Lately our local newspaper has been focussing in on the issues at our city schools. Mostly the troubles at the middle school and the disparity in the number of disciplinary referrals & special ed services among the minority students. The paper suggests that the minority students are being targeted for a disproportionate amount of referrals & special ed services. They suggest that the teaching staff, mostly white, needs better training in dealing with classroom management & acessing who needs special ed services.
I substitute teach in a few of the city schools. My experiences are that out of a class of 25, 16 to 19 of those students will be monority students. In todays paper, there is a picture taken in one of the schools. Of the 22 students pictured, 20 looked to be minority students. So if 64 to 76 percent of the students are minority students , wouldn't it follow that 64 to 76 percent of the disciplinary referrals and the special ed students would come from that same body of students? How is that targetting minority students?
There is a serious lack of minority teachers in schools today. The lack of these positive roll models has to hurt the minority students. I'm not sure how to change this. I supervise student teachers for a local college & in my 4 years supervising, I haven't seen many minority student teachers.
The environment the students all come from, their homes, plays a major roll in the kinds of behaviors and attention to learning you get from students. Not really sure what schools can do to address this. Mandatory pre-school & more after school programs may help. They cost. Maybe parenting classes could be offered.
What I do know is that blaming teachers at a time when schools are undergoing more upheavel with APPR's & the implementation of the Common Core & adding to all the testing, is not the answer.
Schools & Communities need to work together hand in hand to protect, guide, & educate our children...Our Future. The finger pointing must stop & the local newspaper needs to help put out not add fuel, to the fire.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Sunday, August 18, 2013
You want Good Test Results?......Give Kids a Level Playing Field.
Recent Polls have indicated that the majority of parents are in favor of the Standardized Testing. They are in favor of teachers being evaluated for their effectiveness & that these tests should be used as a part of their evaluations. They are in favor of ineffective teachers getting help & being let go if they don't improve. But the Majority of parents are not aware of the Common Core & what they are.
Essentially, the Common Core are designed to assure that children across are country will be given the same education and the standardized tests are designed to see if they are learning what they are supposed to learn.
I say, fine, as long as each child has the same background & goes home to the same nurtured learning environment. Since we know this is not & will never be true, then we need to do the next best thing. 1.) Make Pre-School & Kindergarten manditory & make an after school program where kids do their homework & get help, manditory. Now you're going to say...What? That's the parent's job & you know, you are absolutely right. But let's be honest, many parents for one reason or another, just aren't doing their job.
Just visit a first grade classroom. You'll find 6 year olds that can read and write. They can write their whole names and draw pictures of their family with details. They can say & write their ABC's & count & write to 100. In the same classroom or in other classrooms of First graders you'll find children who can't read or write a single word. They can't count to 10. They can draw only stick figures. Some can't or won't speak.
You see, some children come from that nurturing home environment where education is a priority & parents take an active roll while some come from a home where nothing is nurtured. I've seen homework folders that come back empty because parents have looked papers over while others come back full because parents never look at anything.
The GAP is wide to begin with. How can we expect those children coming from the home where no one cares, to catch up? The Gap just widens as the years pass. Yet we expect all children to take the same tests and do well.
The only help I can see, since we can't force parents to take active rolls in their child's education, is to make Pre-School & Kindergarten manditory and to offer all children an after school program to get extra help & do homework. Get all kids in school by age 3 & hope for the best. Then maybe just maybe the Common Core will do what it should do and Test Scores will show that it is.
Just One Old Teacher's Two Cents.
Essentially, the Common Core are designed to assure that children across are country will be given the same education and the standardized tests are designed to see if they are learning what they are supposed to learn.
I say, fine, as long as each child has the same background & goes home to the same nurtured learning environment. Since we know this is not & will never be true, then we need to do the next best thing. 1.) Make Pre-School & Kindergarten manditory & make an after school program where kids do their homework & get help, manditory. Now you're going to say...What? That's the parent's job & you know, you are absolutely right. But let's be honest, many parents for one reason or another, just aren't doing their job.
Just visit a first grade classroom. You'll find 6 year olds that can read and write. They can write their whole names and draw pictures of their family with details. They can say & write their ABC's & count & write to 100. In the same classroom or in other classrooms of First graders you'll find children who can't read or write a single word. They can't count to 10. They can draw only stick figures. Some can't or won't speak.
You see, some children come from that nurturing home environment where education is a priority & parents take an active roll while some come from a home where nothing is nurtured. I've seen homework folders that come back empty because parents have looked papers over while others come back full because parents never look at anything.
The GAP is wide to begin with. How can we expect those children coming from the home where no one cares, to catch up? The Gap just widens as the years pass. Yet we expect all children to take the same tests and do well.
The only help I can see, since we can't force parents to take active rolls in their child's education, is to make Pre-School & Kindergarten manditory and to offer all children an after school program to get extra help & do homework. Get all kids in school by age 3 & hope for the best. Then maybe just maybe the Common Core will do what it should do and Test Scores will show that it is.
Just One Old Teacher's Two Cents.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
High Stakes Testing......At What Cost?
Education in New York State has gone through some serious changes over the last 10+ years. The Common Core is a new term describing what each grade level & subject gets taught so as to assure that all children are getting what they need. Not a bad idea. Teacher evaluations have a new look. Evaluating teachers is a good thing but the process needs some serious tweeking since the new procedure is very time & labor consuming. the High Stake's Testing though needs serious revamping, maybe even elimination.
The rally being held in Albany of those opposed to High Stake's Testing on June 8 has a real point. Currently, students in all grades are subject to these tests. SLO's or Subject Learning Objectives are determined for all things taught. Students are then given pre-tests of materials they should know after somethings taught & post-test after it's taught to see what they actually did learn. Even with their teachers telling them not to worry on the pre-tests, imagine the stress this causes on 6 and 7 year olds? All students are subjected to this testing, periodically, all year long. Teachers are pulled out of their classes to administer and grade tests. I know a teacher who missed parts or all of almost 20 days just to do school related business which includes testing & grading these tests. Can this be good? Teachers not teaching but testing & grading?
The people making these decisions are usually far -removed from the classroom. What they are missing is really the obvious. If you want to improve achievement, you need to guarantee that each child comes from an educationally nurturing home and gets the same kind of pre-schooling. It's really that simple.
First grade is where many children learn to read. Many readiness activities are started at home and pre-schools, while some reading is being taught in Kindergarten. Teaching Reading is all about Readiness and not all children are READY at the same time. Some come from a nurturing home and begin to learn reading at home while some get little or no educational nurturing. Some get one or two years of pre-school while many don't. Until we can guarantee that every child gets the same nurturing at home and same pre-school opportunities,things will NOT improve. Schools are asked to do more and more every day, but they cannot make up for a less then adequate start or for a lack of interest in the home. There is NO substitute for a good Home Nurturing of Education. If the gap between success & failure is wide in first grade, imagine that gap in high school.
High Stakes testing is not an answer. It steals valuable learning time, stresses students and educators, and does little to improve opportunities for success.
The rally being held in Albany of those opposed to High Stake's Testing on June 8 has a real point. Currently, students in all grades are subject to these tests. SLO's or Subject Learning Objectives are determined for all things taught. Students are then given pre-tests of materials they should know after somethings taught & post-test after it's taught to see what they actually did learn. Even with their teachers telling them not to worry on the pre-tests, imagine the stress this causes on 6 and 7 year olds? All students are subjected to this testing, periodically, all year long. Teachers are pulled out of their classes to administer and grade tests. I know a teacher who missed parts or all of almost 20 days just to do school related business which includes testing & grading these tests. Can this be good? Teachers not teaching but testing & grading?
The people making these decisions are usually far -removed from the classroom. What they are missing is really the obvious. If you want to improve achievement, you need to guarantee that each child comes from an educationally nurturing home and gets the same kind of pre-schooling. It's really that simple.
First grade is where many children learn to read. Many readiness activities are started at home and pre-schools, while some reading is being taught in Kindergarten. Teaching Reading is all about Readiness and not all children are READY at the same time. Some come from a nurturing home and begin to learn reading at home while some get little or no educational nurturing. Some get one or two years of pre-school while many don't. Until we can guarantee that every child gets the same nurturing at home and same pre-school opportunities,things will NOT improve. Schools are asked to do more and more every day, but they cannot make up for a less then adequate start or for a lack of interest in the home. There is NO substitute for a good Home Nurturing of Education. If the gap between success & failure is wide in first grade, imagine that gap in high school.
High Stakes testing is not an answer. It steals valuable learning time, stresses students and educators, and does little to improve opportunities for success.
Anonymity or Just the Facts?
Who are these people speaking "on condition of Anonymity?" The information they are giving ESPN & other New?Sources is either unconfirmed or unauthorized. They can't be doing it for notoriety since they remain anonymous. Are they being paid for this information in the hopes that it's true? Is ESPN & the other News?sources that desperate to break a story...any story that they don't care if it's true or not as long as it is tantalizing enough to draw substantial attention? Is THIS what news reporting has come to? Well, with News? 24/7 I suppose it has. They need to fill their slots & pages with something. Shame on US for accepting this kind of News? Reporting. Did you realize that the most read papers in this country are the Tabloids where Truth & Fiction are interchangeable? What does that say about the American Public? And is it too late to ever go back to just reporting , as Joe Gannon always said, " Just the Facts Mame"?
Monday, April 15, 2013
Who's Watching?
So, you're running a practice & things get heated. Your players aren't working very hard. Mistake after mistake is occuring. Everything they do is "flat" with no emotion or real attempt. Maybe you're getting 50% effort. So...you decide to liven things up. You usually yell but today, you throw a ball at a player to get their attention. Not hard & not somewhere on their bodies where they will be hurt. You get in a players face. You scream. You call them a name. An insensitive name. Practice intensity improves and effort rises.
Someone is filming practice. They share their film with the powers that be. Long story short. The film gets u-tubed out of context with no supporting facts. When viewed it is outrageous. There is a nationwide uproar. Why wasn't this coach fired? Eventually Public Opinion wins out or at least the opinion of those outraged by it, and the coach is fired. Later on the AD who had viewed the tape earlier & decided to fine & suspend the coach instead of firing, resigns under public pressure.
This type of conduct should not be tolerated. Coaches & anyone working with students should be expected to conduct themselves in a respectful manner. But, when you talk to players, most just say that the actions are motovational & not personal. That after practice, everyone leaves friends. Yet a man has lost his livelyhood & another is forced to resign because he didn't do enough. Heck, even the college president is be called out. All because a camera was at practice and the tape U-tubed nationwide.
Shouldn't the people involved be allowed to decide what should be done without all the public pressure ? Do we get a second chance? Do we get a chance to fix things? And if we lose our jobs anyway, don't we deserve a chance to move on? In today's world of high tech & the time it seems so many have to keep an eye on things, we aren't given that chance. The coach fired due to his poor conduct is still being hounded as he coaches his 12 year old daughter's AAU team this spring despite the fact that he has total support of players & parents.
The message here is simple........watch out. You never know who may be watching....& filming!!!!! If public opinion gets involved, forget any second chance.
Someone is filming practice. They share their film with the powers that be. Long story short. The film gets u-tubed out of context with no supporting facts. When viewed it is outrageous. There is a nationwide uproar. Why wasn't this coach fired? Eventually Public Opinion wins out or at least the opinion of those outraged by it, and the coach is fired. Later on the AD who had viewed the tape earlier & decided to fine & suspend the coach instead of firing, resigns under public pressure.
This type of conduct should not be tolerated. Coaches & anyone working with students should be expected to conduct themselves in a respectful manner. But, when you talk to players, most just say that the actions are motovational & not personal. That after practice, everyone leaves friends. Yet a man has lost his livelyhood & another is forced to resign because he didn't do enough. Heck, even the college president is be called out. All because a camera was at practice and the tape U-tubed nationwide.
Shouldn't the people involved be allowed to decide what should be done without all the public pressure ? Do we get a second chance? Do we get a chance to fix things? And if we lose our jobs anyway, don't we deserve a chance to move on? In today's world of high tech & the time it seems so many have to keep an eye on things, we aren't given that chance. The coach fired due to his poor conduct is still being hounded as he coaches his 12 year old daughter's AAU team this spring despite the fact that he has total support of players & parents.
The message here is simple........watch out. You never know who may be watching....& filming!!!!! If public opinion gets involved, forget any second chance.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
What's this world coming to?
Today I woke up a sunny sky & the first real look of Spring. I was so excited I cleaned house & went to the gym for the first time since last fall. I started out doing my 35 minutes on the elyptical. I brought my Book Club Book, "Look Again" to read & had the TV on in front of me on CNN 24/7 News.
What a world we live in. First I listened to a recount of the story on the former Rutger's Mens' Basketball Coach who was video taped physically & verbally abusing his players in practice. I watched it & was taken aback. I have coached basketball for over 30 years & had thousands of inspired practices. I would never think of using that tactic to motivate youths. I might yell. Heck I might throw a ball in frustration. But never at a player . He wasn't winning so I guess it wasn't working.
Then there was a story on the 28 year old president of North Korea & his hate of the United states. Apparently he has given his army permission to attack the United States with a nuclear warhead if they felt it necessary. Why would any country put that kind of power in the hands of a 28 year old, let alone one so unstable. It's scary to think what he might do & cause.
Next was a story on three murders in Texas & one in Colorado where law enforcement officials were killed in , what looks like, revenge for doing their job. There was a sheriff, two district attorneys, & a wife of one killed. Why would anyone want any of those jobs now?
Finally, they broke into the news cast to deliver "Breaking News". Their was an armed gunman walking around the University of Rhode Island putting the school in lockdown & cancelling all classes. Are any of our campusses or schools safe any more?
I used to watch sports to get away from all this but even the sports world is full of this lack of moral fiber. I have two grandchildren & I wonder just what kind of world we are bringing them in to? Lots of plusses with the advances n technology & medicine . But wow, also some serious Nut Cases out there. Oh well I'm sure my grandparents & parents thought the same thing at one time......& asked that same question....What's this world coming to?
What a world we live in. First I listened to a recount of the story on the former Rutger's Mens' Basketball Coach who was video taped physically & verbally abusing his players in practice. I watched it & was taken aback. I have coached basketball for over 30 years & had thousands of inspired practices. I would never think of using that tactic to motivate youths. I might yell. Heck I might throw a ball in frustration. But never at a player . He wasn't winning so I guess it wasn't working.
Then there was a story on the 28 year old president of North Korea & his hate of the United states. Apparently he has given his army permission to attack the United States with a nuclear warhead if they felt it necessary. Why would any country put that kind of power in the hands of a 28 year old, let alone one so unstable. It's scary to think what he might do & cause.
Next was a story on three murders in Texas & one in Colorado where law enforcement officials were killed in , what looks like, revenge for doing their job. There was a sheriff, two district attorneys, & a wife of one killed. Why would anyone want any of those jobs now?
Finally, they broke into the news cast to deliver "Breaking News". Their was an armed gunman walking around the University of Rhode Island putting the school in lockdown & cancelling all classes. Are any of our campusses or schools safe any more?
I used to watch sports to get away from all this but even the sports world is full of this lack of moral fiber. I have two grandchildren & I wonder just what kind of world we are bringing them in to? Lots of plusses with the advances n technology & medicine . But wow, also some serious Nut Cases out there. Oh well I'm sure my grandparents & parents thought the same thing at one time......& asked that same question....What's this world coming to?
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Yellow Journalism is Alive .........Unfortunately
Todays news seems to be full of half truths, no truths, and sensationalism, and it's delivered to us by unnamed sources, sources guaranteed their anonymity, and rags.
The latest is a reopening of the Steroid/PED wound in professional sports. The timing is always the best. This report coming out just after the Hall of Fame voters decided against allowing any player linked to their possible usage into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The much heralded & popular Yellow Rag known as the, Miami New Times , an alternative weekly has reported that they have gotten their hot little hands on proof that some professional baseball players including Alex Rodriguez purchased PED's & HGH's from a clinic in Miami that has been connected to the sales of such products.
Of course all involved have denied the allegations and no proof has been shared yet. But the "Media" in all its wisdom or lack of any, has decided to "Make " a Story & sell some papers. Don't they understand that there is always going to be someone out there willing to say anything to make a buck!!!!
I think the thing that bothers me the most is the lack of integrity by these rags and the lack of compassion. Maybe not in this case but so often, if you are a person of "interest" and you make a mistake. They give you no second chances. They jump on it , all to say they "Got" the story.
Yes, I'm not sure where this "story" will go. With 24/7 news, the millions of news sites, and the need to grab your attention,Yellow News sells? Maybe it's more a reflection on Society's Core Values!!!!
And with the events that have grabbed the headlines over the past few months, isn't that sad!
The latest is a reopening of the Steroid/PED wound in professional sports. The timing is always the best. This report coming out just after the Hall of Fame voters decided against allowing any player linked to their possible usage into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The much heralded & popular Yellow Rag known as the, Miami New Times , an alternative weekly has reported that they have gotten their hot little hands on proof that some professional baseball players including Alex Rodriguez purchased PED's & HGH's from a clinic in Miami that has been connected to the sales of such products.
Of course all involved have denied the allegations and no proof has been shared yet. But the "Media" in all its wisdom or lack of any, has decided to "Make " a Story & sell some papers. Don't they understand that there is always going to be someone out there willing to say anything to make a buck!!!!
I think the thing that bothers me the most is the lack of integrity by these rags and the lack of compassion. Maybe not in this case but so often, if you are a person of "interest" and you make a mistake. They give you no second chances. They jump on it , all to say they "Got" the story.
Yes, I'm not sure where this "story" will go. With 24/7 news, the millions of news sites, and the need to grab your attention,Yellow News sells? Maybe it's more a reflection on Society's Core Values!!!!
And with the events that have grabbed the headlines over the past few months, isn't that sad!
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
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