I saw a disheartening commercial the other day.
The topic: Education Reform in Indiana - specifically school vouchers
The sponsor: Governor Mitch Daniels
The Message: Help students "stuck in failing schools"
I will admit, they did a good job tugging at your heart strings. Who wouldn't want to help a child who has no hope for a better education? I've not seen Waiting for Superman but from what I hear it's the same...only a full-length documentary pulling on your heart strings for nearly 2 hours.
I tried finding the commercial online to attach a link here, but I was unsuccessful.
Basically, you hear how we need to help students who are "stuck in failing schools" and they mention a father who's tried for 7 years to get his daughter into a charter through the lottery system with no success.
School vouchers are the theme and said to be a way out of these "failing" schools for these unfortunate students.
Here are my big problems with this commercial and the bill that allows for school vouchers to private schools.
First there is the money issue. The bill is set up for families at the "lowest income levels" and with poorer families receiving a higher percentage towards the voucher. However, these vouchers do not cover 100% of the tuition. Everyone is going to have to pay something. Those "poorer" families will be less likely to participate in the voucher program because even paying 10% of the private school's tuition will be out of the question. Thus, the higher-end of these at the lowest end will only benefit. Sounds like we are continuing to widen the gap of opportunity for those with very little financial means.
Another issue is the fact that private schools will (as far as I know) always have the ability to dismiss students from their schools at their discretion. Usually these dismissals are based on academic performance, attendance and behavior. Actually, before dismissal is even an option, private schools have the opportunity to pick and choose who they allow to attend their schools. Those students with learning disabilities, behavior issues, achievement problems, etc. are typically disregarded fist. From what I can see, there is nothing in this new voucher bill that will eliminate the private schools from still sifting through their candidates to pick the "cream of the crop" for their schools. They're private institutions so I'm not saying it's wrong that they do this because it's their right as private entities.
I don't claim to be anywhere near an expert on any of this so someone, please, correct me if I'm wrong.
Parental involvement can be mandated at private schools. If a parent doesn't participate in "x" amount of activities or volunteer "x" number of hours in the school, the student could lose his/her admittance to the school. Say what you want, but everything I've seen in my few years as an educator leads to the knowledge that parental involvement is the biggest factor in student achievement. A parent who is involved is much more likely to have a child who succeeds compared to students who have little to no parent involvement in their school life. Obviously there are always exceptions to the rule - but these are few and far between.
The vouchers are not limited to students in "failing" schools. Why should a child in a "four-star" school be allowed to use tax-payer money to attend a private school? They aren't "stuck" in a "failing" school.
Private schools are often religious. Are we not graying the line between church and state if we allow public funds to go to religious institutions?
How does all this impact public schools?
With less funding for public schools (because of the $ that will go towards the voucher and follow the student to the private school), class sizes will continue to grow. This poses a problem in educating the youth of today as they truly need and desire more one-on-one attention...especially if they have little parental involvement at home...especially if they have fewer resources to pull from once outside of the school walls...especially if the students in the schools are dealing with emotional/behavioral issues that are beyond the control of the teacher. Sure, put me in front of 40 highly-motivated, well-resourced students and I would survive and they would do fine and continue to achieve. Put me in front of 15 unmotivated, poverty-stricken students with parents who either don't care or are too busy working to have time to help, and who have learning disabilities of all sorts and we will all struggle to get through the year. Bring that class up to 30 and I may not return the next year - especially if I have no assistance in the classroom. I'm simply being honest. Class size matters.
If you don't think class size will be an issue due to the fact that only 7,500 students state-wide will be able to participate in the voucher program this upcoming year, you are correct. The second year 15,000 students will be able to participate. The third year the cap is gone - a limitless number of students will be able to participate in the program.
With the "top" of the "bottom" leaving the public schools, standardized test scores will continue to decline. I'm not saying all of those students who come from poverty fail standardized tests just as I'm not saying that all of those who come from higher-income families pass. However, there is a strong correlation that you can't deny. Pulling potential passing scores from the public schools while also increasing class sizes will continue to lead public schools down the "failing" path. It's a nasty cycle.
So are we really helping the "problem" of our current education system?
And again I ask the question - If I were a teacher at a private school would I automatically be a better teacher? My license doesn't limit me to public teaching. I could just as easily get a job at a private school. So are these schools really much better options than these "failing" public schools solely based on their teachers?? I think not. I think it's because public schools open their arms to every student no matter the ability, income level, behavior, parental involvement, attendance, etc. I think it's because public schools are not allowed to pick and choose their students or their parents. I think it's because private schools have smaller class sizes. I think it's because private schools have the ability to structure their schools differently than public schools when it comes to behavior and discipline.
So what can we use this tax money for? Smaller class sizes. Full-day kindergarten. Technology in the classroom. Remedial math & English teachers for students who lag behind. Preschool. Social workers to visit families of students who are habitually absent or tardy.
*****
As I read over this I realize it sounds like I'm on a "woe is me" soapbox and I truly did not mean for this blog to come across like that. I enjoy teaching at a public school. I enjoy the diversity of students I see each day. Does it stress me out? Yes. Does it frustrate me to see students fail because they simply choose to do nothing? Yes. Am I saddened to see students with such poor home lives that concentrating in school is low on their priority list? Yes. Am I nervous that these items out of my control can soon become a way to prove if I'm "effective"? Yes. Will I choose to leave public teaching for an easier life in the private sector? No.
Do I think that school vouchers are truly reforming education? NO.
Do I think the commercial I saw is misleading the general public? YES.
Do I think Indiana schools are truly "failing"? NO.
Do I think something needs to be fixed with our system? Yes.
What needs to be fixed? The government. The funding of our schools. The backing/support of our teachers.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Valedictorian speech
Going through all the stuff that has accumulated in our basement over the years, I have found some very interesting items. One was the speech I wrote for high school commencement. It's a cheesy, stereotypical graduation speech but I remember working hard on it. Here it is in all it's splendor:
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."
It's funny how a quote said by Confucius more than 2000 years ago can have such an important message still today. We, the class of 2000, have fallen, and will fall many, many times. These failures, these setbacks, should not cause us to quit. In fact, they should bring us one step closer to success. No matter where our paths lead us, there will be road blocks we have to face and overcome They may slow us down, but they teach us much. The first time you touched a hot stove you learned never to do it again. You fell off your bike the first time trying to ride but you eventually succeeded didn't you. We were all born to succeed, but in order to succeed, we must allow ourselves to fail.
We are at a point in our lives where we have to face many decisions. Our lives are about to change completely. We all want to get the big jobs and make lots of money. If we can just get these, then we will feel we will have succeeded in life. We should set our goals high but reach them one step at a time. Right now it feels like we are moving at an incredible pace and can't slow down until we have reached the top. In order to succeed, not only in our jobs, but in life we have to stop and smell the roses.
"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."
There were 10 valedictorians that year. Yeah, our school didn't weight grades. I'm sure no one was listening to my speech (aside from my parents). I don't remember where I was in the line of 10, but I wasn't first which means everyone was already bored :-) It's a good thing because somehow I missed the memo that all of our speeches were supposed to tie in with Dr. Seuss's "Oh The Places You'll Go." I was quite stunned when I started hearing everyone's speeches! I wasn't the only one who didn't get the memo (I don't remember who else was in my boat), but the majority apparently did. I am 100% confident that this "theme" was not discussed when we all met to decide what we were going to do. Apparently sometime between that one meeting and the actual ceremony someone came up with the idea and it just never spread. Or a group had an evil plot to make the rest of us look silly. Who knows. Regardless, I'm sure no one cared enough to notice aside from those of us actually giving the speeches.
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."
It's funny how a quote said by Confucius more than 2000 years ago can have such an important message still today. We, the class of 2000, have fallen, and will fall many, many times. These failures, these setbacks, should not cause us to quit. In fact, they should bring us one step closer to success. No matter where our paths lead us, there will be road blocks we have to face and overcome They may slow us down, but they teach us much. The first time you touched a hot stove you learned never to do it again. You fell off your bike the first time trying to ride but you eventually succeeded didn't you. We were all born to succeed, but in order to succeed, we must allow ourselves to fail.
We are at a point in our lives where we have to face many decisions. Our lives are about to change completely. We all want to get the big jobs and make lots of money. If we can just get these, then we will feel we will have succeeded in life. We should set our goals high but reach them one step at a time. Right now it feels like we are moving at an incredible pace and can't slow down until we have reached the top. In order to succeed, not only in our jobs, but in life we have to stop and smell the roses.
"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."
There were 10 valedictorians that year. Yeah, our school didn't weight grades. I'm sure no one was listening to my speech (aside from my parents). I don't remember where I was in the line of 10, but I wasn't first which means everyone was already bored :-) It's a good thing because somehow I missed the memo that all of our speeches were supposed to tie in with Dr. Seuss's "Oh The Places You'll Go." I was quite stunned when I started hearing everyone's speeches! I wasn't the only one who didn't get the memo (I don't remember who else was in my boat), but the majority apparently did. I am 100% confident that this "theme" was not discussed when we all met to decide what we were going to do. Apparently sometime between that one meeting and the actual ceremony someone came up with the idea and it just never spread. Or a group had an evil plot to make the rest of us look silly. Who knows. Regardless, I'm sure no one cared enough to notice aside from those of us actually giving the speeches.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Toddler Sayings
Me: "Layla, use a tissue, not your finger."
L: "Well, I'm just getting a booger."
~February 3, 2011
"When Piper was sick she had ammonia in her heart."
~February 7, 2011
"Mom, there's a crack in my butt!" ("crack" referring to her wedgie)
~March 5, 2011
"The baby in your belly said you don't want to take a shower."
~March 5, 2011
"That's annoying, Piper!"
~March 5, 2011
"Look! I'm hiding in a trash bag." (yeah...it was one of my ankle-length skirts :-/ )
~March 5, 2011
L: "I left the door open. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
Me: "It's okay."
L: "I know it's okay."
~March 8, 2011
Me: "Eat your food, Layla."
L: "Hey, you can't tell me to eat my food!"
Me: "Oh, yes I can tell you to eat your food and I will! I'm your mother. I gave birth to you."
...
L: "What?..(thinking)...You gave birth to me?...(thinking)...Why'd you do that?"
~March 9, 2011
"My hair is tangled." (excuse for getting out of bed)
~March 13, 2011
"Mommy, your baby is hungry."
~March 31, 2011
L: "Well, I'm just getting a booger."
~February 3, 2011
"When Piper was sick she had ammonia in her heart."
~February 7, 2011
"Mom, there's a crack in my butt!" ("crack" referring to her wedgie)
~March 5, 2011
"The baby in your belly said you don't want to take a shower."
~March 5, 2011
"That's annoying, Piper!"
~March 5, 2011
"Look! I'm hiding in a trash bag." (yeah...it was one of my ankle-length skirts :-/ )
~March 5, 2011
L: "I left the door open. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
Me: "It's okay."
L: "I know it's okay."
~March 8, 2011
Me: "Eat your food, Layla."
L: "Hey, you can't tell me to eat my food!"
Me: "Oh, yes I can tell you to eat your food and I will! I'm your mother. I gave birth to you."
...
L: "What?..(thinking)...You gave birth to me?...(thinking)...Why'd you do that?"
~March 9, 2011
"My hair is tangled." (excuse for getting out of bed)
~March 13, 2011
"Mommy, your baby is hungry."
~March 31, 2011
This is when it gets interesting (aka - difficult)
Layla has recently started displaying behavior that I'm not a fan of. Not that she's been a perfect angel up until now (because that is clearly not the case!), but new, "ugly" behavior is popping up.
I have heard "I don't like you" erupt from her mouth quite a bit the last few days. She sometimes says it towards me, sometimes towards my husband but mostly towards Piper. Ugh!
I tell her that it is a "bad choice" to say that. That it is not nice. Her response: "But I don't like her." It happens at times when she's getting frustrated, annoyed, irritated with Piper so, at least at this point in time, I think the phrase is an inaccurate wording of her feelings. However, it doesn't change the fact that she's setting a pattern to use that phrase more and more over the years.
She has also become more aggressive towards Piper. I use that word fairly lightly because she's not all-out beating on her and I know full well (from personal experience) that the aggression will only worsen as she (and Piper) gets bigger. She has simply become rough with Piper over the past week or so.
Pushing.
Hitting.
Kicking.
Knocking down.
You get the picture.
Mostly it's the pushing/knocking down.
Piper is usually just wanting to play with her big sister and Layla simply needs some personal space time. Neither one knows how to express her feelings when these situations arise. Layla resorts to one of the aforementioned behaviors and Piper usually follows suit.
There are so many things Piper does at this age that Layla did not and it's solely because she has a big sister's lead to follow. Some of these are positive such as pretend play. Most are negative - screaming, spitting, hitting, pushing, etc.
I knew that the younger child would quickly learn to stand up for herself, I just did not realize the scope of what that meant.
I know it's foolish of me to say that I hope their behavior towards each other ends soon. However, I will continue to hope that their behavior towards each other is not displayed towards their peers at school/daycare during the day.
Of the two, I think Piper will be the one to be rough with her friends at daycare. She's always been quick to show her frustrations physically. Again, I'm sure this is because she's always had a bigger sister getting in her space and annoying the snot out of her.
Which reminds me...I should probably start working with Piper on "being nice" and how that looks considering we're going to have a newborn in the house in a few weeks. Layla always rubbed my belly when we said she had to "be nice to the baby" and then when Piper came home she would rub Piper's belly. Too cute! Piper has no clue that a baby is even coming. There's a big difference in 3 months at this age - Layla was 20 months and Piper will be 17.
But I'm off topic...
The girls are making it quite interesting (aka - difficult) to know how to parent such situations. Do I let them work out their frustrations or step in? I'm currently doing it half & half according to my energy level at the moment the fighting erupts. :-)
Parenting never gets easier. Once you think you've got it down pat a new stage pops up and throws you right back down.
But it's a ride I would never trade!
I have heard "I don't like you" erupt from her mouth quite a bit the last few days. She sometimes says it towards me, sometimes towards my husband but mostly towards Piper. Ugh!
I tell her that it is a "bad choice" to say that. That it is not nice. Her response: "But I don't like her." It happens at times when she's getting frustrated, annoyed, irritated with Piper so, at least at this point in time, I think the phrase is an inaccurate wording of her feelings. However, it doesn't change the fact that she's setting a pattern to use that phrase more and more over the years.
She has also become more aggressive towards Piper. I use that word fairly lightly because she's not all-out beating on her and I know full well (from personal experience) that the aggression will only worsen as she (and Piper) gets bigger. She has simply become rough with Piper over the past week or so.
Pushing.
Hitting.
Kicking.
Knocking down.
You get the picture.
Mostly it's the pushing/knocking down.
Piper is usually just wanting to play with her big sister and Layla simply needs some personal space time. Neither one knows how to express her feelings when these situations arise. Layla resorts to one of the aforementioned behaviors and Piper usually follows suit.
There are so many things Piper does at this age that Layla did not and it's solely because she has a big sister's lead to follow. Some of these are positive such as pretend play. Most are negative - screaming, spitting, hitting, pushing, etc.
I knew that the younger child would quickly learn to stand up for herself, I just did not realize the scope of what that meant.
I know it's foolish of me to say that I hope their behavior towards each other ends soon. However, I will continue to hope that their behavior towards each other is not displayed towards their peers at school/daycare during the day.
Of the two, I think Piper will be the one to be rough with her friends at daycare. She's always been quick to show her frustrations physically. Again, I'm sure this is because she's always had a bigger sister getting in her space and annoying the snot out of her.
Which reminds me...I should probably start working with Piper on "being nice" and how that looks considering we're going to have a newborn in the house in a few weeks. Layla always rubbed my belly when we said she had to "be nice to the baby" and then when Piper came home she would rub Piper's belly. Too cute! Piper has no clue that a baby is even coming. There's a big difference in 3 months at this age - Layla was 20 months and Piper will be 17.
But I'm off topic...
The girls are making it quite interesting (aka - difficult) to know how to parent such situations. Do I let them work out their frustrations or step in? I'm currently doing it half & half according to my energy level at the moment the fighting erupts. :-)
Parenting never gets easier. Once you think you've got it down pat a new stage pops up and throws you right back down.
But it's a ride I would never trade!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)