tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post8852538617244378318..comments2023-09-29T06:32:16.005-04:00Comments on My School Committee Blog: Education matters: It's summer, so crack the booksCatherine A. Sandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03523667921190365891noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-65079755015170343592009-08-21T08:03:40.193-04:002009-08-21T08:03:40.193-04:00Rick,
All that given--your defense in Amherst kids...Rick,<br />All that given--your defense in Amherst kids being accepted to colleges...What might you suggest the classroom teacher do differently to avoid the Sped/Underachiever kid from being funneled out of an education that might lead him/her to college? Summer reading is most definitely a great start. Like I've posted before I actually thought all kids got a summer book list...Must just be the targeted child who receives such a list...further isolating and separating him/her from her peers....How do we equalize the education field?<br />Especially when there are teachers out there who have resigned to this notion and continue to present the curriculum almost in robotic ways, skipping over any queried faces in front of them?<br />Does the SC involve themselves with this? Does the teachers union give a hoot? Do parents have to scream and yell at SC meetings to get this done? Do parents have to pull out their child because the teacher in the next grade up is one s/he doesn't approve of? How do we equalize the education field for ALL kids? It seems most of what I read here is criticism and bantering between adults....I am looking for some real solutions that teachers can put into practice now and ways for them to do this without feeling threatened or insulted. An earlier poster stated that s/he was told by a teacher that ALL Sped kids were disciplinary problems...I know this to be true and it is an issue of deep concern. One that needs great mending. Once a child has been routed into this field--and I am not referring to the physically challenged child here, it is common knowledge among the teachers that this child presents a "problem." It is the same as marking a red X on his/her forehead and sending them off. <br />You make great points in your comments but I really do not see any direction given. Thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-38155066923487376592009-08-20T20:55:56.551-04:002009-08-20T20:55:56.551-04:00Longmeadow gives better stats on SATS (for example...Longmeadow gives better stats on SATS (for example) but worse for colleges attended (they don’t give numbers). Not ideal for making comparisons.<br /><br />As for “…it's one or two here and there”:<br /><br />ARHS Class of 2008:<br /><br />Amherst College 1<br />Brown University 3<br />Cornell University 2<br />Princeton University 1<br />Yale University 3<br />Etc….Rick Hoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04347110422224233217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-33364017468056056252009-08-20T20:01:20.272-04:002009-08-20T20:01:20.272-04:00Here's the link to Longmeadow's school sta...Here's the link to Longmeadow's school stats: http://www.longmeadow.k12.ma.us/lhs/media/guidance/LHSprofile0809.pdfAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-36429584163661578572009-08-20T20:00:34.925-04:002009-08-20T20:00:34.925-04:00I did name someone once specifically and it was el...I did name someone once specifically and it was eliminated from the blog. Sorry. Here's a link to Longmeadow. They actually offer lots of AP classes, and are unappologetic about challenging their kids academically. Congrats to the kids who did get into excellent colleges, but it's one or two here and there. There should be no barrier for the kid who wants to push above and beyond. And that's the difference between here and other towns. Don't tell me to move. I already pulled my kids from the schools here a long time ago.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-64321792733035933772009-08-20T18:07:52.906-04:002009-08-20T18:07:52.906-04:00"And if you think your kid stands a chance of..."And if you think your kid stands a chance of getting into a competitive college, think again."<br /><br />Huh? You should look at this:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.arps.org/hs/Offices/Guidance/Planning/SchoolProfile.php#colleges" rel="nofollow">http://www.arps.org/hs/Offices/Guidance/Planning/SchoolProfile.php#colleges</a>Rick Hoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04347110422224233217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-10511106031021034492009-08-20T18:00:54.855-04:002009-08-20T18:00:54.855-04:00"One final thought, I for one am so tired of ..."One final thought, I for one am so tired of faculty/staff at my kids elementary school telling me that they won't assign more homework, long term projects, set up science fairs or other similar kinds of programs because its not fair to the lower income families at the school."<br /><br />Since you are posting anonymously, can you tell us specifically who (faculty/staff_)told you this?Rick Hoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04347110422224233217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-4081371819688645232009-08-20T14:59:46.440-04:002009-08-20T14:59:46.440-04:00Be aware that kind of thinking goes beyond the ele...Be aware that kind of thinking goes beyond the elementary school. It is in the middle and high school. And if you think your kid stands a chance of getting into a competitive college, think again. So many other school districts and private schools offer rigorous academics, and your kids will be competing against kids with a more rigorous academic background for the same slot in a college. Who do you think is going to get accepted to the college?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-13659405722133896632009-08-20T14:46:48.340-04:002009-08-20T14:46:48.340-04:00Actually I think that both Rick and Ed make import...Actually I think that both Rick and Ed make important points. Despite all the best intentions and politically correct thinking, there are realities about the lifestyles and homes of many of the lower income families. We can't wish this away or pretend that it doesn't exist because our liberal thinking.<br /><br />However, the children that come from these homes deserve the best education possible. Summer reading programs, a rigorous academic curriculum and attempts to involve parents/guardians are crucial.<br /><br />One final thought, I for one am so tired of faculty/staff at my kids elementary school telling me that they won't assign more homework, long term projects, set up science fairs or other similar kinds of programs because its not fair to the lower income families at the school. Its just nonsense. That kind of thinking is illogical and hurts every child.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-64863694640111769302009-08-20T11:01:15.154-04:002009-08-20T11:01:15.154-04:00Thanks Rick.
For thoughtful comments AND for br...Thanks Rick. <br /><br />For thoughtful comments AND for bringing this conversation back to something reasonable and potentially useful to talk about.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-12090698471347244502009-08-20T10:39:22.190-04:002009-08-20T10:39:22.190-04:00We should not be focusing on what type of househol...We should not be focusing on what type of household an underachieving student comes from. What matters is what we do to help underachieving kids - wherever they come from.<br /><br />Maybe most of the underachieving kids are poor or have lousy parents; I don't know, and it’s irrelevant – at least for this discussion. We are not going to be able to make poor kids rich or give them better parents. We are not talking about that here; we are talking about helping kids learn, period.<br /><br />So back to the original topic:<br /><br />1. Assign summer work – reading or whatever – seems good to me.<br /><br />2. How to help underachieving kids get that work done. This is the problem to be solved.<br /><br />Why #2 is so important: <br /><br />It’s been true ever since we’ve had public schools that they can be a “great equalizer” helping to level the playing field in a very unfair world.<br /><br />If you are a kid born with lousy parents, where else are you going to be able to climb out of that hole but in school? There are many stories of kids from lousy households (rich, poor, black or white) that are motivated by a teacher to climb out of the hole by diving into schoolwork – sometimes sports also. <br /><br />Really good summer programs – like the Bell program (bellnational.org) – basically do the same thing with large numbers of students. That costs money. <br /><br />Yes, if all parents were wonderful and encouraged their kids in school, we would not have to spend (much) money on this. But why should the rest of us have to pay for this in our taxes? Before asking that question, ask yourself if you were born lucky. I was. If you pay a lot of taxes, chances are you were – don’t take that for granted. <br /><br />This is important. Education is the single most important thing to keep the USA from flushing itself down the toilet, which is where it is heading.Rick Hoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04347110422224233217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-72381928639988724122009-08-20T07:57:12.767-04:002009-08-20T07:57:12.767-04:00I think what Ed says may be hurtful to some people...I think what Ed says may be hurtful to some people, but it's true. I used to substitute teach, and I won't name the teacher, but she said it was a given that the kids in the Special Ed program were ALL discipline problems. Every one of them. I dont know which came first, the discipline problems, or being put in with a group of other discipline problems. But all the SPED kids were a handful to deal with. And yeah, most of them were from single parent homes. No one's being a racist talking about it, it's just a glaring fact. Maybe if we can look hard at some of these glaring facts, we can come up with solutions. Altho I doubt it. None of these single moms asked us if we minded if they create a burden on society and would we mind paying more in taxes for their mistakes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-8734045754250669902009-08-20T07:46:22.603-04:002009-08-20T07:46:22.603-04:00Ed,
Although I appreciate your vigor and a lot of ...Ed,<br />Although I appreciate your vigor and a lot of what you say is good I will try again to say what I have observed with the schools to be true. The 'average' Sped child is from a low-income, single parent, family of color. This is an undisputed fact. Has been in Amherst for oh, 25 years, maybe longer. So, no matter how dis or dys/functional the adults in their lives may be these kids are suffering and the results are spilling over into the schools. <br />You can call my observations stupid, obtuse? anything you choose, but the kids are still suffering. I've witnessed the gang-style toughness of some of these kids come across in bullying the child from the family where education and authority are both respected. <br />You seem to have a very strong voice--why aren't you using it to come up with some solutions for these targeted kids on both sides of this dilemma...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-74596786458471875672009-08-20T06:30:37.362-04:002009-08-20T06:30:37.362-04:00Jones and the branch libraries offer summer readin...Jones and the branch libraries offer summer reading programs.<br /><br />Another one is at Barnes and Noble- Kids read a number (8 or 10?) of books (DON'T have to be purchased there!) Fill out the form and bring it to the store- Kids get to chose a free paperback from a list (info, forms, and book list is on their website)<br /><br />Do schools share info on these summer opportunities? (my kids are now young adults- but we loved participating!)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-25550923443822903242009-08-19T17:29:14.345-04:002009-08-19T17:29:14.345-04:00Ed:
I have never agreed with anything you have ev...Ed:<br /><br />I have never agreed with anything you have ever said on Catherine's blog...in fact I usually vehemently disagree with you.<br /><br />But I gotta say, you hit the nail on the head with your posts on August 18th. This is a very complicated issue with no easy answers, unfortunately.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-21213319827747319232009-08-19T16:36:13.866-04:002009-08-19T16:36:13.866-04:00Abbie said...
I can't stay silent in the f...<i> Abbie said...<br /> I can't stay silent in the face of your xenophobic </i><br /><br />"Xenophobic"??? I know we live in the through-the-lookingglass world where words mean what we say they mean, but "xenophobic"?<br /><br /><i> Folks and families with limited incomes come in all flavors just like those with low-middle to wealthy come in all flavors.</i><br /><br />Yes, and some of them are actually functional and their children behave themselves and are interested in learning. I come from such a family.<br /><br /><i> You paint all "poor" folks with the same tar brush. </i><br /><br />I do no such thing. My point is that you have poverty and dysfunctional/disfunctional families and poor educational outcomes. And further that simply throwing money at the issue won't help...<br /><br />I say "SHAME on you" here but use stronger words in my head!<br /><br /><i> You suggest minorities have the same opportunities in life. </i><br /><br />They do. And you are a RACIST and a BIGOT and worse.<br /><br /><i> Sure it can (sometimes) be overcome with tremendous effort, but that's more effort than an equivalently skilled white guy would need to succeed.</i><br /><br />Unmitigated Bullshit.<br /><br /> <i> "KIDS SHOULDN'T HAVE TO SUFFER (or receive less) IN OUR SCHOOLS BECAUSE OF THE POOR CHOICES MADE BY THEIR PARENTS."</i><br /><br />Unless we are willing to abandon all concepts of parental rights and to say that children are the sole property of the state, then they *do* need to suffer for the bad choices of their parents.<br /><br />And the sad thing is that there is really nothing that can be done about it - unless we want to go back to orphanages and far more aggressive DSS child protective actions....Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-8173271847126005712009-08-19T10:06:23.704-04:002009-08-19T10:06:23.704-04:00Ed,
I can't stay silent in the face of your x...Ed,<br /><br />I can't stay silent in the face of your xenophobic tirade/trash. To remain silent would suggest agreement. I don't think your views/opinions are helpful to any discussion and are inflammatory (but maybe that's what you want). <br /><br />Folks and families with limited incomes come in all flavors just like those with low-middle to wealthy come in all flavors. You paint all "poor" folks with the same tar brush. I say "SHAME on you" here but use stronger words in my head!<br /><br />You suggest minorities have the same opportunities in life. That is Bull****. Every study shows that's not reality. Sure it can (sometimes) be overcome with tremendous effort, but that's more effort than an equivalently skilled white guy would need to succeed.<br /><br />I leave with this thought, which applies to all kids and families. "KIDS SHOULDN'T HAVE TO SUFFER (or receive less) IN OUR SCHOOLS BECAUSE OF THE POOR CHOICES MADE BY THEIR PARENTS."Abbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02989627808442831131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-14676315721000677572009-08-18T15:15:09.060-04:002009-08-18T15:15:09.060-04:00Dysfunctional spelled with a "Y" seems t...Dysfunctional spelled with a "Y" seems to refer more to family not functioning well. Look stuff up before you start dissing other people.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-11031689264114676892009-08-18T15:02:20.873-04:002009-08-18T15:02:20.873-04:00"They are low income BECAUSE they are disfunc..."They are low income BECAUSE they are disfunctional, their children don't do well in school because their home life is disfunctional BECAUSE of their disfunctional parent(s)."<br /><br />Ed, I think your spelling is dysfunctional.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-38492685459554142102009-08-18T12:41:40.280-04:002009-08-18T12:41:40.280-04:00So Ed, given the original posting's comparison...So Ed, given the original posting's comparison of Amherst to Hadley with summer work, would you think that Hadley parents are, in general, more committed to the education of their children than are the parents, again in general, of Amherst? I am truly curious. I have seen a surprising disinterest in education among parents I have encountered in Amherst, a low turnout for PGO meetings, low percent of parents contributing to fundraisers, etc.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-78259172643602043752009-08-18T11:16:54.694-04:002009-08-18T11:16:54.694-04:00I find it insulting to infer that, the fault of th...<i>I find it insulting to infer that, the fault of the schools not meeting their minimal requirements to equally educate ALL kids is somehow being excused here because of their home situations</i><br /><br />And I find this insulting. And unrealistic. And obtuse and stupid.<br /><br />The issue of materialism and the spend-spend-spend culture is real and schools should address it the same way they address racism and homophobia. And this is to teach tolerance - not to mandate uniforms and in a place like Amherst you KNOW that the ACLU is going to get dragged in to that.<br /><br />And a decade ago I would have included access to computers - not now - and Erin O'Connor has an interesting review of _The Dumbest Generation, How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future_ (Mark Bauerlein, Penguin) in the Spring _Academic Questions_.<br /><br />Poverty does not preclude children from learning. I was on the reduced lunch list, and it didn't preclude me from learning.<br /><br />Screwed up home life and disfunctional parents DOES preclude learning. The home situation, not in terms of economics but stability and values taught, DOES matter. <br /><br />A high ranking Federal Dept of Education person said something at a conference once: "All parents home school to some extent." He is right - and as much as I hate to defend some of the schmucks in K-12, if the parents aren't doing this, even competent teachers aren't going to accomplish anything.Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-52896970011985959972009-08-18T10:56:16.422-04:002009-08-18T10:56:16.422-04:00it is about the school district specifying certain...<i>it is about the school district specifying certain books/assignments that ALL kids of a certain grade will do to make sure that less summer drop occurs.</i><br /><br />I have three specific problems with this. First if you have a specific book, who gets to pick it? Think there might be a few parents upset regardless of what it is -- people are dropping out of the UM Honors College because they don't like the books picked there. <br /><br />Second, it is educationally unsound to go with just one book because at least a third are going to hate it. They probably will pick a book the girls like and the boys will hate it and the untold scandal is not the girls slight gap in math skills but the much greater boy's gap in literacy and reading skills.<br /><br />Reading, like physical exercise, has to be fun and you are no more going to get a child to read a book not of interest to the child than you are going to get an adult to play a sport that the adult isn't interested in. You have to either want to do it or see some actual reward out of it, or it ain't gonna happen...<br /><br />And third, if you only have one book assigned, you will have one kid read it and give the answers to the rest of them. I don't like to be told to do things - I probably would read the book and then post the answers on the internet. Prove I did it...<br /><br />You can not mandate performance over those whom you do not have custody. You can encourage this, but not mandate it -- and mandating a specific book is going to be a really bad idea.<br /><br /><i>it is NOT the same as the school district saying ALL kids are required to do particular work in a particular grade.</i><br /><br />Summer reading should NOT be at any uniform grade level, the advantage of independent study is that it can be at the child's ability level. I was reading 4-5 grade levels above my actual grade level and it was one thing to force me to conform to a uniform curriculum during the school year due to the logistics of the classroom, but you are going to do this to me during the summer too?<br /><br />See above about posting the answers on the internet out of spite. Actually, what I probably would have done was to post not only the answers but a detailed summary of how stupid I thought the questions were, on my own web page, and my understanding of the most recent SCOTUS decision is that the district couldn't do anything.<br /><br />You folks have got to understand that much as the best way to get a young person to do something is to tell him he can't do it, a love of reading can not be nurtured through fiat and force.<br /> <br /><i>do you believe that there isn't a correlation between low income students and struggling students </i><br /><br />I no longer believe that there is a correlation as to the former causing the latter. No more than the fact that those killed in auto crashes are licensed drivers driving licensed vehicles means that it is safer to be in an unregistered car driven by an unlicensed driver.<br /><br />Or just because the few perps who have shot up colleges have had serious mental health issues means that every college kid with a mental health issue is going to go commit mass murder. <br /><br />I do not believe that there is a direct causual relationship between low income and poor educational outcome. I think that both are caused by the same thing, which I so unscientifically refer to as "screwed up parents from hell." They are low income BECAUSE they are disfunctional, their children don't do well in school because their home life is disfunctional BECAUSE of their disfunctional parent(s).<br /><br />And then they will get arrested or pregnant (or now, both) at 17 and the whole thing will continue right into the next generation. We have been handing out cash for 40 years now, and we are three generations into this disaster, going into the fourth.<br /><br />I used to go into a thousand low-income homes a year - I have seen this with my own eyes...Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-76859116025665775582009-08-18T10:55:51.665-04:002009-08-18T10:55:51.665-04:00If the district decided summer reading/assignments...<i> If the district decided summer reading/assignments was a priority, this could begin immediately -- and we could offer free books to anyone on free/reduced lunch (this would seem like a very inexpensive way of reducing the achievement gap).</i> <br /><br />Ummmm.... The law is clear - anything you require must be given to ALL students. You can't charge students for textbooks. And if it is a mandated book, then you gotta provide it to all...<br /><br /><i>the earlier poster tired of hearing that low income people have fewer advantages </i><br /><br />The issue is NOT money. The issue is the household value on education, which includes such things as household stability and such - all of which have a strong relationship to income.<br /><br />BECAUSE the adult(s) in the household are disfunctional, they are poor. Poverty and poor educational outcome are both symptons of a larger issue that can be best described as screwed up adults who really are in no position to be responsible parents. Lets get real here - look at the households from which these kids come.<br /><br />If you didn't have the single mothers with a new boyfriend (father figure for the children) every 16-18 months, if you didn't have the drugs and the violence and the cops and the general bedlam of the household, if you had something resembling a stable home life, something resembling respect for authority and education, if you had something resembling middle class values, then you would have (a) adults who could hold down middle class jobs and thus wouldn't be poor and (b) children who didn't have the gap.<br /><br />It isn't money - if you add up the cash value of all the support programs and include the boyfriend's unreported drug income and everything else, they have more money than many middle class families. Every one of them has a television set bigger than my car...<br /><br />.Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-78989498575699691192009-08-15T20:05:20.210-04:002009-08-15T20:05:20.210-04:00I agree...as a matter of fact I thought summer rea...I agree...as a matter of fact I thought summer reading was 'mandatory'. Every summer I have ever spent with my kids we have had a book list from one of their teachers for summer reading and happy to read trough the summer. There is a school out there, not sure of the details on the name or anything, reported to have dedicated an hour each day to students reading with them at young ages and this contributing to the students in this group becoming scholars in later life. I think the schools around here have just gotten lazy in their approach, or too used to the writtien curriculum--assignments, xeroxed sheets, etc....Maybe we need more creativity and less ridgidness...summer or not...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-69400641858323837632009-08-14T00:12:44.425-04:002009-08-14T00:12:44.425-04:00To Anon 7:58
Uniforms, standard issue backpacks y...To Anon 7:58<br /><br />Uniforms, standard issue backpacks you can do those but they don't change the original point of this post which is summer slide. No matter what you make standard or uniform some children and some families are going to have more than others. It is a basic reality of life.<br />What we can change is the quality of the education that students in Amherst receive both during the summer and the school year. I think that Catherine and Steve make some great points in the orignial post and we should seriously think about making some work mandatory for students 3rd grade and up for next summer to prevent summer slide.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-38305581530706279632009-08-13T12:15:36.714-04:002009-08-13T12:15:36.714-04:00Lise:
Yup pretty much that’s it, except more than...Lise: <br />Yup pretty much that’s it, except more than just "failing-student needs-to-re-take-a-class" – also should be "student-lagging-behind get-extra-help" or better yet, "just getting-ahead". I recall a huge stigma attached to going to summer school - probably still the same - and it should be viewed as more of a "I can gain an advantage by going" thing.Rick Hoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04347110422224233217noreply@blogger.com