Schools to Reduce Reading Coaches

[GoodWitch58]

I just read in the WZEP News Summary that at the School Board meeting, the recommendation was to reduce the reading coaches, but not any athletic cuts...

reduce the number of reading coaches from 6 to 2 and reduce the amount of summer pay by 30%...

Board member Bill Laird said they can?t cut the summer athletics positions without hearing from the public.

Interesting priorities..wonder if any member of the public will be concerned enough about reducing the reading coaches to contact Mr. Laird.

 

[Jdarg]

Ugh. But nothing surprises me anymore.

I have told this story numerous times, but I will never forget it, and it seems appropriate to go with this latest news.

When we went to freshman orientation at SWHS (2007), we were looking forward to hearing about academics, and a small presentation of sports and extra-curricular. Instead, we got about 5-10 minutes of an academics presentation ( and it was not a spectacular or motivating presentation), then Coach Barron took the stage and discussed the football program for over 20 minutes. I almost walked out. It was a slap in the face to the good teachers at SWHS who are really trying to create a learning atmosphere. Cutting reading coaches is another slap in the face.

 

[GoodWitch58]

Ugh. But nothing surprises me anymore.

I have told this story numerous times, but I will never forget it, and it seems appropriate to go with this latest news.

When we went to freshman orientation at SWHS (2007), we were looking forward to hearing about academics, and a small presentation of sports and extra-curricular. Instead, we got about 5-10 minutes of an academics presentation ( and it was not a spectacular or motivating presentation), then Coach Barron took the stage and discussed the football program for over 20 minutes. I almost walked out. It was a slap in the face to the good teachers at SWHS who are really trying to create a learning atmosphere. Cutting reading coaches is another slap in the face.

It is so depressing...our priorities are so backwards. I believe sports are important, but not at the expense of reading.

I see college students everyday who are struggling with everything in their lives...all because they do not know how to read well; think well; study well; organize well; manage time well...they have no background in the classic literature, so they can not make the connections necessary for understanding many of the assignments in history, or literature, or even news stories. Their vocabulary lacks depth...how many of them manage to graduate high school is beyond me.

The adults in charge of education priorities (and too many parents who don't speak up) do a great disservice to these students and to our society in general IMO.

 

[Jdarg]

It is so depressing...our priorities are so backwards. I believe sports are important, but not at the expense of reading.

I see college students everyday who are struggling with everything in their lives...all because they do not know how to read well; think well; study well; organize well; manage time well...they have no background in the classic literature, so they can not make the connections necessary for understanding many of the assignments in history, or literature, or even news stories. Their vocabulary lacks depth...how many of them manage to graduate high school is beyond me.

The adults in charge of education priorities (and too many parents who don't speak up) do a great disservice to these students and to our society in general IMO.

This is a huge part of the problem around here. Plenty are willing to gripe and remain dissatisfied, but few are willing to speak up. Another parent and I met with Mrs. Anderson earlier this year, and when she told us that we were the only parents that came to her with concerns about the learning environment at SWHS, I wanted to cry. I have heard so many parents complain.

 

[Andy A]

This is a huge part of the problem around here. Plenty are willing to gripe and remain dissatisfied, but few are willing to speak up. Another parent and I met with Mrs. Anderson earlier this year, and when she told us that we were the only parents that came to her with concerns about the learning environment at SWHS, I wanted to cry. I have heard so many parents complain.

I am sure that told you something right off the bat. Many parents evidently do not care enough to complain or are incapable of presenting a case for improvement, much the same as Goodwitch58 stated about many of the students she is receiving.
If this is indeed the case, the school administrators and teachers have little they can do about the situation. It seems somewhere it has been lost on many parents that they bear a great responsibility for the education of their children. The school system is only an infintesimal part. It is too bad but I do think knocking the athletic program is the wrong way to go. My kids are all raised and I must now leave to pick one of them up at VPS. Also, I note with interest only two people have been involved in this discussion. That, in itself, is telling.

 

[Yzarctoo]

Parents should be willing to pay a little to have their students play sports...Education in Schools should be for learning...math, reading, science, history etc. As a former teacher I have seen an annual school athletic budget 3 or 4 times larger than that for an academic budget...one of the reasons I have been given from my superiors..."sports bring in money." (I always thought if they bring in the money why do they need to pull from the limited school budget that most School Boards give to schools...why not let them pay for themselves.)

 

[lms47]

Many parents, for whatever reasons, do not feel they can change a school with their input. As a former teacher, I really wish parents were more educated as to the positive effect they can have by participating in discussions about the curriculum and instruction in the schools. As a teacher, I always welcomed parental involvement and constantly wished for parents to step forward to take a more active role in their child's education.

 

[ShallowsNole]

I just read in the WZEP News Summary that at the School Board meeting, the recommendation was to reduce the reading coaches, but not any athletic cuts...



Interesting priorities..wonder if any member of the public will be concerned enough about reducing the reading coaches to contact Mr. Laird.

Unfortunately, Bill is correct. And news of cuts in athletics travels like wildfire, while news about cuts for reading coaches rarely goes beyond those who use the reading coaches, unless it is picked up by WZEP or other members of the local media.

 

[GoodWitch58]

Many parents, for whatever reasons, do not feel they can change a school with their input. As a former teacher, I really wish parents were more educated as to the positive effect they can have by participating in discussions about the curriculum and instruction in the schools. As a teacher, I always welcomed parental involvement and constantly wished for parents to step forward to take a more active role in their child's education.

Do you happen to know why this county does not have a Parent Involvement Program? I went online looking for some info; and discovered there is quite a robust program available--but the only District in Florida that seemed to be actively involved in such a program was Flagler....seems strange to me that schools would not participate.

Why do you think the parents think they can not make a difference? I once lead a 300 member parent group to save a school program; and we not only saved the program, but we got rid of the superintendent too...we did not start out with that as our intent, but once we got started, all kinds of things came to light and many parents became active.

I don't understand why people in Walton County feel as though their voice doesn't count...the children deserve better IMO.

Sports are nice, but why can't the parents whose children play sports contribute something toward a sports program? The tee ball program here is paid for by the parents --at least a portion of it. For that matter, why not split the revenue between the reading coaches and the sports programs, and let the parents make up the difference.

Did anyone ask the parents if they were okay with eliminating 4 of the reading coaches, in order to completely fund the athletics? What about the students, did they have a say?

Reading should have more priority than sports IMO But, then maybe it's okay to have athletes who are unable to read?

 

[GoodWitch58]

Unfortunately, Bill is correct. And news of cuts in athletics travels like wildfire, while news about cuts for reading coaches rarely goes beyond those who use the reading coaches, unless it is picked up by WZEP or other members of the local media.

and this is okay with the parents of the students who need reading coaches?