Homeschooling 101

I sat in a question and answer today with a group of homeschooling parents and students. I want to dictate some of my own thoughts walking away from this experience.

#1- As a parent, why not become part of the public education system to help change it for the better?

#2- If there is a problem with the school, why not utilize the resources you have found to bring it to light. The collective panel today should realize that their idea of "holistic" education is practical in public education and should influence the government as tax-payers for this change. (see #1)

#3- They divided the reasons for homeschooling into secular and religious. If you feel that the school does not foster toleration of religion see #1. In my opinion, it is the role of the parent to engage their children in religious schooling or thought.

#4- Perhaps the most upsetting comment to me as a future teacher was that of the homeschooling coordinator. She said that everyone she has worked with has done so in part because of higher academic standards. She then went on to condemn schools for not having this. It has always been part of my philosophy to keep high standards in my classroom and I was offended by this generalization.

#5- Although this may not be pc for some people, a professor reminded me after class: aren't they all hypocrits anyways, calling out public education, fleeing from, and only utilizing it when it serves their best interests (dual enrollment, college classes, etc.)

#6- Finally, I would like to state that we don't disagree on everything. When asked what could be done to fix education in the US, they supplied these answers: better teachers, more money, and lower student:teacher ratio. I agree wholeheartedly.

Really, a very engaging dialogue, wish it would have been a few more hours.

Doing what we do best...

The many problems facing American society and the US education system can never be simplified to black and white. Unfortunately, I feel as though this post might be a little too cut and dry for some.

Do what you do best.

A very simple statement.

I am prompted to say this by many of the people I have met and I am also guilty of breaking this statement.

I believe that too often we step up to do something that we know we are not good at. Perhaps it is because at one time we were good at it or maybe someone (who wasn't really qualified to say it) told you were good at it.

If we go through with our actions we let others down because there was someone better who could have done the job.

We all can make contributions to others, both big and small, but those contributions should be with our strengths and of a quality that is unparalleled. If we can start to shift our minds to this way of thinking it would eventually lead to a lot more qualified people in professions that they can be effective in.

My paper last night...and Obama this morning

Check out this clip of Obama presenting a "plan" for fixing education.

Now check out my selections from the paper I wrote for Dr. Jim Langholz today. (Below)

It is unclear whether charter schools offer real, long-term solutions to fixing public education in America, or whether the Obama administration should be relying on them as a means of turning around the nation's poor academic record. Studies of charter schools have been mixed; some researchers give higher marks to charters, others to public schools. One of the most recent and most comprehensive longitudinal studies, released by Stanford University in June 2009, found that charter schools were uneven. More than a third perform worse than nearby public schools, and about half do about as well as public schools, the study found. Only 17% provide students with a "superior educational opportunity."

At least theoretically, charter schools have a built-in advantage. In California, most charter schools fill their seats through lotteries, to give all students an equal chance and to prevent the schools from enrolling only the most promising students. It's a fair system, but it skews enrollment because the lotteries attract motivated, involved families. In addition, charter schools can require extra responsibilities for students and parents, such as volunteering time on campus, and can close enrollment when they are full. They also have more authority to expel students who do not meet their standards for behavior. Families that are unable or unwilling to invest that much in their children's education will end up at public schools, which have to accept all students within their boundaries.

At the same time, now that the number of charter schools is reaching critical mass, they are having a disproportionate negative impact on funding for public schools. Through the lottery system, charters enroll students from various schools and grades. Most of the state funding for those students follows them to their new schools. The public schools they leave receive less money, but their operating costs don't necessarily go down. Giving one student the opportunity to attend a charter should not mean leaving another with fewer resources.

Charter schools have played an important role in reform, and the best of them have transformed the educational futures of their students. But so far they have not proved a cure-all for what ails public education.

Michael Pollan

"Food science is like surgery in 1650...it's nice to watch."
-Michael Pollan

Michael Pollan presented the 2010 Farwell Distinguished Lecture at Luther College this evening. Although the experience does not top the experience of listening to John McCain or Barrack Obama, Michael Pollan did present several issues that sat well with me. (as I can specifically apply them to educational reform)

No. 1- Reform begins as a idea and begins to take shape when people actually ACT on that idea. Take for example Brown vs. Board of Education; it began as an idea in the minds of people like Fredrick Douglas and continued to grow until the government felt the full pressure of the Civil Right's Movement in the 1960s.

No. 2- Reform will not happen unless we have lawyers and politicians who understand the complex system that is in place. (and those people will not be in power unless voters put them there)

No. 3- Michael Pollan's favorite label for many of the processed foods that we eat is "edible food-like substances". My question...is the education system a education-like substance? Where someone in power has decided what is important and we are given that and the rest is "knowledge epidemic-inducing" filler.

Think about it. I don't necessarily have the right answers, but we can all question.

For Better or For Worse

Teachers being held "accountable" in Rhode Island...

The follow up after the school board hearing.

"For the common good" or "Every man for himself"

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. -Preamble of the US Constitution

Promote the general welfare. This is a statement that reflects the unity that this country was founded upon. Amidst the Olympics, one of the finest stages to show patriotism, our country is falling apart. In a recent poll 86% of Americans say that they believe the US Government is broken. Do they offer a fix? No, of course not, that is the responsibility of someone else. What the average US citizen wants is benefits for them: businessmen want tax cuts to take away more money but they don't want to offer health insurance to their workers, farmers want their crops subsidized but don't want to pay property tax to local school districts, politicians want special interest groups to pay for campaigns but don't feel like listening to their constituents. Do I feel the system is broken? Yes.

So how about a quick fix? Absolutely not.

What the US has to change is its mentality. There is a point at which is okay to look after only your own interests and shut down others' interests. On the other hand, there is a point where we need to realize that benefiting others can have positive long-term effects on us. Since I am an educator I will provide an example from my own area of expertise.

School choice was put in place to provide students with the flexibility of choosing a school that best fit their learning needs. Unfortunately many families abuse this privilege and leave districts that could use their support to turn a school around. Think for a minute about what might happen if all the students in a district went to their assigned school and their parents became active in that school. Wouldn't those parents want the best for their student and attempt to change that school? It certainly seems logical to me, but its not reality. As a society we are too focused on our individual needs that we leave the collective behind; furthering the divide in our country and preventing growth as a whole nation.

Living Off a Teacher's Salary....

I stumbled across this link in my daily news dose...Thought it might be a good read.


http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2010/02/21/nr.living.on.less.cnn?hpt=C2