Another school program I don't know how I feel about.

[Justanopinion]

Copied from our weekly newsletter...

Again...I don't know what I think yet. It seems to me that if your child doesn't behave or isn't as smart they get rewarded with this but if your child is smart and has no issues they get left out. Give me your opinions.



For the 2009-2010 school year, **** ISD will operate an after school program for some of its students. "The Edge - Breaking Limitations" will be directed by *** Principal Chris ****. "I love this community. I want to do all I can to help more kids succeed in school and in life. I am excited about The Edge and directing the program," said ****. There will be three hundred slots available for students in the after school program. The program will serve pre-qualified students in kindergarten through high school. The Edge will be free to students and will take place on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons during the ****ISD calendar year. Transportation will be made available.

Two site-coordinators have been named. The Edge is honored to announce that Lisa **** (4th grade teacher) has been named Elementary Site Coordinator and Juan ***(*** Asst. Principal) has been named Secondary Site Coordinator. ***, ****and **** have begun developing standards, enrollment criteria and curriculum for The Edge - Breaking Limitations.

The mission of The Edge after school program is to encourage the students of **** I.S.D. through strong relationships with families, schools, and community members together providing social, academic and cultural learning opportunities that build upon individual strengths and interests necessary for lifelong success.

Goals of the program are:

Provide a safe environment in the afternoons, three days a week.
Promote high expectations for all participants.
Foster positive relationships with adults, peers and community members.
Provide an array of activities that will stimulate the students' curiosity and imagination.
Provide opportunities to learn responsibility through activities that require teamwork and leadership.
Demonstrate appropriate social behavior through positive role modeling and constructive group games and activities.
The Edge will be FUN!
Criteria to qualify to be in The Edge include:

The student has been retained in their school career.
The student failed two or more core classes in the previous school year.
The student has attendance issues that have significant impact on the student's success.
The student has behavior problems and referral issues.
Decisions are made by the site coordinators and the program director. Final decisions are made by the program director and may not be appealed.
What can a student expect out of being in The Edge? "We have Karate set-up for secondary campuses, unique fine arts programs are being created and many other learning opportunities. We are exploring the possibility of offering cooking classes, scrap booking, guitar lessons, educational game days, intramural sports, cheer, dance and more. There will be an instructional component to the program, but this program is meant to be a safe haven and fun time for all students as well.

Would you like to help our youth? Volunteers Needed for the Edge...

Staff members and volunteers are being solicited to help be a part of this great new program. If you have an interesting talent or if you are interested in volunteering, please email Chris **** at *****.net or call him at ***** "We will need to offer approximately seven different programs per day at each of the two sites. We will be in great need of volunteers who are good role models and who want to help make a difference in our kid's lives."

Do you have board games, guitars, containers that are in good shape? The Edge will need many item donations to help ensure success...


The Edge will need game boards for all ages (Sorry, Monopoly, Taboo, Chess, Checkers, Trivia Pursuit, etc.), plastic containers with lids of all sizes, art & craft supplies, sporting equipment including footballs and basketballs, guitars and drum sets, Wi gaming system, PlayStation gaming systems, cooking supplies, real kitchen equipment, play kitchen and equipment, Lego's, erector sets, playing cards, dominos, flash cards, music & math cds, school supplies, etc. If you have other items that you think might be worthy of donating, please contact ******

 

[happygirl]

Maybe I don't understand correctly it sounds like it a program for at risk students those kids who are failing in school. If that is the case I'm alll for helping kids that are failing

 

[ericamanda01]

I agree. It sounds like an after school tutoring program. I don't see why kids who are doing well in school would need it.

 

[Lanshark]

It's not unusual to have programs that target at risk students. As a community you're better off trying to help them while in school.

 

[dejr_8]

I believe this is an perfect example of why the schools are failing. They are trying to too much. Focus on the three Rs. Focus on education. Leave the "Village" to another group.

 

[ChrizJen]

I agree with others. These programs are designed as an intervention for students who may not otherwise make it to graduation. If your student is a successful one, then good for you! You should be proud of your job as a parent and your child's job as a student.

We had several programs like that when I was in school, and I never felt left out when I didn't participate. I look at it this way: As a reward for my good grades, I was able to participate in sports and theater. That was my reward. These things were not available to the students who were behind academically or who had poor grades. And you never know why a student may be behind. It's not always a matter of being lazy or unmotivated. You just never know what a child's home life may be like, or what learning disabilities he/she may have.

I'd say it's better to celebrate your child's success in school than worry about what other kids are getting that your child isn't.

 

[SeaSpray]

I'll tell you how *I'd* feel about it: First of all I'd feel thankful that my kids WOULDN'T need to take advantage of a program like that; and secondly I'd be very happy that this program was being put into place to help the kids who DO need it.

My younger DS is graduating high school this Friday, so my tax dollars will no longer be serving my own children; however, I'm more than thrilled that my tax dollars will continue on to help the younger children who are still going through school, and I'll never endorse a program that would cut school funding. We've been extremely fortunate to live in a town that has never had to make cut-backs on any level.

Just my own personal opinion.

 

[luvmy2sams]

Sounds like a good program to me.

I believe this is an perfect example of why the schools are failing. They are trying to too much. Focus on the three Rs. Focus on education. Leave the "Village" to another group.

In many cases the schools are forced to do too much. It's impossible to completely focus on the three Rs when Johnnie and Susie can't behave and don't have the skills necessary to succeed in the classroom and in life. Unfortunately "another group" doesn't exist for many students. The school environment is their only hope.

 

[mamacatnv]

OP - I understand exactly where you are coming from.
While I agree that at risk kids need intervention, it is once again irritating that the kids who do things right and the parents who do things right have no programs to boost them up or to help them get ahead and if they do they are rarely 3 days a week and almost never FREE.

Its all about the losers in society and the good kids are left to their own devices.

 

[okeydokey]

My kids' school gives extra help after school to kids who need it too. I think it's great,

 

[clarabelle]

Look at it this way -helping them now when they are children may prevent you(as a member of society) from helping them later with other more serious issues (welfare, crime etc...)

 

[Abbie]

Its all about the losers in society and the good kids are left to their own devices.

Gosh that's kind of harsh isn't it? My DD teaches at a middle school that is in a depressed pocket of our fairly wealthy county. She loves it but some of the stories she brings home are heart-wrenching. My guess is this program is targeted towards those kids who have a less-than-ideal home life so they can be exposed to some things that other kids already have experienced. And maybe head them off before they become older and hardened and then they really are just problems to society.

 

[DizBelle]

My kids' school gives extra help after school to kids who need it too. I think it's great,

Playing "Sorry" or "Trouble" does not qualify as "extra help" with multiplcation tables now does it?

It certainly sounds like the kids that didn't buckle down and do their work during the school year are getting an after school program (for FREE) where they get to play games, sports, and do arts and crafts.

 

[kitsch4]

I believe this is an perfect example of why the schools are failing. They are trying to too much. Focus on the three Rs. Focus on education. Leave the "Village" to another group.

For a lot of children, school is all they have. They may not have another "Village" that could be a positive influence for them. That could be why they are behind. I'd be thankful that my child does not need this program and that it's there for children who do.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Sounds like a good program to me.



In many cases the schools are forced to do too much. It's impossible to completely focus on the three Rs when Johnnie and Susie can't behave and don't have the skills necessary to succeed in the classroom and in life. Unfortunately "another group" doesn't exist for many students. The school environment is their only hope.

Very true. We are now expected to serve as counselors, personal trainers, parents, etc. etc. My state is trying to pass a law that would make 90 minutes of activity in school every day required for certain grades. That means on days with no PE you're looking at 90 minutes of recess. Why? They determined that to help fight the childhood obesity crisis that kids need 90 minutes of exercise a day, but we can't count on parents to do it, so now it is the schools' job. That is just one example of how more and more we are expected to do everything for the kids because so often parents are not. So now we have 90 minutes of recess, 90 minutes of uninterrupted
reading instruction (which is developmentally inappropriate), and of course math. Is it any wonder so many schools are getting rid of science, social studies, and other specials?

And the sad thing is, in many schools you have large groups of parents who are not being responsible. In my class I taught last semester I had one student who I knew I could never send home anything because it would not come back. That meant if it didn't get done in my classroom it never got done.

OP - I understand exactly where you are coming from.
While I agree that at risk kids need intervention, it is once again irritating that the kids who do things right and the parents who do things right have no programs to boost them up or to help them get ahead and if they do they are rarely 3 days a week and almost never FREE.

Its all about the losers in society and the good kids are left to their own devices.

I understand your frustration. I was a gifted student and there were certainly times that I felt we got the short end of the stick (In fact, I skipped high school because of it). But as others have pointed out, students who are doing well academically have the opportunity to participate in a variety of extracurriculars that students in these after school programs do not have the opportunity to do. I can remember most afternoons staying after for one activity or another, and not once were we charged for these. It was a wonderful opportunity to explore my interests.

But the fact of the matter is, these kids are not receiving the help they need at home. As long as NCLB is still out there, we are judged on their performance. It doesn't matter if they have dyslexia or are spending all of their time watching younger siblings because their parents work nights or if they do not know from one day to the next where they will be sleeping (and yes, these are examples from students I have taught). It does not matter if they have serious behaviors that interfere with their learning. We are still expected to keep them on grade level. We are getting to the point where literally one student can put a school into improvement status. That is what happened at the school I just finished. Improvement Status takes time away from teaching. I subbed multiple times for my mentor teacher while she went to meeting after meeting- she was lucky to have a student teacher to sub so that there was no interference with learning. The other teachers were not so lucky.

After two years, your funding is drastically cut. So what do you propose schools do with students who are failing? If we look the other way we lose our funding and we can't depend on parents to do it for us unfortunately. We are being held accountable for things beyond our control.

Even without NCLB, wouldn't you rather these kids get the help they need to stay in school than have your tax dollars going to supporting them in the juvenile justice system or their welfare checks when they drop out? Many people truly do not understand the impact of generational poverty. I certainly didn't until I saw it first hand.

 

[kitsch4]

Playing "Sorry" or "Trouble" does not qualify as "extra help" with multiplcation tables now does it?

No, but it would give some children a safe haven and positive attention that they may not get at home. It would also give them a reason to look forward to going to school.

 

[Mom2Nick]

OP - I understand exactly where you are coming from.
While I agree that at risk kids need intervention, it is once again irritating that the kids who do things right and the parents who do things right have no programs to boost them up or to help them get ahead and if they do they are rarely 3 days a week and almost never FREE.

Its all about the losers in society and the good kids are left to their own devices.

LOSERS in society? We're talking about CHILDREN here.

My child does everything right - unfortunately he is a Child with Special Needs that needs all the help he can get. Sad to think that he would be perceived as a loser in society because he is UNABLE to get things as easily as your "good kid" might.

 

[Gammaresource]

Very true. We are now expected to serve as counselors, personal trainers, parents, etc. etc. My state is trying to pass a law that would make 90 minutes of activity in school every day required for certain grades. That means on days with no PE you're looking at 90 minutes of recess. Why? They determined that to help fight the childhood obesity crisis that kids need 90 minutes of exercise a day, but we can't count on parents to do it, so now it is the schools' job. That is just one example of how more and more we are expected to do everything for the kids because so often parents are not. So now we have 90 minutes of recess, 90 minutes of uninterrupted
reading instruction (which is developmentally inappropriate), and of course math. Is it any wonder so many schools are getting rid of science, social studies, and other specials?

That is 4 1/2 hours for 3 very important things. You have the kids for approximately 7 hours. 1/2 hour for lunch and you still have two left for science, history and a special. Piece of cake. I suspect the children will be abundantly better off to have that time to be physically active during the day. It should be interesting how it affects attention span, etc. You should be grateful for this rather than complaining about it.

 

[Mom2Nick]

Playing "Sorry" or "Trouble" does not qualify as "extra help" with multiplcation tables now does it?

It certainly sounds like the kids that didn't buckle down and do their work during the school year are getting an after school program (for FREE) where they get to play games, sports, and do arts and crafts.

Education comes from more then just multiplication and reading. Some of these kids - children with Special Needs, children with learning issues, children that come from less then stellar homes - sometimes just need a more positive experience.

If you do not have a positive opinion of yourself then no matter what you do - you never feel good about who you are and what you are learning. These are kids we are talking about here that are disadvantaged in some way.

For my child his entire school day just tells him that he is not good enough no matter how hard he tries. We have an after school program (that happens to be open to anybody) and what they do there has helped his self esteem a great deal.


People should be greatful that their child does not qualify and thankful that there are programs in place to help children feel better about themselves and education.

 

[Gammaresource]

OP - I understand exactly where you are coming from.
While I agree that at risk kids need intervention, it is once again irritating that the kids who do things right and the parents who do things right have no programs to boost them up or to help them get ahead and if they do they are rarely 3 days a week and almost never FREE.

Its all about the losers in society and the good kids are left to their own devices.

OMGosh. I can't believe a parent would say such a thing. Most of those "losers" are high risk for reasons beyond their control.