Teachers Fight Back

The Chicago Tribune has written many stories about one of their favorite subjects, charter schools.  The stories of inner city charter schools alway show pictures of students dressed in school uniforms and the students following strict rules and regulations.  The stories quote teachers and principals who say the uniforms and discipline codes have made a world of difference compared to what goes on in the typical  inner city public school.

Wow! What a surprise, uniforms and strict discipline helps. These people have a keen sense for the obvious. What a shame it took a whole generation of kids before this dawned on the reform geniuses.

Here is a description of how one school changed when uniforms and strict discipline were adopted. “Police officers at the school say kids no longer fight in the hallways or flash gang signs. All students must carry see-through backpacks. Discipline at the school has dropped from nearly 3,500 incidents prior to turnaround to 644 so far this year.”

The principal  said that the school had changed the climate of the building by vigorously pursuing seemingly minor infractions such as uniform mishaps and classroom behavior. The principal was quoted as saying,”We sweat the small things, and it keeps everything down.”

Excuse me while I pull my hair out and run around the house screaming at the top of my lungs! “Sweat the small things, like classroom behavior”?  ARRRGGG, someone calm me down before I break every piece of furniture in this house!

I am going to say this one time and then I’m going to forget about this so that I might be able to go  calm down and to sleep tonight. To every principal, school official, teacher and anyone else in schools, please listen carefully. “IF YOU DON’T HAVE DISCIPLINE AND CONTROL OF YOUR CLASSROOMS YOU WILL NEVER ACHIEVE ANYTHING! Nothing is ‘small stuff’ when it comes to  school discipline and to the classroom!” U N B E L I E V A B L E !!!

Another gang related killing of a child that lived in the community where I taught for many years.  I will never understand why we tolerate these criminal gangs. We know who belongs to these gangs, we know who their leaders are, where they meet, and everything about them. We run all over the world policing the community of man, and yet we won’t do what’s necessary to stop the senseless killing of our young people right here at home.

On a radio news broadcast I heard of an anonymous survey given to doctors.  Twenty percent of the doctors admitted that they either lied to their patients or did not tell them when they made mistakes in their treatment. I didn’t see that story reported in any newspaper, television broadcast, or any other form of news. If there was a similar survey involving teachers being deceptive, I can’t help but think it would be headline news for every imaginable media outlet.

Illinois officials are investigating community colleges in the state because just nineteen percent of all first-time, full-time students enrolled in Illinois community colleges graduate with an associate degree within three years of enrolling. I predict the state will demand changes in the way high schools prepare students for college. They will conduct studies that will come up with a dozen conclusions and suggestions except for the most obvious one. Three fourths of students enrolling in community colleges have no business going to college in the first place. These are students who should have gone to a trade or a vocational school and participated in some kind of job training.

The teacher scandal in L.A. is just horrible. The offending teacher, if guilty, deserves the most severe punishment that man can devise. A second teacher in the school is also suspected of abuse. The response of the superintendent is somewhat bizarre. Why would you replace all 170 teachers ?  Many students and parents are very upset about the teachers all leaving. Were some teachers aware of the abuse and did nothing about it? I can’t imagine that. I haven’t heard the rationale behind replacing all 170 teachers. I’m trying to imagine a similar scenario in another profession. Two lawyers out of many in a law firm do some horrible criminal act and therefore the firm’s administrator replaces All the lawyers? I doubt that.  Two doctors in a hospital enact abuse upon patients and the administrator replace every doctor in the hospital ? I doubt that.

Shame on our politicians, parents, community leaders, business leaders, teacher unions, school administrators and everyone else for being so brain-dead when it comes to public school funding. We clearly must find an alternative to the way schools are funded today and have been since the children of cavemen started going to school. There must be alternative streams of revenue in addition to property taxes, and federal and state aid.

Here are ways I have suggested in the past and may be controversial, but we need to think outside the box and do it quickly.

Parents must be asked to pay some sort of tuition when their children attend a public elementary school or high school. They must pay fees for all extracurricular activities that their children engage in.

Corporate advertising must begin now!  The schools could sell “naming rights” to their school.  Northlake Middle School could become Motorola Middle School.  The school buses could have advertisements all over them, as long as they were suitable for children. Each school bus seat could have a sponsor. “McDonald’s is proud to sponsor this bus seat”. Advertising in the school halls, on the school stationery, in the washrooms and in the gyms. I can see it now, “this urinal brought to you by Puffs, when you must have a tissue, turn to Puffs”.

Every school athletic team should have a corporate sponsor. The senior prom could be sponsored. “Disney, proud to support the Wildcat senior prom”. The gym outfits that are worn by the students could have corporate logos.

This is America, it’s time for corporations to be the saviors of our schools. They should be willing to pour in thousands of dollars of advertising to our schools. Local businesses already support local schools. Many Target stores give a tiny percentage of their sales back to local schools. Local school boards need to get aggressive in pushing local businesses to step up and support the schools.

Stop spending money on school buses! We scream about the epidemic of obesity in our children and then we give them a ride to school ?  Rural communities need the buses, but in our cities? Why in the world can’t a high school student walk two miles to school ? Ridiculous!

There are close to one hundred known street gangs in the city of Chicago.  The city needs to do what several suburbs have done successfully, sue the gangs. Sue every one of them for their drug dealing, extortion, murder, disruption of schools, intimidation of students, and other illegal activities. Put the money from the successful suits back into the schools.

I’ve previously written about many other ways to fund schools. There are dozens of possibilities out there. Our community leaders need to get creative and pursue every possibility. It’s really disheartening to see our school district leaders throw up their hands and say, “the funds aren’t there, we will just have to cut this program or cut several teachers, etc.  Shame on the teacher unions for not pushing for alternative funding. I thought education was a top priority of everyone. Why are we still stuck with century old ways of funding schools?

All the teachers at my school always complained that the Super Bowl was on a Sunday evening.  We could never understand why it couldn’t be on a Saturday evening. If you are a teacher, you understand why the Super Bowl needs to be on a Saturday.  Students are sleepy and disinterested on a Monday morning following such a party filled event like the Super Bowl.  The usual amount of irresponsible parents party late into Super Bowl evening and their children are allowed to partake and therefore miss their usual bedtime.

Teachers who party late on Super Bowl evening know how difficult the next morning will be.  A teacher on a post Super Bowl Monday needs to be at their absolute enthusiastic and motivational best.  They know what the kids are going to be like and therefore they must be at their best to counteract the sluggishness of their students.

I don’t think the average person realizes what it’s like to try to motivate thirty-five students on a normal Monday morning, much less one following the Super Bowl.  Teaching is unlike most jobs, in that there is no “down time”, no rest periods, no escaping the constant need to be at the top of your game,(how’s that for a football cliché)?  I’ve seen many office workers on Monday mornings. Longer breaks at the water cooler, hanging around the coffee area, hiding in the washroom, longer lunch times, and a much slower work pace.  I’ve also been at construction work sites and I’ve seen the toll a Monday morning takes on worker productivity.

Of course there are other demanding jobs where workers have to be at their best on Monday mornings, air traffic controllers and a few others come to mind. I just want people to understand that teaching, if done correctly, is one of the most demanding, high pressure jobs imaginable. There are no coffee breaks, washroom breaks, water cooler chit chats and momentary down times. When a teacher is in a room filled with students, it’s just that one adult that is responsible for everything. You only have yourself to depend on and you better be ready to deliver. There is no sluggishness allowed, only enthusiasm and energy. It doesn’t matter if the teacher was out partying late the night before, has a cold and feels tired, or had a sleepless night. The students are in the room, the stage is set, the show must go on!

Any teachers resting at their desk right now, get up and circulate! I’m sorry you partied too hard last night. I don’t want to hear it, work up some enthusiasm, now! You’re a teacher, act like one. You have one of the hardest jobs in the world. Enthusiasm on the morning after the Super Bowl is not an option.

RECENT HEADLINES AND STATEMENTS FROM VARIOUS NEWS ORGANIZATIONS:

“There is no more important job than that of teaching our children.”

“Teachers have the most important job in our community.”

“Teachers deserve the respect that should be afforded to the most important job in our society.”

“We must get and retain the best and brightest people in our teaching profession.”

“Teachers seek a raise despite the difficult financial plight of our community.”

“New investigation finds that teachers receive pay for unused sick days.”

“Teacher pensions are one of the main problems that is bankrupting our state.”

“Teachers found to get school lunches for the same price as a student.”

“Rewarding teachers based on longevity must end.”

“District negotiations call for teachers to pay more for their health benefits.”

“Automatic step increases in teacher contracts must end.”

“Teachers should end their strike for the good of the students.”

“Teachers must share the pain during these harsh economic times.”

“Proposed legislation to cut teacher pension benefits.”

“Legislature removes teachers’ right to bargain collectively.”

“Teacher workshops lessen the school year by at least three days.”

“Most teachers spend some of their own money for school supplies.”

“District questions the need for a teacher planning period in the schedule.”

“District revokes promised teacher contract raises.”

“District insists on longer school day, no extra compensation for teachers.”

AH, THE IMPORTANCE OF A TEACHER!  THE HYPOCRISY MARCHES ON!

Sorry to enter the world of politics, but we have to find a compromise between Democrats and Republicans, so here it is.

The poor and the needy continue to receive all the assistance that they are currently getting from the government. However, anyone receiving any form of assistance from the government must pay the government back in the most convenient, creative way possible. Here are some examples:

If a family of four has been receiving food stamps for a long time, when their two children become adults, they will be required to join the military for one or two years. Their pay in the military will be reduced proportionately by the amount of food stamp money the family received during their time of need.

People on Medicaid will be required to do some form of clerical work for the government. In a certain amount of their spare time they will do any type of work that they  can possibly handle.  If they are already working a five-day a week job, then they put in some hours on their off days.  Much of the work could be done right in their home, such as stuffing envelopes or working on computers if they have them. They also could do volunteer work at their local school or library. They would only be asked to do whatever their medical condition allows them to do.

In Illinois, single mothers who are working but only receive a small salary are eligible for subsidized daycare.  Those mothers would be required to work a certain amount for the state once their children are in school and no longer eligible for daycare.

I will leave it to the geniuses in Congress and in the state legislatures to work out creative ways that anyone receiving assistance pays it back in one form or another if they are able.

The stereotypical Republican hates to see their hard-earned money taxed and then have the government squander it away on a “corrupt” welfare system and on people who they think lack motivation because they are given handouts. This plan would please the Republicans because the government would get back the “welfare” money in one form or another, and taxes and the budget deficit could be reduced.

The stereotypical Democrat wants to help all needy people and believes the greatness of a nation is judged by what it does for the least of its people. This plan would please Democrats because none of the current “welfare” programs would be cut or ended.  Democrats believe the poor and needy want jobs and want to improve their lot in life, and so they would like the idea of the needy feeling self-worth by giving back to their government.

I know, the plan has a hundred flaws, but we need to do something drastic to close the gigantic ideological gap between the two parties. Sorry, I promise this will be my last foray into the political world, or until I give my endorsement to one of the presidential candidates in the fall election.

Local high school officials and police have come under fire for reading the text messages of students who were suspects in drug sales.  The students were in school while their phones were taken and searched.  The students and some parents were angry that the first amendment rights of the students had been violated.

The U.S Supreme court has previously issued rulings that said school officials need only “reasonable suspicion” to search students’ belongings, a lower standard than the “probable cause” that applies to police.

I would be on the side of the students and parents had this occurred in a college dormitory or on a college campus. College students are legally adults and should have the legal rights that are afforded to all U.S. citizens. Elementary and most high school students are NOT ADULTS ! Parents and others concerned about legal rights need to understand this.

When I was teaching, the school officials and teachers had the locker numbers and lock combinations of their students. Only school issued locks were permitted on the lockers. We rarely opened any student lockers and only did so when there was a clear indication that a student was concealing something dangerous in their locker.

We need to bring back the phrase, “in loc parentis”.  Elementary and high school teachers are taking the place of parents when children are under their supervision. When students enter the school they should not be viewed as adults or even as “little adults”.  I have previously written about the disastrous results that started to occur when a few decades ago school reformers started insisting that students be accorded “rights”.  What was once an easy job of disciplining students became a very complicated procedure for teachers.

Early American history is my area of expertise and I have a good grasp of what the founding fathers had in mind when it came to first amendment rights and the rule of law.  Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Patrick Henry hardly had school age children in mind when they were worried about government usurping the rights of people.  I urge civil libertarians  to read how children were treated in early American schools.  I’m not advocating that kind of conduct, but it certainly shows that students’ rights were far different from those of an adult. That was also a time when children were treated as adults at a much younger age than they are today, BUT NOT IN A SCHOOL !  The only rights that students had were the right to keep quiet, sit still, listen, and work hard. When they strayed from those “rights”, they were often wacked with a rod.

It’s been a long hard struggle for the students’ rights movement. Thank goodness we have progressed to the point where students now have more rights than teachers do. I’m also thankful that I’m retired and not teaching in the age of the cell phone. If I was in the middle of a presentation and I saw a student reading a text instead of listening to me, I might have pulled out that rod from the early American classroom and —- just kidding, I wasn’t that much of an ogre.

I firmly believe that unless we put two teachers in every elementary classroom we will never get the achievement results that people want.  Having only one teacher in a classroom of thirty or thirty-five students is a recipe for disaster.  It’s possible for a teacher to succeed with fifteen or fewer students in a room, but not the usual thirty or so. I don’t think any elementary school teacher with a classroom of thirty kids would honestly say that every child in the room is reaching their full potential.

It’s interesting that a high school basketball team of twelve kids usually has one full-time coach and as many as two to four assistants depending on the school. It would be very difficult for one coach to get twelve players to reach their full potential, and yet we expect one elementary school teacher to succeed with thirty kids.

I have no idea how we are going to come up with the money to place two teachers in most classrooms, but until we do, don’t expect state standards to be met by the majority of students.  The test scores of students who are in classrooms with large numbers of students and only one teacher should not be allowed to count towards a state goal.  I would like to see a breakdown of test scores based on class size. Let’s compare the test scores of students from small class sizes with those from large class sizes.

I have written previously about two teachers sharing a classroom, with one teacher there from six in the morning until noon, and the other one taking over from noon until six in the evening. The afternoon teacher would work for two hours after school with students who need extra help. This is the only other possibility I can think of that might work.

The idea that one teacher can effectively meet the needs of thirty elementary students is ridiculous. It can be done in high school and college, but not in elementary school where each student requires so much individual attention. If we expect all these sophisticated standards to be met in elementary school, then let’s get serious about how many teachers we need in each classroom.

I would like to see the politicians and reformers spend a day in some of the most crowded elementary classrooms in our most needy and impoverished areas. Sit in there and watch ONE teacher try to make sure all thirty students reach their full potential.

A mini revolt is being staged by parents of some elementary school children in Chicago.  The Chicago public school administrators increased class time at several schools. The school day is now up to seven and a half hours at some schools. Many parents are upset that they had to change bedtimes, reset alarm clocks, and alter homework and dinner schedules for their little ones.

The biggest parental complaints seem to involve the fact that the young children are not happy with the time change. Parents were quoted making statements such as, ” For the first time this year, we’ve heard our daughter say that she hated school.” Parents complained about their children being exhausted. One parent was quoted as saying, “my son is physically exhausted when he gets off the bus.”

The poor CPS administrators. They were probably sure that parents would love the longer day and the additional instruction that their children were receiving. CPS administrators need to understand that the majority of parents care about the happiness of their children more than anything else.  It doesn’t matter how beneficial something might be for their child, if the child is going to be unhappy, the parent doesn’t want it.  The only exception might be something that is a medical necessity for the child.

This modern generation of parents is obsessed with their children’s happiness. No previous generation of parents has ever been this consumed with ensuring that their children are happy during every minute of the day. (I know that’s a terrible unproven generalization, but give me a year or so and I could write a book filled with proof that it’s true).  School administrators need to keep this in mind when they propose changes that could affect a child’s attitude toward school. I have written before about what I call the modern “happy happy ” school.  Every school needs to ensure the happiness of each student or they are more than likely going to be hearing from an irate parent.  Compared to years ago, schools today put way more emphasis on student self-esteem, happiness, positive motivation, rewards, student rights, student involvement, and every possible technique to ensure student happiness.

Oh, to be a child today!  What a wonderful world for them. Parents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, schools, teachers, principals, everyone with the same goal, to ensure their happiness at all times. I’m sure the incidences of children with depression or other psychological problems is infinitely smaller today than with all previous generations of kids.

When I was in elementary school there were times when I came home and told my parents that I hated school. My teachers made absolutely no attempt to make sure I was happy, it just wasn’t part of their job description. My parents were usually less than sympathetic towards me. I can remember my parents saying,” learn to like it, you’re going to be in it for a long time”. It’s a miracle that I grew up to be a halfway normal adult.

I just finished another book about schools that except for too many questionable generalizations might actually be useful.  The book is, “The Good School, How Smart Parents Get Their Kids the Education They Deserve”.  The book talks about what parents should investigate about a school and or a particular classroom before enrolling their child. It also advises parents how to check on the progress that a child might be making while in school.

The author’s suggestions will be nothing new to many middle class parents and certainly nothing new to almost all affluent parents.  Affluent parents have been investigating their neighborhood schools for years, and have often asked questions about  teachers, principals, curriculum and teaching methods that are used. The book would be most useful to groups of parents who have traditionally accepted whatever has occurred at their local school, and perhaps have felt unqualified to question school authorities about anything.

I have a problem with some of the generalizations and undocumented statements that are made in the book.  A typical one is found in the introduction, ” We all know that the quality of education served up to our children in U.S. schools ranges from outstanding to shockingly inadequate, with a great number of kids – about a fifth in middle-class communities and up to half in poor ones  – not getting the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in life.”

The author often makes generalizations about underperforming schools and about what she considers ineffective teachers. She seems to think that many schools and teachers don’t want parent input and would prefer to have the parents be uninvolved in the school. I think in many cases the opposite is true. The administrators and teachers in underperforming schools desperately wish that the parents would get involved. The author sometimes seems to be hinting that there is a grand conspiracy in some schools to keep parents uninformed and to keep them from asking questions about the school and its curriculum.

I know there are some parents who are overly zealous when it comes to questioning teachers, curriculum, methods, and school administrators. I know this can be quite an irritant to teachers and administrators. I also know that if given a choice, almost all teachers would rather have involved parents than apathetic ones.

This book is worth reading for any parent who might feel inadequate or uninformed about how to make school choices for their children. Unfortunately, the parents who need to read this book are the ones who are least likely to do so.  This is a similar situation to what teachers face when it comes to parent conferences. The parents who could benefit most by showing up at parent conferences are usually the ones who never attend.