I was fortunate enough to get to see a U of L football game last Friday night, thanks to Gregg. Our seats were in the new section of the stadium, on Flight Deck 5, row C. We were on the 40 yard line. We hung out before the game, with Andrea, Travis and the boys, until time to go to our seats. Their seats were not on the same level as ours. It was a long trek up to the seats, by steps or ramps, you had a choice. They went up the ramps, I went up on the elevator! The weather was perfect, it was a crisp fall evening; a slight breese coming in from the west put a bit of a chill in the air.
I'll digress here to tell of the football games we first attended when we moved to Louisville fifty years ago. We were used to Ohio weather which called for sweaters or jackets early on in the season and heavy coats, scarves, hats, gloves, and blankets by mid October. At the first football game I attended here, I was overwhelmed by the fact that I got mosquito bites! The first years, our football outings were mostly to see Mike play. I do recall some games that were played in heavy downpouring rain but none played in snow flurries or below zero temps.
We did attend a few U of L games and later got season tickets to their games. We got to the games early so we could see the marching band and hear them play. The cheer leaders were there to get the crown reved up before the game started. Soon after the coin flip the game began and we were all focused on the field and the teams, yelling and cheering them on until half time. There was always lots to see at half time. The visiting team, if their band traveled with them, performed first, any tributes or introductions of VIP's were made and then the home team band performed. When the half time show, as it was called, was over the teams re-appeared on the field and the rest of the game was played, with the crowd cheering them on. If U of L made a touch down, a cannon was fired. Very impressive! The whole thing was over in about two and a half hours. It was sort of like the no-frills Mass I go to, you go, you pray, you go home. You went to the football game, you watched the game, you went home!
Oh, my gosh! It's a whole new world out there now. We got to our seats about a half hour before the game began and there was 'the greatest show on earth' right before our eyes. The music was cranked up and playing to the rocking crowd, large screens at both ends of the fields showing the cheerleaders, the crowds, other sites of interest, the players of both teams en masse,of course, on the field warming up, hurling the football through the air, looking clean and ready to take each other on, (Astro turf has eliminated dirty uniforms, they stay clean looking). The P A system was in tip top form, directing our attention to events that were going on on the periphery. At one time they showed pictures of former coaches at U of L. I loved the picture of Corso, and Howard was young and kinda cute, Cragthorp and Cooper were no shows. That was good! Charlie Strong appears on the large screens saying, "Stand Strong!" I loved it! The game started promptly at 8PM. The music rocked on at maximum volume until 'play' actually started. We were not too pleased with the first play of the game but we got beyond it. With the end of that series of plays, there was a TV time out and advantage was taken of that time lapse. We were introduced to Pres. Ramsey and accolades were bestowed. The next TV 'break' we watched as a few guys tried to kick the football up the field to a certain yardline and perhaps win a prize. Kicker, not so good, missed by about ...aaaa most of the yards. Next time out, we were introduced to the women's LaCross team and their coach. Hurrah ! There were a few spectators in our section that volunteered to be water boy for that team. As breaks went on we saw large banners pulled onto the field that volunteers tried to 'pass' the ball to hit one or the other of the two large banners, one white and one yellow, with the goal of winning a large prize. Not so good again! I think the fans are short on talent! The crowd was given a choice of a music selection that would be played. They named the performer and the song and the crowd was supposed to cheer for the one they liked best. It had to be done twice because the people that booed the choice they did not want, skewed the results. Finally they got it right and the song of the evening was TNT.
Half time was very good, we had intros to a few more VIP's and then the band performed, and the Lady Cardinals (I'm not sure of the groups' name) did a routine that was so good, I was dazzeled! We were ahead of BearCats and hoping for the best in the second half. Our team has gotten so far this season compared to the last few seasons. Bilol Powell 's 209 rushing yards was a spectacular performance and there were many others but they still have some kinks to iron out. I had the best time and am so thankful that I got to be a part of it all! I loved all of it! (Except for the fact that we lost, score: Cincinnati 35, Louisville 27. As Satchel Paige used to opine though, "We stang 'em"
I left out some of my other favorite things, when the Star- Spangled Banner was played before the game, the lighted strip on the other side of the stadium, rolls across the stadium with the colors of the flag flashing, during the game other things roll along on that strip. The stadium is, in fact, beautiful! What a place to watch a game, it is truly an awesome scene to behold. The whole evening was memorable. It puts a whole new light on ' going to the game'.
This is just an aside: Someone asked me today when 'tail-gating' came into being. I told them that back in the 1950's Mickey and Warner and Doc and I tail-gated at the Ohio State games. It was not participated in by as many people but quite a few of us did it. Tail-gating is an ancient custom!!! Ciao,caio
GO CARDS!
111
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Borders
Our country is so beautiful and has many spectacular areas to explore. Some are serene and peaceful, some are rough and rugged, I guess they can be peaceful even if they are rough and rugged, some have trails to follow and some are unmarked trails. There is a relative amount of risk or maybe even danger to hike on some of these sites but adventurous hikers enjoy the challenge of risk and of arduous effort to complete the journey.
There are magazines on the market that encourage the hiker, while at the same time giving information on the equipment necessary for the safety of the hiker. There is also special garb suggested for the hikers' comfort and important information on the proper foot wear.
These journals also give great information about hundreds of possible hiking spots throughout the world. Many in our own country but also many in the countries that are beyond our shores. Exotic sites that are popular and some that are more remote and less traveled by others.
In most of the articles and books that I've read that give accounts of hikers' joys and travails of hiking are consistantly urging people to heed the importance of being safe, alert, and cautious wherever you are.
Why is it then, with all of the fabulous, adventurous, beautiful places to explore on this globe, that a few insist on traveling near the borders of hostile countries or territories? Would you plan a back packing sojourn to the rocky, treacherous area of Afghanistan, near Iran's border? Or the border between North and South Korea,or perhaps take a jet ski ride on a lake that is on the border of Mexico where the members of the Mexican Drug Cartel hang out?
In the first two instances the hikers were accused of spying, they were captured and imprisoned and kept under guard in cells.The 'prisoners' insisted that they were not spies and just 'happened' to wander over the borders of these countries.Why were they there in the first place? With much negotiations and diplomacy the U.S. managed to free some of the trespassers but two are still imprisoned in Iran and one dead body is still in the lake between the U.S. and the Mexican border. A lawman, determined to search for the body of the jet skier that was shot and killed by the Cartel and search for the perpetrators of this heineous crime, was abducted and his severed head was delivered to the officials in charge. I am sickened by this! How can people be convinced that living on the edge can be exhilarating but it can also be deadly and jeopardizes the lives of others!! HIKE and SAIL in politically safe areas! Caio
There are magazines on the market that encourage the hiker, while at the same time giving information on the equipment necessary for the safety of the hiker. There is also special garb suggested for the hikers' comfort and important information on the proper foot wear.
These journals also give great information about hundreds of possible hiking spots throughout the world. Many in our own country but also many in the countries that are beyond our shores. Exotic sites that are popular and some that are more remote and less traveled by others.
In most of the articles and books that I've read that give accounts of hikers' joys and travails of hiking are consistantly urging people to heed the importance of being safe, alert, and cautious wherever you are.
Why is it then, with all of the fabulous, adventurous, beautiful places to explore on this globe, that a few insist on traveling near the borders of hostile countries or territories? Would you plan a back packing sojourn to the rocky, treacherous area of Afghanistan, near Iran's border? Or the border between North and South Korea,or perhaps take a jet ski ride on a lake that is on the border of Mexico where the members of the Mexican Drug Cartel hang out?
In the first two instances the hikers were accused of spying, they were captured and imprisoned and kept under guard in cells.The 'prisoners' insisted that they were not spies and just 'happened' to wander over the borders of these countries.Why were they there in the first place? With much negotiations and diplomacy the U.S. managed to free some of the trespassers but two are still imprisoned in Iran and one dead body is still in the lake between the U.S. and the Mexican border. A lawman, determined to search for the body of the jet skier that was shot and killed by the Cartel and search for the perpetrators of this heineous crime, was abducted and his severed head was delivered to the officials in charge. I am sickened by this! How can people be convinced that living on the edge can be exhilarating but it can also be deadly and jeopardizes the lives of others!! HIKE and SAIL in politically safe areas! Caio
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Stones
When I was about eleven years old, I got into a little dust up with my brother, Paul. We were the best of friends but there were times when we disagreed. On one of the many occasions, I was extremely outraged at something that he did and I was chasing him. He got so far ahead that I knew that I was not going to be able to catch him so I picked up a large stone to hurl at him. (If he was aware of my actions he would not have feared because I was a notoriously poor hurler.) I threw the rock with all my might and lo and behold, no one had ever informed me that I could throw a 'curve' stone! The stone made a right turn and went through my parents bedroom window. Paul was the definite winner of that fracas.
That was just one of the stone throwing happenings of my youth. It was the missile of choice for most kids. We threw stones into cisterns to hear the echo, threw stones at any target we could find, I do believe I was even hit by a stone or two. Who among us has not skipped rocks at any body of water that we came to.
In History,s accounts of events you will find many occasions of stone throwing. In the Bible you can read about St. Stephen the first martyr of the church who was killed by being stoned to death. In all of the wars waged in the Mid Eastern Countries you saw films of citizens, including children ,throwing stones at the enemies. One time when I was doing one of the readings at church, the passage was about Jesus suffering buffets by his enemies. I accidently read, "bullits" instead of buffets, I quickly corrected myself and re-read the word " buffets" and went on with the reading. When I returned to the sacristy after Mass, Father John was laughing and quite amused by my error. He said, "Bullits hadn't even been invented yet! You should have said stoned!" Weapon of choice!
I've wittnessed many tiny tots pick up stones along the way and hurl them just for the fun of it. Why do we do this? I don't know! It seems to be a human trait. One of my children got into big trouble for throwing a snowball and hitting the car of the pastor of our church. No damage was reported but the pastor was quite upset by the episode and my child was required to write an apology for doing the deed. Doing what comes naturally! I was amused, not by the deed but by the letter of apology: "Please excuse me for disturbing the peace." 'nuff said.
Sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me. Old adage that is completely erroneous.
A few nights ago a group of fifteen year boys were celebrating the fact that they were having a sleep over at one of the boy's houses. A final instruct\ion from one of the mom's saying , 'Be good and don't get in any trouble." Her son said. "Ok, Mom. I love you." She responded, "I love you too." Her last words to her son.
A few hours later the boys were, for whatever reason, throwing stones at each other, laughing and having fun. One of the stones hit the car of a man who has felt harrassment by the youth in the area, he came outside with his gun and started firing. The boys were trying to flee the scene and one of the boys was hit in the back with a bullet and died! Did he deserve to be shot? Did I deserve to be shot when I fired a stone at my brother for some minor transgression? I am appalled and I grieve the death of this youth. Did he do bodily harm to anyone? Did the car receive irreparable damage? Was the boy that was shot absolutely, without a doubt, guilty of throwing the rock that hit the car? Were the police involved? Was the elder citizen 's life in danger? Was the citizen responsible enough to own a gun? You tell me! Ciao
That was just one of the stone throwing happenings of my youth. It was the missile of choice for most kids. We threw stones into cisterns to hear the echo, threw stones at any target we could find, I do believe I was even hit by a stone or two. Who among us has not skipped rocks at any body of water that we came to.
In History,s accounts of events you will find many occasions of stone throwing. In the Bible you can read about St. Stephen the first martyr of the church who was killed by being stoned to death. In all of the wars waged in the Mid Eastern Countries you saw films of citizens, including children ,throwing stones at the enemies. One time when I was doing one of the readings at church, the passage was about Jesus suffering buffets by his enemies. I accidently read, "bullits" instead of buffets, I quickly corrected myself and re-read the word " buffets" and went on with the reading. When I returned to the sacristy after Mass, Father John was laughing and quite amused by my error. He said, "Bullits hadn't even been invented yet! You should have said stoned!" Weapon of choice!
I've wittnessed many tiny tots pick up stones along the way and hurl them just for the fun of it. Why do we do this? I don't know! It seems to be a human trait. One of my children got into big trouble for throwing a snowball and hitting the car of the pastor of our church. No damage was reported but the pastor was quite upset by the episode and my child was required to write an apology for doing the deed. Doing what comes naturally! I was amused, not by the deed but by the letter of apology: "Please excuse me for disturbing the peace." 'nuff said.
Sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me. Old adage that is completely erroneous.
A few nights ago a group of fifteen year boys were celebrating the fact that they were having a sleep over at one of the boy's houses. A final instruct\ion from one of the mom's saying , 'Be good and don't get in any trouble." Her son said. "Ok, Mom. I love you." She responded, "I love you too." Her last words to her son.
A few hours later the boys were, for whatever reason, throwing stones at each other, laughing and having fun. One of the stones hit the car of a man who has felt harrassment by the youth in the area, he came outside with his gun and started firing. The boys were trying to flee the scene and one of the boys was hit in the back with a bullet and died! Did he deserve to be shot? Did I deserve to be shot when I fired a stone at my brother for some minor transgression? I am appalled and I grieve the death of this youth. Did he do bodily harm to anyone? Did the car receive irreparable damage? Was the boy that was shot absolutely, without a doubt, guilty of throwing the rock that hit the car? Were the police involved? Was the elder citizen 's life in danger? Was the citizen responsible enough to own a gun? You tell me! Ciao
Thursday, October 7, 2010
More
When I signed off the other day I had every intention of continueing my thoughts on education but I went off track and am just now getting back.
Some of the polititions that are abusing us with their egregious ads on TV have jumped on the bandwagon for education, just as pols are inclined to do every election time. If we ever do get our education on the road to improvement the pols will have to get a new dead horse to beat. Every year they come up with the same old song about how they are going to improve education and every year the education system gets worse. This year the local pols are keying in on changing the situation with busing, only because there was such a disasterous first day of school that made all of the local news venues. Assuredly, that was a travesty but even if busing the children was abandonned entirely by Monday morning, that is still not going to improve the quality of education.
It is not a problem that can be solved by passing laws, nor is it going to be solved by rewarding teachers if their students can pass certain tests. Some of the hardest working teachers are trying to teach a population of students that do not want to learn and many that look upon having to go to school as some sort of punishment. Children that are total strangers to discipline, to respect, to acquiring knowledge that would help them be successful in life, children that have no desire to reach goals other than to get out of school. Pity the poor teacher who struggles all day each day trying to convince a student that school is more important than playing Play Station ll or some other video game.
A child's education should begin with the parents, they are the ultimate educators of their own children. Getting the parents involved is one part of the triangle: parents, child, teachers. The child will learn and do his best if he is supported on both sides of his endeavor.If he is supported and encouraged at home,and at school, his chances of succeeding are far greater. Parents need to set goals for their children. Parenting is a skill so maybe we need to establish parent classes as a requirement for parents of failing schools or maybe all schools. Classes for parents of children when they first enter school and then again for middle schooler and then high schoolers. Most colleges and universitys have "parent oreintation" classes for college age students.It should be manditory.
As for teachers, we have some excellent people that have chosen teaching as their life's work, and we have some teachers that do not belong in the classroom. Teaching is a profession that should only be entered into by people who have a calling to teach. Just as we expect to have doctors that have an interest in healing people, clergy that are called to preach, nurses that have the compassity to give loving care to people that are suffering, there are many more that I could site.
There should be a grading system for teachers. School principals, parents and even students at some level should be allowed to assess the teacher's performance. They should be graded on their ability to convey the subject matter to the student, to maintain order in the classroom, to have a thorough knowledge of the subject they are teaching, on their demeanor in the classroom, on their ability to organize the students and on their empathy, on their goals for the individuals and for the class as a whole. They could be assessed by a simple grade of : Excellent, Very Good, Good. or Poor If they don't make the grade in certain subjects then they should be removed from that area, if the overall grade is' poor 'they should be advised to seek another occupation.
I know the schools have failed miserably at math and science, as I stated way back in my first blog, the Chinese have been so far ahead of us in math for years but I'm sure if the truth be known they are far beyond us in speaking our own language when they learn it in their schools. Not only the Chinese but other countries ,also. I have a friend from India that speaks English perfectly. Correct usage of noun,verb agreement, proper use of adverbs, and gramatical syntax etc. When I asked how he became so proficient in our language, he said the Jesuits had taught him in India and they were"the world's best teachers". We are sorely in need of some Jesuits. Talk to many graduates of our high schools and hear them say,"Me and my dad," "We come here to play," "He should have went," "I done what I could," those are just a few examples of their egregious language skills. How did they spend 12 or more years in school and still speak this way? Their teachers speak this way ,too in some cases and even if they do speak correctly they ignore the poor usage by their students! Why does this matter? I've known people that have lost the opportunity for good jobs because their poor grammar usage tags them as "uneducated"!
Watch the news and see the subtle message when the news people want to characterize an interviewee as an uneducated person, they will choose a person that uses poor grammar. So also do job interviewers and many others. Let's teach our students to speak English!
There are different styles of teaching and certain students that adapt better to one style than another, try to group the students to 'fit' with the teacher they are assigned to. Some teachers prefer the Socratic method of teaching because it teaches the student to think, others prefer rote teaching first and then go for the in-depth analysis of the subject. Language skills are very important in teaching math concepts, ,and math comprehension; math computing skills can be taught by rote teaching.
There are three types of learners, visual learners, auditory learners, and tactile learners. Teach the teachers to determine which kind of learners he/she needs to teach to so that the students have a greater chance of accomplishment. Success is the greatest motivator.
We need an overhaul of education in this country so that we can compete globally! Let's get going! There are many other ideas for change but once again I'm hungry and need to move on! Ciao
Some of the polititions that are abusing us with their egregious ads on TV have jumped on the bandwagon for education, just as pols are inclined to do every election time. If we ever do get our education on the road to improvement the pols will have to get a new dead horse to beat. Every year they come up with the same old song about how they are going to improve education and every year the education system gets worse. This year the local pols are keying in on changing the situation with busing, only because there was such a disasterous first day of school that made all of the local news venues. Assuredly, that was a travesty but even if busing the children was abandonned entirely by Monday morning, that is still not going to improve the quality of education.
It is not a problem that can be solved by passing laws, nor is it going to be solved by rewarding teachers if their students can pass certain tests. Some of the hardest working teachers are trying to teach a population of students that do not want to learn and many that look upon having to go to school as some sort of punishment. Children that are total strangers to discipline, to respect, to acquiring knowledge that would help them be successful in life, children that have no desire to reach goals other than to get out of school. Pity the poor teacher who struggles all day each day trying to convince a student that school is more important than playing Play Station ll or some other video game.
A child's education should begin with the parents, they are the ultimate educators of their own children. Getting the parents involved is one part of the triangle: parents, child, teachers. The child will learn and do his best if he is supported on both sides of his endeavor.If he is supported and encouraged at home,and at school, his chances of succeeding are far greater. Parents need to set goals for their children. Parenting is a skill so maybe we need to establish parent classes as a requirement for parents of failing schools or maybe all schools. Classes for parents of children when they first enter school and then again for middle schooler and then high schoolers. Most colleges and universitys have "parent oreintation" classes for college age students.It should be manditory.
As for teachers, we have some excellent people that have chosen teaching as their life's work, and we have some teachers that do not belong in the classroom. Teaching is a profession that should only be entered into by people who have a calling to teach. Just as we expect to have doctors that have an interest in healing people, clergy that are called to preach, nurses that have the compassity to give loving care to people that are suffering, there are many more that I could site.
There should be a grading system for teachers. School principals, parents and even students at some level should be allowed to assess the teacher's performance. They should be graded on their ability to convey the subject matter to the student, to maintain order in the classroom, to have a thorough knowledge of the subject they are teaching, on their demeanor in the classroom, on their ability to organize the students and on their empathy, on their goals for the individuals and for the class as a whole. They could be assessed by a simple grade of : Excellent, Very Good, Good. or Poor If they don't make the grade in certain subjects then they should be removed from that area, if the overall grade is' poor 'they should be advised to seek another occupation.
I know the schools have failed miserably at math and science, as I stated way back in my first blog, the Chinese have been so far ahead of us in math for years but I'm sure if the truth be known they are far beyond us in speaking our own language when they learn it in their schools. Not only the Chinese but other countries ,also. I have a friend from India that speaks English perfectly. Correct usage of noun,verb agreement, proper use of adverbs, and gramatical syntax etc. When I asked how he became so proficient in our language, he said the Jesuits had taught him in India and they were"the world's best teachers". We are sorely in need of some Jesuits. Talk to many graduates of our high schools and hear them say,"Me and my dad," "We come here to play," "He should have went," "I done what I could," those are just a few examples of their egregious language skills. How did they spend 12 or more years in school and still speak this way? Their teachers speak this way ,too in some cases and even if they do speak correctly they ignore the poor usage by their students! Why does this matter? I've known people that have lost the opportunity for good jobs because their poor grammar usage tags them as "uneducated"!
Watch the news and see the subtle message when the news people want to characterize an interviewee as an uneducated person, they will choose a person that uses poor grammar. So also do job interviewers and many others. Let's teach our students to speak English!
There are different styles of teaching and certain students that adapt better to one style than another, try to group the students to 'fit' with the teacher they are assigned to. Some teachers prefer the Socratic method of teaching because it teaches the student to think, others prefer rote teaching first and then go for the in-depth analysis of the subject. Language skills are very important in teaching math concepts, ,and math comprehension; math computing skills can be taught by rote teaching.
There are three types of learners, visual learners, auditory learners, and tactile learners. Teach the teachers to determine which kind of learners he/she needs to teach to so that the students have a greater chance of accomplishment. Success is the greatest motivator.
We need an overhaul of education in this country so that we can compete globally! Let's get going! There are many other ideas for change but once again I'm hungry and need to move on! Ciao
Friday, October 1, 2010
Education Nation
NBC has devoted this whole week to education in America. It was featured on the Today show, and other venues of NBC all week long. It was very good and thought provoking. Some of the information was shocking and some was encourageing. I have known for quite a long time that we did not rank up very high in the world in math. I used to tell my people about tests that were showing that we were very far behind China and other countries. At least ten years ago and maybe more than that, tests were conducted in most of the major countries around the world that showed first graders competentcies in math. We fared very poorly. We were fifth, and now how shocking it is to learn that the U.S. ranks 24th in math among the developed nations of the world today!
Math is not the only area where we are failing. Reading, writing, language skills, science, social studies and all of the rest are falling behind. The focus is more on teaching the tests than about teaching the materials and skills necessary for success in life.
We've listened to educators, parents, teachers, professors, legislators, successful journalists, and many others this week giving their testimony on what can be done to bring us up out of the hole. Some of the theories are valid and some are 'more of the same' or 'who can we blame' type comments.
There are many,many reasons why the schools are performing way below standard. and we waste time trying to come up with some simple statement that will cover it all. Statements about the inability to remove the many inadequate teachers from the class rooms, and the way to resolve that would be to reward the teachers that have students that perform well on the tests! How absurd!
What about the classroom that has students that are suffering from sleep-deprivation,(watching late night TV shows or playing video games well into the night) children that are not well nourished, and children that are concerned about personal problems at home. Children that are living with parents or a parent that is not focused on the child's education, but rather more concerned about getting their own lives straight or on existing until the next paycheck. Children whose parents are alcohol or drugs addicts and could care less about what their child is doing in school. A teacher should lose her job because she can't teach these children
how to do long division?
Schools should be considered 'safe places' and most of them are, in that, they lock all of the doors, have video cameras located at the accessable entrances so as to be able to see any potential intruders,and have safety drills on a routine basis: fire drills, tornado drills and intruder drills. The students and teachers are given a code word that will be announced over the PA system in the event that an unwanted person should slip past the security measures.
All of this is well and good, however; there is one area that is not covered and that is the protection from bullies. One of the worst deterrents for learning, for individual students, is the fear of being the target of a bully, sometimes not just one but many. Children are notoriously cruel when it comes to taunting and degrading a classmate. It only takes one bully to affect the entire population. Some children think they must join in on the bullying or become one of the bully's targets. For the most part they are terrified of becoming a target so they must avoid being a friend of the 'target' lest they become one. This has been a problem in schools for many years and so far there have been no solutions. The administrative staffs seem reluctant to take action, only under the threat of legal action on the part of the 'target''s parent, is it effectively dealt with. Most frequent tactic is to tell the target to 'just ignore it', have you tried to ignore being taunted and made fun of? I have! Most frequent defence is, "I was just having fun!" If it is not fun for both the taunter and the victim, then it is definitely not fun!
Some of the schools in New York have decided if the teachers' salaries are elevated then the level of instruction will be enhanced. They instituted a bonus of $30,000. for master teachers. One of the teachers that received the bonus said it surely motivated her to go above and beyond what is expected of her. Was it successful ? She said she actually saw very little improvement in her classes. Another New England state tried the bonus system for three years and did continuous testing and evaluation and there was no noticeable change after three years.
One of the Charter schools in a large city that has almost all African American students,(almost 40% of of whom drop out of school) hired a black male teacher that came into the school with a plan. First of all he made parent attendance at a meeting before school even started ,mandatory. He informed the parents that if the student did not show up at school there would be a knock at their door and the student would be expected to get to school, the students were required to sign contracts as to what was acceptable and what was not acceptable. If the contract was broken, the student and parent were called in to discuss it. No exceptions, homework was given and expected to be handed in. If that rule was violated the student made up the time on Saturday morning or after school hours. The dress code was inforced. The first lesson was to learn to spell and define RESPECT. So far that teacher has met with success, videos of his classes showed a class of attentive, participating, neat, happy students. Not a single drop -out or dicipline problem since he took control. Absences are no longer a problem. It can be done!
Throwing money at a school is not the answer. Well trained teachers, and trust me they are plentiful, parents that are supportive and students that are motivated by success could raise the scores in all schools.
I have much more to write about so I'm going to continue this tomorrow. (I'm hungry) Ciao
Math is not the only area where we are failing. Reading, writing, language skills, science, social studies and all of the rest are falling behind. The focus is more on teaching the tests than about teaching the materials and skills necessary for success in life.
We've listened to educators, parents, teachers, professors, legislators, successful journalists, and many others this week giving their testimony on what can be done to bring us up out of the hole. Some of the theories are valid and some are 'more of the same' or 'who can we blame' type comments.
There are many,many reasons why the schools are performing way below standard. and we waste time trying to come up with some simple statement that will cover it all. Statements about the inability to remove the many inadequate teachers from the class rooms, and the way to resolve that would be to reward the teachers that have students that perform well on the tests! How absurd!
What about the classroom that has students that are suffering from sleep-deprivation,(watching late night TV shows or playing video games well into the night) children that are not well nourished, and children that are concerned about personal problems at home. Children that are living with parents or a parent that is not focused on the child's education, but rather more concerned about getting their own lives straight or on existing until the next paycheck. Children whose parents are alcohol or drugs addicts and could care less about what their child is doing in school. A teacher should lose her job because she can't teach these children
how to do long division?
Schools should be considered 'safe places' and most of them are, in that, they lock all of the doors, have video cameras located at the accessable entrances so as to be able to see any potential intruders,and have safety drills on a routine basis: fire drills, tornado drills and intruder drills. The students and teachers are given a code word that will be announced over the PA system in the event that an unwanted person should slip past the security measures.
All of this is well and good, however; there is one area that is not covered and that is the protection from bullies. One of the worst deterrents for learning, for individual students, is the fear of being the target of a bully, sometimes not just one but many. Children are notoriously cruel when it comes to taunting and degrading a classmate. It only takes one bully to affect the entire population. Some children think they must join in on the bullying or become one of the bully's targets. For the most part they are terrified of becoming a target so they must avoid being a friend of the 'target' lest they become one. This has been a problem in schools for many years and so far there have been no solutions. The administrative staffs seem reluctant to take action, only under the threat of legal action on the part of the 'target''s parent, is it effectively dealt with. Most frequent tactic is to tell the target to 'just ignore it', have you tried to ignore being taunted and made fun of? I have! Most frequent defence is, "I was just having fun!" If it is not fun for both the taunter and the victim, then it is definitely not fun!
Some of the schools in New York have decided if the teachers' salaries are elevated then the level of instruction will be enhanced. They instituted a bonus of $30,000. for master teachers. One of the teachers that received the bonus said it surely motivated her to go above and beyond what is expected of her. Was it successful ? She said she actually saw very little improvement in her classes. Another New England state tried the bonus system for three years and did continuous testing and evaluation and there was no noticeable change after three years.
One of the Charter schools in a large city that has almost all African American students,(almost 40% of of whom drop out of school) hired a black male teacher that came into the school with a plan. First of all he made parent attendance at a meeting before school even started ,mandatory. He informed the parents that if the student did not show up at school there would be a knock at their door and the student would be expected to get to school, the students were required to sign contracts as to what was acceptable and what was not acceptable. If the contract was broken, the student and parent were called in to discuss it. No exceptions, homework was given and expected to be handed in. If that rule was violated the student made up the time on Saturday morning or after school hours. The dress code was inforced. The first lesson was to learn to spell and define RESPECT. So far that teacher has met with success, videos of his classes showed a class of attentive, participating, neat, happy students. Not a single drop -out or dicipline problem since he took control. Absences are no longer a problem. It can be done!
Throwing money at a school is not the answer. Well trained teachers, and trust me they are plentiful, parents that are supportive and students that are motivated by success could raise the scores in all schools.
I have much more to write about so I'm going to continue this tomorrow. (I'm hungry) Ciao
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