Scrap school boards? this is an interesting article about education reform

[wrobert]

Concerning election/candidate info:

What do you guys think the chances are of being able to organize a local chapter of the League of Women Voters? I know that in places I have lived/voted before, they are the ones who work to get non-partisan information in front of the voters.

I think there is a chapter in Okaloosa County. You may start there for information. I think it would be a great idea. What few organizations that try to educate voters now have their own agendas. It would be nice to see a true non-partisan organization come forward that just wants to put out information without an agenda.

 

[Here4Good]

I think there is a chapter in Okaloosa County. You may start there for information. I think it would be a great idea. What few organizations that try to educate voters now have their own agendas. It would be nice to see a true non-partisan organization come forward that just wants to put out information without an agenda.

I checked, the closest chapter is the Pensacola Bay area.

Maybe Walton/Okaloosa could get together to support a chapter.

I'd challenge Punzy to organize it, but it would break her heart to not be able to work for Obama's campaign!

 

[Smiling JOe]

SJ, I can't say what the percentage is, but most public schools do have ways of teaching "above the dumbest kids." Our school has a gifted program that provides enrichment activities for even the younger kids. And, like scooter says, the middle school kids are "tracked" in their classes to meet the needs of both the average and above average students. There are also lots of teachers out there who are willing to provide extra or higher-level work when parents request it.

What I am really trying to say is that while I think that everyone should be given an equal opportunity to learn, I don't think that each child will learn equally. Saying that all schools should be the same doesn't fit nicely into the way that people use the given tools.

 

[peapod1980]

What I am really trying to say is that while I think that everyone should be given an equal opportunity to learn, I don't think that each child will learn equally. Saying that all schools should be the same doesn't fit nicely into the way that people use the given tools.

I'm lost--was that said somewhere in this thread? I'm not being a smart aleck, I'm sincerely asking, because I don't remember reading it.

 

[Jdarg]

I'm lost--was that said somewhere in this thread? I'm not being a smart aleck, I'm sincerely asking, because I don't remember reading it.

Pea, I think there is sometimes a misunderstanding of what public schools truly have to offer as far as different programs for different kids, and all within the same school. A public school system has the money and resources to provide options for lots of different learners. The key is identifying the kids that need different programs, especially if the parents aren't participating.

 

[rapunzel]

I'm lost--was that said somewhere in this thread? I'm not being a smart aleck, I'm sincerely asking, because I don't remember reading it.

I may have said it. What I meant is that every child should have the same set of options available to them. The education should be flexible enough to help each child make the most of their god-given abilities, whatever they might be. Sometimes, very intelligent children are born to very dumb or lazy or ill or addicted people. Sometimes, they are born to children. They need boot straps they can use to pull themselves up.

If you give ten people the same set of tools and materials and say, build a treehouse, you're going to get ten different treehouses -- some great, some not so great. If you give two people a deluxe set of tools and materials, and 8 people some scrap lumber, nails, and a hammer, you may get two decent treehouses, but you may have given the budding architectural genius the scraps and lost out on the most fabulous treehouse imaginable. The kid loses, but so does the community.

I love the League of Women Voters idea. I'm up for it.

 

[Jdarg]

I may have said it. What I meant is that every child should have the same set of options available to them. The education should be flexible enough to help each child make the most of their god-given abilities, whatever they might be. Sometimes, very intelligent children are born to very dumb or lazy or ill or addicted people. Sometimes, they are born to children. They need boot straps they can use to pull themselves up.

If you give ten people the same set of tools and materials and say, build a treehouse, you're going to get ten different treehouses -- some great, some not so great. If you give two people a deluxe set of tools and materials, and 8 people some scrap lumber, nails, and a hammer, you may get two decent treehouses, but you may have given the budding architectural genius the scraps and lost out on the most fabulous treehouse imaginable. The kid loses, but so does the community.

I love the League of Women Voters idea. I'm up for it.

It took me a while to understand this (OK- most of Will's elementary school yearsl) before it suddenly hit me like a brick. Strong schools, strong communities, and strong children are all interwoven. Yes, of course I want my kids in great schools, and making the schools great for all kids is the icing on top for MY kids. It's a win-win, both on a personal level AND a community level.

Now, I understand that our schools here are a bit unique- our area is small, and only recently did we have enough students to even have more than a couple of schools. We don't have crime issues. Therefore, instead of taking on a huge urban school system, we just need to start participating in our little system. It's not broken- it is growing and changing, and will grow and change successfully depending on parental and community involvement. There is nothing to bring us down here- we can only improve, and improve on schools that are good to begin with!!

 

[Teresa]

What I am really trying to say is that while I think that everyone should be given an equal opportunity to learn, I don't think that each child will learn equally. Saying that all schools should be the same doesn't fit nicely into the way that people use the given tools.

SJ - I hear you and agree 100%. it is not really right to think that all children will flourish in public education, and not all children will flourish in alternative education. but that does not mean that public education resources should be directed away from public education!!! not at all! if only public education offered more than one kind of program - that program just doesn't fit all. not by far.

if a family chooses public ed - wonderful. if a family chooses an alternative route - great. there are many reasons for these choices, and hopefully the child and his well being is the number one consideration.

pea - catholic schools have been around for ages and ages - as you know. I've only heard the best things about them from those who attended and then went on to breeze through college. daddy-o, non-catholic, being one. my parents could not afford to send 4 children to catholic school so we all went to public school, and with pretty good/not great experiences. my mom went to catholic school during the strict nun days - she can't say enough about her outstanding school experiences, even with those mean old sisters!(my mom shoulda been one). my catholic school friends tell me that their school offered not only superior education, but also superior drugs... true story. so, I realize that no place is ideal.

having a choice in educational environments and philosophies is very important for children and families, imo. what we've learned and experienced in montessori as a family is invaluable to our lives in general. we're very blessed and thankful to know it and bring it into our family life. some teachers use montessori techniques in their public school classes. but overall, montessori is mostly offered in private schools (some charter and public schools are montessori-based however). I feel maria montessori would not approve of her life-long work developing phil/curriculum - being offered to the families who can afford it, rather than offering it to all families who embrace such education. her work was with poor children in rome, many of the children considered "uneducable" - and she was very successful in teaching these children to develop their own skills set by their own pace. not only did these children score above average.. each was individually allowed to flourish in the ways he/she was meant to. and she went on to develop her work over many, many years. she was also italy's first woman physician, championed women's rights, and wrote and lectured about her established training programs, and the guiding principle of "education for peace". a woman ahead of her time if there ever was one, imo.


no child left behind... I am very curious about what teachers think of this policy.

the only thing I've heard about our public schools that is a negative is that sometimes children who are need of certain special support services have a hard time getting those services. A child development friend of mine is often hired by parents to help get through all the hoops it takes to have the proper evaluatons, identify the services needed, and have them implemented. this takes a lot of time (the entire school year in some cases) for some young children who need services immediately. it seems our public system is designed to serve children who fall in the middle. those children needing support, or who fall below or well above average intelligent or learning levels may not be getting what they need. although there are very few truly gifted children (though most families don't understand this since all their children are "gifted" - a truly overused term in education and society) - I am hopeful that really bright children are offered advanced and alternative coursework/study - surely!

at least public schools offer support services for many different kinds of children - a real plus! many private schools do not. however, some private schools offer extraordinary support via professionals from our community for students in many ways - such as at our school.

 

[scooterbug44]

I think everyone should have to be educated by the public school system. There is absolutely no reason why there cannot be variety and all of the available services for every need.

We all already pay for the public school system and as long as people can "opt out" and send their kids somewhere else it will not be a priority to provide a decent education for everyone.

 

[Mango]

the only thing I've heard about our public schools that is a negative is that the children who are need of certain special services have a hard time getting those services. A child development friend of mine is often hired by parents to help get through all the hoops it takes to have the proper evaluatons, identify the services needed, and have them implemented. this takes a lot of time (the entire school year in some cases) for some young children who need services immediately. it seems our public system is designed to serve children who fall in the middle. those children needing support, or who fall below or well above average intelligent or learning levels may not be getting what they need. although there are very few truly gifted children (though most families don't understand this since all their children are "gifted" - a truly overused label).

This is a huge issue, especially for children on the spectrum because the sooner a child gets the services they need like speech and socialization skills, they will require less services later. This is one of the reasons I like Obama's 0-5 program and he realizes the support services needed by parents of children with autism. (he uses the word autism, but some use Spectrum now) It shouldn't take a year for a child at 2+ to be evaluated or a parent to fight for what they think is best for their child. This is a nationwide problem, not limited to Sowal. Parents shouldn't have to leave their jobs to fill out mountains of paperwork and pay for evaluations with child psychologists.


Zero to Five Plan: Obama's comprehensive "Zero to Five" plan will provide critical support to young children and their parents. Unlike other early childhood education plans, Obama's plan places key emphasis at early care and education for infants, which is essential for children to be ready to enter kindergarten. Obama will create Early Learning Challenge Grants to promote state "zero to five" efforts and help states move toward voluntary, universal pre-school.

Then I've seen the advanced students suffer as well with boredom, even some enrichment programs are not enough to keep some kids stimulated and skipping grades isn't always the solution.