Posted on 12/01/2003 6:34:04 AM PST by Holly_P
Edited on 04/13/2004 2:45:01 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
Johnny and others to read is virtually impossible in such a destructive environment.
Of this middle school's population of 1,400, 65 percent are of Hispanic origin, and the rest are primarily of African American heritage.
Incredibly, the school building was constructed more than 50 years ago to accommodate a maximum of 600 students. No major repairs or expansion have occurred since 1950. There have been severe cutbacks in janitorial staff, so the school cannot possibly meet the basic health requirements.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
The liberal whine - Government schools (that are a forced monopoly) are a failure and it is because they need more money. However, rich liberals send their kids to private schools by choice. Poor people must have no choice in the matter,
Guess California needs higher taxes and more government spending on education. That'll fix it.
Good schooling can be done cheaply. And good schools can be (and have been in the past) oases of peace for many children in troubled environments. Yeah, the kids come from bad situations, but good schools can be a real part of the solution. But that's not where the NEA is trying to go.
This teacher, while no doubt very earnest, has to realize that the problem is not money, but the psychotic culture in which these kids are raised.
Must be nice....us white folks can only miss 15 days out of a year, and those must be spread out or the truant officer will pay you a visit and summons you to court.
I'm curious as to why you believe the physical shape of the school matters? Can you show me a correlation between the condition of the school and the ability of children to learn, or is the learning environment affected more by such things as parent participation and attitude of the community toward excellence in education?
The esoteric topics presented usually include focusing on our goals as a school culture and having meetings about protocol to have meetings. There is a lot of empty talk about consensus but no discussion about relevant issues such as discipline, behavior problems, teacher support, activities, or community involvement or resources.
Why don't we discuss why Johnny beat the hell out of Jose in English class?
In my past private school experience, I can't even imagine asking teachers to spend their time hashing out philosophical nonissues while ignoring daily survival techniques."
I think the writer is spot on with the above.
However, I feel the majority of the "education" given at the school is towards the author, than from her.
Ah.... Petaluma, that lovely artist' enclave for aspiring liberals escaping Marin county. Without a doubt, this educator thinks that the only cure for Shakela and Jose is more TAXPAYER MONEY.
Clearly, the presence of criminal illegal Mexicans is lessening the quality of education FOR ALL. So, while the Mexicans are only here to take jobs that Americans won't take, they also destroy the educational futures of the blacks they displace in the first place.
As a union teacher, of course, her job is ALWAYS to bitch about resources and money. This creates high paying staff jobs for teachers and lets them get out of the classrooms. But, this is a problem with a simple fix; send the Mexicans back home where they can be properly educated and stop the endless flow of additional Mexican criminals.
Yet many of our parents, G/parents attended one room schools and managed to get an education.
I think you hit the nail on the head.
Some people advocate the elimination of public schools entirely. While that might work in an ideal world we have to deal with the way things are and are likely to stay for a long time.
Throwing more money at the problem is not going to make it go away. Parental involvement in childrens lives would go a long way toward fixing it but you can't make parents be responsible.
It's not poverty.
Most immigrants have come to this country with nothing. Some families escaped within a generation. Some took two or three. But there are many, many such who've been at the bottom for generations.
Throwing money at them usually is a waste.
There aren't enough good teachers who're willing to work in such an environment to make a real difference.
Probably the best approach is the one used in my childhood. Those who show desire and promise are removed from their bad environment and given every opportunity to advance. The rest are left to wallow in the mud.
Let those who think that "no child left beyond" is realistic speak with their own time and money...or shut up.
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