Get Schooled

By jim d

January 3, 2007 08:38 AM | Link to this

How about a shipping address Bridget,

So I can send a bottle of cocoa butter (100% pure, NOT a lotion with cocoa butter). It has a propensity to toughen the skin.

By Stacey

January 3, 2007 08:58 AM | Link to this

jim d…ROFL…What was that resolution you made yesterday?

By KA

January 3, 2007 09:18 AM | Link to this

Bridget, IMO I don’t think you know how good you have it here in Get Schooled, compared to most of the other ajc blogs with NO comments or flaming trolls. I am puzzled by your hurt feelings and attitude yesterday and today. Too much champagne on New Year’s Eve? Your football team lose their bowl game? Santa didn’t bring what you asked for? We have welcomed you, participated in your topics in a hearty manner, and even if I challenged your use of the word TRUTH, it was a professional challenge, not a personal attack. Nobody has scorched you or worse, ignored your blog. We all challenged Patti and suggested topics to her on a regular basis. BTW most of us have never claimed to be experts either, in fact I let y’all know that I am NOT a teacher, just a parent that was very involved in her kids education. So, I am not going to let you chastise us for a second day in a row. Let’s move on! Here’s a topic; what New Year’s resolution are the bloggers wanting to accomplish in their schools this year?

By TheOne

January 3, 2007 09:26 AM | Link to this

Ooooohhhh, sounds like Bridget isn’t going to take y’alls crap like Patti did. Watch out nah!!!!! LMAO

By jim d

January 3, 2007 09:37 AM | Link to this

Stacey,

I was being nice. I was offering some help!

By fed up

January 3, 2007 09:42 AM | Link to this

Uh, Bridget… this is a disturbing blog topic. You are the one who is the education reporter (or maybe you said that you were formerly an education reporter, I can’t recall). You are the one getting paid to come up with blog topics.

It’s fine to ask us what we think are big education issues. However, to get all pouty and ask us to do you job because your feelings are hurt seems a little off colour.

I don’t see other ajc blog leaders being so sensitive.

Also, re yesterday’s blog topic, I don’t think that this blog gets very out of control at all, particularly compared to other ajc blogs. It gets a little spicy now and then, but one reason people blog is so that they can say what they really think. Blogs often work as a venting mechanism. In this day and age, society certainly needs venting mechanisms.

A person can be very disciplined off line and then be much less “polite” online. Blogs are just anonymous words on a computer screen. Any bad behavior is conducted towards the words not towards a “real person.” Real honest debate can get ugly, and an anonymous forum allows for the most honest debate of all.

Just thicken up you skin a bit and let us blog about something other than your feelings please.

By Hope2007

January 3, 2007 10:18 AM | Link to this

I was not going to be critical, but you people are ridiculous. Leave Bridget alone….

She’s right; I have seen nothing but complaints about her topics from the “Regulars” since she took over the site.

It’s a New Year and a new start. GO FOR IT BRIDGET!!!!

By wow

January 3, 2007 10:18 AM | Link to this

You people just can’t be pleased, can you? I’ve only read this blog a few times, yet everytime I do I see comments to the author about how you don’t like her topic, or how you can come up with a better one. Now she gives you the chance to come up with what you feel will be a better blog, and you complain about that. Make up your minds, for crying out loud.

By Stacey

January 3, 2007 10:40 AM | Link to this

Bridget…The tone I feel from your blog today comes off more as a dare than a challenge/request/opportunity. I admit to being too chicken to take the dare but in the few months that I’ve participated in this blog, I have read some excellent debates and/or suggested topics from a lot of the regulars.

I admit that I did read a few “somewhat mean” responses to a few of Bridget’s early blog topics. I agree that it comes with the territory and the comments are a whole lot nicer than most of the other ajc blogs.

By Leia

January 3, 2007 10:54 AM | Link to this

Bridget - I’m a teacher, so, on a daily basis, there are folks who think that they can do my job better. How would it look if I just threw up my hands and said, “Fine, then you try it!” Not very mature, is it? Let it go! Criticism comes with the territory. At least you don’t have to physically see the people telling you that you suck! It’s your job, girl, do your thing!

By Taxpayer

January 3, 2007 11:06 AM | Link to this

Thanks for the invitation. I’d like to see a comparison between AP classes and joint enrollment classes to help students and parents determine which choice is best in terms of academic challenge, quality of instruction, and acceptance of credits by universities.

By Grow Up

January 3, 2007 11:16 AM | Link to this

I think the headline “So You Think You Can Do It Better?” sums up your whole mindset, Bridget. Not “An Open Invitation To Participate” or “Comments Welcome” or “Help Me Out Here, Please!”. Stacy is right, it comes off as a dare. Perhaps you didn’t mean it to sound like that, and that’s why the regulars here have been on your back—unfortunate phrasing on your part.

But if you meant it to sound that way…

I’m not a surgeon, but if one of them takes out my liver instead of my appendix, does that mean I should just smile and say “nice try?” I know nothing about cooking, but if I pay for a gourmet meal, that’s what the chef is supposed to do.

You’re the AJC GetSchooled blogger. You have a Master’s degree. You work as a journalist. People will hold you to a standard. And they should.

By jim d

January 3, 2007 11:25 AM | Link to this

Two posts booted in one day. Shall I go for a record setting third?

By Bridget Gutierrez

January 3, 2007 11:44 AM | Link to this

OK, time out, folks. Let’s be clear: I’m not abdicating my Get Schooled throne here.

Bringing in guest bloggers — students, parents, teachers, principals and others — to write on a topic of interest to them is something I had planned since I took over Get Schooled. I think it could lend some interesting and occasional variety.

If you’re not interested, you simply need not apply.

By wwww

January 3, 2007 11:55 AM | Link to this

What exactly goes on in middle school? ie: the emphasis on self esteem vs. actual ability, no zero policies, parental involvement - not always a good thing, lack of preparation for high school

By Susan

January 3, 2007 12:38 PM | Link to this

I’m a middle school teacher with a MEd and 26 years experience. I would like to know what others think about the policy that’s been adopted in some systems where, generally, daily homework isn’t graded. In my school system, we were told that too many times we were seeing the results of what the PARENTS could do, rather than students. I know this is often the case with projects. So what do people think? Is homework worthwhile and it’s just a matter of degree? Do children learn time management and responsibility through homework? Does the skill being practiced through homework help with it being stored in long term memory as researchers now believe? How much homework is too much. I may have opened a can of worms with this one, but I think it would be a good topic, unless it’s already been addressed.

Susan

By Debbie

January 3, 2007 12:54 PM | Link to this

A topic I would like to know about is the advent of “same sex schools” and if they are truly beneficial to the child. I’m looking into sending my daughter to the Atlanta Girl’s School, however I’m getting different views on the benefits of same sex schools.

I would really like to know if there truly is an advantage to the child, or if the schools just make the parents feel better, (no fraternization).

By luvs2teach

January 3, 2007 01:50 PM | Link to this

This may come off as really superficial in the light of all possible education topics, but how about addressing lunchtime - both the time itself as well as the quality of what’s being served.

Blame my interest on this on just watching “Supersize Me” but I see my students making HORRIBLE choices everyday for lunch - many consume a bag of Doritos and a Gatorade DAILY - then they are expected to learn and perform? The ones that choose the normal lunch fare no better - nachos and pizza are the usual choices.

Top it off with the fact that they only have 20 minutes to eat, no time to move, and frequently are eating at some strange time that forces them to go beyond the recommended 3 - 4 hours between meals, and it’s no wonder that obesity is on the rise.

By luvs2teach

January 3, 2007 01:52 PM | Link to this

Ha - three paragraphs! Happy New Year!

And I like Bridget’s idea of “guest bloggers” - remember, kids, the blogosphere is fairly new, and writing one was most likely not in anyone’s job description 5 years ago. Patti regularly took comments of interest and turned them into new blog postings.

By jim d

January 3, 2007 02:07 PM | Link to this

Gee folks, I certainly hope our blogs today aren’t an indication of “how smart we really are” LOL

Bridget’s instructions were to email her.

So now’s your chance: Write your own blog entry on any education topic you choose. Then e-mail me a copy at bgutierrez@ajc.com. If it’s good enough, I’ll post your item as a guest blogger.

By luvs2teach

January 3, 2007 02:27 PM | Link to this

LOL - jim d - I read what she wrote, (and I am smart - for a teacher, ha ha), but…I am also lazy. Posting was so much simpler than e-mailing.

By jim d

January 3, 2007 03:13 PM | Link to this

L2T,

And what happens to students that fail to follow instruction? :-)

By luvs2teach

January 3, 2007 03:33 PM | Link to this

jim d - certainly no grade related consequence, that’s for sure! :-p

By Jeff

January 3, 2007 05:25 PM | Link to this

OK, so I can’t really blame anyone for poor wording, as most of y’all and certainly ALL my Admins know!

HOWEVER, Bridgette, the headline DID seem to be a dare, even to me, a MATH teacher with Asperger’s Syndrome…. (which means that it had to be BLATANTLY obvious!!)

That said, I think a good variety of topics were spoken of today. Some we have discussed previously on this blog, but we have a lot of “new blood” recently and I for one wouldn’t mind discussing them again.

The topics I like: W4’s “what goes on in middle schools”, Taxpayer’s “AP v Joint Enrollment” could be interesting, but would probably be better as an actual story in the AJC rather than a blog topic, Susan’s HW issue, Debbie’s “Same Sex Schooling” (which is one that I KNOW we have discussed here before, but, as I said, I wouldn’t mind discussing again), and L2T’s “Lunch” issue.

To add a topic of my own: What constitutes “success”? Is a 6th grader making straight A’s on 2nd grade level work “successful”? What about the 6th grader doing 11th grade level work but struggling? Are they not “successful”? Is there more success had by struggling in a higher level class (such as AP Calculus AB) than by breezing through a lower level class (such as Business Calculus)? (OK, so I used two high level math classes, but hopefully you get the point, I was trying to compare apples and apples, though the same could be asked about struggling in AP Calc vs breezing through Concepts of Problem Solving)

By L2T

January 3, 2007 05:48 PM | Link to this

Certainly not in Gwinnett anyway.

They fire the teacher!

By L2T

January 3, 2007 05:53 PM | Link to this

Fired teachers?

Hmm, might make for an interesting topic.

Let’s see. Accountability of management?

Wasted tax dollars?

Hesitancy of people to act on their convictions.

Might be interesting if we could find a way to get all of that into one blog.

By luvs2teach

January 3, 2007 06:02 PM | Link to this

FYI - L2T isn’t me.

(you had to know that anyway, given the brevity of the posts, LOL)

By thomas

January 4, 2007 11:26 AM | Link to this

Bridget,

I think you’re doing a fine job. Don’t get bothered by some emotional posts. Being part of the American educational system gets people emotional. Go figure.

By wwww

January 4, 2007 12:05 PM | Link to this

Luvs2teach: excellent idea on the quality/time allotted for lunch. this has long been a concern of mine. on top of the poor choices offered to them, there’s no recess in middle school. kids at that age still that time to run around and play.

By luvs2teach

January 4, 2007 03:56 PM | Link to this

wwww - thanks - whether you agree with Morgan Spurlock’s politics or not, “Supersize Me” is very well done, and has a section of it devoted to school lunch choices - it was scary to see what passes for “nutrition” in many schools.

I know my kids are not nearly as focused after lunch as before, and by the end of their 7 1/2 hour day, they are climbing the walls. They often complain about headaches which could be from hunger. I just can’t imagine how their brains can be expected to work for 7 1/2 hours on the 300 fat and sugar laden calories that a lunch of Doritos and Fruitopia provides.

By Stacey

January 4, 2007 04:51 PM | Link to this

luvs2teach…My son complains all of time that he doesn’t have time to finish his lunch. At first I thought it was because he was talking and playing instead of eating but his teacher admits that’s not the case. They simply don’t have enough time to go through the line, “dress” his food, and eat. I sent his lunch a few times but because he doesn’t have access to a fridge or microwave, I’m kind of limited in my choices.

By ToSet,JimD,KA et. al.

January 4, 2007 05:36 PM | Link to this

Wondering what the regulars think: IMHO I don’t think the issue is can we do it better; I think it’s can Bridget do it better? What I see lacking specifically is this: a willingness to tackle concerns raised by posters, investigate and then post back, with a reporters point of view (and credibility) I think as a reporter, Bridget needs to do more than just “open up the doors of the blog” every morning-that’s like the PE coach who rolls out the ball on the gym floor, then goes and reads the paper. Issues have been brought up, but ignored. A person posted about a blog indicating some misuse of funds in Gwinnett; don’t know if it was legit, but it seemed worth looking into. Also, the discrepency in the discipline numbers that some schools reported has been ignored. The previous caretaker of the blog, when asked questions of bloggers, would go out and (there’s that word again) investigate then, more importantly actively participate and report back on the blog. There does not seem to be the same willingness to tackle issues with Bridget, nor does she seem willing (as the previous one did) to “belly up to the bar” and defend herself when called to task. I’m asking the regulars, SET, luvs2teach, jim D or anyone else to comment as to whether you find credence with the above statement. Or, to be fair, if you disagree. Lastly, I’d love for Bridget to enlighten us; maybe their are restraints from “above” that we aren’t aware of

By luvs2teach

January 4, 2007 06:31 PM | Link to this

In answer to the question posted to the regulars - I think it’s still too early to judge. It’s been only a few weeks since Bridget took over, and a good portion of that time was over the holidays - outside of retail, a slow time for most - and school’s out! I think it took awhile for Patti to find her groove - she really took off, IMO, with the Doc Nease incident.

There may “restraints from above” as you suggested, or simply other story commitments - to that I would love to hear Bridget’s response.

How has the blog changed work responsibilities for reporters? What are the expectations of the AJC in regards to its reporters’ handling of their blogs? When stories are posted or suggested, what happens? Is there a protocol?

By SET

January 4, 2007 06:48 PM | Link to this

Well, it would be fun for Bridget to “reveal” some new fact or stat that the schools have been hiding or lying about. Even better is she can unearth some glimmer of change.

I just noticed a story online that only 30% of West Contra Costa School District (Richmond CA) read at grade level - their school board just voted 3-2 to bar from graduation ceremonies any student that can’t pass the state exit exam. (See http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/16383637.htm )

Riots could occur. That vote is a shocking declaration of change. Richmond is a black ghetto school that was the background of a recent movie - “Coach Carter” I think - with Samuel L Jackson). The people there are very much used to being given a pass. They haven’t met a standardized test yet they don’t consider racist. (I’m only preaching ‘cause I had relatives that once went to school and taught there.)

If this policy actually is carried out it will change the racial composition of graduation day (To a largely Hispanic ceremony) and they might be able to fit it into a large restaurant besides… Unless the kids change.

Maybe things can change. I hope so. A board member said the students - and they know who they are - who’ve not passed that test already (you can pass it at 9th grade as some people typically do) had better get into the principal’s office in the morning and enroll in remedial programs. They’ve been warned.

I hope they stick to their guns. And that all the members of the 3 vote bare majority have good health through June.

By jim d

January 5, 2007 08:03 AM | Link to this

I’m SOOOO glad someone finally asked, “what do the regulars think?” I’ve been waiting all night to respond.

JMHO

In all honesty and without meaning to sound judgmental, I think Bridget brings a whole new slant and style to the blog,—- as she should.

And in all fairness we must give credit where credit is due. While I personally feel that a couple of her blog topics have been less than worthy, the vast majority of them have received more posts than more than a few of her predecessors less interesting topics. I recall several of Patti’s only getting 2-3 responses (total bombs). Patti was like an old shoe though and I think most of us had found a real comfort level with her. (sorry Patti, not calling you an old shoe)

I guess the bottom line is that while Bridget’s style is different, it ain’t bad and she’s doing a pretty damn good job of accomplishing what it is she is being paid to do (get us to post on the blog). Would I like to see a bit more controversial issues and real investigative reporting? Well yeah, but in reality that’s not really my call nor is it yours.

In a nutshell. We come here of our own free will. No one is forcing us to read or post on this site. If you are unhappy with the direction the blog is going you hold the answer right there in your mouse, so do like I tell teachers all the time, quit bchin and do something about it. Some of us are starting to sound like the people we often criticize for living in the past and resisting any change. Has it ever occurred to some of you to just not respond on a topic rather than bchin about it? Apparently it did when Patti was at the helm.

Contrary to what some bloggers believe, I’m confident it is not in Bridget’s job description to publicly defend her choice of topics, so get over it, it’s her Blog.

Bridget,— Blog on girl!

By KA

January 5, 2007 08:52 AM | Link to this

I blog because I enjoy the topics and the interaction with all of you. I agree with luvs and think Bridget hasn’t quite found her groove. I also think Bridget has not quite grasped that as blogmistress (Patti’s term) that she can and should interact with us also as a participant of the blog. Her reporter job is to gather information, whether in the field or HERE with us, the widely educated, experienced, and thoughtful bloggers (we rock!). We succeed (and sometimes fail) here because we are all so dang opinionated! I want Bridget to feel comfortable with us, because if she doesn’t like this or us, then Get Schooled won’t survive, and I will be sad. I have learned a lot here, and we’ve had many productive discussions on what’s right and wrong in schools and what we think could or should be done….. IF ONLY someone would listen to us and follow our suggestions! I would like to see Bridget talk about more LOCAL ISSUES, and fewer national studies or stats, which I don’t believe or trust. Any fool can make statistics show what he wants.

By Bridget Gutierrez

January 5, 2007 12:39 PM | Link to this

Hi, everyone. Thanks for the questions. There’s so many, I don’t even know where to start. But the general theme of what you’re asking, I think, is what my goals are with this blog.

As noted above, blogging is not a full-time job for me. Unfortunately, that means I simply don’t have time to respond to every post — although I do read as many as possible and have occasionally jumped in when I felt I needed to clarify something.

If there’s a specific reference to news happening in a local district, such as Gwinnett or DeKalb, I e-mail the posts to the reporters who cover those school systems.

But I don’t consider this a forum for you to discuss issues directly with me. Maybe it would be if this was a full-time gig, but, as I said, that’s not the case. Instead, I see this as something far more important. That is, as an active, vibrant community where readers can interact in real time on issues of interest to them. My role really is, very simply, to get the conversation started.

Contrary to many of the beliefs stated in previous posts, I am not here to push my own views — and I haven’t. Trust me, I haven’t. Some of the accusations are so far off they’re absurd.

I just try to pick topics that will generate interesting comments and topics that can be viewed from many perspectives. Sometimes, that means playing devil’s advocate. Sometimes, it means trying to frame an old issue in a new light.

All of the issues I pick are local. I don’t write about topics that have no relation to what’s happening in Georgia. That’s just my personal preference.

So that, my friends, is my philosophy in a nutshell. I appreciate how much this community means to you and so do the AJC editors. I can’t see Get Schooled being disbanded any time in the near or distant future. But I think that it can grow and change, so I will, at times, do things differently than Patti did. For that, I will not make any apologies, but I will always take suggestions. Preferably, ones made politely.

By Brandy Ramsey

January 5, 2007 04:49 PM | Link to this

I think an excellent topic would be the rational behind not giving new teachers a raise until year three. I do not believe there is another profession that treats its members like teachers are treated. We start out by penalizing teachers from the start and we all know how hard those first two years are and we wonder why so many teachers leave the profession after three years?????