Problem in education

[edwardsfire]

"Family Unit" is a subjective term.

Your family unit can be as large or small as you make it.

Kids NEED a stable "family unit". Whether that be one parent, two parents, a grandparent, etc.

We've had this discussion before Edward.

Life happens.

You do with what you've got.

You seem to be very set in your ways. Rigidity leaves much to be desired and closes you off to learning about others and their lives. Open your eyes Edward. The world isn't as scary as you're making it.

Kids need both parents.

 

[Goofyluver]

Kids need both parents.

I can play this game.

Kids need a stable, loving home.

Your turn.

 

[daughtersrus]

I meant what I said sincerely, I am not trying to be sarcastic. From everything I have read and heard your school district does not seem to be the norm and that had me curious. .

I haven't posted anything about my school district so maybe you have me confused with someone else?

No, not a SpEd teacher, just a Mom with a family member who is a SpEd "manager" and a BFF who has a special needs child. .

What is a SpEd "manager"?

Why does your DD attend private at the districts expense? .

Because they were not able to provide her with an appropriate education within our district. They provide her transportation to/from the school as well as the tuition.

Last year my DD was in a public school with 20 kids in her class. Of those 20, 12 had issues of some sort. 3 had severe behavior problems, 2 were so developmentally delayed they couldn't keep up and I am unclear on what the rest of the issues were. I do know that my DD's teacher was frustrated to the point of seeking further education to get out of her profession. She said she wasn't able to teach anymore and it broke her heart. .

Sounds to me like someone was violating confidentiality laws.

Again I'm curious. When my DD's former public school failed to make the grade and I questioned the Principal (3 years in a row) as to why. Each and every time the response was the same.......Special Ed. Now, if SpEd kids are held to a lower standard or an individualized standard then why all the arguments with NCLB and why are the SpEd kids "blamed"? I have read this type of scenario over and over also. .

As I said before, I am not a fan of NCLB. I know that my DD does not take a test but is assessed by a portfolio that rates if she is meeting her IEP goals.

I

 

[daughtersrus]

What would happen if schools were run by CEO's and run like a business? I seem to remember reading of districts that had done this..

You mean like those companies that are asking for bailouts?

I also agree that the teachers union needs to go. ..

Why?

encourage our kids to excel and to succeed. .

Yes, and this should included children with disabilities even if it's not to the same level as the regular ed or gifted students.

 

[crashbb]

I can play this game.

Kids need a stable, loving home.

Your turn.

May I play too?

Kids without both parents can grow up just fine (I did).

Kids with both parents can grow up screwed up.

 

[portocall]

After thinking about this long and hard at school today, and talking with some of our older teachers, we came to an agreement... my flame suit is on, and this is in no way an attack on single parents at all, please don't take it as such.

I think that the evolution of needing ALL working parents in a household has a large play in it... about the time that the mothers started going back to work, (me included) and "feeling guilty" and "tired" has a lot to do with the problems in education. Why do I think that this may play a larger role than any one/two working parent household tend to like to think
1. My mother didn't work when I was very young. She was a presence in the school, as were many others, she attended every school night, parent-teacher conference, and what not. Generally available, not needing to worry about getting the time off, or being fired for missing work, or "too tired", or any of the multitude of excuses that I hear when trying to set up a meeting with a parent. Granted, there were some SaH moms who did better than others as far as involvement. My brother is 14 years younger than me, and mom did go back to work by then and it was night and day the difference in her involvement. I work at my children's school, I attend parent conferences, but only go to required evening events.
2. Anyone in the neighborhood was able to correct me, and called her to tell her what kind of trouble I was getting into... I wasn't a troublemaker, but if they even thought I might be heading in the wrong way, I got myself fussed at by them and again her... by the time my brother came, no one was able to tell us anything, no matter what we were doing. If they had a problem, they had to knock on the door, tell her, and most of the time all she did was say so and so said this, is it true (of course the answer was no) and it didn't go much further than that. This also included the school... which is too bad.
3. Children today seem to be more spoiled by things, and by that, don't seem to have as much appreciation for them. Cell phones are a dime a dozen. The only problem I have with them is that they tell you your child is "alive" but not where they are or what they are doing. After school, lots of kids are calling home saying they are heading home, when they are going in the opposite direction... even the honor students. Does that mean they are going to get into trouble, no, but it does mean they are lying and not thinking twice about it. They know when the parent is due home, call them at work to make sure they are there and going to stay there, go to a friends and come in just before the parent does. They have even shared directions for forwarding the home phone to the cell phone so if home is called, they can take the call.

Believe me, I know that I work because I need to just to survive. DH makes a decent salary, what in the 60-70's (when adjusted for inflation) would have been way more than adequate, but in today's world, aren't. Most single parents don't have a choice in the matter either. I have crunched numbers over and over but can't come up with a way to stay home yet.

This in no way excuses the fact that for too long, teachers who should have never been teachers have graced too many classrooms, generally in the worst schools. I even, and I shutter to say this, have a friend who went into teaching only because of summer vacation. No way I would let my kids into her classroom, but my kids go to public school and she sticks with the high priced private school where she can get away with her antics. My guess is if I was paying 12000 per year to send my kids to school, I would probally be even more vested in their education.

 

[wwwosie]

Parents need to make children accountable for their work. It drives me crazy when teachers accept projects or homework that is not neat and tidy according to the ability of the child doing it.
Parents need to take a more active role in their kids education, checking homework, reading to the little ones, whenever possible volunteering in the classroom.
Parents need to respect teachers - I have seen many occassions when parents have treated teachers/principals and adminstrators very rudely.
The kids need to be challenged according to their abilities, meaning that if a kiddo gets an 80% on a test but we know he could have gotten a better grade if he/she had just spent an extra 10 minutes studying/practicing, he/she needs to be told so.
Parents need to monitor their kids online behaviour. I was at school the other day and was dismayed at the amount of parents who didn't know their high schoolers cell phone/email address.
Kids need to learn to respect authority. If an adult tells them to do/not do something, they need to listen. Of course you balance this with courses in personal safety and boundaries.
Teachers nowadays have to spend too much time disciplining children and dealing with things that should be dealt with at home. I once had a 3 year old slap me (I was subbing in preschool), I looked at the mom and the mom just said "you handle it, you are the teacher".
And of course, we need to get rid of all those silly tests the kids take every spring...

 

[mamacatnv]

I haven't posted anything about my school district so maybe you have me confused with someone else?

No, you referenced your district right here and in the post earlier that prompted my question

Because they were not able to provide her with an appropriate education within our district. They provide her transportation to/from the school as well as the tuition.

Your district pays for your DD's private school education and provides the transportation. Wish my district would do that for my kid. They do it for my BFF's kid at least the transportation part.

What is a SpEd "manager"?

My Aunt retired after 35 years of teaching everything from K to 6th grade to art. She did some subbing and now "manages" several high school age SpEd kids. Sometimes that means she accompanies them to class and other times it means she stays on top of their work so they meet their goals.

Sounds to me like someone was violating confidentiality laws.

Nope, it wasn't hard to figure out when I volunteered in the classroom a couple of hours a week. When a 3rd grader cannot read or sit in a chair for 2 minutes or continually has temper tantrums and yells, screams and throws things it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out the kid has issues.

As I said before, I am not a fan of NCLB. I know that my DD does not take a test but is assessed by a portfolio that rates if she is meeting her IEP goals.

So why do you think if this is the standard that so many schools are using their SpEd population as their scapegoat? I hear it over and over and honestly I thought that was the way it was.

You mean like those companies that are asking for bailouts?

No, there are plenty of successful corporations in all sectors of our economy, why cannot our education system also be a successful corporation.

Why?

Because I think they circle the wagons and protect their own regardless of competency or ability.

Yes, and this should included children with disabilities even if it's not to the same level as the regular ed or gifted students.

The only kids I excluded in my post were the behavior problems. I think I said all kids to their abilities.......ummm, yep, that is what I said.

 

[edwardsfire]

I can play this game.

Kids need a stable, loving home.

Your turn.

There are social workers both liberal and conservative that will tell you that the number one downfall of the black youth in America is the lack of a Father.
Bill Cosby talks about this alot.
They NEED a Father.
It is not closed minded nor anything to have core values and beliefs.
When i say.."they" i mean ALL kids. No matter the race.
2 people bring them into this world, 2 should be raising them.
Loving home? you bet, but they NEED 2 parents. Loving parents.

 

[mamacatnv]

After thinking about this long and hard at school today, and talking with some of our older teachers, we came to an agreement... my flame suit is on, and this is in no way an attack on single parents at all, please don't take it as such.

I think that the evolution of needing ALL working parents in a household has a large play in it... about the time that the mothers started going back to work, (me included) and "feeling guilty" and "tired" has a lot to do with the problems in education. Why do I think that this may play a larger role than any one/two working parent household tend to like to think
1. My mother didn't work when I was very young. She was a presence in the school, as were many others, she attended every school night, parent-teacher conference, and what not. Generally available

2. Anyone in the neighborhood was able to correct me,

3. Children today seem to be more spoiled by things,

Believe me, I know that I work because I need to just to survive. DH makes a decent salary, what in the 60-70's (when adjusted for inflation) would have been way more than adequate, but in today's world, aren't. Most single parents don't have a choice in the matter either. I have crunched numbers over and over but can't come up with a way to stay home yet.

I agree 100% but I see this more as a societal issue rather than an education only issue.

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

I have to wonder if your son had not fully recovered from Guillain Barre Syndrome if your opinion may be different. Would you be fighting for him to get an education even if he wasn't able to write in cursive?

No, I would probably be homeschooling him like I did when our district failed to provide appropriate challenges when he was younger. LOW BLOW.

I've been to board meetings. I've volunteered. I've heard from the people that issue the IEP's what is going on. Yes in fact in our district these things are happening. And the expectations and requirements continue to slide lower and lower.

Obviously this is not the case everywhere.... but in our district it's sad but true. Fortunately we had the resources (time and money) and knowledge to take things in our own hands and make sure our children received a good education. Others are not so lucky.

 

[Val]

lots of things are missing, and lots of good things are in place.....what would I change? personal accountability. Personal accountability and more "I" statements from teachers, administrators, parents, students....everyone. It is not "anyone else's" fault- it is each one of our fault. If we took personal responsibility for our own actions, the entire system would be much better.

I DO have a special needs child- she is hearing impaired. She was in a private religious (Catholic) school. The teachers ridiculed her, the children wer allowed to ridicule her....she was not performing at grade level academically. She was miserable, and we were miserable. We complained to the private school and they responded with "we don't deal with 'different'....and that it was all our fault.

We pulled her and placed her in public school. The principal took responsibility, said he would ensure that she wasn't teased and that she got good teachers who would work with her, not against her. Her teachers took responsibility, learned about her disability, and made adaptations while ALSO ensuring that SHE took responsibility for her learning. My DH and I took responsibility for following up with recommendations, ensuring homework is done, etc. DD took responsibility and did her homework, studied hard, and participated in class...and DD is now a straight A student with strong self esteem. Why? Because people took responsibility for their actions, and made ure that she (and we) did too.

God Bless our local elementary school. We have had similar success with our public junior high and high school. We are lucky, as we have been fortunate to run into dedicated educators who DO take personal responsibility.

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

But when I advocate for my child I am seen as a terrible person because my child does not have documented physical or mental disabilities. And no matter how much I advocate there are NO programs to help my daughter, unless I go outside the school district and pay for it myself.

Exactly.

 

[Goofyluver]

There are social workers both liberal and conservative that will tell you that the number one downfall of the black youth in America is the lack of a Father.
Bill Cosby talks about this alot.
They NEED a Father.
It is not closed minded nor anything to have core values and beliefs.
When i say.."they" i mean ALL kids. No matter the race.
2 people bring them into this world, 2 should be raising them.
Loving home? you bet, but they NEED 2 parents. Loving parents.

Ideally, yes...of course every child would have 2 parents.

But, that's not the way it always happens.

And single parenthood, in many instances, is not the only variable at play.

So, to make blanket statements such as those made in this thread..."The biggest problem with our school system today is single parents"...a bit narrow-minded and unnecessarily inflammatory.

Children, in an ideal world, would be raised with 2 loving parents.

More than anything, children need a loving, stable home. Period.

 

[MM27]

-lack of parental involvement and support. I have parents that have that call block thing on their phones so that they don't have to hear from school. Kids have told me (they say it all ) that their parent doesn't care or doesn't want to hear about problems in school.

Parents that only show up at school when the kids are performing. My school has outstanding turnouts on concert nights and other performance type events. Back to school night, conferences, family workshops? You're lucky to get 5 or 6 per class show up. One year I presented at a math night we did and in a school of 600 kids, we had 5, yes 5, parents show up.

-teachers that should not be in the classroom. Nepotism is rampant in my district. Many "teachers" came in alternate route (majored in something else in college but either couldn't find a job in their field or decided after graduating that they wanted to teach). There is one girl in my school that sits at her computer ALL day and just gives the kids packets to work on to keep them quiet. She has an outside of school relationship with my principal. Some of us have actually complained about her and he turns it onto us and says that we need to be more "team players"

-Standardized testing/NCLB: It amazes me that people with no background in education come up with these idiotic programs and ideas that they think will be the solution to the problem.

Taking disruptive kids out of classrooms FOR GOODIf they don't want to be there, take them out.

Parents that think their child is always the victim Johnny doesn't know how to do the homework. That means the teacher didn't teach it. No, it could be that little Johnny was doing something else WHEN the teacher was teaching it.

Changing programs every other yearBesides being a total waste of money, 3+5 is 8 no matter what series you are using. Just let me teach!

I could go on and on.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

poor pay = poor quality teachers.

Kids falling thru the cracks.

 

[daughtersrus]

No, I would probably be homeschooling him like I did when our district failed to provide appropriate challenges when he was younger. LOW BLOW..

I'm sorry that you took the question as a low blow. It was not meant to be. But instead an honest question. You are lucky that you would have the resources and the ability to homeschool your child.

I've heard from the people that issue the IEP's what is going on. Yes in fact in our district these things are happening. And the expectations and requirements continue to slide lower and lower...

IEP's are determined by a team that not only includes the parents and the student but school staff as well. Unless you have been talking to parents, the school staff should not be discussing what goes on in another child's IEP meeting or what is in that child's IEP.

 

[Pikester]

I agree with so many points on here.

I hate the fact that my schools are funded by property taxes. In two months we will be voting for our school budget and as of right now 10 members of the school district staff are losing their jobs. This is being done so we can afford to pay for contracted teacher pay raises and all the other stuff needed to run the school. I feel so bad! This will mean bigger classroom sizes stuffed into small rooms. A few para educator positions will be cut so there goes help for those students who need the guidence during class. Those positions, in my opinion, are very valuable. They help students in need stay focused while allowing the teacher to concentrate on teaching the whole class. They are working as a team to educate our children.

 

[daughtersrus]

No, you referenced your district right here and in the post earlier that prompted my question.

Again, I think that you have me confused with someone else. Would you mind posting a copy of where I said that my district is great?

Your district pays for your DD's private school education and provides the transportation. Wish my district would do that for my kid. They do it for my BFF's kid at least the transportation part. .

They pay for the private education because they are unable to provide it for her within the district. They pay for the transportation because the school is more than 1 1/2 miles from home. They also pay for transportation for regular ed students that live more than 1 1/2 miles from school.

My Aunt retired after 35 years of teaching everything from K to 6th grade to art. She did some subbing and now "manages" several high school age SpEd kids. Sometimes that means she accompanies them to class and other times it means she stays on top of their work so they meet their goals. .

So she works for the school/district as a case manager?

So why do you think if this is the standard that so many schools are using their SpEd population as their scapegoat? I hear it over and over and honestly I thought that was the way it was. .

I can't speak for them but I can tell you that my disabled child is evaluated with a portfolio system. Again, I'm not a fan of NCLB and think that it's a waste of everyone's time.

No, there are plenty of successful corporations in all sectors of our economy, why cannot our education system also be a successful corporation. .

I think that they can and that many do.

Because I think they circle the wagons and protect their own regardless of competency or ability. .

You're probably right for a small percent but I don't think that it's fair to paint them all with the same brush.

The only kids I excluded in my post were the behavior problems. I think I said all kids to their abilities.......ummm, yep, that is what I said.

For some, to their ability may be learning to hold a spoon and for others it could mean learning chemistry.

 

[chrisw127]

Kids need both parents.

So, you're pro-choice if the woman is single.

Interesting theory.