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| Post Number: 1061
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| Post Number: 1062
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| Post Number: 1063
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| Post Number: 1064
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bianca 
Group: Members
Posts: 1882
Joined: Dec. 2006
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Posted on: Nov. 09 2007,6:40 am |
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QUOTE So what your saying Bianca is ... and I want to get this right, so correct me if I am wrong... What you are say is that you don't have any ideas as to what that individual could have done to get a 17 year old student, who has the ability to think for him/herself, to take a 4 hour test seriously when the test has no bearing on his/her life?
Is that REALLY all you got out of that post? 
Our students really ARE in trouble. Why don't we all just keep throwing our arms up in the air and say" Well..........it doesn't seem to matter."
Do you honestly believe the only reason citizens in this town voted no was because of increasing taxes? There is an absolutely undeniable roadblock to communication here.
LEARN and the citizens who voted no are not on a "witch hunt" so to speak, you need to try to understand that first.
We were not trying to take teachers jobs and incomes away so they would have to move, we weren't stating educational and political FACTS in order to go against this community that we CHOOSE to live in.
Our campaign was run on expecting responsibility and accountability. You can't possibly think that this whole system is peachy-keen and that "everything will just be fine" now that the vote was Yes Yes, can you?
We all need to stop placing the blame on everyone and everything else and actually stop and look at this picture.
Someone mentioned quite awhile back about students now having a choice of whether they take Algebra or not, what happened there? Why is this not a core subject, which they HAVE to take before graduating? Colleges expect you to have Algebra even to get an AA degree? This shouldn't be a choice, it sure wasn't when we were in school. We had to have Algebra and Geometry BEFORE we graduated. No wonder they struggle with state tests on Math, are they just supposed to learn this through some form of osmosis?
Another thing that I've mentioned before is the thinking from the teachers that correct answers don't matter as long as you show your work What? .....and then you can't figure out where the problem lies here? It is easier to say, "It should be their choice and if they don't want to learn, we shouldn't have to make them."
Here's the deal. It's YOUR job to find a way to get these kids taught even if it becomes frustrating at times with thinking not everyone is listening or paying attention. So why should you waste your time? Because that is YOUR job that you CHOSE and that we are PAYING you for.
Believe me working in the medical field, patients are non-compliant all the time and then family members wonder and want to place blame because their loved ones seem to be getting worse, I do understand this but we can't keep throwing our arms up in the air and go "well..... I tried." Effort, where's the effort? Where's the satisfaction in quitting on these people?
To me it's like a person going to a doctor and saying "there's something wrong with me, but I don't know what it is." The doctor runs a blood test, throws his arms up in the air and says "you're fine there's a few discrepancies but you'll be ok, tests really don't matter anyways. Just make sure you pay on your way out for my time."...........Three months later he sees the obituary. "Tests really don't matter that much." 
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I believe in the patriotism and energy and initiative of the average man. Woodrow Wilson
Early in life, I had to choose between honest arrogance and hypocritical humility. — Frank Lloyd Wright (1868-1959)
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| Post Number: 1065
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busybee
Group: Members
Posts: 2510
Joined: May 2004
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Posted on: Nov. 09 2007,7:36 am |
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QUOTE I don't even know where to begin, so I will just say this. I responded to another persons thought that I took as: schools may be failing because some kids don't have positive home lives to go to, and the school district needs to do more. That may or may not have been the intended message, but that is how I read it. therefore my point is (and was) I DO NOT EXPECT, NOR WANT TEACHERS TO PARENT ANY CHILD BU THEIR OWN!
I still dispute your assertion that parents are expecting teachers to be parents.
I can not argue that some parents don't take the time with their children, or that the home environment can affect the learning process and the attitudes of children towards education.
I disagree that this is an acceptable excuse when children are in the "control" of the public school learning environment.
The responsibility of an educator is not to judge students or make assumptions about a child's academic achievement level and attitude about learning.
The responsibility of educators is to attempt to reach every student possible by offering a learning environment that will develop student desires to apply their abilities and to value education.
QUOTE If you were an educator I am guessing you taught Art. You have a great ability to get CREATIVE with my thoughts.
Nope, not art.
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| Post Number: 1066
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| Post Number: 1067
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busybee
Group: Members
Posts: 2510
Joined: May 2004
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Posted on: Nov. 09 2007,9:27 am |
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Bianca, the following are the two most powerful sentences in your post.
QUOTE We all need to stop placing the blame on everyone and everything else and actually stop and look at this picture.
QUOTE Our students really ARE in trouble.
You know I agree and view those two sentences as facts that we can no longer ignore.
Now that the referendum has passed, there can only be requests for accountability and recognition of those facts beyond this point.
As everyone has LEARNed from the group LEARN it is difficult to get many to focus on specifics and what could be done to improve, rather than viewing the group or ideas as a threat to what's always been done.
I know where I believe the money should go towards making improvements. Dr. Prescott himself said it's a good thing for the District to be in a position to have extra funds they can put to use.
I was already a little disgruntled when I saw on the district web-site that smaller class sizes, especially at the lower elementary level would be a priority use of the money. And that Dr. Prescott stated the same thing after the referendum passed when he talked about how they might use the extra funds. (Another thing he mentioned was "technology." I think technology is a good choice.)
However, with declining enrollment, with the lower elementary classes already at the 18-23 student range, how much lower can we go and are we actually paying to keep the class sizes low or is it just the way it is?
Don't get me wrong or mis-interpret my statements, I like that students in lower elementary grades having the smaller class sizes. I think for the most part our elementary school environemnts offer students the most potential for success in learning. I like that the upper elementary classes are fairly small too. I like what our middle school offers to keep students who are struggling or need extra help on track.
What I didn't like is hearing over and over again that at ALHS classrooms in core academics are over-crowded and teachers can't teach effectively because of it, the students are sufferering, so please pass the referendum for them and their dire situation.
What I didn't like hearing is people identifying this as a problem, yet no plan with accountability to actually deal with it.
What the students at ALHS don't need is people to blame them, their parents, funding, etc... for this anymore.
Mostly what the students at ALHS don't need is for people to assume the passing of the referendum will indeed address the academic concerns of their learning environment.
The students at ALHS need someone, anyone to get the district to follow through with this issue.
Does anyone out there besides the LEARN group believe the students at ALHS are worth the effort and local funding assuring them an improvement in their academic classroom environments?
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| Post Number: 1068
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january
Group: Members
Posts: 265
Joined: Dec. 2006
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Posted on: Nov. 09 2007,10:20 am |
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Busybee,
Bravo!!!
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| Post Number: 1069
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busybee
Group: Members
Posts: 2510
Joined: May 2004
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Posted on: Nov. 09 2007,6:13 pm |
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Thanks January!
Hmmm interesting isn't it...you and I seem to stand alone when it comes to this.
Do you think people actually believe 77% of 11th grade math students NOT being proficient is "no biggie" for ALHS, and 45% of students NOT being proficient in reading is "no biggie" for ALHS, because it's their parents fault or the students fault for not caring?
Yet, when you bring these things up...a month before the referendum...some question why you didn't push for accountability before then.
Bring up assuring accountability for these same issues after the referendum passes, three days later in fact, and what does one get...nothing.
The way I see it, only a very few of us really care about academics at the high school level.
That's sad, so very sad.
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| Post Number: 1070
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