By Jan

January 15, 2007 12:05 PM | Link to this

I signed with Sylvan in Cartersville for math tutoring for my high school son, and paid in advance for two (2) months. He went to the time assigned to him, but there was never a teacher there for his algebra. He went three (3) times, and returned home. When I called, I was told the teacher was having a difficult time filling the assigned slot. I asked for a refund, and arranged for another tutor through the high school. However, although I went in person and wrote, sending a self-addressed envelope for the refund check, no refund was ever returned to me. I have heard that this is a common practice with Sylvan. I would never attempt to use an outside tutoring facility again.

By jim d

January 15, 2007 12:08 PM | Link to this

How nice, someone finally noticed.

Now go after the testing companies that are pulling the wool over everyones eye’s to comply with a stupid law (NCLB). What the tutoring companies are stealing is a mere drop in the bucket compared to what those figures would be should someone go looking.

By holdingAJCaccountable

January 15, 2007 12:21 PM | Link to this

That’s not all that’s happening in Clayton County. For some reason, the AJC has chosen not to give coverage to the attempts that new school board member Norreese Haynes has made to insure an open and transparent accounting of how $18 million was spent on what many have called a very questionable land deal.

The AJC has a specific county area in their metro section for counties in the metro area, as well as online additions. How could they ignore the single biggest issue to arise from the first meeting of the new board?

By jim d

January 15, 2007 12:23 PM | Link to this

NCLB was and still renains a tool for a few political cronies to syphon vast sums of tax dollars from the public educational system. It has nothing at all to do with improving education.

Write your congressmen and demand an end to this insanity.

By Janine

January 15, 2007 12:25 PM | Link to this

Jan and jimd, I am sure you both are correct. Another issue: At my “underachieving” school, there was/is an afterschool tutoring program at the school . Snacks and transportation home are provided….and it’s free. Regular teachers from the school are employed. The problem???Most students do not sign up for the program, even though parents are contacted and given all the information. And those who do,are not the least bit interested in the lessons.

By thomas

January 15, 2007 12:26 PM | Link to this

I am not the least bit surprised over this “tutoring scandal”. This is what happens a)when you have STUPID laws like NCLB, and b)you let private businesses get in on public education. Private companies have no business setting foot in a school or even dealing with students. It’s the school’s responsibility to teach children. A business exists to make money. Period.

Now you have some rodents committing funny business to get over. Not surprising. Fact of the matter is that they obviously couldn’t make any progress with these hardheads. The fact matter is that these children who are not performing are not performing for a reason!!!!! They either have language deficiencies (Hispanic or Vietnamese students) or are hardheaded ghetto slime who have given up on the America dream before they have even gotten started with life.

Forest Park Middle school has been failing for years. Same with Forest Park High. Those schools have consisted of a boatload of wetbacks and Vietnamese refugees and urban hoodies for years.

I have said for years that we need to deal with the immigration program. We are seeing the consequences of flooding the nation with undereducated, underskilled Mexicans for the sole purpose of allowing greedy, selfish, traitorous businesses and corporations to get rich at the expense of the American people and nation. I have known how disasterous they would be for America for the last 15 years, but I had no idea the effect these students would have on our schools until I was placed in situation (not by choice) where most of my students were poor immigrants. These students are an enormous burden on our schools. Who knew that you would have to learn Spanish to even work as a teacher in a so-called English school? RI-DI-CU-LOUS. Who knew that you would have to plan special lessons for students who don’t speak English and cannot do the regular classwork?

The more I live and the more I work in education, the more I come to the conclusion that we, as a whole, should have some consideration for ALL of our native born students. The reality is that we have not nutured and invested in all of our citizens, regardless of color. There is so much potential in our students. Sadly, I have to admit, we seem to think that only certain groups of students can/will excel and become worthy members of society. Perhaps if these students (including the parents) had a hopeful outlook on the future, they would put more effort into school. It is hard to deal with someone (boy, girl, black, white, rich, poor, Catholic or Protestant) in fourth grade, fifth grade, middle or high school who has thrown their hands up in the second grade.

By Janine

January 15, 2007 12:26 PM | Link to this

I should have said “free” for the children. Taxpayers foot the bill.

By thomas

January 15, 2007 12:34 PM | Link to this

Points to Ponder:

1) NCLB was designed to destroy the public school system. Period.

2) Clayton County has been having problems for years. It all stems from the county being turned into a haven for poor and outcast urbanites. Atlanta shipped it’s project dwellers to Clayton county. ALL OVER AMERICA, PEOPLE KNOW CLAYTON COUNTY IS ATLANTA’S “HOOD”. Why do you think people from New Orleans go straight to the city of Atlanta and Clayton County? Birds of a feather flock together.

3) There are still many students in the Clayton County system who have potential. They live in houses and have middle class parents. Unfortunately a few bad apples can wreck things.

By luvs2teach

January 15, 2007 12:44 PM | Link to this

OK, so kids preferred to be paid to forge their parents’ signatures rather than actually show up, pay attention, and learn anything in the tutoring sessions?

Hmm…maybe we need to rethink that pay-for-grades programs - the money we sent to the tutors could instead be used as pay-for-performance…the kids’ performance!

Warning - this comment was only partially tongue-in-cheek…

By jim d

January 15, 2007 12:53 PM | Link to this

Holding,

AJC don’t give a damn.

If they did they’d be up the rear end of the GCPS BOE on their land deals.

By Pastor McKenzie

January 15, 2007 01:02 PM | Link to this

I would like to say their are some good agencies out there. Like Wesley Chapel AME Church, Rockmart, Georgia. We offer free tutorial services on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays for FREE from 5PM - 7PM.

By Janine

January 15, 2007 01:07 PM | Link to this

So, Bridget, Why don’t you ed reporters at the AJC delve into this? It couldn’t be too hard to find out what’s actually happening. You’d probably be nominated for one of those journalism awards if you uncovered/exposed exactly what the taxpayers are getting for their money and all the ugliness underneath.

By Janine

January 15, 2007 01:10 PM | Link to this

PastorYour program is exemplary for sure. Do you have trouble getting students to come regularly and/or sign up for your services?

By thomas

January 15, 2007 01:17 PM | Link to this

Something else to think about: The correlation between effective teaching and student learning

I have come to the conclusion that many students with learning deficiencies are the result in improper teaching at the early grades. The fact of the matter is that in many schools, teachers at the early grades are the least qualified, least intelligent, least resourceful, and spend most of their time having students draw and color and complete hords of mindless worksheets. THEY DO NOT EVEN TEACH READING, A FUNDAMENTAL SKILL THAT ALL CHILDREN SHOULD BE TAUGHT. You cannot teach reading with worksheets and showing videos all day.

All of my statements come from research and empirical evidence. I just read results from a study on dyslexia and student learning disabilities. http://d-edreckoning.blogspot.com/

Turns out that not teaching phonics has hurt millions of American kids. Again, it comes back to sorry, pompous college professors who think that whole language is “progressive” and phonics is outdated and lazy, thoughtless elementary teachers who would rather do their own thing and have cutesy lessons rather than teach SKILLS. It is pointless to have lessons on “self-to-text connections” when a child cannot decode the text. It makes no sense to spend three hours having kids work on a meaningless “project” when they cannot write a coherent sentence.

The reason so many middle class students are successful in school is because their parents provide reinforcement and instruction at home. Their household is able to OVERCOME THE DEFICIENCIES OF AN INEFFICIENT EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM. The parents are committed to making sure that their children are successful and have to resources available to assist their children in those endeavors. As Michael Vick once said- “Sometimes you have to overcome coaching.”

You see, I have been irritated FOR QUITE SOME TIME at the condition of students coming from the third grade on. They come in with poor study skills, are undisciplined, and many have no idea what to do in a classroom, how to write on a sheet of paper, and up to 20% DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO READ. This is universal regardless of state, school system, or county. This is a nationwide problem.

We cannot continue to allow children to sit in a classroom and not get the required skills. We cannot continue to allow silly women to do what they want for 180 days without being held accountable. Our future is at stake. You cannot blame middle and high schools for the enormous difficulties they face. It’s the elementary school’s fault. We are to blame for the messes they have to deal with. How can you teach someone eighth grade literature who is reading on fourth grade level? How can you teach someone algebra who does not know how to divide? How can you teach someone 7th grade life science who does not know how to effectively use their science textbook, listen to the teacher, follow instructions, or take notes and study.

ALL OF THESE THINGS SHOULD BE TAUGHT IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. AND FOR THOSE FAILURES, I APOLOGIZE ON BEHALF OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS ACROSS AMERICA. MY ONE WISH IS THAT EMPHASIS IS PLACED ON INCREASING THE STANDARDS AND EXPECTATIONS FOR K-3 (BOTH ACADEMICALLY AND BEHAVIORALLY) AND THE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR TEACHERS. If we could improve K-3 instruction, the upper levels will improve as well.

By Janine

January 15, 2007 01:29 PM | Link to this

Thomas… I taught middle school for many years. When our school was labeled “failing”, my colleagues and I begged the educrats [even met with Cox’s assistant and showed him examples ]to look at the scores and abilities of the students arriving at our school from elementary school so he would know what we were facing. WE also asked that he look at the scores of those same students at the end of their first year in middle school and note the improvement more that 95% had made. TO NO AVAIL… I am not sure they even understand that measurement…which is ,IMO, is the only valid way to measure student achievement as well as teacher accountability.

By Pastor McKenzie

January 15, 2007 01:32 PM | Link to this

Janine, we do have problems getting students to come out. However, this is a new ministry (October 2006)within our church. I expect it to grow bigger with time.

By holdingAJCaccountable

January 15, 2007 01:35 PM | Link to this

Thomas:

It is the elementary schools fault; but that doesn’t mean it’s the elementary school teachers’ fault anymore than it’s the middle school teachers fault that high school students are unprepared.

There are plenty of teachers who do not want to do “cutesy lessons”. They would LOVE to teach skills, but aren’t allowed to. They would LOVE to enforce the discipline needed to teach these students the life long needed skill of self discipline but get absolutely no support (in fact even get retailated against for making waves). The same school systems that hijack the efforts of middle and high school teachers are hijacking the efforts of elementary teachers as well.

PS “Wetbacks”…Why go there? Yes, political correctness has a very damaging effect on public discourse and all of that…but really, why go there?

By SET

January 15, 2007 01:52 PM | Link to this

One of the points I saw above needs to be illuminated. Bridget said:

“But after I learned that company officials trying to get on the state list of approved providers aren’t given criminal background checks, I had to wonder: How many problems have not yet been discovered?”

Because to huge racial disparities in Credit Scores, Driving Records and Criminal Records many liberals and civil rights litigants believe that it’s racial discrimination to subject job applicants to these things - to do so results in a racially disparate result. They believe that only a few of the most obvious job occupations justify such care and employers and landlords should be forced to hire people without these screens in order to have (what they think is) a legally correct racial balance in the workforce..

Not an exact quote from the looney left but you get the point. They want extreme justification for each job description to have to require a background check. Frankly put, they don’t believe in background checks.

I was on a local 501(c) non-profit board that handled a million dollars a month of other people’s money. One fine day we allowed a HR executive from a large national bank on the board - she was a woman.

The board was becoming increasingly worried about loss exposure to a sudden massive theft of the money because of the computerization of the in and out of the money (we disbursed this money each month). We were only able to obtain a fidelity bond for less than a half million - the Insurance Company refused to go higher. We wanted to try to get the higher coverage from somewhere. As part of that discussion there was a discussion of periodical reviews of our employees credit files to be on the lookout for financial distress on their part.

The new board member was upset at this and claimed that we had no right to monitor the employees finances. There was an interesting discussion. (Not only did I expect the finances to be monitored but the public records and criminal records were to be checked on a schedule also. There are services that do this for industry.

It got to a philosophical discussion with the new member leading a small group contending that “it’s wrong”. They were more concerned about the privacy rights of the employees where there was no privacy - (public records?? and we could require agreement to the credit monitoring as a job condition) than the safety of the monthly money we were dealing with and could not repay if it was stolen.

I left the board shortly after that discussion stating that after 10 years of ups and downs and narrow escapes previously with scandal, I was not interesting in discussing the basics of internal security with people who live in a dream world.

A year or two later there was a major scandal and eventually the agency was later dissolved without any client losses. This was the same agency where I walked in one day and encountered a receptionist with a gang tattoo on her hand. I told the managing director that his judgment and his position was now in question - get her out of here instantly.

It’s tough to impose and maintain standards in service agencies with employees. Especially if you worship at the alter of diversity. Some people are happy to trade off security for diversity. Some people are happy to trade off ethics for diversity.

It is very easy to make excuses for minorities because they are different and don’t have the same values as other ethnic and religious groups. After all, isn’t this what makes “different” different? I’ve done this myself and watched it done countless times. Sometimes things worked out.

But it usually doesn’t “work out”.

So I don’t compromise at all anymore. And it’s real tough to find good help…

Others see it differently - we read about it in the paper occasionally.

By jim d

January 15, 2007 01:58 PM | Link to this

Yo Mc Pastor,

Does your church get large checks for advertising job openings for the school system too?

By holdingAJCaccountable

January 15, 2007 02:06 PM | Link to this

Janine,

Such common sense: take a child where he is the first day of school, then the last day of school and chart the progress. It’s not perfect (as the teacher is not the only factor in a child’s learning) but it’s a hell of a lot more legitimate way to gauge the impact of what a teacher does.

Cox won’t go for that because she’s spineless…and want to make sure she has a built in scapegoat for her failures as a leader. Spineless you say? How else do you describe a leader who says that discipline that she needs to concern herself with as “we have already have put laws in place”?

How many more teachers have to be physically assaulted, with no consequence to the student, before Cox will show some backbone?

By jim d

January 15, 2007 02:26 PM | Link to this

How many more teachers have to be physically assaulted, with no consequence to the student, before local school systems take actions?

By holdingAJCaccountable

January 15, 2007 02:53 PM | Link to this

jim d: Yes. It happens. Mabye not an everyday “common occurance” but by no means are we talking “isolated incidents”.

When a teacher is physically assaulted, the focal point of the discussion should not be the teachers “classroom management”. (If every child assaults the teacher, en masse, then perhaps you have that discussion :)

The focal point can and must be the student who committed a criminal act and what swift, sure, and compelling consequences need to take place to protect the physical safety of that teacher.

I promise you, THAT does not happen.

Furthermore, (barring self defense of course) should a teacher’s action, vis a vis “classroom management” ever, under any circumstances excuse a child from consequences when said child engages in the physical assault of a teacher.

I promise you, THAT does happen, with devastation results to our public education system.

By Lee

January 15, 2007 03:16 PM | Link to this

When the government opens its checkbook, the crooks and miscreants will also be in line for their share of the public largess.

Writing checks to vendors without proper oversight or control is bad procedure.

Just remember, the same bunch of inept administrators who run the schools also run this program. We shouldn’t be surprised….

By terry

January 15, 2007 03:20 PM | Link to this

When any administrator refuses to take care of the problem child or children, this puts all teachers of that school in dangerous positions. In our Forsyth Schools they intentionally cover true assaults all the time, it is common practice and many of us parents are fed up. These schools want to look good and not have to give a consequence because their stats would look bad for the people coming in.. Its all about money and image - and a lack of caring; putting good teachers, good parents and good students in a very difficult situation. It gives everyone a false sense of security. And it is one of the main reasons why a kid snaps and starts shooting. Forsyth is one of those places where we could see a school tragedy, because of lax administrators who care more about their numbers than doing their job.

By holdingAJCaccountable

January 15, 2007 03:27 PM | Link to this

jim d: Has Terry help shed light on your question regarding the assault of teachers?

By decaturparent

January 15, 2007 04:16 PM | Link to this

Frankly, the dark side of me is starting to believe that the only way to save our kids is to go ahead and go to a full choice program like they do in many European countries….a system where the money follows the kid. I’m getting sick of worrying that something bad is going to happen to my kids’ schools and that they going to get redistricted to some horrendous group of children in a building that someone calls a school.

I’m sick of politicians being so involved in my childrens’ educations. Particularly given the fact that I know of very few politians these days who are either honest or remotely intelligent. I’m sick of this ridiculous situation where businesses are taking federal and state funds and screwing arount with it. Combining business and government together only give you the very worst of both sectors. That is why NCLB’s programs, like this tutoring program, fail.

If full school choice/vouchers would mean the end of NCLB, I’d be for it. I’m ready to throw in the towel to save my own sanity and to save my kids’ chances for a first class education.

The only problem with a voucher/choice systemm is that kids with parents who give a rip will get an excellent education whereas children of parents who are l-o-s-e-r-s will get most likely get a poor education.

However, the one group that the full choice system will save are those parents who may be poor but really want to do the best that they can for their kids. This system would give these families a chance to get their kids away from the feral children. In the current neighborhood districting system, poor parents who care are unfortunataly lumped together with poor parents who couldn’t give a rip, making it very hard for the former to help their kids get ahead.

Of course, it’s not a kid’s fault if they are born to a dysfunctional so called “family.” However, I don’t see how they current system, especially now that we have NCLB, serves them at all.

By decaturparent

January 15, 2007 04:24 PM | Link to this

I think that I am just stupid, but why can’t a teacher or student who is injured by one of these violent kids sue the butt off the school district? Is it because they are a governmental entity?

Alternatively, if a teacher is assaulted, can’t they just press charges outside of the school system… or are they afraid that they will get fired if they exercise their rights? It it’s the latter, I would think that the ACLU might take up the cause of a teacher who has been denied her civil liberties by a governmental entity.

By Lee

January 15, 2007 04:47 PM | Link to this

Decaturparent; To answer your question, if a student or teacher is assaulted at school, they can go to the police and file a complaint. However, the first thing the police will do is go talk to the principal. That principal has a vested interest to keep the number of these incidents to a minimum lest the school gets placed on the dangerous school list. Couple of years on that list and they start swapping administrators.

I know of some parents who tried to do this and got stonewalled by both the police and administrators. Bottom line, unless the school calls the police, they don’t want to fool with it.

By holdingAJCaccountable

January 15, 2007 04:53 PM | Link to this

decaturparent,

Let me tell you how it works. A student assaults a teacher, is sent to the office. The student eats lunch in the office (not a school lunch, McDonald’s to “calm him down”) while the teacher spends her entire lunch period filling out discipline forms.

The student is then brought back to class no consequences, drink in hand and the teacher is assured he is “ready to behave”.

Then, as the administrator who brought him back is leaving, said administrator says to teacher “Oh by the way, your lesson plans are completely inadequate; please submit them, along with a new classroom management plan, before you leave work today.”

That, decaturparent, is what teachers are up against…

By jim d

January 15, 2007 04:57 PM | Link to this

How many more teachers have to be physically assaulted, with no consequence to the student, before local law enforcement systems take actions?

By jim d

January 15, 2007 05:00 PM | Link to this

How many more teachers have to be physically assaulted, with no consequence to the student, before teachers take legal actions against the student—the parents—-the SRO and the school administration?

By Jeff

January 15, 2007 05:04 PM | Link to this

TRUST me, teacher assault happens more than any of us would like to admit - and I have the scars to prove it.

In the latest round, a student SPIT IN MY FACE, and the principal said that I ahd spit in the kid’s face! (Then turned it around on my “classroom managment”.)

Jim, THAT is the reason I’m helping with TAG, plain and simple.

My principal evidently wants a war. Ya know something though? He has flat out admitted to my face he is a politician. As I’ve said here and several other places online and in the real world: At heart, I am a warrior, plain and simple. If I can live in peace, I will, and I want to. But if you present me with a war and give me no choice, I will FIGHT. Guess who wins when you pit a politician and a warrior one on one? What he doesn’t know is that I’m pretty sure I’ve got more parents behind me, and I’m also pretty sure that I’ve got 2 of the 5 members of the Board behind me. Am I expecting to win this war outright? Nope. Already looking for other jobs. But I’m the type of guy that you may get rid of, but you will NEVER defeat. (Just ask the people of the system I grew up in and KSU’s College of Education about that!)

Now, on topic: As far as the “tutoring” services go: I was recruited by one, back in that year after I left KSU while I was looking for a job. ULTRA SHADY!!!! They wanted me to do my own recruiting and were interested in me more because I had contacts at a school they weren’t yet at than anything.

By jim d

January 15, 2007 05:04 PM | Link to this

It amazes me that teachers are such wimps that they refuse to press charges for assult when Some forms of assult are catagorized as a felony.

SET, tell me what the hells wrong with these folks? Is aggrivated assult not a crime if it happens on school property?

They set here and whine but won’t do a damn thing to help themselves. whats up with that?

By jim d

January 15, 2007 05:06 PM | Link to this

Lee

are you telling me that a teacher may not by law swear out a warrant? I find that hard to believe!

By holdingAJCaccountable

January 15, 2007 05:08 PM | Link to this

jim d: here’s one way you could work it. Announce a real discipline plan. Then say, for the first year of implementation, there will be no “sanctions” data will only be gathered to show a “baseline for improvement”. Then school systems would get a backbone, only to drive up the number of problems in the “data year” so they could show improvement the next…

Absent any real political will on the issue, I don’t know what else to do.

By Jeff

January 15, 2007 05:08 PM | Link to this

Lee and holding:

Seems that y’all know all too well what I am facing!!

The bad part about all this? I really do love the county I work for. I WANT them to succeed. I WANT them to be able to attract more industry to raise their standard of living. I’m even considering - if I stay there for a few years - buying several acres, settling down there, and trying to start my own computer business there, JUST TO HELP THAT COMMUNITY.

The Board meets tomorrow night though, and I expect the first public shots in this war to be fired. Those of you that pray, I could use all the support you can give me.

By Janine

January 15, 2007 05:10 PM | Link to this

Looking back over the posts today, I am thinking How did this happen? How did we in America come to this>>.? I know, I know…everyone has an opinion as do I. But it’s still hard to grasp. I loved teaching for so long. Still keep in touch with former students, those in college, in rewarding careers [including those that don’t require a college degree..]…even have heard from a few in prison. My middle school team has a great group graduating from high school this year and we all plan to attend the exercises. It’s just so so sad.

By MrLiberty

January 15, 2007 05:13 PM | Link to this

Wow, government agencies are getting ripped off by unscrupulous private companies. Who would have imagined such a thing?

Let’s see…first the government comes and steals money from every property owner in the state and plenty more in income taxes to pay for a system of charity schools for everyone. They make it so everyone has to pay, based on the value of their property, not on how many kids, regardless of whether they use the system or not. The more kids you have, the more charity you are given, no matter how much money you make. Then they force everyone to send their kids for a required number of years to the school they say (oh, and that school could change at any moment if the population “demographics” - read color - change. Then if the parent of a child who attends is upset, they make it so the only way out is to forfeit the money you have been paying (yes, far less than is being paid as “charity” for the kid) and put the child somewhere else. Homeschooling is the best alternative, but in some states they make it a nightmare while some states are wonderful. Private schools are ok, but expensive and way too few. People start to realize what a failure the system is so plans for reform are drafted. (Actually this is done every year and has been done every year for easily the past 50+ years). Nothing ever gets better. The new plan is to hold schools accountable - well, not in any serious way. The administrators decree that failing schools must now take some of that stolen money and give it to private tutors.

These same private tutors used to have to earn the money by convincing parents they were worth the extra cost. Now because of government decree, they get the contract without the hard work of satisfying the customer. Schools have never known what accountability to a customer means, so the fail to recognize when they are getting ripped off by the private tutors. Most parents have never paid enough attention to how their kids were doing in school anyway so they never notice that their kids are still failing. The kids appear to have been paid off to assist in the con, so they at least have learned perfectly well how the government system really works (probably all they have learned).

Meanwhile the media, the schools, and the parents sit around again wondering how this could happen.

How could it not have happened?

Until every parent controls the funds for their kid’s education - either by actually paying the real costs (as they should) or through ownership of a transferrable scholarship - there will never be any real accountability or real improvement in the way education is delivered to students in this country. It is plain economics.

By Janine

January 15, 2007 05:15 PM | Link to this

Jeff..Good luck! I think what you are involved in is an important pursuit. I can’t wait to hear from you about it Wed. morning.

By catlady

January 15, 2007 05:16 PM | Link to this

I am not surprised about the problem with the afterschool “tutoring” some kids are proportedly getting at the taxpayer’s expense. It seems like NCLB, like many other things I can think of, was implemented without talking to/considering the implications (or, sadly, maybe it was). It has merely been a way to sound good, while putting millions of dollars into the pockets of friends in high places. It is worse than a racket, worse than a ripoff! It is criminal to steal like this!

If you look around a pigstye, is it any surprise you find pigs and pig##?

As to student motivation, many, many students who are behind and who DO show up for tutoring are there for free day care, IMHE (In my honest experience). I see very little interest in improvement.

I applaud those who run tutorial programs for purely altruistic reasons, and I support them. There are some.

I know this: as a teacher, I give my all to my kids each day to try to assist in their skill development. I’ve been doing it for over 30 years. I fume when it seems the government thinks that a couple of hours’ worth of tutoring a week by some unscreened, unsupervised company can effect the kind of development I have been unable to in 180 8+ hour days.

I agree with Jimd that this whole thing is a lousy smokescreen to bleed the taxpayers for the sake of the “big boys”. The words “sham” and “farce” are waaayy too weak to describe it.

My experience with immigrants’ children has been quite different from thomas’. At my school, they are almost without exception the hardest working, best behaved kids (their classmates are 98% white, mostly local-bred kids). Perhaps our age group is different from his, but the middle and high school teachers tell me the same: they’d like to have a room full of most of them. And maybe my county is still getting the cream of the crop immigrants—I know their parents support their children’s education and come to meetings and programs 100% better than the “American” parents do!

By holdingAJCaccountable

January 15, 2007 05:18 PM | Link to this

Jeff,

Have you guys ever thought about this: having the teachers in TAG (who I fear may be retaliated against) file a class action lawsuit against the system. It’s one thing to bully teachers, but a whole ‘nother thing to bully a jury of plain folks who are most likely already not happy with public school education as it is…

By luvs2teach

January 15, 2007 05:24 PM | Link to this

Maybe I’m lucky to be in my system and at my school, but the 2 - 3 incidents of assaults I know of (2 on a teacher, 1 on a fellow student at 2 schools over 6 years) were taken to court. In all three cases the assaulted was encouraged to press charges because it resulted in the removal (expulsion) of the attacking student.

Perhaps, rather than punishing schools because of their numbers, the state instead had an alternate school for all these problem students to go, that would clean up schools for everyone.

Regarding Thomas’ post - we have thrown the baby out with the bath water when someone decided all phonics, times tables, and any rote memorization or skill and drill was bad. Kids need to learn to train their brain. I’ve heard that elementary schools can’t count homework because the students can’t be faulted if they don’t have parents at home to help - what does that teach them? Homework doesn’t count. We also tell these kids, “You need to pass this test and get good grades to be promoted” amd then never follow through on that if they don’t achieve. So much of what I was taught in my education classes was useless to minimally effective - actual classroom experience was where I really learned.

decaturparent - I’m with you with wanting more choice, but what about the school everyone wants to go to? At what point can they turn folks away? What about people who don’t have other schools near them? They effectively have no choice - nor would folks who couldn’t get their kids to another school. I like the idea in my head a lot more that I like its logistics on paper. I know what Mr. Liberty’s solution would be - homeschool for everyone!

By Janine

January 15, 2007 05:37 PM | Link to this

One final comment today..in answer to Bridget’s question: How many problems have not yet been discovered? Most of them. Will they ever be discovered? Probably not, because no one, read that no newspaper, no tv network,certainly no government agency will ever look and expose.

By catlady

January 15, 2007 05:54 PM | Link to this

Janine, and if someone did “look and expose”, still nothing would be done about it. We are a state/nation of sheep. I wish I could say otherwise, but looking back over the last couple of decades, I think it is true. And with reading programs like scripted reading indoctrinating our children to answer on cue to a dog clicker, it ain’t gonna get any better!

By Janine

January 15, 2007 05:57 PM | Link to this

Catlady…can’t resist one more..That dog clicker scripted reading was the final straw that pushed me into retirement…Later.!

By Lisa B.

January 15, 2007 06:00 PM | Link to this

I agree with DecaturParent’s 4:16 post. The longer I teach the more I support school choice. I really think that would resolve some problems. I just don’t how the transportation issue could be handled. Many parents simply can’t drive their kids to school. For example, I leave my house before 7 in the morning, which is too early to drop my son off at school (which is 40 miles away from where I teach). The school bus picks him up at 7, then my husband leaves for work. I really appreciate the service provided by school buses. However, there’s no way the buses could drive through every neighborhood and drop of kids at every school.

By Lisa B.

January 15, 2007 07:01 PM | Link to this

Jeff,

Good luck on Wednesday.

By jim d

January 16, 2007 08:17 AM | Link to this

Holding, re: January 15, 2007 05:08 PM

What else to do?

Well we need to start holding students accountable for breaking the law by enforcing civil and criminal laws already on the books. Since most students fall under the jurisdiction of the juvenile courts not too much would happen even if the victim did bring criminal charges. However, in as much as many of the courts have held that parents may be held financially responsible for damages caused by their kids, Perhaps, victims might be able to file civil charges against the child and parents for pain and suffering as well as for mental anguish. (put a price on that one, will ya?)

Of course, most cases would be settled out of court and teachers could take the funds to spend on classroom supplies they are constantly complaining come out of pocket.

If that were to happen a few times, I don’t think it would take long for parents to realize whose responsibility it is to reign their kids in.

But then that would require teachers to grow a pair—Won’t ever happen!

By KA

January 16, 2007 08:17 AM | Link to this

Bridget, the link to your new topic comments is broken.

By thomas

January 16, 2007 06:18 PM | Link to this

Professionally, catlady, my experience working with Hispanic students has been relatively good, behavior and attitude wise. Many of the students performed at a below average level, although the reason was necesarily due to lack of effort on their part. Language issues hindered these students at some point. I have had about 4-5 students this year who came into my class who could not speak English.

The issue I really have is the HUGE influx of immigrants and the effects on our country.

By catlady

January 16, 2007 08:12 PM | Link to this

Thomas, one more thing on the immigrant discussion: 85% of the Latino kids at our school were born in the US. Now, their parents were not, and most are illegal, but my job is to teach who shows up. There is about to be a redistricting fight in our county, and it will be over who gets the Latino kids. You see, for NCLB, one of our indicators is attendance, and they COME. So the two schools involved will be WANTING those kids.

Of the kids in one grade (the one I know the best) who failed the CRCT at our school, less than a third were ELLs. The rest are special ed and don’t cares. Of the ELL kids at our school, only about 20% fail the CRCT. Why? they work hard and really TRY on the test. There is a pride thing involved. And they come to pre-test afterschool tutoring regularly. “Little Johnny” doesn’t enjoy coming—it isn’t fun—so mama lets him drop out of the tutoring. Little Jose’s mom and dad tell him to buck up—it doesn’t matter if it is fun. Now, maybe mama and pape have an ulterior motive: they need Jose to speak and read English well to help them navigate in our culture, but the results are the same. Jose is something like the old-fashioned kind of student—he wants to please me! And his parents accord me respect in school and in the community when I go out of my way to talk to them and give them updates. If there is a problem, they want to know and see that it does not continue. (I’ve also noticed that the longer that the family is here, the more undesireable “American” characteristics the kids can take on!) Maybe it is just the group in our area, however.

And yeah, I share your frustration with the acquired impotence of our government on protecting its borders. They play the transactional analysis game of “Why don’t you…Yes, but.”

By Jim in Marietta

January 17, 2007 08:14 AM | Link to this

The real crime is the pathetic quality of education the “free” public schools give us for our tax dollars, not what is squandered by contractors. Let’s keep the real crime in focus.

By thomas

January 17, 2007 05:51 PM | Link to this

You are right catlady on just about everything in your previous post. The attitudes of many American students ARE quite sickening. That’s the tragedy of this whole affair. Foreigners who come into this country and run rings around native born citizens. I think part of it is because of the complacent, excuse accepting society we have now.

This may surprise you, but I am preparing to become an ESOL teacher. I have taught Hispanic students for years and after seeing what ESOL teachers do, I would love to have that job. The kids have a good attitude (generally) and you don’t have to put up with all that BULLCRAP regular teachers have to put up with. Besides the workload is one quarter that of a regular classroom teacher.

It would also probably surprise you to know that I am learning Spanish and have tried to learn as much as I can about Latino culture. But all of this is for business. I don’t particularly like Mexican food and I’m not dying to move to Guatemala.