | Link to this

WOW!!!

I haven’t read the other posts yet…I had to post right away after reading the article because I was so amazed that this student had used the exact same words I used with my son this morning when we were talking about school - I said, “You got dumber in middle school.”

We made a conscious decision about where we bought a house because I wanted my children to go to public schools that had diversity. The elementary school, also a charter school, is EXCELLENT. Not only do I feel my children got a quality education there, but test scores also bear out that students who stay there more than 3 years show grow at or above the national average. I was active within the school and knew my children’s teachers, classmates and principal.

The high school, also a magnet school, is also excellent. It offers a wide variety of classes, vocational, honors, AP - you name it. It boasts SATs above both the state and national average, and students regularly get accepted into “name-brand” colleges.

The middle school…now, that’s another story. What I said to my son about getting “dumber” was true - he did. He had very little asked of him during the middle school years - he could fail to do homework and still pull a B; he fail to study for tests and still make As.

Both of my children had a ROUGH transition to high school their freshman years (my son is still struggling through his first honors class). They are very bright, but not gifted, so that meant they were put in on-level classes where little was asked of them.

The worst part is that I know work at that middle school. As our young writer suggested, I set certain standards in my class that some students find “mean” - I don’t accept late work; I do give zeros; my tests are hard; I don’t even let them go to their lockers to get items they have forgotten - even homework. I tell them daily of my children’s struggles at the high school most of them will be attending and why I set the standards I do - as the writer said, it impacts their grade much less now than it will next year as 9th graders.

I don’t blame my school and they teachers there - most of them are excellent and professional. I don’t blame my county either - this problem seems to be state-wide. I do blame the well-intentioned, but grossly flawed “middle school movement” for dumbing down the material, lowering the expectations, and basically babying our young adolescents TOO MUCH all because they are “young, growing, and developing.”

Middle school as it is now would be appropriate for 4th - 6th grade with a transition to a more traditional junior high model for 7th and 8th. I think that would better prepare students for the rigors of high school. Most of the differences our young writer suggested are all things that most middle school teachers, if you asked them, would think are good ideas!

And the drama is scary!

By luvs2teach

April 4, 2006 04:17 PM | Link to this

FYI - the grading scales were changed a few years ago to allow Georgia students to more fairly compete with students nationwide who did use a 90 - 100 for an A on a 4.0 scale.

By luvs2teach

April 4, 2006 04:22 PM | Link to this

On the topic of “self-esteem” mentioned in several posts:

I had a student two years ago that answered a question in class incorrectly. I told him that his answer was incorrect and he told me, in all seriousness, that a teacher should NEVER tell a student his answer is wrong because it could damage his self-esteem.

Argh!

By Sarah

April 4, 2006 04:31 PM | Link to this

Can’t speak for middle schools in Georgia (or even for all schools in my state - North Carolina), but I know that the middle schools in our school district are … I don’t even know the word for what they are. Students come out of elementary school relatively on grade level, then we take them at a time in their lives when they are least able to deal with chaos and put them in the most chaotic situation imaginable. they have 10 classes to keep up with, some meet on A days, some meet on B days (alternate scheduling), the teachers are more interested in being popular than with teaching, they only have history and science for half a year each because they need more time for english and math, and discipline is a joke. My three children could have stayed at home and read for 3 years and been better prepared for high school. I had one child in upper level classes, one in general level, and a third in AG (academically gifted). The AG kids had more work (not harder or more advanced), and the only expectation for students in the other levels was that they not cause too much of a disruption.

My husband has taught advanced senior English at one of our local high schools for the last 23 years. Every year he says “this is the worst class ever”, but the last few years, he as actually be right, I think. This year of 750 freshmen, over 400 failed at least one of their first semester classes. And this at a NC “school of excellence” that made AYP last year.

Sorry for jumping on the soapbox, but middle schools are one of my flash points! I think the whole model is broken. Maybe we need to put 6th graders back in elementary school - and 9th graders off by themselves somewhere where they don’t have older students to copy or younger ones to corrupt. :) Unfortunately we can’t do that in our system because the requirement of smaller class sizes pushed 6th graders out of the elementary schools (that’s another whole sermon - how is a class with 16 students and one teacher better than one with 25 students, a teacher and an assistant?)

By wwww

April 4, 2006 04:39 PM | Link to this

I teach 8th grade in a north metro county in a very wealthy area. The amount of babying and coddling is ridiculous.

Before some of you blame the teacher, remember that teachers have to answer to their administrations. Guess who most admins answer to? Parents.

I would LOVE to prepare my students for high school. I would LOVE to reward their inability to do or to finish work with any amount of reasonable effort with a zero. THe grade inflation at my school is out of control, mainly because there is pressure from the top to make sure the vast majority of my students make A’s and B’s. I’ve said in many a meeting “He/she is not doing any work” only to be met with the question “Yes, but what are YOU doing about it?”
So, I’ve done what most teachers do, and grade on completion and curve my tests.
And that is the BIG secret in education that most don’t know about - hell, the state does it with standardized test scores, so why not.

If we want to overhaul the middle school environment in GA, which ABSOLUTELY needs to happen, people are going to have to get real. Not everyone is smart - average is average for a reason, and average is a C. Period.

I would love to see the real scores from the CRCT, EOCT and GHSGT posted instead of the curved scores, and for the public to ask the STUDENT why they didn’t do any better. Teachers can only do so much - deliver material in a fun and interesting way - and after that, students have to do their part.
When that starts being the expected order of things in middle school, things will improve in high school and beyond.

Education is not a priority for most families - competition cheerleading, football, soccer, basketball, gymnastics, etc, are often the priority, and teachers are left holding the proverbial bag. I would LOVE to see the news cover this angle. Want to improve middle schools? CHANGE PRIORITIES OF PARENTS AND ADMINISTRATORS.

By jim d

April 4, 2006 04:40 PM | Link to this

Y’all lighten up on Robert, he too is entitled to his opinion regardless of how wrong he may be. His opinion of me doesn’t bother me in the least because I do learn from these blogs. The fact that I apparently drive him nuts doesn’t really bother me either. I’ve sparred with much more knowledgeable people than he in the past and I drive them nuts too. Seems they become fuddled easily.

By luvs2teach

April 4, 2006 04:50 PM | Link to this

BlindHomer - don’t appreciate the K-K-Kennesaw reference. Maybe you haven’t been there in awhile. It is a state school, but it’s a darn good state school (and better than the private school I paid $14,000 for my freshman year). Is it Ivy League? No, but it’s also not a home for the KKK and I resent that implication. Because of the HOPE, standards for admission have risen as well. Ivy League may be out of the question for people for reasons other than academic.

Defensive? Perhaps, but I will say that I went to 5 different colleges in 3 different states before ultimately getting my degree. Some were private; some public. One thing KSU had that the others did not was smaller classes for core subjects (no 200+ lost-in-the-crowd lecture classes). All my professors were PhDs - other colleges I was taught by doctoral candidates, TAs, or those with Master’s degrees. My kudos to President Betty Seigel and the growth and progress she has overseen at that school.

My daughter is there now - her decision - and doing well. She didn’t really know what she wanted to do, so the arrangement is for her to complete her core classes at KSU. When she is a junior, and has decided on her major, she may transfer to a “name” school - in the end only the name on the diploma is what matters.

Teacher Teacher - at my other middle school I had some transfers from McNair - wow - it became a name I hoped NOT to see on transfer papers. Academically challenged and behavior issues were what I typically saw.

Jim in Marietta - I SO agree with you!!!! I would love to see some of these kids put to work - a work sampling program of sorts, internships, or apprenticeships - ANYTHING! It would really benefit so many of them. I would love to see them get a daily dose of math, English, and reading and spend the rest of their time learning hands-on, real world, applicable skills - it would help those planning on the vocational tracks in school as well.

To all the high school teachers blaming the middle school teachers:

You know the old joke - College profs blame the high schools for the poor quality of their students. HS teachers blame the middle schools. MS teachers blame the lack of basic skills taught in elementary schools. Elementary teachers say, “What can you expect? Look what we get after the 5 formative years with their parents?” To which the mother replies, “Don’t blame me, they take after their father’s side of the family.”

By Leia

April 4, 2006 05:20 PM | Link to this

I don’t blame the middle school teachers. I go straight to the father’s side of the family!

By Fed Up

April 4, 2006 06:44 PM | Link to this

A group of us are trying to put together a summer reading program at our school. The principal and some other teachers/administrators seem to think that we are asking too much of the kids to request that they read 10 books or 300 pages over the summer in order to get the reward for the summer reading program. They want to cut it to 5 books or 150 pages so that no one feels left out because they can’t get their hands on 10 books. I had to remind them that this is a summer READING program not a summer SELF ESTEEM program.

It’s all pitiful. Someone get me $45k per year so I can get my kids our of these schools!

ugh!

By Fed Up

April 4, 2006 06:46 PM | Link to this

Leia - Father’s side of the family? What father? You mean the sperm donor? That’s the way it is with too many of these kids. They need a father rather than a babydaddy.

By high school teacher

April 4, 2006 06:50 PM | Link to this

luvs2teach and Leia,

The ending of the story: The father says, “I don’t think that’s really my kid!”

Hats off to middle school teachers. Before I did my student teaching, I substitute-taught a 7th grade social studies class for two weeks - the two weeks before Christmas. I almost changed my mind about teaching! The flaws are definitely with the system, not the teachers.

By MMM

April 4, 2006 06:50 PM | Link to this

I am a parent of a 3rd and 1st grader(not a teacher). I was already scared of middle school in general and “Freedom” middle school in Dekalb in particular—my assigned school.

I feel for all kids—and have managed to get a good public elementary school going that mine are attending. I have nothing to add to this blog—but now I am beginning to consider that if we can’t get a middle school started that is small and fed by my kid’s charter school, I may have to abandon public education. It would be a very sad thing, as I truely do believe that all children deserve a chance in life, not just the affluent.

By luvs2teach

April 4, 2006 07:13 PM | Link to this

MMM - in a perfect world, knowing now what I didn’t know then, I would’ve put my child in a private school for the middle grades - just those three years.

And this, sadly, is from a middle school teacher who believes in supporting public education - at least as long as the public is paying for it.

By Jeff

April 4, 2006 07:25 PM | Link to this

My blame is pointed fairly equally in a variety of directions: students, the parents, lax teachers, the system, and the politicians trying to “fix” things but only making it worse. I try to blame each according to his/ her/ its responsibilities, and I apologize if I blame a group for something that is completely out of their hands. (Though there is virtually no group that any given decision is out of its hands completely…)

By Just Me

April 4, 2006 07:30 PM | Link to this

I guess I should start learning about home schooling for the middle years. We have a 4th and 2nd grader and middle school is starting to become a major concern to us.

Since I help at my kids school, (No, Teacher Teacher, I’m not trying to give my kids a leg up, I choose and like to volunteer), I’ve noticed a drastic change in the 5th graders’ attitude and behavior. I see it as a glimpse of things to come.

By Karen Armsby

April 4, 2006 07:40 PM | Link to this

Robert, you are correct, Critical Thinking is not ‘fight the power’ mentality. Rather it is empowering. Knowledge is power, and the more you know, the more you can apply critical thinking skills, then the farther ahead you will get in life with your goals. You can anticipate and solve problems, plan for the future and even in the event of failure, learn from the mistakes and be stronger going forward. Critical thinking empowers self reliance and self responsibility.

By Lee

April 4, 2006 07:48 PM | Link to this

Ah, middle school. The reason I am now paying $13k per year in private school tuition.

In our local school system, the elementary schools did a decent job of getting the students to a certain point. The high schools are fair, provided your child gets into the AP / Honors classes. Middle school, however, is the black hole of education here.

Yeah, I know there are a lot of things going on at this age. Puberty, raging hormones, peer pressure, discovery of the opposite sex, emphasis on sports, and overindulging parents make things difficult. Throw in a few not worth a spit teachers and a Phd Principal with his head stuck up his a$$ and you have a recipe for disaster.

BTW, that $13k/yr, best money I ever spent…

By Teacher2

April 4, 2006 07:48 PM | Link to this

I would love to see the transitional grades follow the model we used in my county back in the late 70s. Rather than the middle school concept, we used each school building for a separate grade, i.e. one building for 7th grade, one for 8th, one for 9th. Not until 10th did we go to high school. Sixth grade was part of elementary school. Each grade was presented as a graduated stepping stone into high school, and each grade added responsibility and difficulty. By the time we reached high school we were a close knit class with the tools and knowledge to conquer high school work.

By MMM

April 4, 2006 08:23 PM | Link to this

At least my kid’s charter school goes through 6th grade.

Is anyone out there in Dekalb interested in starting a charter Jr. High? HELP!

What advice would you give on the most important things to avoid? To build in?

By Elsie

April 4, 2006 08:52 PM | Link to this

wwww said: Want to improve middle schools? CHANGE PRIORITIES OF PARENTS AND ADMINISTRATORS.

I completely agree. The only problem with that theory is that it can’t be legislated.

By middle school teacher

April 5, 2006 09:05 AM | Link to this

Sad to say- I’m a middle school teacher and part of the problem and have no intention to change.

I have seen talented and idealistic young teachers come to our school a nice school in a wealthy area of Atlanta. They come with their ideals of critical thinking, high standards and the notion that they can prepare students for high school. They are they complained about by parents as being too hard or rigid and the pricipal does not back them up. They become demoralized and punished by the admin.

Take me- I have consistently been praised by the admin for being “kind and understanding” and on my most recent evaluation was written “sensitive to students needs” See any academic merit in that? I have almost no standards, give out A’s like candy and tell all parents their child is “bright and capable”. Parents love me, so then the admin loves me. Incentive? Well, when it comes to classroom alocation, I have one of the best, duties? cushy. After school activites? None- I go home with the blessing of a happy admin. I know it’s a crock- but it makes my life easy and who wants to fight when you’re not going to win anyway? I’ve even had the admin send the “problem” teachers- the ones who want and expect something to come to my classroom and “observe” me. They come out rolling their eyes and shaking their heads. Well- maybe- but I’m not the one standing during lunch break to mange the lunch line or outside in the cold to catch students smoking and then getting yelled at by parents when you catch them.

Would I change- sure- give me an admin with some b@$$s and parents who really want to know that their child is not doing well and will thank you for the truth- I’ll change in a heart beat. But until then…

Just for an example- last week I got a letter from a parent who explained that “Jimmy” would not be doing any homework on Wednesday nights as that is the night he spends with his father and Dad doesn’t want to spend his time doing homework.

Like I’m going to waste my time and energy fighting that?

By Susie

April 5, 2006 10:07 AM | Link to this

Robert, I think the whole NCLB thing of being able to switch from failing to passing schools IS an attempt to “even out” the schools performances.

I’ve said that from the beginning. I also believe that the redistricting that goes on for no apparent reason (especially in my county)is another attempt at evening out test scores. Sure, my county went from having a few passing schools and a few failing schools to having all passing schools, but at what cost? At the cost of bringing the truly excellent schools down to the same level of mediocrity as they brought the failing schools UP to. Hey, they are all mediocre, but what the heck, they are all passing, and that’s all that matters, right?

Why not funnel all the energy that it took to make ALL the schools the same into making the failing ones excellent along with the others?

Others here have confirmed what I originally thought…that the discipline problems that plague the “failing” schools are now infiltrating the “passing” schools. So in light of the fact that even many of the kids who change schools because of NCLB don’t care about learning, there’s no way in the world they could get many of the failing schools to “pass.” It’s easier to give everyone the same level of mediocrity than it would be to bring some of the failing schools up to the same level of the best schools.

It’s all about making everyone the same. If “the same” can’t be excellence, then let’s just shoot for “ok!”

By scott

April 5, 2006 10:09 AM | Link to this

Elise,

Sad but true commentary on the expectations of middle school. As many have stated, parents need to realize that every child is not an “A” student.

By jim d

April 5, 2006 10:29 AM | Link to this

Susie, I know this is a bit OT but since you brought up NCLB. Have you seen the most recent stand from the NEA?

http://www.nea.org/neatoday/0604/coverstory.html

By SET

April 5, 2006 10:42 AM | Link to this

“Why not funnel all the energy that it took to make ALL the schools the same into making the failing ones excellent along with the others?”

Because second generation crack babies can’t learn “like all the others”.

When will the education establishment admit that everyone is not created equal - and no matter how many taxpayers dollars you take and pour into the education sinkhole you cannot make it so.

And the money is sorely needed elsewhere. Our hospitals (for aging baby booomers like me), our infrastructure and emergency preparedness.

People who already spend $10,000 a year and more on private primary and secondary schools have no intentention of funding your pipe dreams. We spend too much money on the public schools already. These schools need to be put on a dollar diet and forced to triage.

By Susie

April 5, 2006 10:43 AM | Link to this

Thanks for the link, Jim…but I have read here enough and talked to enough teachers to already know what they think of it. I guess that article makes it “official,” though. I think that what teachers think of NCLB is pretty much common knowledge, though. My post about NCLB was just in reply to someone else who brought it up, and was wondering if bringing down the better schools was intentional…I don’t necessarily think that bringing down better schools is a main objective, but then again, I think that if it’s a side effect of bringing failing schools “up,” they don’t care if it happens. They don’t mind sacrificing the best schools for the worst ones.

By jim d

April 5, 2006 11:00 AM | Link to this

Susie, we could really go off on a side blog with this one because I said it at the beginning and still believe NCLB was meant to narrow the gap regardless of how it would be accomplished.

By BlindHomer

April 5, 2006 11:08 AM | Link to this

Just for the record the K-K-Kennesaw was my attempt at suggesting stuttering and had nothing to do with the Klan. I apologize for any misunderstandings. I’m with Susie. Look at NCLB and immigration and a minimum wage that hasn’t gone up for years, it’s all connected. The powerful elitists want a poor and poorly educated populace that can be easily used and mislead. When you live in gated communities, the ranch or Kennebunkport, and send your kids to Exeter and Andover you don’t have to deal with the social consequences.

By luvs2teach

April 5, 2006 11:15 AM | Link to this

Susie, did you read the article? It was surprisingly balanced for an NEA artcle - it talked first about 4 areas the NCLB was HELPING, then mentioned 9 areas it was hurting, and finished up with 3 areas that had potential to help if they were tweaked a bit.

Not all teachers hate all aspects of NCLB - it does have some good points - it has definitely pointed out some legitimate ares of weakness. BUT, the focus on testing and the implementation of certain aspects (like the end result of bringing down “good” schools) isn’t positive.

And, SET is right - all students do not fit a one-size-fits-all mode, and what works in an upper class neighborhood in Fulton county may not work in a lower class neighborhood in Clayton - what works in a small rural Georgia school may not work in a large metro area school - what works for elementary…well, I’m sure you get the picture! ;-)

By luvs2teach

April 5, 2006 11:21 AM | Link to this

BlindHog - that’s cool! And you’re right - it best to let the masses remain ignorant - it’s easier to control us that way.

Both this and the post on critical thinking remind me of the Kurt Vonnegut story, Harrison Bergeron - anyone read it?

We are sinking to our lowest common denominator.

By Leia

April 5, 2006 11:23 AM | Link to this

As a high school teacher and the mother of twin middle school children, I unfortunately have to agree with the majority of posters that middle school seems to cater to the self-esteem of the students and not on the academics.

Just last week, I contacted one of my children’s teachers to ask that he NOT allow my daughter anymore “extra time” or “re-dos” on tests! I was livid when I found out that Miss Lazy was allowed to begin a test on one day and complete it the next! I told the teacher to grade her paper as is - anything she left blank should be marked wrong. If she’s not prepared, there should be consequences for that. The teacher explained to me that he allows this to happen because “it’s important for middle-schoolers self-esteem to get good grades and have a sense of completion.” What a crock! My daughters know that it is their responsibility to prepare for tests and not to rely on the flawed system. They think I’m crazy, but, I want them to learn that there are consequences for their actions.

By jim d

April 5, 2006 11:24 AM | Link to this

L2T,

One of the best articles I’ve seen written to date on the subject.

By WAR EAGLE

April 5, 2006 12:09 PM | Link to this

It is time to face the facts. First, there may be too many students for the teacher to give the proper time and education to-thanks illegal aliens Second-developers cutting down trees and putting in 1000’s of homes for more people to clog the roads and clog the schools-Stop Developers-put them out of business. Third-we have some “privileged” kids who think that they should not have to take tests because they are studying to be college basketball/nba stars and don’t need to learn how to write because the agent and accountant they hire will do that for them. Fourth-until all kids learn how to speak ENGLISH and not a language from 3rd world countries, our classes will be slower so that Mr. or Ms 45 names/syllables can understand that 4 plus 4 is 8! It is time to take back America or Americans will be foreigners in their own land-look at Chambodia (buford hwy) and North Tijuana (norcross)

By luvs2teach

April 5, 2006 12:19 PM | Link to this

War Eagle - when I was teaching a rememdial math class last year, and I was attempting for the umpteenth time to teach them how to determine the area of a rectangle (yeah, these were 8th graders), I had one bright bulb ask me, “When am I going to use this in real life?”

To which I replied, “If you tile your floor, or buy carpet or paint your walls - you will definitely use it.”

To which he replied, “I don’t need to do that - the company I buy from will do it for me - they said so on TV.”

And that my friends, is a big part of the problem.

By Susie

April 5, 2006 02:20 PM | Link to this

Luvs2teach, I don’t disagree with you at all. I’m sure there are good things about it. I’m sure there are teachers who don’t hate it at all. I’m only really speaking about the teachers I know personally and just a lot of what I’ve read here.

I think that NCLB had grand intentions, and maybe it could be fixed, but in the mean time, the kids that are in school now are just guinea pigs in a failed experiment. How many more times can they tweak it(“let’s try this…oops that didn’t work, let’s try this. Nope, that’s not it”) while using massive numbers human guinea pigs, before they finally get it right?

By Susie

April 5, 2006 02:56 PM | Link to this

Luvs2teach, I also wanted to say that I agree wholeheartedly that education doesn’t need to be so “cookie cutter.” Not only are there schools that are (and should be) different, there are different kids within each school who learn differently.

My middle son is one of the smartest kids I know, to struggle with school the way he does. He’s got more actual brains than I do, but he just has such a hard time with the whole sitting in a classroom, looking at the board and listening to a teacher. If they are talking about the human heart, instead of looking at a picture and learning the parts, he’d rather be building one, complete with all the parts, out of something. He’s so “hands on.” There’s never a time when he’s not learning something.

If he’s watching tv, he’s watching the History Channel or TLC or Discovery, or at the least, Animal Planet. If he’s outside, he’s in the woods, turning over rocks, or poking around in the creek to see what he can find. he’s the kid at the beach with a cast-net, pulling in scary-looking critter after critter out of the ocean, then carefully turning them back loose after taking a picture of them. When he was younger, he was always “inventing” something.

So I definitely know about kids who learn differently…I wish there was more of an emphasis on different kinds of learning than just the run-of-the-mill kind in our schools, but there doesn’t seem to be.

By Susie

April 5, 2006 03:03 PM | Link to this

Leia, I guess the middle school ages are when kids “self esteem” can go down the toilet, because of their desperate need to fit in with their peers at that age…but the schools have definitely gone too far in trying to babysit their “self esteems” instead of just trying to educate them. Middle school “bad self esteem” should be a rite of passage. When they get older, they sort of “grow into themselves” and their self esteem will usually take care of itself, without any coddling from the schools.

If their grades are going to have anything to do with their self esteem it should be from working their butts off and actually EARNING those good grades.

What does it really do for a students self esteem, if the school in essence says, “I know you aren’t capable of actually doing this work, so I’m going to give you credit for it anyway.”

By Susie

April 5, 2006 03:06 PM | Link to this

Luvs2teach, ask that 8th grader how he will know if he’s being cheated when he pays someone to paint or carpet his house! Sure, I’m willing to let someone else do the math for me, but I surely don’t want to have to take their word for it if something seems a little “off!”

By Loves to Read

April 7, 2006 02:56 PM | Link to this

Having taught emementary school for 10 years before moving to middle school, I must admit that I was shocked at the amount of hand-holding that goes on. I teach 7th grade language arts and literature, and I am consistent about expecting assignments to be turned in on time, coming to class prepared for learning with book, papers, and something to write with, and staying on task in class. The kids have more excuses for not turning in work than I would have imagined, and the parents get mad if I give a zero because a kid plays in a baseball game the night before instead of doing my assignment. They think because they write a note telling me I should except late work. I try to set high expectations, but this year it is really wearing me down. My work ethic and moral compass make it hard for me to accept anything less, but I’m beginning to feel very alone.

By Loves to Read

April 7, 2006 03:16 PM | Link to this

Sorry. I was in a hurry. Make that ACCEPT late work. I DO know the difference! :)

By Summer

April 12, 2006 12:28 PM | Link to this

Does anyone know why Gwinnett County does not have any Magnet or Charter Schools, or any support services to those parents who choose to homeschool their children? Their are not any options here like there are in other counties, and in other parts of the country.