One theme I often return to here on Daily Dose is that of the state of the educational system here in the U.S. K-12 is pitiful, and this worries me for two reasons. One is that I enjoyed my public schooling, and hope my kids will get the same chance, though if schools contineu to fail, any children I may have might end up in private school. Two is that this country will fall apart when these kids are adults if we don't do something about it.
Something I rail against is the teacher's unions, and their seemingly endless resistance to change. You get tenure way too quick, and then want security more than well educated students. Anytime someone makesw a suggestion regarding accountability, you poo-poo it. Any change is bad, because we're teachers and know best. This has caused billions of dollars that could have been used to improve things to instead be used to keep things the way they are, and that way is just plain shitty. I've been cussing a lot on here lately, does that bother people?
I was happy to hear that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which intially gave most of its educational funds to small public schools, has switched gears, probably due to frustration and lack of results, and now gives a lot of money to charter programs and other experiments in education. There has to be a better way.
Or maybe not. Maybe the schools are all fine, and we need to change the attitudes of students and their parents. Or maybe there are problems in both areas. But we need to do something, and the National Educator's Association's strategy of being militantly against any changes at all are never going to help.
2 Comments:
I've never heard of a school that is content being known as a "failing" school. Teachers are some of the hardest working people I know. Teachers care. We are clearly not in the profession for the money. We teach because we love it and because we want the best life can offer for our kids. All teachers go through a minimum of 20hrs of staff development (most extra curriculum training) in DeKalb County (might be a state thing...im not sure) And...Almost all teachers go back to school for higher degrees and add ons. Many school systems actually require teachers to attain a masters within a certain time period. Miami-Dade County requires a certain number of college credits earned per year or 2(i forgot the specifics). If anything teachers are becoming even more trained and qualified.
The problems are in the community and homes. I deal with parents on a daily basis who groan when i tell them to ask thier child questions about what they're reading. I even had a parent tell me that she would not create a family reading time.becuase she didnt like to read. (she just couldnt grasp how important it is just for her son to see her reading or pretend to even if its a magazine). If the adults in the community and home dont care then the child won't.
Its like leading a horse to water...I can teach my heart out and even sing and dance for them. but if they dont care or think its important...the dont perform or retain.
Teachers are not magicians. We can only do so much. It is very frustrating.
I understand all that, and I do think that much of the problem is with parents that don't care passing on their apathy to their kids, and society doing the same. But it's a fact that there are also plenty of teachers with tenure that are horrible teachers and don't need to be teaching kids. And there are bilinugal programs in places like California that are only hurting the students in them, but the liberal teahcing establishment refuses to admit such, despite the facts. It's that sort of reactionary response to any proposed change that is hurting our schools as much as apathy.
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