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DEL.ICIO.USOprah Speaks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
She turned a nation onto reading. She encouraged women to get out of bad relationships and walk off the weight. She is teaching families how to climb out of consumer debt. Can she save public education? Well, of course not, but the first of her mostly effective two-part series was heavy on hyperbole, so why shouldn’t I be too?
What follows is a synopsis of Tuesday’s slickly produced, well-paced show. Part two airs Wednesday at 4 p.m. on WSB/Channel 2.
The show opens with an interview with Bill and Melinda Gates, strategically placed in a school library. They get the theme rolling. Crisis. Crisis. Crisis. “You ask the students what they are learning, and they are literally learning nothing,” Melinda says. “It’s not just inner city schools. It’s all schools.” Statistics: Half of all minorities drop out. A third of all students drop out. More than 40 percent of kids who make it to college have to do remedial work. Crisis. Crisis. Crisis. Oprah wonders: Why aren’t people in the streets, fighting for the kids? Says Melinda: The kids are falling through the cracks and nobody knows it.
(Oprah has a wide-eyed bewildered look throughout the show, like she in absolute awe of what her producers have uncovered, even though everything in her program has been widely reported…)
She tells the audience the U.S. used to be ranked first in academics and now ranks 24th in math. A math teacher sitting nearby says: “It’s getting lower and lower every year.” Crisis. Crisis. Crisis.
The next segment is compelling. Some kids from a Chicago public school visit a suburban school and see what they are missing out on. An olympic-size pool. A lavish gym. “Do you guys not have a cardio room?” a suburban student asks her urban peer. Uh, no. Their school looks as though it should be condemned by the health department. In a class called “instrumental music,” kids have no instruments, so they tap out the beat on their desks. A Chicago student sits in on a suburban math class and says it’s like it’s a foreign language. She can’t follow any of it. She observes that she’ll probably be toast when she gets to college. Back at Harpo, a mother of a student at the Chicago school weeps, and who can blame her?
Next, thank God for South Carolina. A graphic shows Georgia is next-to-last in graduation rates, with S.C. coming in last. A journalist (Lisa Ling?) goes to a high school of white students in Anywhere, U.S.A. (I think she said Indiana.) One in three students drops out, even though the community is middle class. The school offers high level courses and has excellent facilities, but kids don’t take advantage, the principal laments. Crisis. Crisis. Crisis. One kid says his classmates drop out because there are lots of factory jobs and a dropout can make $500 a week. But the dropouts featured in the segment are trapped in low-wage jobs. By the time the segment airs one of the dropouts has earned a GED and joined the Marines.
The next segment: Anderson Cooper finds irony in the fact that schools near the White House are run-down.
A woman from a think take notes that children in urban schools are victims of low expectations. Oprah couldn’t agree more. Oprah notes that schools were made for the 1950s, but kids need to be prepared for life in 2006, for a global economy. Crisis. Crisis. Crisis.
Some American students are asked to name the first five American presidents, and they cannot do it. A teenager from China rattles them off no problem. Crisis. Crisis. Crisis. Oprah notes that she LOVES teachers. She knows there are good ones out there. But she says there are enormous problems. She talks about how lucky she was to have gotten a good education. She was born in Mississippi in 1954. “I never had to go to a segregated school,” she said. “I think how different my life would have been if I had been in a segregated school in Mississippi.” (Personal note: I was born in Jackson, Mississippi in 1969. The schools were segregated then. I am shocked that Oprah went to an integrated school and got a good education in my home state, where white parents flocked to private schools after Brown.)
P.S. A post reminds me of a segment I neglected to mention. The valedictorian of a rural high school goes to college and is stunned by how far behind she is. She can’t operate lab equipment. She can’t keep up in class. She is getting remedial help, but she is a year behind and her spirit is obviously broken. She cries, saying she feels stupid.
In conclusion, Oprah says she wanted this show to be a wake-up call. Was it?
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By V for Vendetta
April 12, 2006 08:18 AM | Link to this
Let me start by saying I saw the show.
That having been said, the theme shouldn’t have been CRISIS CRISIS CRISIS, the theme should have been PARENTS PARENTS PARENTS. In the segment where Lisa Ling interviewed all the “middle class” white kids, none of the kids who dropped out said anything about their parents encouraging them to stay in school beyond a “it’s probably best” or a “life will be tough”. One girl interviewed who was still IN school said something along the lines of “my mom would KILL me if I dropped out of school”. Interesting.
As for the school in Washington DC that was run down and barely passable as a building… newsflash, unfortunately there ARE places like that around the country, and yes Patti, we have known this for quite some time. I think Oprah’s look of shock is due more to the fact that she cant believe how dumb people must be to keep eating up all the biased and racist info she feeds them on a daily basis. When Oprah teamed up with Lisa Ling and Anderson Cooper to report on the number of Americans living below the poverty line, all we saw was a story about a bunch of baby-factory ignorant white people who looked like extras from The Dukes of Hazzard. I’m not trying to start a race war or something here, I’m just trying to point out that Oprah is about as slanted and biased as you can get.
I agree there is a problem with kids dropping out and the general state of education, but education and kids attitudes toward education starts at home, not in the school. My parents had high expectations for me to live up to. When you are pushed and challenged to get A’s, you never even THINK about dropping out. Maybe if less kids were happy being apathetic towards school (and life in general), and parents actually attempted to EDUCATE them on how difficult life would be without a decent education, this would not even be a problem worth talking about.
By just one
April 12, 2006 09:17 AM | Link to this
Amen, V! Oprah and Bill Gates can throw money at the problem forever and until our nation recognizes parenting is the problem things will not change. Kids need parents! Parents that love, discipline and set expectations for their children. Parents also need to instill a work ethic in their children. I attended school everyday because my parents said so. I received a college prep diploma because my parents said so. I went to college because my parents set forth that expectation when I was born. I have heard several parents say, I just let my child choose their diploma track. Children don’t need to make those types of choices. Parents are responsible for ensuring their children get a proper education. Schools are failing children, parents are! Wake up people! I have first hand experience with one of the initiatives that Mr. Gates is funding. The money is not benefiting students. It is paying for school administrators to go on nice vacations (seminars) to places within the U.S. The initiative is requiring teachers to waste time focusing on meeting the requirements of the initiative instead of focusing on students. Students in my community can miss 20 or more days in a year and still move on to the next grade. We don’t want kids to drop out so we let them miss lots of days and still encourage them to come back to school. Teachers must work overtime so that the chronically absent might make up his or her work. Kids drop out or miss lots of school because parents allow it. Schools are not the problem. Throw your money at parenting education!
By Broadway
April 12, 2006 09:50 AM | Link to this
Nice V..accuse O of being slanted and bias, and gawk at the fact that black people weren’t shown in her reports as the poverty-stricken too. There are plenty of other outlets that showcase AA. White people are poor too. Deal with it
By Eve
April 12, 2006 10:00 AM | Link to this
Schools are the problem. “Bad Kids, bad kids, bad kids……good teachers, good teachers, good teachers…….give me a break! It is a lot of lazy, YOUNG, teachers in public schools now…..they are what I call “paycheck teachers”….and that’s their sole purpose….
By Chandler
April 12, 2006 10:19 AM | Link to this
Let me get this straight. Oprah takes the time to bring to light the fact that American schools are an embarrassment and you take the time to write about how she did it? This is the disgustingly typical response that is ensuring nothing of significant gets done in America anymore. The stats Oprah gave are facts. The testimonials of the students can be found in every town and city in the US. I can’t understand why we do this. If someone is screaming Fire instead of us listening and reacting to it, we rather debate the way they said FIRE. It seems to me you don’t care for Oprah for what ever reason but I hope you come to realize that regardless if you like her or not, a fire is raging in the educational system in the US. Instead of focusing on who screamed fire or how they said it…How about grabbing an extinguisher.
By Amazed (Independent Woman)
April 12, 2006 10:31 AM | Link to this
No matter what you guys say, there is a serious crisis in education and it is along racial and poverty lines. I don’t need Oprah to point out, what I see first hand.
Yes, you can blame parents. However, you can blame teachers/administrators and politicians, as well.
Teachers who have advance degrees do not go into communities to teach, where the kids have other problems outside of school. Many teachers and administrators can’t deal with social issues that plague minority communities.
A child who makes all A’s in a school where minorities make up the Majority, go to college and struggle – because they were not truly prepared by their teachers. Yes, the teacher gave Mariah an “A”, because she does excellent work – but the standards are lower in her community. She was improperly educated, because the teacher did not cover all the material that students in more educated communities were expected to complete.
I hear it all the time from students who were at the top of their class, in their local schools. Things such as (1.) We never covered that in English, History or Math (2.) My school did not offer that course. (3.) We did not have the material to conduct any experiments in my science lab. (4.) My teacher just told us to read the book, but we never discussed what we read.
I can go on and on.
By Amazed (Independent Woman)
April 12, 2006 10:37 AM | Link to this
Thank Chandler,
You made some excellent points. Everyone wants to put on blinders.
And Eve, is correct, many are there just for a paycheck and longer holidays. Not everyone, but there are a lot of them. I graduated with a couple of students, who chose education for that very reason.
But, I will admit choosing my profession because it paid well and was in high demand.
By Patti Ghezzi
April 12, 2006 10:40 AM | Link to this
I like Oprah. She put books in the hands of thousands, maybe millions, of people. Her current push to help Americans climb out of debt … I love her for it. That she’s now taking up the cause of education … I don’t see how this could possibly be a bad thing.
My notes are in real time as I was watching the show for the purposes of getting a discussion going. I’m not clear on what you find disgusting…
By Jackie
April 12, 2006 10:46 AM | Link to this
I saw the show as well and agree that there is and always has been a huge gap in funding for schools especially when they are in urban or suburban areas. You would have to be blind to NOT see it.Oprah did a small part by bringing to it light,now WE are the ones who have to try to close the gap. The responsibility falls on us as a whole. It’s the entire system: the students, the parents, the teachers, the community, and our political figures. If more emphasis was placed on education and and we stopped putting a price tag on the value of educating our children, we would not be ranking as low as we are. America is to blame for focusing too much other issues and not enough on Education. But, it’s not too late. We can urge our congressmen and legislators to push for more money for funding education. Then, parents have to step up and get involved in the schools to help motivate their children so they’ll want to learn and see the benefits of getting a good education. Teachers can do more only if they have students who are eager to learn.
By Lynne
April 12, 2006 10:50 AM | Link to this
Its the parents who have failed. Well, I take that back. There aren’t a whole lot of children who have parents that actually parent anymore.
By Leia
April 12, 2006 10:58 AM | Link to this
Perhaps Oprah, in her infinite wisdom, focused on poor, White students because she realizes that more people would be outraged than if they saw poor, Black students! The truth is - people were shocked because it was hard for them to believe that the educational downfall in the country is not just a minority problem. Wake up, people!
By T
April 12, 2006 10:59 AM | Link to this
Schools are a mess and the problem is not a new one.
Parents, teachers, administrators and students have all contributed to the problem. Race and economics certainly have played a part too.
I went to high school over twenty years ago I was encouraged by my parents and teachers to take a heavy workload. This included spanish, french and latin, 4 years of math including calculus, 4 years of english, 4 years of history etc, 3 years of science and extracurriculars.
My peers on the other took jobs during their junior and senior years of high school. Because they had “met the requirements” for graduation, they were allowed early dismissal days to go to work. When they got to college, they had to take remedial courses because they were not prepared. Many of these individuals never finish their college education because they are never able to catch up.
I talk to young people often and the same thing is happening today.
There needs to be more dialogue about what constitutes a quality education. The standards need to be raised.
School counselors need to give better guidance to students wishing to go on to college.
Parents need to be honest with their children about the difficulties of making it in life without a quality education.
Teachers need to expect more from their students and make learning interesting and captivating. Teaching should be a vocation not just a paycheck.
By hs
April 12, 2006 11:07 AM | Link to this
Standards have been lowered for a lot of schools. Why? Self-esteem, of course. Can’t have anyone thinking that they’re not up to par. Their little feelings might get hurt. Where is this mostly done? Low income areas. It’s ridiculous. If the parents don’t think much of an education and make it the number one priority, then the kids don’t. We can only do so much at school. Believe it, or not, many teachers DO try to teach up high and hope it will trickle down. It doesn’t. We need to go back to tracking, so that the kids that want to learn will have a chance.
By Dan
April 12, 2006 11:10 AM | Link to this
Whether or not Oprah put books in millions of hands is certainly debatable. She is an opportunist, perhaps well intentioned but woefully sheltered from reality. However the real irony here is even if you believe Oprah put books in the hands of millions if our education system was working better, those people all would have been reading instead of watching her show to start with. And lets not forget her audience demographic was probably in school 30-50 years ago. So it wasn’t working particularly well then either. It is what you choose to make of it
By SET
April 12, 2006 11:14 AM | Link to this
Here we go again.
Money has little to do with educating at the primary and secondary school level. You can get a school Marm in a one room shack with a pot bellied stove with few books and produce what we are producing in public schools with a huge dollar a year per child spending.
What determines educational success is largely genetics (influenced by pre-natal and early childhood nutrition) followed by serious discipline on the part of the school.
The taxpayers will refuse to spend more money on the public schools because they know what they are paying on the private schools and it’s clearly wrong to pour more than that on the public schools.
It appears that for the moment Oprah (bless her) wants to help and thinks that money (which she has in abundance) will solve any problem. Money will actually make the problem worse. The public schools will get drunk off the money and continue to refuse to change. Then their new buildings and equipment will be trashed and the kids still graduate stupid.
NCLB is not what it says it is. Any educated and intelligent person knows that not all children can be “educated” and that only a certain percentage are fit for college. NCLB lies when it claims otherwise. These lies were written to get the legislation passed for a tremendous data collection and publication on the performance of all schools and ethnic groups. It also is forcing the public schools to concentrate on data massaging.
With NCLB stats it won’t be much longer before even the clueless realizes what “The Bell Curve” published over a decade ago about ethnic IQ distribution. But all this will come too late to save the American Left Side of the Bell Curve whose jobs and livelihoods will have been permanantly destroyed by the US Gov’t open borders policy (Both in flow of people and merchandise).
I wish Oprah would spend money and attention to ewstablishing trade schools for US Nationals so we can get young blue collar workers into the petrochemical industry - which is turning to immigrant labor. And to get job training up for American HS Graduates for any 40k a year and up career. We need these programs to be expanded. The public schools have plenty of money the just waste it with students who don’t belong in an academic program in the first place.
If little Tyrone and Likeshia are cursing out the teachers in US History and Math (largely because they are frustrated and can’t handle the subjects) they should be transferred to Auto Mechanics, Welding and Building Trades, etc. post-haste. Oh, but then there are no seats in these programs… All the Money goes to the Academic Programs.
By KB
April 12, 2006 11:22 AM | Link to this
COMPETITION ! COMPETITION ! COMPETITION ! This is the only thing that will ever have any chance of improving our schools! There are far, far too many people in powerful positions who benefit from keeping things just the way they are.
By KB
April 12, 2006 11:22 AM | Link to this
COMPETITION ! COMPETITION ! COMPETITION ! This is the only thing that will ever have any chance of improving our schools! There are far, far too many people in powerful positions who benefit from keeping things just the way they are.
By kb
April 12, 2006 11:24 AM | Link to this
COMPETITION ! COMPETITION ! COMPETITION ! This is the only thing that will ever have any chance of improving our schools! There are far, far too many people in powerful positions who benefit from keeping things just the way they are.
By Amazed (Independent Woman)
April 12, 2006 11:35 AM | Link to this
I don’t think many of you know about Oprah’s childhood and teenage years. Her parents were divorced; she lived primarily with her mother and in between both parents at one point in her life. She even ran away from home, I believe at some point. She became pregnant as a teenager, but lost the child. She got her life together and went on to finish high school and college.
The information I provided was shown in a documentary, where Oprah’s father was interviewed.
Those kids that people condemn and think less of are the same children that are living Oprah’s childhood.
By another teacher
April 12, 2006 11:44 AM | Link to this
Interesting topic… did you see the article in TIME this week? It was about our nation’s incredible dropout rate. According to it, most students do not drop out because they can’t handle the work, they drop out because they’re bored and not challenged.
I’d like to add some things to the discussion: Amazed - you are correct that the best teachers do not want to teach in “high needs” schools. I teach in one right now, and can tell you that I and others are just looking for the door. There are many reasons why. I feel a LOT of pressure to pass students who haven’t earned a passing grade. I would lose more sleep over that than a 50% failure rate. Also, due to our not meeting AYP, we are inundated with additional work. More meetings, more little “projects,” more CYA, etc. The paltry “combat pay” that they give us every 3 years is not enough to make it worthwhile. Add that to the ridiculous behavior of many of these students and it’s no wonder we all go home and hit the Excedrin.
To quote another blogger today, “Teachers can do more only if they have students who are eager to learn.”
Whew…..
By Fed Up
April 12, 2006 11:45 AM | Link to this
SET, you are exactly right. The quickest way to fix education is to track (yes track.. that horrid word) students so that they are prepared to do work that they can handle. That way the college-material kids can learn what they need to without constant disruption and the kids that don’t need to be in college prep can learn to make a living instead of being frustrated and disrupting class.
We need more votech… a kid with a low or average IQ can’t make a penny with a bunch of advanced algebra and calc… they need to learn vocational skills so they can do work that will actually suppor them instead of working at McDonalds for the rest of their lives. There is no shame in trade work. My brother-in-law is an electrician and makes more than seveal lawyers that I know.
By Rob D
April 12, 2006 11:49 AM | Link to this
For this to be a highly yeligious country, the teaching of Love Thy Neighboor has been thrown out the door. Its not my problem its your problem is the attitude of most Americans today. For there to be so much so called patriotism for Amercia, when it comes to helping out the underpriviliged and deprived Americans, there is a sense of arrogance and selfishiness. You support helping and freeing Iraqis from opression but yet you will allow our kids to suffer and fall behind to the competing nations. Children are learning more when they get home on the computer and search the internet than they do in 8 hours at school. Get back to your faith and discover what it means to be a patriot and help thy neighboor.
By hs sped
April 12, 2006 11:50 AM | Link to this
The Bell Curve….yes, everyone should read it and also a book titled Rereading America. It’s very interesting as well. Something has to change.
By kim
April 12, 2006 12:07 PM | Link to this
What about homeschooling - if you are able? Every study compiled suggests that this is a superior form of educating a child, ensuring that they don’t get behind or skip over topics they don’t understand. Socialization is not a problem today with so may huge support groups. Conversely, the socialization received in public schools today is frightening!
There are too many parents who have the ability to improve their own child’s education/destiny but since they do not want that endeavor to interfere with nail appointments and tennis matches, they continue to complain that it’s somebody else’s fault/problem. With that attitude, the child will continue to lose!
By Beverly
April 12, 2006 12:10 PM | Link to this
SET and Fed Up: I think tracking isn’t a guarantee of success. Many students are mediocre in high school and excell in college. I was a bored high school student, and consistently made the dean’s list in college. Not sure why, but college was more interesting and challenging. I guess I rose to the challenge. My high school counselor tried to track me a dental assisting track that would have provided a job after high school. I hated dental assisting and I’m glad I didn’t listen to her or my parents. Another point: today’s kids are lazy! My daughter is a 5th grader at a magnet school and her classmates are little geniuses who spend most of their energy trying to find ways to get out of doing their work. The teachers agree this generation of kids is pampered, spoiled, lazy and whiny. Keeping my foot up her behind when it comes to her school work has become another full-time job.
By JR
April 12, 2006 12:14 PM | Link to this
I did not read through all the posts but my thoughts on education are that there is no one problem or one solution to the state of education in America. I am working on my Masters and hope to go into education policy so this subject is dear to me. I did not watch Oprah’s show (I work) but my mother did and was shocked at how bad the system is. The problems that I associate with education 1) there are schools that are physically not in shape for students to be productive 2) there is not a concensus among Americans on what the role of public schools should be. What do we expect them to teach these kids, critical thinking, skills or how to master standardized tests. 3) the system is not set up to enforce stringent requirements on teachers and school personnel. and 4) I do think that financially we are yet to get it right. Do we spend money on schools to bring them up to par, to we spend money on schools to allow them to keep non-academic programs (p.e, music, etc). and another concern, should education spending be equal across school districts. The problem with debates on education is that we try to find one problem and diminish the impact and the effect of other problems, with that America will continue to produce dummies. Also we cannont simply blame, either the parents or the teachers or whatever, everybody in education is responsible, the community at large is responsible. We also need to take all that crap off of television and get children/students to see the multitude of options that are available to them outside of pop culture.
By hs sped
April 12, 2006 12:16 PM | Link to this
Homeschooling is great, if you don’t need a paycheck and you have a degree in what you’re teaching. Is it safe to assume that most homeschool parents have the necessary degrees to teach at home? What are the standards for a homeschool teacher? Are there any? How are these kids receiving a superior form of education if the educatator is not educated him/herself?
By OldSchool
April 12, 2006 12:18 PM | Link to this
C’mon kids! There is certainly enough blame to go around. Everyone should be held accountable: students, teachers, administrators, parents, communities, governments…
Enough of the blame game, can we work to find ways that make sense and that will create positive change? This makes 32 years teaching in Georgia’s public high schools for me and believe me, history repeats itself. I’ve been InTeched, Learner Focused, Successed, Individualized Place Packeted, Harry Wong-ed, you name it. Just when I hit my stride in implementing the Technique du Jour, somebody comes up with a “better way” and here we go again. I’m beginning to think that if these innovative teaching techniques were so great, their developers would still be teaching and not out peddling their programs.
Just as students have different learning styles, teachers have different teaching styles. A shotgun approach to fixing what is wrong is just…well…wrong. Give us a tool box and trust us to use the correct tools for both us and our students.
Maybe it isn’t the entire school that is in need of changing but just parts. I’m sure everyone knows where the weaknesses are in nearly every school.
Just one last thing: I get paid for 190 days and my pay is divided out over 12 months. I DO NOT get paid for Fall/Spring Break, Christmas, Thanksgiving, or any other holiday. I do have to complete 10 credits to renew my certification every 5 years and I was required to take and pass the NOCTI for drafting (which I did easily in the old TCT days.) I have my Masters and am also an ADDA Certified Mechanical Drafter. I have extensive experience in Plant Engineering and Residential Design. I continue to teach because there are those students who love Engineering Drawing and Residential Design as much as I do. I’m not here for the money…which is actually pretty good in my own personal opinion.
By high school teacher
April 12, 2006 12:21 PM | Link to this
Eve,
The teachers who are just collecting a paycheck aren’t the “YOUNG” teachers; they are those who have invested too much of a career in education to change to another profession. The young, new teachers don’t last long if they are just waiting for a check at the end of the month; they just move on to another job.
Two years ago, my then school system sent me(along with other delegates from my school) to a workshop to listen to a principal from some successful school out west. He basically said that if teachers don’t “buy in” to the philosophy that all students can learn the same information, then they shouldn’t be teachers. Well, I guess I am in the wrong profession. I can’t honestly say that every student who comes into my classroom has the same capacity to learn the same material.
Amazed, I see your points and don’t blame just parents. However, I am at my wit’s end. My students had a research paper due on Monday - the one we have worked on IN class and out of class - and 9 kids (out of 21) in my first period turned a paper in. How can I fix that? How can I get my students to change the attitude of “I’ll just make this up in summer school because it’s easier anyway?” How can teachers deal with the social issues that plague minority communities, and still have a high expectation? What are we as teachers supposed to do?
I teach in a middle class school - about a 40% free/reduced lunch population. I don’t assign a lot of homework because I know that these kids truly have jobs to support their families. I have many 16 year-old-girls who are already mothers, and a few who will be within the next 6 months. What can I do to be understanding of the fact that they have other obligations than school, and still hold them to high expectations?
By Eve
April 12, 2006 12:23 PM | Link to this
Please help me to understand…..”Another Teacher”, basically said that with all of the overwhelming work that is required now, PLUS, the bad behavior of some children, have some looking for the door! Okay…you already have a teacher that is disgusted with her job now because of a lot of reasons…..don’t you think that children will pick up on that vibe in the classroom? If YOU don’t even want to be there, what makes you think that they want to when they see the frustration on the faces of teachers?
By Amazed (Independent Woman)
April 12, 2006 12:23 PM | Link to this
GET REAL People - the majority are not being taught college material. The majority is NOT being taught BASIC Reading, Writing or Math Skills.
STOP telling the Lie, that you are asked to teach every child College Prep Material. The kids we are concerned with - can’t read, write or perform basic math operations. They can’t spell or use basic english. They can’t write a complete sentence.
Yes, a mechanic should know how to read above 6th grade, calculate the fees for his/her services provided and understand which chemicals are combustibles. They may not need Chemistry or Calculus, but they do NEED a great education. If not, they will be taken advantage of by: Banks, Mortgage Companies, Lawyers, etc.
People who lack basic skills are usually the first to be taken advantage of by entities such as Banks, with high interest rates. They are the primary candidates for forclosures and they usually; can’t afford a good lawyer.
By Candy
April 12, 2006 12:23 PM | Link to this
SET - if there were a curve for intellectual honesty, awareness and wisdom -you and Arthur Jensen would certainly be on the lowest end. It takes very simple-minded thinking to attribute intelligence and potential to a test that is so variable – we all know that you can actually decrease your IQ scores simply by taking it with your eyes closed. In my profession as an adoption worker, I have also seen many examples of children who were labeled as mentally retarded at age 5 test in the gifted range by age 8 – simply because they received one on one attention, confidence, their stress levels were lowered and above all- they learned that they have value and worth as a human being. They are the same genetic strain as their parents but because their life opportunities were dramatically improved at an early age – the outcome is different.
So, SET, how can you possibly study one psychological variable – IQ – without controlling for the myriad of other psychological variables – motivation, stress, fear, boredom, distraction? Not to mention physiological, sociological and other variables that are not controlled for in these so call “studies”. Jensen thought he was doing something by controlling for income – that is just laughable! There simply never has been a time in U.S. history where variables were even – so before you start talking about proof of ethnic IQ differences – perhaps you need to go back to rudimentary science: control for independent and dependent variables. You simply cannot due that in America’s Salad Bowl.
I hope that Oprah’s show highlights the fact that either consciously or unconsciously, we place different values on human lives from the time they are born. The value we on human lives become evident in the way we distribute resources. When we expect people to be worth less than others – it seems natural to us that they would have the worst schools, books, housing, stores, services (whether they are poor immigrants, urban black kids or ‘poor white trash). In the end, we all lose out on great minds and their potential contributions to our country because we fail to fully develop our most valuable resources: humans. If America does not develop its potential (which it is not)– other countries will (and are). Where will we be in 50 years?
By MPM
April 12, 2006 12:24 PM | Link to this
How to fix the problems with education? There is no one correct answer…certainly, our country is on a non-stop downward trend unless something changes quickly.
I became a teacher because I want to help students live better lives; I want them to be educated instead of ignorant, compassionate instead of selfish, and wordly instead of sheltered, but now, more than ever, that seems impossible.
Most of my students (low-middle to lower class) live with one parent or guardian. Increasingly more common are students who rotate from family member to family member, staygint with whoever will keep them until they have “overstayed” their welcome. Many don’t know who their fathers are or have never met them. I focus on this becuase they feel unloved and unworthy, but not uncommon.
Likewise, they have no pressure to do well. No 12-18 year old will make the right decision for their future; They need guidance, but who is there to provide it?
In addition, we live in a culture where we glorify the silly and inane, the thuggish, the super-rich who get there with little to no work; where is the motivation? My students plan on making it rich as a rapper or baller or model despite no discernable talent becuase no one at home is there to tell them that it’s not going to happen. We have taken the dignity out of working class jobs, forcing everyone to think that they must go to college, regarless of whether or not they want to. Maybe a little real-world experience is more inportant than a straight-to-college path.
Everyone has a part to play…teachers, parents, students, administrators, but we all want to shift blame. I have lazy days or bad days, but those are few, and most days I am working hard for my students; However, it is not enough nor will it ever be enough to make up for the years of neglect and inconsideration they have had. It’s no secret that the kids who ultimatly are successful come from strong parental backgrounds, but we want to keep saying it’s okay to allow divorce and sham marriages in Vegas at 2 a.m. and single parents when it clearly is not.
Our education system is outdated and inefficent. We need to look to other countries and other ideas and change.
A metaphor: right now our education system is like an old horse…overworked, tired, bedraggled, and past it’s prime, but instead of getting a new horse, or investing in a modern, re-tooled machine to get the job done, we want to cut the horse’s hair and paint it’s nails and tie a bow in it’s hair and act like now the horse is new again and ready to work like new; that’s not gonna happen- the horse is dead; get a new one,just like our education system is dead and we need a new one, one that works for this new type of student.
By posterchild
April 12, 2006 12:24 PM | Link to this
A few things:
White/black schools and expectations: Having spent most of my school career in minority schools, then switching to a pretty much all-white school (middle of 8th grade), I can tell you first-hand there are major differences. I wouldn’t even say it was the teachers that were different. The teachers were caring and tried their best in both places. The main difference was the students (and their parents/guardians). At my old school, kids took joy in throwing scissors at the teacher, stealing ice cream from the cafeteria, just being general miscreants. Once I switched schools, I was almost in shock over how well-behaved the kids were; how clean the school stayed; students were trusted to walk to and from lunch without having to march in a line with the teacher. This was in 1994, mind you, so we’re not even talking ancient history. In my 5 years of teaching, I have taught in all-black schools. There are days when I feel like I am helping, and there are days where I feel like I’m watching a trainwreck. I come from a long line of poor white and Native drop-outs. I am the first person to get a college degree in the history of my family (and I am working on a 3rd right now). My family was supportive, but I got here because of my own drive and not wanting to fail. I wonder sometimes if a lot of kids I see at school and on the news have this sort of internal drive. Maybe some don’t.
That being said, I wish Oprah would have highlighted some Reservation schools, as that’s where my most of my family had their school experience, and I come from a long line of drop-outs.
Homeschooling: If homeschooling works for you, great, but I think that many people in America are not willing to sacrifice a 2-income household to educate their children.
Sorry for the rambling, but I have mixed feelings about this whole Oprah thing :)
By E. Lewis
April 12, 2006 12:25 PM | Link to this
Too many of those who are in the position to do something don’t because they can and do send their children to private schools. They don’t want to put in more effort or $$ especially when they feel they are paying twice and don’t want to fund or improve the schools their children don’t attend.
BTW I have no children and support public education because I feel it is my civic duty to do so. A well educated society is a better and safer one.
By posterchild
April 12, 2006 12:28 PM | Link to this
hs sped:
That’s my beef with homeschooling… who’s to say that the people doing the schooling are qualified?
I have cousins who homeschool their middle and elementary school-aged children, and these cousins dropped out of high school at age 16 and 17. How are they supposed to teach their kids algebra, chemistry, etc. when it obviously was either too rough or just not important to them?
By MrLiberty
April 12, 2006 12:32 PM | Link to this
Government run education will never be a success. Central planning does not work, has never worked, and will never work. Oprah and every other person who supports government education on principle consistently looks for the big “master plan” to fix the problem. The “master plan” is the problem - not the solution. Government must immediately stop pretending to educate children.
Government education has no real value to the consumers. Parents pay virtually nothing compared to the actual cost of educating their kids, and so they just don’t REALLY care how bad the schools are. They see school as a cheaper version of the expensive daycare they had to deal with since the child was born. They don’t concern themselves with the fact that thousands and millions of dollars are being stolen from everyone else to help pay for their kids education, but they certainly expect everyone else to pony up more to “solve” the problem they helped create.
Bill Gates was right - if government education were a business it would already have gone bankrupt. You don’t give more money to a bankrupt business, you shut it down. This business would have gone bankrupt because if it were a business, folks would have already taken their money and walked. Can’t do that with schools that steal your money and give you no choice. So what is wrong with the business model? Bad school, find a better one, take your money with you. Sounds like the reason Kroger and Publix don’t look like those schools and give great service.
The one-room school house that was supported directly by the small local community was the last “public” school that worked. Direct involvement of parents and immediate control over failures were what made it work. Every subdivision could be the same, but parents just don’t care about their children. How else could you explain they way they ship them off to the government to indoctrinate for 12 years? Also, they are too addicted to the spoils that are stolen from fellow citizens to pay for their children. It would really suck to have to take care of their own children for a change.
Much easier to keep stealing and just put up with the problem This way they can blame the government anyway.
By Sandra
April 12, 2006 12:37 PM | Link to this
My daughter is a teacher. She teaches computer classes in middle school. Because of inclusion, students that do not have the ability to understand are put into her class (to give the special ed teachers a break during the day) She says she spends most of her time taking care of those students. They talk and act up all during class. This takes the time away from the regular students that she could helping.
By Candy
April 12, 2006 12:37 PM | Link to this
Two more things about tracking- if someone had seen me in the 4th grade - they would assume I could never be college material. I was failing everything because the school environment was demotivating and I was highly distracted by other issues in my personal life. I was a poor inner city black kid failing everything! Imagine that. However, once I was removed from that failing school system and entered a rich learning environment, free from other distraction, I began to excel. Next thing you know, I’m breezing through college in 3 years and now I have a master’s degree. It would not have helped me to be tracked at a young age at all - I surely would have dropped out because of boredom. And think of all the wasted potential.
Secondly, I think our education system is partially a reflection of a cultural problem. Somewhere along the lines of our economic growth - we lost sight of the mentallity of innovation, hard work, industry, and work ethic that got us where we are. In short, we are spoiled. I think that it’s human nature to take our wealth and success for granted - look at the children of self-made rich people. Do they have as much drive and ambition as their parents?
We need to change our mentality - praise children and adults who work hard - don’t ridicule them and label them nerds, geeks. America as a whole needs a cultural shift towards a rational and intellectual landscape.
By A researcher in the industry
April 12, 2006 12:43 PM | Link to this
What some of us bloggers have to recognize is the fact that no matter if all of the those students stay in school and work hard that will not change the disparities in funding. Those kids were in classrooms-as far as we know they ARE staying in school. You cannot speculate that their parents are not sending them each day. But you CAN see that some schools have college level educations and some don’t. It is quite clear that some students have state funded instruments and some don’t. That says nothing about parents and everything about how states allocate funds to schools.
Sure parents are the ones to ensure their children are in classrooms and ready to learn, but, some point, the schools have to actually do the teaching. And it’s pretty hard to do so when the teachers are poorly supported, the facilities are dilapidated and the books are outdated.
By MrLiberty
April 12, 2006 12:47 PM | Link to this
I am seeing a lot of comments about “valuing” kids, etc. as being measured by dollars and cents, etc. Listen, they are your children. If you don’t value them enough to make sure they get a good education, why should I? I didn’t choose to have them. This starts by being willing to pay for their real costs. $1500 worth of school taxes paid per year when the government school is wasting $6500 per child means that $5000 must be stolen from someone else. Add another $6500 for each child and suddenly we have $11,500 worth of theft for every family with 2 kids. If you weren’t government school educated, you should be able to do the math from there.
That $5000 to $6500 per kid must be paid somehow. Businesses and corporations pass those costs onto consumers meaning everything the rest of us buy costs even more because of YOUR kids. For every bit that comes from income, sales, etc. taxes this means even more from the rest of us.
Parents who care enough to send their kids to a private school or homeschool them must not only pay this stolen money, but the costs for their own kids. How is this not completely immoral? Giving up that second job to stay home and homeschool is made even more difficult because of these additional costs that you immoral parent impose to pay for your kid’s education.
Face it, the answer is clear. Everyone pays their own way. You have as many kids as YOU can afford. You hold the schools accountable by leaving with your money, and everything works out like everything else in our free market society - with the customer coming first.
And statistically speaking, teachers as a group score the lowest on standardized tests and GPA’s of any profession group. Remember, the government is saying that teachers are “qualified”. Wow, there’s an endorcement.
By kim
April 12, 2006 12:47 PM | Link to this
I’ve heard arguments about homeschooling indicating that people might be suspicious of what is taught/not taught. Or, whether parents have the expertise. Remember, study after study after study indicates that these children far surpass public and even privately schooled children on all standardized tests! These tests include all of the subjects you wonder whether parents can teach. The bottom line ? They are doing it and doing a bang-up superior job any way you cut it.
If you have questions, why don’t you look at some of the private school curriculums that are sold to homeschoolers, including very detailed lesson plans and every textbook/exercise and activity taught in the classroom?
The reality is - you just can’t [successfully] argue with success!
By E. Lewis
April 12, 2006 12:50 PM | Link to this
One room schools taught girls math and how to read enough to run a household and not much else.
They also didn’t educate other than white folks.
‘The Little House On the Prarie’ television ideal of education was based in reality about as much as was the family life of “Leave It To Beaver’.
By Eve
April 12, 2006 12:51 PM | Link to this
Posterchild—- Wow…..when did education become a black\white issue. You have a teacher who explained it very thoroughly about her experiences at black\white schools…and she pointed out at the black schools, there was stealing and a lot of misconduct, but at the OTHER school, there wasn’t. She directly related her bad experiences with race as the main factor…Hummm, so isn’t this stereotyping? She didn’t even mention anything about the administration….only the differences between schools where the majority was BLACK or WHITE. I too, have relatives who lived and are living on reservations……..and the culture is completely different, so hooray for you, but that is not the norm.
By Amazed (Independent Woman)
April 12, 2006 12:53 PM | Link to this
high school teacher:
The research paper is a great example. As a parent, I know that my daughter does not like huge projects. We usually work on research papers in Steps. I’m sure that is what you did with these kids. However, did you ask for a copy of each step “completed” along the way. Not to grade, but to see what was actually being done while you were working on the project in school. NOW, I know they are not babies and I do expect them to work independently. However, to make sure they have grasped each step - we have to PUSH them along. I do this with my daughter because I want the best for her. I know that you want the best for these students. Some have Great parents, like the 9 who turned in their research paper. Their parents were probably fully aware of the due date and the entire project. However, not all parents will get involved with a project or make sure the project gets completed.
The point I am trying to make is that Education is about the children. Parent should motivate their children, but not everyone is going to do what “we” think they should do. After that statement, I will say it again “Education is about the children”. It’s important that a teacher has the ability to analyze the demographics and social issues of the children they teach and adjust their teaching methods. I hear it all the time in business: you have to adjust your presentation according to your audience. Some will need to be spoon fed and others will only want the highlights(desert).
In addition, many do not have the resources to complete research papers at home. I just found out that my cousins daughter, does not have a public library card. They do have a computer and she goes to the library at school. Some kids do not have a computer and have never set foot in a public library. Yes, that is the parents fault. But again, “education is about the child” - not their parents.
Not only that, libraries should be on every corner or in WALMART.
By meme
April 12, 2006 12:53 PM | Link to this
Kim, this is true about the majority of home schooled students (I am a homeschool booster and a public school teacher) but there is that small percentage who say they are homeschooling when they are just allowing their kids to stay home and do nothing.
By young teacher
April 12, 2006 12:55 PM | Link to this
EVE~ I take GREAT offense to your comments that you made about young teachers. You obviously know NOTHING about education. Unfortunately in ALL workplaces there are people there just working to get a paycheck. That is true in ALL workplaces. To say that it is the YOUNG teachers just there to get a paycheck is a very ignorant statement. I have been teaching for a year and a half. I am a male and I LOVE my job. I put everything I have into young people. I coach sports, I lead clubs, I get involved in their lives. I am not there for a paycheck. You must not understand how much young teachers get paid. We could get EASIER jobs that pay just as much if we wanted to JUST draw a paycheck. I do not do what I do for the money. I struggle to pay bills for my family because of the profession that I chose.
Unfortunately not all teachers care as much for students. There are some who are stuck in their ways or some who think teaching is about them. From 8-4, I am there for the KIDS.
There are problems in our schools, but they do not begin or end with the schools. In America today we have parental problems. My parents would not LET me fail in school. That was not an option. For many of my students, the parents are not involved.
I teach in a poverty school. Most of the school is on free/reduced lunch. We have about 70% minorities. I love this school. Unfortunately for many of my students they come from broken homes. Parents may be in jail, on drugs, never met them, etc. so it is hard to get any help from home. Young people are influenced SO easily by people from the outside that it is important to surround them with good role models. EVE, instead of blaming teachers, be a mentor to a student and encourage them to stay in school and get an education. Teachers are not responsible for not just teaching content, but now we are teaching students how to behave, teaching them how to be respectful to adults, teaching them basic life skills. I encourage ALL of my students to go to college. The sad truth is that they all will not. So I also have to prepare them for the workforce and life as well. It is a tough job, but I love it.
You cannot blame YOUNG teachers for the problem. You cannot blame any one group for this problem. The state of America is getting worse and worse in education. The government’s “No Child Left Behind” makes it even harder for teachers to help individual students.
EVE, you need to get a clue about what you are talking about.
By AJ
April 12, 2006 12:56 PM | Link to this
The bottom line is this; more people, businesses,and parents need to get involved in ther local schools. When this happens, CHANGE WILL COME, but change will NEVER come if you don’t get involved.
Oprah aired this show as a wakeup call to america. A wakeup call? It’s only a wakeup call to those americans that don’t shop and eat where “normal” people shop and eat. Why? Because if they did, they would see the problems coming out of our educational system all across america. For example…cashiers not being able to give change without using the cash register, having to wait an extra long time when dining out because there are not enough workers, young people not being able to communicate clearly, and the list goes on and on. Why would you need a wake up call for something that you’re exposed to everyday. I have nothing against people with money, I just believe that some of you have lost touch with reality. When I read that this is a “wakeup” call and that people are “so shocked” that we have this problem in america, I just wonder, how could you have not known and why are you shocked? It’s not a wake up call to everybody. We “normal” people are wide awake dealing with it EVERYDAY.
Also, everybody wants to point out how Georgia is at the bottom of the list in testing next to South Carolina, but Georgia requires that EVERY student be tested and you cannot compare our test statistics to states with different testing requirements. We need to stop playing games politically and really focus on educating our children. I’m an educator in Georgia, and there are many reasons that students fail in education. You can’t just blame it on one factor. As my opening comment statedMore people, businesses,and parents need to get involved in ther local schools. When this happens, CHANGE WILL COME, but change will NEVER come if you don’t get involved.
By Researcher in the Industry
April 12, 2006 12:56 PM | Link to this
SET: Sorry to disappoint you but The Bellcurve was discredited by right and left-wing researchers only a few years after being published. All of the findings (quantitative and otherwise) have been dismissed as gravely miscalulated and horrifyingly racist. You believe in the Ethnic Learning Curve, huh? I’m curious, what ethnicity are you? Well, now isn’t that convenient.
By LISA MURPHY
April 12, 2006 12:59 PM | Link to this
Why did it take Bill and Melinda to say what i been saying for years!!!! the school system has always felled the children in the inner city school zone with approval from the power that be.I an Atlanta native always had this thought about the schools, however i went to one school in the inner city call Paul Lawrence Dundar in the 70’s and our school had all the quality of a surb neighborhood why,because we had someone who had vision and expectation as soon as i left that school to go to my middle school everything that was implemented such as high expectation school spirit clubs that made you think was a goner.I just pray at this point that someone understand or get that being gifted doesn’t mean making straight A’S it mean have gifts and talents such as art singing, musical incline dance,getting straight a’s means book smart genius or a wiz how long will the school system especially the i’am in the Atlanta Public school district and starting year 2007 there will be no more trade or skills within the school district at all!!! how dumb is that to take those courses out but wait i figure it out they don’t get money for those courses and it doesn’t reflect the scores on the No Child Left Behind scores.i ask myself as aperson all the time it appear the more Degree sense we are getting the less Common Sense people have to understand that everyone is not college and we do not need to undermind trade and skillful jobs which starts business.
By MrLiberty
April 12, 2006 01:04 PM | Link to this
Everyone takes what I say very personally because I call them immoral for asking and allowing the government to steal tens of thousands of dollars on behalf of educating their children. Well, they should take it personally. They and the government are criminals.
That being said, here’s a suggestion to help the transition.
Shut down the government schools with 1 year notice. Eliminate all zoning and other ridiculous barriers to the building and establishment of new schools (including teacher licensure). Allow other organizations to “certify” teachers if they wish - then folks can really see how worthless and unaccountable a government certification really is. Allow those with the resources to bid and purchase the existing school facilities - even multiple schools if need be. Allow tax-free investment in any of these schools by anyone - including folks without kids - and allow tax free profit benefits so long as the investment is maintained. At the end of the year, end all taxation of property to pay for government schools. Fire everyone associated with the government schools - everyone. There will be plenty of jobs for those who are actually worth re-hiring. Going forward, allow 100% tax liability deductions for every dollar given to any educational establishment for the purpose of supporting someone else’s kid(s). In other words, scholarships, but also aiding a homeschooling family in your neighborhood, etc. Absolutely no deductions for parents for the costs of educating their own kids. Its high time they started paying their own way. Businesses would likewise be rewarded tax-wise for their contributions. They might even wish to start their own “free schools” to get an even bigger bang for their dollars.
Government leaders would just have to deal with a potential loss of revenue, but then we would finally be able to see just how much they really care about “the children” versus their other pet projects (like buying off constituents with other worthless garbage).
Got a better plan that doesn’t steal more money from me? Put it down and lets all kick it around. I dare you !
By Charles C Brooks III
April 12, 2006 01:09 PM | Link to this
I went hard-core in the Education Department of one of the top 10 private colleges in the nation until my senior year in my studies where I sat in on many high school classes. It is pathetic. “Public school teaches you to get by and private schools teach you to be everything you can be.” Fact. The students do not respect their teachers, the work is standardized, and I have personally watched 14 dedicated, energetic teachers get run out of the business because it has become A BUSINESS. It’s a joke. I have watch kids fall through the cracks as soon as they are deemed “unsalvageable”. “No child left behind” is yet another one of George W’s idiotic ideas that is failing miserably.
Homeschooling is booming. Private tutoring is being revived unlike any other time I can recall. The schools are failing our kids and the only way it will change is a lawsuit or lawmakers with one foot in reality. There is no way 30 kids will learn the same way. Those that lag behind are ADD, ADHD, MR, or otherwise holed away in some other room of excuse because, due to the ridiculous demands of the State, teachers cannot take time to TEACH!
Public school is a joke.
By Karen
April 12, 2006 01:11 PM | Link to this
I would like to pick up a fire extinguisher. I am a young single professional with both an engineering and legal degree. I was educated in public school and would like to give back. If anyone can suggest a volunteer opportunity or tutoring program, I am more than willing to help.
By Amazed (Independent Woman)
April 12, 2006 01:17 PM | Link to this
Mr. Liberty - we do not “choose” to have the number of kids that we can afford. My family consist of twins and many times multiples births(everytime a child is born).
But according to your argument, poor people should not be allowed to have children.
A better argument would be to Not have children unless you are dedicated to spending quality time helping with homework.
FYI… Middle Class and Rich people are not producing the Best of the Best because of money. Having money - usually means more free time, because you don’t HAVE to work 2 JOBS. They may CHOOSE to work longer hours, but not because of the money.
Having money - usaully means having funds to pay for SAT Prep and tutors for little Susie. Having money - usually means sending little Johnnie to a GOOD Pre-K Program. Having money - usually means having a computer and educational software/encyclopedia’s in the home.
Having money - usually means you can afford to buy books for Susie and Johnnie.
Having money - usually means you are already “educated enough” to teach little Susie and Johnnie the basics - how to read, write and do math.
By high school teacher
April 12, 2006 01:17 PM | Link to this
Amazed, Actually, I did grade their work in steps. The 9 students who turned them in completed the work along the way as well. The others had not completed this part, or only found notes on two or three days, etc. I try not to look over their shoulders that often because they are 10th graders, and the real world that they will be “dropping out” into is not so kind.
By hs sped
April 12, 2006 01:19 PM | Link to this
Sandra, it’s not to give the sped teacher a break, believe me. It’s called least restrictive environment and it’s the law. You’re right, most kids don’t belong in the class and the poor reg teacher doesn’t have any help, but the parents usually INSIST that the kids go because it’s their RIGHT. And you know how it is in this country, more people are worried about their rights than their responsibilities.
By MrLiberty
April 12, 2006 01:20 PM | Link to this
E. Lewis
You wrote “One room schools taught girls math and how to read enough to run a household and not much else. They also didn’t educate other than white folks.”
“‘The Little House On the Prarie’ television ideal of education was based in reality about as much as was the family life of “Leave It To Beaver’.”
Sorry you simple mind can’t handle big concepts. Of course my endorcement of the one-room schoolhouse was an endorcement of whites-only female-repressed education. That you don’t know anything about the history of education shouldn’t become everyone else’s problem so I will attempt to clarify.
The one-room school house (and yes they existed well into the 20th century was a great concept for many reasons. They were funded by the local community so that all could afford to have a good teacher. They focussed on practical education for the time (yes, for the boys this meant how to run the farm or family business and for girls it focussed on the household, etc.) but it could be just as relevant for today (simpleton). The parents were in control of what was taught, and the teacher was accountable to them. Even better, there were multiple grades in the classroom. Not only did this mean that more advanced lessons were available for more advanced kids, no matter what their age, but it provided the opportunity for older kids to assist and help teach the younger ones. Though it may take some of you a while to understand why this is, but the real measure of whether or not you “got” something is your ability to teach it to another. Such a classroom provided that opportunity and that immediate feedback. The Montessori school that I attended was very similar in its location of at least 3 grades within a classroom. The benefits were unbelievable. I have never received as good an education as that situation.
And yes, there actually are families with stay at home moms that relish the arrival of their kids from school, take the time to find out what their days were like, cook for their husbands, keep the house nice, etc. No value judgements on them, but they do exist and always have.
Plenty of books on the one-room school house. Read one if you can.
By Susie
April 12, 2006 01:31 PM | Link to this
Kim—nail appointments and tennis matches? some of us actually do have to WORK for a living, to feed our kids and keep a roof over their heads. Join the rest of us down here on Earth. Not everyone has the luxury of being able to home school.
By Privateschoolguy
April 12, 2006 01:31 PM | Link to this
Home schooling is like home auto mechanics. Your’re not going to try it if you don’t know what your doing. Th home mechanic will work hard to do the job right because its their own car they are working on. If the home mechanic realizes that they cannot do a good job they give up and take it to a professional. You also need to have the time, tools and resources to do a good job. The same with home schooling.
By Susie
April 12, 2006 01:33 PM | Link to this
HS Sped, apparently there are NO standards for a homeschool teacher. I know one or two parents who homeschool, who can’t write a coherent sentence, let alone spell any of it correctly.
By Amazed (Independent Woman)
April 12, 2006 01:41 PM | Link to this
high school teacher -
I am constantly looking over adults shoulders, because I am the team leader. I have to check to make sure that projects are completed on time and completed correctly. If the project is not completed on time, my clients don’t care about who didn’t do what. I’m not checking over highschool drop outs, but college graduates with advance degrees.
We have weekly meetings to discuss our projects to see what has/has not been completed. Higher performing teammates often volunteer to help others complete task. Many are afraid to ask for help, because of fear, it will make them look incompetent. I let them know that I am the point person, who is responsible for getting the project completed.
People who check on every STEP in the REAL WORLD are called Supervisors, Directors and Department Heads.
Don’t jump on my business world scenario, it’s to point out that Adults usually work in STEPS and we are constantly checking to make sure the steps are completed.
REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE - Last Thursday, I received an email for an emergency meeting regarding a presentation that was due on Tuesday. The project had not been started and the meeting with the client had been planned weeks in advance.
I wasn’t responsible for this project, but was called in to help. The responsible parties did not volunteer and couldn’t make a decision about who would handle specific sections. I immediately decided to handle the BulK piece and left the room.
My point: without guidance adults are just as bad as children.
By Homey
April 12, 2006 01:46 PM | Link to this
it’s always amusing when people in these blogs(like Rob D, E Lewis & A researcher in the Industry among others) tilt at windmills and chastise the rest of us on non-existant opinions.
No one in this blog is against properly funding schools or providing a solid education to our children. However, I would point out that many of our opinions parallel how many in Atlanta feel about MARTA. No one in Atlanta is against Public transit but we all pretty much agree that giving additional money to MARTA is simply flushing it down the proverbial toilet.
Same with education - we outspend every country in the world. Giving more money to government run schools to address the lack of performance is just more flushing action.
By high school teacher
April 12, 2006 01:50 PM | Link to this
Point well taken, Amazed. Thanks.
By Susie
April 12, 2006 01:58 PM | Link to this
Kim, you can find “study after study,” that will say anything you want them to. If you look, you can find studies that will show the opposite. The difference is, who is doing the studies? It’s like a “study” by Proctor and Gamble that say