Education Discussion Board

Project Tomorrow

RudiXeno — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:39:00 GMT

You're Welcome. I just hope that all of those that had so much to say about the state of our educational system take the time to participate.

Rudi

Project Tomorrow

LadyMagic — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:37:15 GMT

Another way to make a difference! Thanks, Rudi.

Online Schools....are they worth it?

kdi07 — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:29:20 GMT

I don't believe there worth it because many are just scams for money. Plus if you do really find a real one, there still pretty pricey and you dont get the college experience. I myself find that it is easier to learn while sitting in a real classroom with an instructor.

Project Tomorrow

TheBard — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:05:29 GMT

Rudi,

Thank you for the information, this is one survey I will take!

Vincent

Project Tomorrow

RudiXeno — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:33:01 GMT

Railing against or arguing for the virtues of Public Education on boards such as these may be satisfying (or frustrating) for the participants but are no substitute for getting in there and making your views known to those who will be making key decisions about the type of education your child receives.

One way to do this is to participate in Project Tomorrow. Now through December 18th they are conducting surveys among teacher, student, parent, and administration populations. To participate in these studies go to:

http://www.speakup4schools.org/speakup2009/

The survey is specific to the school your child attends. The survey will take between 15 - 30 minutes to complete. It's at least a small opportunity to be heard.

Rudi

how idiotic is the modern school system?

RudiXeno — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:43:54 GMT

Who thinks public high schools are letting people graduate without putting in all the work?

megatans — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:49:52 GMT

I agree that they need to spend more time teaching and be more strict on students. There are so many students in school that don't really care if they graduate or not. It is as if some students feel that just because they go to class, the teachers should just let them pass whether they do their work or not.

However, teachers have a harder job than they did in years past. They have to deal with alot of unruly kids that disrupt their classes. They have to spend so much time trying to fill out paperwork to send them to the office or to write students up instead of doing the job they are there to do.

Schools tend to want to get rid of the trouble-maker kids that won't do their work and disrupt classes, it seems that those unruly students fly through high school much easier than those that truly want to learn.

I feel that this is a problem that requires parents, teachers, and other school officials to communicate and work together to reach a favorable conclusion. In which the student learns to do their work without such disruptions to the class and teachers.

Who thinks public high schools are letting people graduate without putting in all the work?

SpokaneMan — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:51:02 GMT

jlowe308 said…

I just wish the funding was more and more teachers who actaully teach ofr the love of education and children.They should be the ones that are commended and it is not on al of the teachers it lies on the parents too.We have to as Americans make a difference by speaking out about what we need as parents and what we are willing to give so that our children can have a brighter future.

I agree, and as a parent I will always report it if I find out students are paying teachers for grades. I wish everyone cared as much as I do about the education of my kids, and wasn't just pretending in online forums.

Who thinks public high schools are letting people graduate without putting in all the work?

jlowe308 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:27:57 GMT

I just wish the funding was more and more teachers who actaully teach ofr the love of education and children.They should be the ones that are commended and it is not on al of the teachers it lies on the parents too.We have to as Americans make a difference by speaking out about what we need as parents and what we are willing to give so that our children can have a brighter future.

Who thinks public high schools are letting people graduate without putting in all the work?

vivasuzi — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:32:47 GMT

I agree more pay does not make a better teacher. I know this because my private school teachers got paid WAY LESS than public school teachers yet they were wonderful. It's all about caring, that is what matters.

It does sound like too many teachers are just making sure that their students pass "the test" but if they are good teachers, they don't even have to worry about "the test"

It probably also makes a huge difference that a private school is funded by the parents and therefore they have to prove themselves to the parents instead of the general public. Parents would rip their kids out of a private school if they didn't feel their kid was getting their money's worth out of it.

how idiotic is the modern school system?

lilsquibb — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:26:02 GMT

TheBard said…

I will concede the point; in the early years of a child's life creatively is vital inside and outside the classroom. But the primary vehicle for the creativity should be the parents, not the school system. And this trend should continue throughout the child school career, except for the arts. I believe that most of the blame for the failure of our school systems, especially those in the inner cities, is the almost complete disengagement of the parents and the whole disintegration of the family unit. This, coupled with the head-shaking narcissism displayed by most of our youth combine to create an increasingly "dumb" society.

I have never believed that the school system(s) alone should take the blame for the failure of our young people to excel to their full potential; we all (parents, teachers, society as a whole) share in the blame equally. How has pointing fingers at the schools system worked out for the nation so far?

I agree with you as well.... and it has gotten to the point where some schools are stiffling that parent-school connection as well. We were involved in a research grant that was to promote academic success in boys of color through several different activities including mentoring the students but also working on getting the parents engaged in their children's lives and education. This funding for the second part is now up for question because there is statistical data to support the accomplishments the mentoring has made (the lower number of parents makes their statistical data unusable.) PLUS the teachers involved in the program are not supporting the need for getting parents involved stating they can control the mentoring piece and that's all the child needs - basically I'm his mentor and if he can be encouraged to work for me that's all that matters. Unfortunately, next year that child will leave your classroom and may even leave the district since many families around here are so transient... then what.

I think many school need some re-thinking as to best practice, leadership and curriculum... and I also think parents need a kick in the butt to wake up to how important it is for them to be actively involved in their child's education and life.

It's a two way street that both parties see as a one-way street with a bridge they seem afraid to cross.

how idiotic is the modern school system?

njchicaa — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:12:12 GMT

Educators in NJ are under attack. They want to strip our pension, medical benefits, and also make our 10 sick days per year "use it or lose it"... despite the fact that we aren't eligible for state disability if we are seriously injured.

We are also supposed to teach MORE with like a 30% decrease in science supply budget.... and don't get me started on the attitudes that we deal with as we actually try to "educate" the students.

how idiotic is the modern school system?

TheBard — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:08:43 GMT

lilsquibb said…

njchicaa said…

TheBard said…

There is little room for children to be "creative" because there is a set curriculum that must be taught and learned. There is a place for creativity outside the classroom.

I agree. The amount of content that I am supposed to cover by May 15th or so is staggering. There are so many labs that I want to include in my lessons, but there simply isn't enough time. We have to be done by that date for the NJ State Biology exam. The ridiculous thing is that we still have a month of school after that to go... what does one do during that month when you've already banged through the entire curriculum?

The good news is that my students do very well on that exam despite the fact that I push them to work hard and their "creativity" is stifled.

True creativity needs to be fostered outside of the school setting by the parent and true as chicca states teachers are required to put so much in their curriculum it's crazy. But to me, at least in the early years most importantly that creativity can be infused into everything teachers are doing. Why does every picture that's hung up outside the classroom have to look the same, there is room for just giving kids materials and seeing what they can do with it in whatever subject you are covering. I work in preschool and our teachers are even expected to cover a lot in the small amount of time we have the children, but they are supposed to find ways throughout the day to encourage creativity. One policy we have made is that there are to be NO ditto sheets used in the classroom (pre-defined color sheets). This is just a start bu there are many things that can be done... a lot is mind-set and training teaching methods.

I will concede the point; in the early years of a child's life creatively is vital inside and outside the classroom. But the primary vehicle for the creativity should be the parents, not the school system. And this trend should continue throughout the child school career, except for the arts. I believe that most of the blame for the failure of our school systems, especially those in the inner cities, is the almost complete disengagement of the parents and the whole disintegration of the family unit. This, coupled with the head-shaking narcissism displayed by most of our youth combine to create an increasingly "dumb" society.

I have never believed that the school system(s) alone should take the blame for the failure of our young people to excel to their full potential; we all (parents, teachers, society as a whole) share in the blame equally. How has pointing fingers at the schools system worked out for the nation so far?

how idiotic is the modern school system?

lilsquibb — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:56:14 GMT

TheBard said…

Like most things, Americans want high quality, but are unwilling to pay for it! If you think the quality of the teachers is low in your district, PAY THEM MORE! We value sports figures and celebrities more in this nation tan we do teachers. Is it any wonder that inner-city school systems are falling apart?

I would love to be able to do this... unfortunately it seems like education is a pawn for politics (at least in Michigan anyway). For at least 4 years in a row there have been budget cuts to the state-aid school budget, some fairly extreme. In a society where teachers are expected to do more but are given less resources it makes it a little more difficult to pay more. Even right not passing a milage isn't going to cover what is being taken away... and most people cannot afford an increase in property taxes to pass a milage.

how idiotic is the modern school system?

lilsquibb — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:44:55 GMT

njchicaa said…

TheBard said…

There is little room for children to be "creative" because there is a set curriculum that must be taught and learned. There is a place for creativity outside the classroom.

I agree. The amount of content that I am supposed to cover by May 15th or so is staggering. There are so many labs that I want to include in my lessons, but there simply isn't enough time. We have to be done by that date for the NJ State Biology exam. The ridiculous thing is that we still have a month of school after that to go... what does one do during that month when you've already banged through the entire curriculum?

The good news is that my students do very well on that exam despite the fact that I push them to work hard and their "creativity" is stifled.

True creativity needs to be fostered outside of the school setting by the parent and true as chicca states teachers are required to put so much in their curriculum it's crazy. But to me, at least in the early years most importantly that creativity can be infused into everything teachers are doing. Why does every picture that's hung up outside the classroom have to look the same, there is room for just giving kids materials and seeing what they can do with it in whatever subject you are covering. I work in preschool and our teachers are even expected to cover a lot in the small amount of time we have the children, but they are supposed to find ways throughout the day to encourage creativity. One policy we have made is that there are to be NO ditto sheets used in the classroom (pre-defined color sheets). This is just a start bu there are many things that can be done... a lot is mind-set and training teaching methods.

Who thinks public high schools are letting people graduate without putting in all the work?

lilsquibb — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:17:56 GMT

We can all say we want teachers to get paid more and yes I agree completely. But more pay doesn't make a better teacher. Better leadership, training and expectations make better teachers. True you have a few who need to retire or just not be in that field but that is a minority. Most have very good intentions.

As for the higher pay... at least here, there is NO way that is going to happen anytime soon. Many of our local schools just took a HUGE budget cut that is going to devistate several of them. I'm not talking a couple $100 or anything... Some were cut ~$1000 per pupil. When you're talking a district of over 3000 students, that's a cut of over $3Million. They will be lucky to turn the lights on if they don't budget right.

So when you hear of test scores being tied to funding, there are places that are already hurting and cannot loose another dollar. Though as Vivasuzi shows if teachers would just teach to the student and not the test, then the students would learn and there would be no worries about failing tests and loosing money.

Who thinks public high schools are letting people graduate without putting in all the work?

Jo — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:16:37 GMT

Oh I know for a fact the some schools are pushing kids along. I have a friend who went to the school demanding that her son not go on to the next grade because he hadn't mastered the one he was in!

Who thinks public high schools are letting people graduate without putting in all the work?

vivasuzi — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:07:35 GMT

Thanks lilsquibb, I think the tests weren't considered as important at my school. We never officially were taught many of the things on the test, but most of us still thought the tests were easy and I never remember people getting in trouble if they did poor. Some people didn't even care and would make pretty patterns with the circles - but it was because the tests really didn't matter to our grades or anything.

jlowe do you actually know of students who paid off teachers? Because I don't know of any. I went to a school where sports were a big deal, but it didn't matter if the kid had bad grades he was off the team in 10 seconds flat. If there really are students you know of that pay off teachers, you should schedule a meeting with the principal and tell them right away.

Who thinks public high schools are letting people graduate without putting in all the work?

jlowe308 — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:46:50 GMT

I want teachers to get better pay and I dont think they are all currupt just a few and there are alot of underpaid educators who do deserve so much more and they do love their kids and I am so greatful for them but the ones out there that do wrong should just quit and go into another field.It should be about what you can give and not what you can get paid by a student for.

Who thinks public high schools are letting people graduate without putting in all the work?

lilsquibb — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:46:12 GMT

vivasuzi said…

Ok back to the topic of public schools. I don't know if anyone answered this - but these tests you are talking about, are these the same "standardized tests" I took in private school? Or do Public schools have specific tests they have to pass?

Yes Suzi these are the same tests you took. At the time you would have graduated there was a regulation that students had to pass the MEAP test in order to officially graduate. I believe now it is the Michigan Merit Exam. This is the same exam that determines (or did determine when the funding was there) who received a HOPE scholarship. So really it's not just funding that is on the line (although that is a large piece of it) but student graduation and possible scholarship money is on the line with these tests.