Congress Is Destroying America's Schools

[♦ nivek ♦]

Local SkuLle DistRikt Bored is puting on another monthly dog and pony show, err, meeting.. They HATE it when I show up asking questions and demanding that I be allowed to see the *books*, "Rules", "Regulations" and 'why?????'....

 

More I learn of the Federal System and what it does to local pubic skUllEz, the less I like shit..

 

kFL

**********

 

 

Congress is destroying America's schools

Newsbull

by Alan Caruba

 

"If you want to witness the most blatantly un-Constitutional and un-American laws at work than just take a walk through your local schools. They are currently under the control of the federal government. Why any town or city bothers to hold an election for members of the local board of education is a mystery to me. Between the U.S. Department of Education and a union, the National Education Association -- masquerading as just a group of concerned teachers -- local boards have no real power to reverse the subjugation and destruction of the nation's education system." (08/19/07)

 

http://www.newsbull.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=50728

[Heimdall]

Heck, here in Texas the State Legislature just passed a law to protect the rights of students to tell others about their religion...they really didn't think this out...I can just see Deist, Wiccan, Buddhists and Muslim kids cornering Christian kids and filling their ears with "heresy"...Gad, ya gotta love it!...why are Christ Cultists so very stupid? - Heimdall

[RIPw4]

Things like No Child Left Behind is the biggest load of horse shit. Its hard enough for us teachers to teach students who have social and behavioral problems but add in the fact that we have the state breathing down our backs to tell us how to teach makes it damn near impossible.

 

The gov. really screwed up when they took the ability to teach away from the teachers and gave it to those that dont know how to teach. Sure makes perfect sense to let non-teachers tell the teachers how and what subjects to teach.

Its like putting a draft-dodging, oil rich with ties to terrorists, lying, and arrogant politician into the seat of president. Oh never mind. We did that too.

[Ro-bear]

Things like No Child Left Behind is the biggest load of horse shit.

 

That is the truth. Schools are so desperate to reach graduation rate goals that they are abandoning standards. I refuse to water down my class in the hopes that some lazy kids will not choose to drop out. I strive to serve the kids who want an education while trying to convince the others they should want it.

 

Summer schools in my district no longer have minimal attendance requirements. "Online Credit Recovery" is available for all core courses for students who fail a course regardles of the reason, and they require only a fraction of the work required of those students actually taking the class. You can pass an English course without writing one damn paper. It makes me sick.

 

I think it is a conspiracy to undermine public support for public education on the part of conservatives like Bush. In the case of Ted Kennedy, however, I can only attribute it to some form of dementia or other detachment from reality.

[R. S. Martin]

I think the most unfair thing about the whole thing is for the kids from less than wealthy families who seriously want to learn and get higher education. They carefully count all the credits that are required for university enrollment only to find that the universities don't respect credits from their school. Or that sort of thing. I guess I don't really know how things work in the public education system either here or in the US. It does seem that the universities have their standards. And if applicants don't measure up, then tough beans.

[R. S. Martin]

There was quite an uproar when Grade 13 was eliminated from Ontario secondary schools some years ago. But the world has not yet come to an end. The "double cohort" is probably nearing bachelors graduation. They hit the universities about Sept. 2003.

[R. S. Martin]

Heck, here in Texas the State Legislature just passed a law to protect the rights of students to tell others about their religion...they really didn't think this out...I can just see Deist, Wiccan, Buddhists and Muslim kids cornering Christian kids and filling their ears with "heresy"...Gad, ya gotta love it!...why are Christ Cultists so very stupid? - Heimdall

 

Huh??? Let us know what happens in reality. How long will it take for them to ammend this? How strong is social power on the school grounds? Will the Christians out-power the others or will the others actually get to "witness" to the Christians? Let's say there's ten Christians to every nonChristian. Then the Christians will have more "man-power" to "rule the roost" regardless of legal rights.

[Piprus]

Heck, here in Texas the State Legislature just passed a law to protect the rights of students to tell others about their religion...they really didn't think this out...I can just see Deist, Wiccan, Buddhists and Muslim kids cornering Christian kids and filling their ears with "heresy"...Gad, ya gotta love it!...why are Christ Cultists so very stupid? - Heimdall

Actually, I think that rather than the "minority religions" cornering christian kids, it would be the other way around. The law would be used to sanction legal bullying by christians of any kid of a religious minority. Conversion by coercement...nothing new to the xians.

[Oldjew]

Now if some one could only come up with an atheist church they could proclaim their atheism in school thus using the law to spread atheism.

[Ro-bear]

Here is an example from my neck of the woods of religion gone amok in the public school:

 

http://www.earthward.org/india.shtml

 

When any group begins to feel a bit too empowered, this is a real possibility.

[Christine]

Here is an example from my neck of the woods of religion gone amok in the public school:

 

http://www.earthward.org/india.shtml

 

When any group begins to feel a bit too empowered, this is a real possibility.

 

Wow, that is unbelievable. Such good christians aren't they.

 

It makes me so thankful for the great school district we live in.

[HoustonHorn]

Heck, here in Texas the State Legislature just passed a law to protect the rights of students to tell others about their religion

We had about a 20 minute inservice on this earlier this week. What we were told is if you invite someone to talk to a group and they make mention of anything religious than anyone else there can come up and talk about their religion. For example, if you decided to have a Baptist pastor come up and lead a prayer before an FFA meeting you could do that, but if a Muslim cleric calls and said he wanted to come and talk too then you had to say yes. The loophole is that if someone from your group leads the prayer then it doesn't apply. Something about there being an assumption about what they are going to talk about. So if an FFA officer leads a prayer before the meeting it's ok not to allow a Muslim member to talk.

 

This is what shocked me though. We were told that we are not allowed to take off points on an assignment involving a religion we don't agree with if what was turned in followed the assignment. Not that I was surprised that we couldn't grade like that, but that they actually had to come out and tell us. I can't believe there are actually teachers out there that would look at a well written assignment on Buddhism and take off points because they don't believe in Buddhism.

 

One of our art teachers asked about what to do if a student paints a Satanic picture and the principal told us she'd have to check on that. I had to bite my tongue. One on one I would have made an issue of it, but I really couldn't with that many people in the room. But even the hard core ex-Catholic, current Baptist behind me (he's the most overtly religious person I know, and I live in Texas so I see a lot of overt religion) disagreed with it and thought that a Satanic drawing should be protected under the same rules.

[Tabula Rasa]

Things like No Child Left Behind is the biggest load of horse shit. Its hard enough for us teachers to teach students who have social and behavioral problems but add in the fact that we have the state breathing down our backs to tell us how to teach makes it damn near impossible.

 

The gov. really screwed up when they took the ability to teach away from the teachers and gave it to those that dont know how to teach. Sure makes perfect sense to let non-teachers tell the teachers how and what subjects to teach.

Its like putting a draft-dodging, oil rich with ties to terrorists, lying, and arrogant politician into the seat of president. Oh never mind. We did that too.

 

This may be slightly off topic, but it seems as if they're making the kids read way too much with No Child Left Behind. I work at a bookstore and some of these kids are expected to read 6 books a school year and some have to read seven books over the summer. I know they need to read more,but this seems a bit excessive. I think that just as much good would be done if the kids did 3 or 4 in depth, book reports. I'll admit to not knowing anything about teaching, but I'm concerned having to read these excessive amounts are going to make the kids hate reading.

[HoustonHorn]

Perfect example for you TR. Some of our English teachers used to have a Friday reading day where the kids could bring in any book they wanted to read. The administration shot it down this year because the students were not being "assessed" on the reading and the effects of the reading could not be measured. From what I understand the kids loved that they could bring in a book and read almost whatever they wanted.

 

NCLB is a joke. What's pathetic is that every teacher knows it, and most parents know it. But the legislature doesn't get it. My mom taught for 25+ years before she finally retired because she got sick of the bureaucracy. Her last two years were in a underperforming district, and she was assigned to a poor performing class. She was told that if her kids didn't perform well enough on the TAKS (bullshit standardized test in Texas) then she would be assigned a mentor teacher. My mom had at least 15 years more experience than any of the other teachers on campus but was going to be told to listen to a rookie teacher who finished with higher test scores because she started with higher test scores.

[HoustonHorn]

A little humor on NCLB, although it does show the stupidity.

 

No child left behind, the football version

 

l. All teams must make the state playoffs, and all will win the championship. If a team does not win the championship, they will be on probation until they are the champions, and coaches will be held accountable.

 

2. All kids will be expected to have the same football skills at the same time and in the same conditions. No exceptions will be made for interest in football, a desire to perform athletically, or genetic abilities or disabilities. ALL KIDS WILL PLAY FOOTBALL AT A PROFICIENT LEVEL

 

3. Talented players will be asked to work out on their own without instruction. This is because the coaches will be using all their instructional time with the athletes who aren't interested in football, have limited athletic ability, or whose parents don't like football.

 

4. Games will be played year round, but statistics will only be kept in the 4th, 8th, and 11th games.

 

5. This will create a New Age of sports where every school is expected to have the same level of talent and all teams will reach the same minimal goals.

 

Best quote about NCLB - "If no child gets ahead, then no child will be left behind."

 

And the No Dentist Left Behind.

My dentist is great! He sends me reminders so I don't forget

 

Check-ups. He uses the latest techniques based on research. He never hurts me, and

 

I've got all my teeth. When I ran into him the other day, I was eager to see if he'd

 

heard about the new state program. I knew he'd think it was great.

 

 

 

"Did you hear about the new state program to measure

 

effectiveness of dentists with their young patients?" I said. "No," he said. He didn't seem

 

too thrilled. "How will they do that?" "It's quite simple," I said. "They will

 

just count the number of cavities each patient has at age 10, 14, and 18 and

 

average that to determine a dentist's rating. Dentists will be rated as excellent, good, average, below

 

average, and unsatisfactory. That way parents will know which are the best

 

dentists. The plan will also encourage the less effective dentists to get

 

better," I ! ; said. "Poor dentists who don't improve could lose their licenses to

 

practice."

 

 

 

"That's terrible," he said. "What? That's not a good attitude," I

 

said. "Don't you think we should try to improve children's dental health in

 

this state?" "Sure I do," he said, "but that's not a fair way to determine who

 

is practicing good dentistry." "Why not?", I said. "It makes perfect

 

sense to me."

 

 

 

"Well, it's so obvious," he said. "Don't you see that dentists

 

don't all work with the same clientele, and that much depends on things we

 

can't control? For example, I work in a rural area with a high percentage of

 

patients from deprived homes, while some of my colleagues work in upper middle-

 

class neighborhoods. Many of the parents I work with don't bring their children to see

 

me until there is some kind of problem, and I don't get to do much

 

preventive work. Also, more educated parents who understand the relationship

 

between sugar and decay. To top it all off, so many of my clients have well water which

 

is untreated and has no fluoride in it. Do you have any idea how much

 

difference early use of fluoride can make?"

 

 

 

"It sounds like you're making excuses," I said. "I can't believe

 

that you, my dentist, would be so defensive. After all, you do a great job,

 

and you needn't fear a little accountability."

 

 

 

"I am not being defensive!" he said. "My best patients are as

 

good as anyone's, my work is as good as anyone's, but my average cavity count is

 

going to be higher than a lot of other dentists because I chose to work where

 

I am needed most."

 

 

 

"Don't get touchy," I said. "Touchy?" he said. His face had

 

turned red, and from the way he was clenching and unclenching his jaws, I was afraid he was going to damage his

 

teeth. "Try furious! In a system like this, I will end up being rated

 

average, below average, or worse. The few educated patients I have who see these

 

ratings may believe this so-called rating is an actual measure of my ability

 

and proficiency as a dentist. They may leave me, and I'll be left

 

with only the most needy patients. And my cavity average score will get even

 

worse. On top of that, how will I attract good dental hygienists and other

 

excellent dentists to my practice if it is labeled below average?"

 

 

 

"I think you are overreacting," I said. "'Complaining, excuse-

 

making and stonewalling won't improve dental health'...I am quoting from a

 

leading member of the DOC," I noted. "What's the DOC?" he asked. "It's

 

the Dental Oversight Committee," I said, "a group made up of mostly lay

 

persons to make sure dentistry in this state gets improved. "Spare me," he said, "I can't believe this. Reasonable people won't buy it," he said hopefully.

 

 

 

The program sounded reasonable to me, so I asked, "How else would

 

you measure good dentistry?" "Come watch me work," he said. "Observe my

 

processes." "That's too complicated, expensive and time- consuming," I

 

said. "Cavities re the bottom line, and you can't argue with the bottom line.

 

It's an absolute measure." "That's what I'm afraid my parents and

 

prospective patients will think. This can't be happening," he said despairingly.

 

"Now, now," I said, "don't despair. The state will help you

 

some." "How?" he asked. "If you receive a poor rating, they'll send a dentist who

 

is rated excellent to help straighten you out," I said brightly. "You

 

mean," he said, "they'll send a dentist with a wealthy clientele to show me how

 

to work on severe juvenile dental problems with which I have probably had

 

much more experience? BIG HELP!"

 

 

 

"There you go again," I said. "You aren't acting professionally

 

at all." "You don't get it," he said. "Doing this would be like grading schools

 

and teachers on an average score made on a test of children's progress with no

 

regard to influences outside the school, the home, the community served and

 

stuff like that. Why would they do something so unfair to dentists? No one

 

would ever think of doing that to schools."

 

 

 

I just shook my head sadly, but he had brightened. "I'm going to

 

write my representatives and senators," he said. "I'll use the school

 

analogy. Surely they will see the point." He walked off with that look of hope

 

mixed with fear and suppressed anger that I, a teacher, see in the mirror so

 

often lately.

 

 

 

If you don't understand why educators resent the recent federal

 

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT, this may help. If you do understand, you'll enjoy

 

this analogy, which was forwarded by John S. Taylor, Superintendent of Schools

 

for the Lancaster County, PA, School District.