[Rhodes22-list] Mo Gubmint - Politics & Education..Big Al suck it up

[elle]

OK, Herb....I'm back...In for a dime...;^)

I was computerless for a day but now all's back to
whatever passes for normal in my sphere....

You make some good points....school systems vary
throughout the country that one size can't fit all
(Hear this, Geo Bush?) 

Again..I can't disagree with much of your last
post...most kids will rise to whatever level of
mediocrity or expectation that we set. 

As for why the private schools in Tx garner good
teachers w/abysmal pay....I'll hazard a guess & say
working conditions(?)...respectful kids, good
parents...strong admin...just a guess...

BTW...what are the public schools like with these
students and their resources skimmed off?

I still have to believe that the solution is not to
'segregate' kids with vouchers but to use that $ to
improve (and therein lies the rub...!) the schools in
the district so the resources are concentrated...

But the secret to success is people who care...but
caring has physical, emotional and personal costs when
you are dealing with people...in my experience, in
education, it's not "The squeaky wheel..." of "Cream
rises to the top..."  It's "The nail that sticks out
gets hammered back down."

elle






--- Herb Parsons <hparsons at parsonsys.com> wrote:

> Ha! As to your last comment, you're in it because
> you answered!! Serves 
> you right. :)
> 
> I don't get away from my home area dealing with kids
> much anymore since 
> mine are all grown, but what I see in TX aren't
> people asking for 
> voucher systems so they can move the schools away;
> what I see are people 
> wanting a voucher system so they can send kids to
> schools already in 
> existence in their areas. Private schools abound
> here in TX. The 
> problems are that they are somewhat expensive, and
> the teachers are 
> REALLY under paid. Funny how they can attrack
> quality teachers on low 
> pay, but they do.
> 
> I don't think poorly performing students would be
> left behind. I do 
> believe that there will be schools that offer to
> deal with those 
> students who were not able to remain in the schools
> that demand too 
> much. Personally, I believe those schools will put
> out a poorer quality 
> of students, but that happens today anyway, so it's
> no loss.
> 
> Excellence and mediocrity are both infectious. The
> problem is that 
> mediocrity is so much easier to obtain, it more
> easily takes over. 
> That's what's happened today. If you pull those that
> are determined to 
> fail no matter what away from those that are more
> open to a better way, 
> demand excellence from what's left over, people
> would be surprised at 
> the results.
> 
> Have you read the story of Ken Carter from Riveside,
> CA? He was the 
> subject of the slightly fictionalized Coach Carter. 
> Basically, he took 
> a baskeball team of students doing poorly in school,
> had them sign 
> contracts stating they would maintain at least a 2.3
> GPA (the district 
> only required a 2.0), and then enforced it. He
> cancelled two games in a 
> row, forfeiting them, and the players' families were
> ready to have him 
> fired. But the students complied, and in a school
> full of kids that 
> didn't succeed academicly his players DID. His
> actions actually raised 
> the academic performance of the entire school.
> 
> Of course, he's no longer part of the public school
> system. I haven't 
> heard the story of why that is, but I have my
> suspicions...
> 
> 


We can't change the angle of the wind....but we can adjust our sails.

 1992 Rhodes 22   Recyc '06  "WaterMusic"   (Lady in Red)


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