Hi Hess, /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
I'm glad you took my "spelling" jab with a sense of humour /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif .
A thought or several:
I graduated from high school in 1958. My school, while not the "one room schoolhouse" of American legend, was far from the grand monument to the superintendent-of-schools that many today are.
The essentials were there, ..,. a capable, motivated teacher, a blackboard, some quality books, desks, and more-or-less attentive students with reasonably-involved parents. ( Incidentally there were nearly always 30-or-so students in a class, nothing unusual then, ..."big deal" overcrowding today -- when any excuse is better-than-none)
I have absolutely no doubt that my graduating class, taken as a whole, would seriously trounce nearly any of today's similar groups as to the level of their general knowledge of essential "stuff" ( 3-r's, etc.).
I acknowledge that "That was then, and this is now!" And, incidentally, I happen to really believe that our parents WERE America's "Finest Generation", which was undoubtedly a major factor. But as to the "fixing" of today's state of affairs, I am simply tired of hearing that "more money" is the answer.
If the kids are ill-fed, abused, undisciplined, untutored-at-home, etc.; if the teachers are unable to influence the parents to set a curriculum containing substance instead of "fluff'; i.e., if all the reasons given here-and-elsewhere, for today's poor results (generally, ...of course there are still outstanding exceptions!)are valid, then giving the Board of Education (read "educators" ) still-more money is not going to affect THESE things in a positive way.
I have responded many times, as a firefighter, to local (Salem, Oregon) schools for various medical/other emergencies. Walking through these Sky-high ceilinged, spacious, impressively-equipped edifices, usually with grand mottoes carved somewhere extolling the virtues inherent in the ideal of "Education", I was always disgusted to realize that the "output" of the whole EXPENSIVE (-enough!) system, was a largely UN-educated population-of-the-future.
It's bad enough that many of today's high-schoolers can't spell "kat" (figuratively speaking, of course). But for a look at the future of those "adults-to-be" ( which is here NOW - some of them have grown up as "products" of the deteriorating "system"), there is a phenomena which has become a pet-peeve of mine, which will serve as an example; Have you noticed how the redundant use of "is" (and similar words) has become part of the culture? The trouble with this is, is that it is simply BAD grammar!
You wouldn't say " My last-name is, is Hess."
My last two sentences would not cut-it in any decent English class of "yesteryear", ...but if you listen for it, you will hear numbers of news-anchors, politicians, weather-persons, etc. saying similar things all-the-time.
Now I know I did not list rocket-scientists here. But my point is that these are the very professions that, in the past, would have majored in grammar, language, communication-skills, etc, and would have been seriously embarrassed to be caught in such a gaffe.
It passes un-noticed today, because neither their peers nor their audience holds them to the standards that were-in-fact once "standard".
The "Dumbing of America" is more than a book title. It is an observable fact, ... a vicious-cycle where each generation, instead of improving on the last, cares less, tries less, and expects less (of itself AND of everyone else)!
Who to blame? Or to put it more socially-acceptably, where is the problem? Well, we have mentioned some of the areas that are very difficult to address, ...and those MUST include the "professional" educators.
I don't have all-the-answers, ... but if I called myself a teacher, an "educator", I certainly would expect myself (if worthy of the title) and my profession to turn-out some "educated" students.
I know you don't care for the "product" analogy, but I think it serves to represent the purpose and goal of the whole effort --- an educated citizenry.
I have taught a number of classes, ... happily, at an adult-level, and absolutely would not tolerate disruption or inattention. Private teaching offers the advantage of dismissal-in-the-interest-of-the-group, ...even if a refund of fees is involved, it is unquestionably worth-it.
My sympathies go out to all those who are faced with the task of imparting knowledge to students who don't care if they obtain any, and to those who must somehow deal with parents who are quick-to-complain about their under-achieving offspring, but will neither disipline them nor permit anyone else to.
I personally think quality private schools are the best bet for any parent who can swing it. Next would come home-schooling by able parents.
To keep kids in today's schools is to let them be taught-by-experience that there are few-if-any standards of behaviour or achievement, that authority really ISN'T, if you simply question-it, and that any consequences that theoretically SHOULD come your way can be deflected by a "protective" parent, ...ESPECIALLY one with a lawyer.
The constant cry for "more money" is sometimes even more onerous than usual. A recent t-v ad. in this area had a child complaining that some of the books in his school were "written before I was even born!!"
How tragic! What a disadvantage! As if this child of 8 years or so couldn't possibly find anything of value to his education in material produced SO LONG AGO.
So much for Galileo, DaVinci, Newton, etc., etc. A little touch of the oriental's reverence for the wisdom of the aged might be useful here.
The person who sponsored/wrote this ad. only caused me to clutch my wallet more tightly. And even if only the child who spoke the lines "bought" the idea that only the latest books were worth reading, then one mind, at least, has been hindered, instead of helped.
If you give money to a person (or system) who is accomplishing little with what they already have been given, upon what are you basing your expectations for improvement? The same rationale that justified the LAST plea? Then expect the same results as LAST time.
For me, "the profession" just isn't on solid ground when asking for increased budgeting to "not-do" the job.
Union "support" of unworthy teachers has been mentioned. Unions keeping "dead-wood" on the job are a problem in ANY organised profession. But that does not excuse the group-at-large from the obligation to provide the service for which they are being paid.
If houses were burning down right-and-left due to poor firefighting, "firefighters" as a whole would catch hell, and rightly-so. No one would escape censure by pointing at "the leadership", or "deadwood". And "budget restrictions on manpower and equipment" would ring a little hollow, too, UNLESS it could be DEMONSTRATED that the money to fatten the budget COULD BE/HAS BEEN used to provide IMPROVED SERVICE.
The school-system's record of efficient/productive-use of the many already-given budget increases, when evaluated in terms of competent graduates, is such that I am completely disinterested in hearing their requests for still more.
I am in favor of "testing" teachers. While I admit that setting up representative tests is not "easy", who better to do it than the hopefully bright "educators" who expect to teach our kids? As to pay, I think that a good teacher should make at least as much(yearly) as the construction trades. That is a hasty off-the-top-of-my-head figure( so I won't be surprised if it is contested), considering the summer vacation vs. the extra education requirements, and the lessened physical demands/risks (until recently) of the classroom environment. (Still have to think more construction workers are killed/injured on the job, than teachers.) Also considering that the output of most workers can be "measured".
"But SHOULDN'T people who invest in more education be rewarded by not having to work as hard physically?" Maybe, ... but what they are being paid TO ACCOMPLISH has to be element of the what-to-pay equation. Doing a great job educating our kids( as a whole)? ...worth A LOT! Doing a half-donkey job(again, overall)? ...not worth so much! Sad-but-true, when it comes to parting people from their money, "But I tried REALLY HARD!" isn't what they want to hear. "I did the job you paid to have done!" is more like it! Pudding, y'know?
Other trades are tested every day, ...if the roof looks good, stays on, and doesn't leak, ...the roofer did a good job. I don't ask if he fought with his wife, had difficulty getting materials, had truck-problems, has one old employee who is "slowing down", or didn't feel good when he did the job.
I am paying for a lasting, weather-tight, attractive house covering. There it is! Here's the money.
We are paying "teachers" to educate our kids. It is their (speaking of the whole "system", not you specifically, Hess) "business". I say, "Tend to it, ...and get the job done".
If there are special difficulties associated with the effort, with which we must help you(and I certainly think there ARE!), grab our sleeves and tug until we listen. But don't expect us (ME, at least) to believe you if what you say is MONEY (again!).
And if we DON'T listen, and the job is impossible without the help we fail to give you, then we will all share the inevitable downhill-slide that we, as a culture, will deserve.
A last "pet peeve" type remark; In my opinion, one of the most harmful "trends" in today's schools is the downplaying of accomplishment,..."That's o.k. Dear, it doesn't matter if everyone else is more ......(fill in with courteous, respectful, industrious, honest, attentive, punctual, neat, clean, etc., etc.), you're just as "good" as they are.
Pure B.S.!! "Teaching" a kid this is no favor! Today we teach them that such things don't-matter, ...yesterday we taught them WHY THEY DO!
There's a BIG difference!
Larry
