This is an auspicious day in Jordan. On this date in 1962, the current King of Jordan was born. Abdullah II bin al-Hussein was born to King Hussien's second wife, Antoinette Avril Gardiner, (known as HRH Princess Muna al-Hussein in Jordan) who was the daughter of a former British army officer. Forty-nine years later, King Abdullah's second son, and fourth child, was born on exactly the same date. Prince Hashem bin Al Abdullah is second in line to succeed his father to the throne.
When I was in high school in England, I represented Jordan at an international Model United Nations (M.U.N.) competition in Croydon, U.K. in 1983. I was the delegation leader, and I had two girls from my school on the delegation, Jackie Burrell and Claire Shipman. We ended up winning one of the best delegation rewards. In the course of a weekend I solved the Israeli-Palestinian problem (partition with the Swiss Guard as neutral enforcers) because Jordan was on the security council at the time, and I dominated it, plus we got almost every other delegation to co-sponsor it. Then in the General Assembly, an Iraqi delegate ( a Scandinavian prince in real life I was later told) sent a hate letter to the Israeli delegation written in human blood. The General Secretary banned him, so I organized and led a boycott by the Arab and unaligned nations. The General Secretary ended up almost begging me to come back.
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Monday, January 03, 2011
School Reform
The subject of school reform has come up again. Pres. Obama's Education Secretary, Arne Duncan has written an article in the Washington Post calling for, and predicting bi-partisan reform of education. Surprise, surprise, it is the teacher's fault again. Here is a key quote:
Sounds great huh? But notice what is missing? There is no mention of the impact that parents have on student learning. There is no mention of the impact students have on student learning. The biggest problems facing education today are not teachers and schools (although there are bad teachers and bad schools), they are bad parents and bad students. Parents and students who don't give a damn about student learning. But teachers are an easy target, and teacher unions an easier one.
The quickest and easiest school reform that will have a real impact on student learning is to allow schools to start kicking out students who don't try and/or are discipline problems again.
Parents, teachers, and lawmakers want a system that measures not just an
arbitrary level of proficiency, but student growth and school progress in ways
that better reflect the impact of a school and its teachers on student learning.
Sounds great huh? But notice what is missing? There is no mention of the impact that parents have on student learning. There is no mention of the impact students have on student learning. The biggest problems facing education today are not teachers and schools (although there are bad teachers and bad schools), they are bad parents and bad students. Parents and students who don't give a damn about student learning. But teachers are an easy target, and teacher unions an easier one.
The quickest and easiest school reform that will have a real impact on student learning is to allow schools to start kicking out students who don't try and/or are discipline problems again.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
The Breakfast Club
1) I have just realized how we can internalize things without realizing it. Remeber the scene when the prinicipal throws the Judd Nelson character into a closet and then basically threatens to beat him up? And promises to deny his threats later?
I kind of did the same thing once as a new teacher, without realizing I was doing it. I told a kid once that if I ever saw him as an adult I would kick his ass, and that I would deny that I ever said that. I was new, extremely frustrated, and this kid purposefully sabotaged my class every day.
It was wrong, and I regret it now. But I wonder if unconciously I was reaching back to this scene.
2) When I first saw this movie, and when I was young, I was on the side of the five kids. I just saw the movie last week, and I was struck by the fact that now that I am older and a teacher, I'm on the principal's side and think the kids are acting like a bunch of punks.
I kind of did the same thing once as a new teacher, without realizing I was doing it. I told a kid once that if I ever saw him as an adult I would kick his ass, and that I would deny that I ever said that. I was new, extremely frustrated, and this kid purposefully sabotaged my class every day.
It was wrong, and I regret it now. But I wonder if unconciously I was reaching back to this scene.
2) When I first saw this movie, and when I was young, I was on the side of the five kids. I just saw the movie last week, and I was struck by the fact that now that I am older and a teacher, I'm on the principal's side and think the kids are acting like a bunch of punks.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Behavioral Skills and Expectations
Here is an argument I am participating in on an education blog called joannejacobs.com. The beginning quote is from someone on the otherside of the argument. The discussion began with a post about disruptive students filming "out of control" teachers on their cellphones and posting them on youtube.
"I have a big problem believing that teachers who know how to teach reading and arithmetic can’t figure out how to teach behavioral skills and expectations."
Really? Why?
When did it become the role of teachers to teach behavioral skills and expectations instead of parents? Not too long ago, it was expected that students would already have behavioral skills and expectations before they entered school, and the results were rewarded and punished at home.
We used to teach behavioral skills and enforce expectations by having concrete consequences, and enforcing them uniformly and immediately. This enforcement included corporal punishment, public embarassment, and meaningful expulsion.
Then the 1960's came along and brought us the self-esteem movement and dangerous kooks like Dr. Spock.
Every animal on the planet that raises and teaches it's young uses negative reinforcement to do so. There's a reason for that...it works. We now have a society in which not only can't educators use corporal punishment, but parents are afraid to do so also, for fear of being reported for abuse. The second most effective form of negative reinforcement, shame, is also out of bounds. I have parents who have actually filed complaints on me for embarassing or shaming their child. When I explain to them their child's behavior deserved shame and embarassment they look at me like I am crazy. Shame and embarrsment have also gotten much less effective as popular culture has glorified and celebrated behavior that was once deemed shameful. There literally is no sense of guilt anymore...maybe a little chagrin at getting caught. The most popular kids at school aren't the athletes or cheerleaders, they are the thugs. The ruder and more out of control you behave, the more popular you are. Academic success and good behavior is ridiculed (school boy, acting white). Politeness is seen as weakness.
There are problems with positive reinforcement also. Praise has been completely devalued, because these students have been receiving false praise for poor performance and effort for years. Rewards are ineffective because the students feel entitled to them regardless of performance or behavior. In my experience positive reinforcement doesn't motivate those who don't earn it to try harder, it motivates them to belittle and deride positive reinforcers. As for the students who earn positive reinforcement, they tend to be the students who are going to behave and succeed anyway.
Children are not civilized beings who can be reasoned with. You cannot get children to behave by explaining to them that it is the right thing to do. Children are barbarians. They must be civilized. How do you civilize barbarians? By making the price of barbarity too high to pay, and civilization a more attractive alternative. We are refusing to punish barbarity, and instead glorify it in our popular culture.
So what are we left with? Calling home? About half of the time, the parents side with the students indiscriminately. Much of the rest of the time, the parents have no control over their kids. (This year I have had literally half a dozen parents ask me how to get their child committed to Juvenile Hall) A significant number of parents are simply unreachable. Time outs, detentions? My students either ignore them or simply see them as the cost of doing business. Suspensions? 50% of my referrals to the admin are ignored. When students are eventually suspended, they stay home for a couple of days and watch TV and play video games. (I have students who if they were literate enough would be taunting me with "go ahead and throw me in the briar patch") Expulsions? The district simply refuses to expel students. If they do, they immediately suspend the expulsion, and move the student to a different school instead. I currently have a student who has been expelled twice already this year. (once by a different district with a much better reputation who actually enforced their expulsion)
So, I have 5 classes with 35 students that I see for one hour a day, five days a week. At least half of them see no value in an education and expect (and fell entitled) for society to provide for them. They have no sense of shame or guilt, and no fear of corporal punishment. They know the worst thing that will happen to them is that eventually they will get a couple of days vacation at home.
For the sake of arguement, let's grant that I am responsible for teaching them behavioral skills and expectations? How am I supposed to do that? And if I do try to do that, when am I supposed to teach them the subject matter material?
"I have a big problem believing that teachers who know how to teach reading and arithmetic can’t figure out how to teach behavioral skills and expectations."
Really? Why?
When did it become the role of teachers to teach behavioral skills and expectations instead of parents? Not too long ago, it was expected that students would already have behavioral skills and expectations before they entered school, and the results were rewarded and punished at home.
We used to teach behavioral skills and enforce expectations by having concrete consequences, and enforcing them uniformly and immediately. This enforcement included corporal punishment, public embarassment, and meaningful expulsion.
Then the 1960's came along and brought us the self-esteem movement and dangerous kooks like Dr. Spock.
Every animal on the planet that raises and teaches it's young uses negative reinforcement to do so. There's a reason for that...it works. We now have a society in which not only can't educators use corporal punishment, but parents are afraid to do so also, for fear of being reported for abuse. The second most effective form of negative reinforcement, shame, is also out of bounds. I have parents who have actually filed complaints on me for embarassing or shaming their child. When I explain to them their child's behavior deserved shame and embarassment they look at me like I am crazy. Shame and embarrsment have also gotten much less effective as popular culture has glorified and celebrated behavior that was once deemed shameful. There literally is no sense of guilt anymore...maybe a little chagrin at getting caught. The most popular kids at school aren't the athletes or cheerleaders, they are the thugs. The ruder and more out of control you behave, the more popular you are. Academic success and good behavior is ridiculed (school boy, acting white). Politeness is seen as weakness.
There are problems with positive reinforcement also. Praise has been completely devalued, because these students have been receiving false praise for poor performance and effort for years. Rewards are ineffective because the students feel entitled to them regardless of performance or behavior. In my experience positive reinforcement doesn't motivate those who don't earn it to try harder, it motivates them to belittle and deride positive reinforcers. As for the students who earn positive reinforcement, they tend to be the students who are going to behave and succeed anyway.
Children are not civilized beings who can be reasoned with. You cannot get children to behave by explaining to them that it is the right thing to do. Children are barbarians. They must be civilized. How do you civilize barbarians? By making the price of barbarity too high to pay, and civilization a more attractive alternative. We are refusing to punish barbarity, and instead glorify it in our popular culture.
So what are we left with? Calling home? About half of the time, the parents side with the students indiscriminately. Much of the rest of the time, the parents have no control over their kids. (This year I have had literally half a dozen parents ask me how to get their child committed to Juvenile Hall) A significant number of parents are simply unreachable. Time outs, detentions? My students either ignore them or simply see them as the cost of doing business. Suspensions? 50% of my referrals to the admin are ignored. When students are eventually suspended, they stay home for a couple of days and watch TV and play video games. (I have students who if they were literate enough would be taunting me with "go ahead and throw me in the briar patch") Expulsions? The district simply refuses to expel students. If they do, they immediately suspend the expulsion, and move the student to a different school instead. I currently have a student who has been expelled twice already this year. (once by a different district with a much better reputation who actually enforced their expulsion)
So, I have 5 classes with 35 students that I see for one hour a day, five days a week. At least half of them see no value in an education and expect (and fell entitled) for society to provide for them. They have no sense of shame or guilt, and no fear of corporal punishment. They know the worst thing that will happen to them is that eventually they will get a couple of days vacation at home.
For the sake of arguement, let's grant that I am responsible for teaching them behavioral skills and expectations? How am I supposed to do that? And if I do try to do that, when am I supposed to teach them the subject matter material?
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Sudden Revelation About Education
I was involved in a discussion about Math on an education website. One of the commenters wrote the following:
Every lesson was memorizing and practicing a new algorithm. I had the right
answer every time, but I can’t tell you the underlying purpose for even one.There needs to be some balance between memorization and understanding.
This is my response:
Here is the basis of the problem for almost every problem with modern education.
Modern education is based on curriculum written by education professionals, that is people who have been trained and educated in understanding underlying purposes and principles.
What most of them fail to understand, or have forgotten, is that the vast majority of people will never need, and do not desire, to understand the underlying purposes and principles. They just need to be able to get the right answer.
Elementary, Middle and High school students only need to learn how to get the right answers and memorize the basic facts. For something like 75% of the people, that is all they will ever need.
People who need to understand the underlying purposes and principles can go to college to learn them.
Every lesson was memorizing and practicing a new algorithm. I had the right
answer every time, but I can’t tell you the underlying purpose for even one.There needs to be some balance between memorization and understanding.
This is my response:
Here is the basis of the problem for almost every problem with modern education.
Modern education is based on curriculum written by education professionals, that is people who have been trained and educated in understanding underlying purposes and principles.
What most of them fail to understand, or have forgotten, is that the vast majority of people will never need, and do not desire, to understand the underlying purposes and principles. They just need to be able to get the right answer.
Elementary, Middle and High school students only need to learn how to get the right answers and memorize the basic facts. For something like 75% of the people, that is all they will ever need.
People who need to understand the underlying purposes and principles can go to college to learn them.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Hi Ho, Hi Ho........
....It's back to work I go........
I go back to work tomorrow after two weeks off. This is a screwy trimester. We go one week, then we're off for four weeks, then back for four weeks, then off for two weeks, then back.......
I'm of mixed minds right now. I can't wait to see most of the kids again, and I'm teaching fun stuff in both grade levels. ( The Constitution in 8th grade and Feudal Japan in 7th grade) It will also be good to see my colleagues again.
On the other hand, there are my problem children. I have never had so many kids at one time that have stopped even pretending that school is important. I've got dozens of kids who can't even be bothered to cheat. I found myself hoping this morning that some of my least favorite students will have moved away during the break..... which is sad.
I go back to work tomorrow after two weeks off. This is a screwy trimester. We go one week, then we're off for four weeks, then back for four weeks, then off for two weeks, then back.......
I'm of mixed minds right now. I can't wait to see most of the kids again, and I'm teaching fun stuff in both grade levels. ( The Constitution in 8th grade and Feudal Japan in 7th grade) It will also be good to see my colleagues again.
On the other hand, there are my problem children. I have never had so many kids at one time that have stopped even pretending that school is important. I've got dozens of kids who can't even be bothered to cheat. I found myself hoping this morning that some of my least favorite students will have moved away during the break..... which is sad.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Things That Make You Go Hmmmm.....
Article 1:
"There is no tally of the number of illegal immigrants who have already left the United States, many of whom simply head south over the border with their belongings packed into a car during the annual Christmas exodus, or board scheduled flights for other destinations.
Mexican consular sources in Phoenix say they are seeing a spike in the number of immigrants applying for Mexican citizenship for their U.S.-born children, which will allow them to enroll in schools in Mexico.
They are also seeing a rise in requests for papers enabling families to carry household belongings back to Mexico, free of import duties."
1) It's interesting that Mexican officials consider Mexican illegal immigrants in the U.S. returning to Mexico, to be immigrants to Mexico.
2) It's also interesting to note that the U.S.-born children of Mexican citizens need to apply for citizenship to attend Mexican schools.
Article 2:
"Every day along the 1,952-mile border, children from Mexico cross into the United States and attend public schools. No one keeps statistics on how many.
Citizenship isn't the issue for school officials; district residency is.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled illegal immigrants have a right to an education, so schools don't ask about immigration status. But citizens and illegal immigrants alike can't falsely claim residency in a school district. "
"Calexico's rapid growth outstripped school resources, resulting in overcrowding and prompting demands that Mexican interlopers be ousted. Taxpayers complained their children were bused across town because neighborhood schools were full, even after Calexico voters approved a $30 million construction measure in 2004. Portable classrooms proliferated. "
1) I wonder what would happen if children from the United States crossed the border into Mexico and tried to attend school there?
2) Calexico is currently facing the same problems that the rest of California began to face 10 to 15 years ago. Looks to me like Calexico has handled it better.
"There is no tally of the number of illegal immigrants who have already left the United States, many of whom simply head south over the border with their belongings packed into a car during the annual Christmas exodus, or board scheduled flights for other destinations.
Mexican consular sources in Phoenix say they are seeing a spike in the number of immigrants applying for Mexican citizenship for their U.S.-born children, which will allow them to enroll in schools in Mexico.
They are also seeing a rise in requests for papers enabling families to carry household belongings back to Mexico, free of import duties."
1) It's interesting that Mexican officials consider Mexican illegal immigrants in the U.S. returning to Mexico, to be immigrants to Mexico.
2) It's also interesting to note that the U.S.-born children of Mexican citizens need to apply for citizenship to attend Mexican schools.
Article 2:
"Every day along the 1,952-mile border, children from Mexico cross into the United States and attend public schools. No one keeps statistics on how many.
Citizenship isn't the issue for school officials; district residency is.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled illegal immigrants have a right to an education, so schools don't ask about immigration status. But citizens and illegal immigrants alike can't falsely claim residency in a school district. "
"Calexico's rapid growth outstripped school resources, resulting in overcrowding and prompting demands that Mexican interlopers be ousted. Taxpayers complained their children were bused across town because neighborhood schools were full, even after Calexico voters approved a $30 million construction measure in 2004. Portable classrooms proliferated. "
1) I wonder what would happen if children from the United States crossed the border into Mexico and tried to attend school there?
2) Calexico is currently facing the same problems that the rest of California began to face 10 to 15 years ago. Looks to me like Calexico has handled it better.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
I Really Don't Know What To Think About This........
One of my principals asked me about this video at work today. It's been playing on BET lately.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Some Religious Practices Are More Equal Than Others.......
The newest fad to hit the educational establishment is trancendental meditation. There are schools all across the country teaching our kids, and devoting class time, to transcendental medititation (TM).
Excuse me? TM is a religious practice. It is directly equivelent to the Western practice of silent prayer. Given that the Supreme Court has ruled that you cannot have a silent prayer or prayer in school, how is this kosher?
"Supporters believe the program, which requires participants to sit quietly in a deep rest for 20 minutes at the start and at the end of the school day, allows the brain to tap into a reservoir of energy and intelligence."
Has anyone done a study to see if 20 minutes of silent prayer would accomplish the same thing? I bet it would.
I tell you what, if my prinicpal ever instructs me to begin this practice, there will be a lawsuit challenging the practice.
Excuse me? TM is a religious practice. It is directly equivelent to the Western practice of silent prayer. Given that the Supreme Court has ruled that you cannot have a silent prayer or prayer in school, how is this kosher?
"Supporters believe the program, which requires participants to sit quietly in a deep rest for 20 minutes at the start and at the end of the school day, allows the brain to tap into a reservoir of energy and intelligence."
Has anyone done a study to see if 20 minutes of silent prayer would accomplish the same thing? I bet it would.
I tell you what, if my prinicpal ever instructs me to begin this practice, there will be a lawsuit challenging the practice.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Information Revolution
We are studying the Transportation and Industrial Revolutions in my Social Studies class right now. Today I tried to tie them into the kids lives, by discussing the Information Revolution that is going on now, and that their children and grandchildren will be studying as history when they are in school.
I brought up Wozniak, Jobs and Gates and compared them to Morse, Bell and Edison. I discussed the evolution from boomboxes (can you believe we actually used to carry those things around on our shoulders?) to the first Walkmen, to today's MP3 players that hold thousands of songs (and some of them video).
I discussed the evolution of telephones from rotary copper wire technology, to cellphones.
Very few of the kids were able to grasp the magnitude of the Informational Revolution, but I was myself struck by it.
I teach in a lower class neighborhood, (most of my kids are Title 1 and get free lunch and breakfast)and I teach 8th graders....13 year olds. Yet in each of my five classes, I had a dozen kids who each had a cellphone, and many of them had camera phones. These "poor" kids had the ability to not only instantanously call almost anywhere in the world, anywhere they happened to be, but most of them could take and send pictures.
Think about that. These kids who are considered poverty stricken had a communications ability that twenty years ago, even the President would have envied. But to these kids, it's just life as normal. They have no appreciation for the wonder of it.
Still, it does make you think doesn't it. What's next?
I brought up Wozniak, Jobs and Gates and compared them to Morse, Bell and Edison. I discussed the evolution from boomboxes (can you believe we actually used to carry those things around on our shoulders?) to the first Walkmen, to today's MP3 players that hold thousands of songs (and some of them video).
I discussed the evolution of telephones from rotary copper wire technology, to cellphones.
Very few of the kids were able to grasp the magnitude of the Informational Revolution, but I was myself struck by it.
I teach in a lower class neighborhood, (most of my kids are Title 1 and get free lunch and breakfast)and I teach 8th graders....13 year olds. Yet in each of my five classes, I had a dozen kids who each had a cellphone, and many of them had camera phones. These "poor" kids had the ability to not only instantanously call almost anywhere in the world, anywhere they happened to be, but most of them could take and send pictures.
Think about that. These kids who are considered poverty stricken had a communications ability that twenty years ago, even the President would have envied. But to these kids, it's just life as normal. They have no appreciation for the wonder of it.
Still, it does make you think doesn't it. What's next?
Friday, December 15, 2006
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Thoughts on 9-11
As I have said before I am a teacher. I teach Social Studies to 8th graders. One of my fellow Social Studies teachers and I had a conversation on Friday about what we were going to do on Monday to commemorate 9-11. Now I respect this woman. Five years ago she organized some students who raised money, and bought trees and plaques to commemorate the Twin Towers and United 93. (However nothing was done to commemorate, and no mention was made of, the attack on the Pentagon, and I don't think that was an accident. I wish I had noticed that at the time, I would have spoken up)
However, she had mixed emotions about doing anything on Monday, because she didn't want to support in any way, those who would "use the anniversary of 9-11 to justify going around the world and bombing people". She talked about doing a presentation on an organization in NYC comprised of victims of terrorism around the world who promote a peaceful response to terror.
The whole time she was doing this, I was thinking, "how nice that you have the luxury to indulge your ideology, and present it to your students."
Because I feel exactly the opposite. I want my students to understand the horror of what was done. I want them to realize that there are people on this planet who want them dead because of who they are, how they live, and what they think. In five years many of these kids will be in the service defending us.
My last thought Friday morning was: Doesn't this otherwise intelligent woman understand that these monsters would come here and cut her head off in a heartbeat, and not feel a thing about it? And sadly I realized that she doesn't. Not really. And neither does most of the left in America today.
Frankly that scares me more than the terrorists themselves.
However, she had mixed emotions about doing anything on Monday, because she didn't want to support in any way, those who would "use the anniversary of 9-11 to justify going around the world and bombing people". She talked about doing a presentation on an organization in NYC comprised of victims of terrorism around the world who promote a peaceful response to terror.
The whole time she was doing this, I was thinking, "how nice that you have the luxury to indulge your ideology, and present it to your students."
Because I feel exactly the opposite. I want my students to understand the horror of what was done. I want them to realize that there are people on this planet who want them dead because of who they are, how they live, and what they think. In five years many of these kids will be in the service defending us.
My last thought Friday morning was: Doesn't this otherwise intelligent woman understand that these monsters would come here and cut her head off in a heartbeat, and not feel a thing about it? And sadly I realized that she doesn't. Not really. And neither does most of the left in America today.
Frankly that scares me more than the terrorists themselves.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
By Their Words Ye Shall Know Them.....
From an article on Townhall:
Perhaps that's why this week in one of the boldest moves yet by a sitting liberal, Democrat Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez proclaimed, "The real purpose of SB 1437 is to outlaw traditional perspectives on marriage and family in the state school system."He continued, "The way you correct a wrong (perspective) is by outlawing.’Cause if you don't outlaw it, then people's biases tend to take over and dominate the perspective and the point of view."
Nunez's candor unwittingly exposes two tenets of the far left:
1) The use of public schools to inculcate and indoctrinate our children in their farleft ideology.
2) The need for Liberals and other leftists to silence their opponents rather than engage them.
I would be embarassed for them, if they weren't so dangerous.
(I have crossposted this on my other blog)
Perhaps that's why this week in one of the boldest moves yet by a sitting liberal, Democrat Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez proclaimed, "The real purpose of SB 1437 is to outlaw traditional perspectives on marriage and family in the state school system."He continued, "The way you correct a wrong (perspective) is by outlawing.’Cause if you don't outlaw it, then people's biases tend to take over and dominate the perspective and the point of view."
Nunez's candor unwittingly exposes two tenets of the far left:
1) The use of public schools to inculcate and indoctrinate our children in their farleft ideology.
2) The need for Liberals and other leftists to silence their opponents rather than engage them.
I would be embarassed for them, if they weren't so dangerous.
(I have crossposted this on my other blog)
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Retention
I have been told by my principal that he is not going to retain (keep in the same grade for failing grades/test scores) a single student this year. This in a school with over 1,000 students. I have students who have failed every class in the fifth grade, every class in the sixth grade, and every class this year in the seventh and have never been retained. At least two of these students (who I tried to have retained) have not turned in a single assignment in my class all year. What do you think the chances are that they are going to do any work in the 8th grade next year? What are their work habits in high school going to be like? We tell these kids every year that their grades and test scores matter, and every year they see kids like these two go on to the next grade anyway. What message are we sending? At least we need to stop lying to these kids about retaining them. No wonder they get to the 12th grade without passing the exit exam...they don't believe us when we tell them they won't get a diploma. We have been lying to them for 12 years after all.
Until I get a principal who publically commits to retention, I will never again mention retention to a student or parent. I don't understand why my district's parents tolerate this type of behavior.
Please, for the sake of our children, support school choice and vouchers whenever you can......public education is broken and will never fix itself until forced to do so by competition. (and remember I say this as a beleagured public school teacher)
Until I get a principal who publically commits to retention, I will never again mention retention to a student or parent. I don't understand why my district's parents tolerate this type of behavior.
Please, for the sake of our children, support school choice and vouchers whenever you can......public education is broken and will never fix itself until forced to do so by competition. (and remember I say this as a beleagured public school teacher)
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Ward Churchill
I am watching Ward Churchill on C-SPAN debating David Horowitz about politics in the classroom. One of the inanities to come from Churchill's mouth is that there is no objective truth. This is one of the foundations of leftwing thought. Truth doesn't matter, only feelings and perceptions. He also believes it is impossible to be objective as a teacher in the classroom. Again, this is absurd. As Horowitz said, "you can teach about a controversy" without being either in favor or against it.
The crowd heckled Horowitz while he made his opening statement, and sat spellbound while Churchill made his.
The crowd heckled Horowitz while he made his opening statement, and sat spellbound while Churchill made his.
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Proposition 74
We have a special election coming up here in California in November. One of the more contentious issues is Proposition 74. This would extend the probabtionary period of new teachers, and make it easier to fire experienced teachers. It is yet another case of the wrong solution to a real problem. I am the first to admit that there are bad teachers out there. Hell, my school got rid of two teachers just last year. But that is just it, we were able to get rid of them without Prop 74. The real secret about firing bad teachers is that it takes effort, and many administrators aren't interested in doing the work required. There also comes the problem that if you fire a bad teacher you have to replace them. At my school last year, we had a teaching vacancy all year that was filled with long term subs. This year we currently have another teaching position still unfilled. If we could attract more, and better, teacher applicants it would be easier to get rid of the bad teachers. Another part of the problem is apathy from the parents. To the best of my knowledge the school received only one complaint all year about the position that was filled by long term subs. That is simply unbelievable. You can bet if I had a kid in a class with a long term sub for that long, I would be down in the office every week until they filled it or moved my kid. The real problem with public education in California today, that no one is willing to voice, is the numbers of illegal immigrant children in our schools. You want to improve education in California? Then solve the immigration problem.
Monday, July 18, 2005
Kill me Now Pt 2 (The return of Ebonics?)
This is unbelievable. When will we learn? Here are some comments I left on a blog talking about this issue.
1) I am a graduate of Cal State San Bernardino (CSUSB) and I got my teaching credential from CSUSB. This type of thinking is typical of the Sociology and Education professors there. I was once forced to pay for and attend an Anti Defamation League conference on multiculturalism in order to pass an Education class there. I currently live in San Bernardino, and will certainly remember this program when the School board elections come around again.
2) I teach 7th Grade Social Studies in a neighboring school district. The curriculum for 7th grade Social studies is comparative cultures. I have had parents complain that I do not teach Black History. When I inform them that I do not teach U.S. History, but do teach about West Africa as part of my curriculum, they are unsatisfied. Because I do not tolerate misbehavior, and fail students for not doing their homework, I am constantly accused of being racist. (Despite the fact that my two closest friends, both fellow teachers, are Black men married to White women) I dread the day my district tries to force me to teach a similar curriculum as the one in San Bernardino.
Look, we all can agree that there is a problem with the success of Black students in school. But it is my experience that this is a function of low expectations (from parents primarily), chronic misbehavior and a lack of effort. All of this stems from poor or lack of parenting. My Black students who have caring involved parents do very well in school. This year I had three Black students get straight As. One of them currently has a 4.0 GPA for both 6th and 7th grade. One of the things these three students had in common were caring, concerned and involved parents.
I stand by my previous assertion: 90% of the problems in Education can be traced back to parents.
1) I am a graduate of Cal State San Bernardino (CSUSB) and I got my teaching credential from CSUSB. This type of thinking is typical of the Sociology and Education professors there. I was once forced to pay for and attend an Anti Defamation League conference on multiculturalism in order to pass an Education class there. I currently live in San Bernardino, and will certainly remember this program when the School board elections come around again.
2) I teach 7th Grade Social Studies in a neighboring school district. The curriculum for 7th grade Social studies is comparative cultures. I have had parents complain that I do not teach Black History. When I inform them that I do not teach U.S. History, but do teach about West Africa as part of my curriculum, they are unsatisfied. Because I do not tolerate misbehavior, and fail students for not doing their homework, I am constantly accused of being racist. (Despite the fact that my two closest friends, both fellow teachers, are Black men married to White women) I dread the day my district tries to force me to teach a similar curriculum as the one in San Bernardino.
Look, we all can agree that there is a problem with the success of Black students in school. But it is my experience that this is a function of low expectations (from parents primarily), chronic misbehavior and a lack of effort. All of this stems from poor or lack of parenting. My Black students who have caring involved parents do very well in school. This year I had three Black students get straight As. One of them currently has a 4.0 GPA for both 6th and 7th grade. One of the things these three students had in common were caring, concerned and involved parents.
I stand by my previous assertion: 90% of the problems in Education can be traced back to parents.
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