Is Social Studies Important?

An article published by Julie Mack (Click Here to Read the Article) brings into question just how important social studies is, seems how there is no emphasis placed on it at schools today.  Because of federal NCLB requirements, math, science and writing scores are used to evaluate schools for AYP.  But not social studies.  As a result, schools have been forced to place more emphasis on that.  The article goes on to list some survey results about teachers' perceptions about social studies.  It's funny, because the entire premises of a public education system was to create well-informed citizens so government could run well.  But that has been put on the back burner.  If you ever watch Jay Leno's "Jay Walking", you'll see that there is a huge need for an emphasis on social studies. 

Poker Club at High School Draws Controversy

I came across this article about a high school in the Washington DC area that has recently started an extra-curricular poker club.  (Click Here to Read the Story)  The article was really interesting as it brought up the debate about poker being used as a teaching tool for probability and statistics vs. impressionable minds getting caught into the trap of gambling.  As someone who loves playing poker, you can easily make a case for it in a educational aspect: knowing pot odds, when you're pot committed, and how many outs you have all take strong math skills.  Some of the best professional poker players rely exclusively on the numbers.  But the question becomes, in an era of WSOP on ESPN should students (who admitted in the article they play cash games at home) be exposed to it in a school setting?  What does everyone else think?  I highly recommend reading the article. 

Should Laptops Replace Textbooks

I ran across this article today and it sparked my interest.  Should districts divert funds from textbook purchases and purchase laptops which then can be used for instruction, ideally one a one-to-one basis?  (Click Here to Read the Article) I have long said that the answer is yes.  When you purchase a textbook and it's out of date in two or three years, it's a revolving door.  Now obviously having laptops for every student opens up some different arguments about student responsibility and distraction.  I think the positives far outweigh the negatives, what do you think? 

Holiday Movies

As we gear up for the holiday season, what's your favorite holiday movies/TV shows?  My top 3 would be:  

Christmas Vacation  

Elf



A Christmas Story

What are you favorite movies and shows of the holiday season?  I also must watch Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman on TV every year.  

Student Loan Debt

I was reading an article about student loan debt and the crisis that it is causing.  The average debt for a student when they complete their undergrad degree is $24,000.  Different types of loans have different policies about the length of payback, but at whatever rate, it is a sizable amount of debt to be saddled with as you begin your professional career.  Then I came across this story (Click to Read the Story) that details how one individual now has $200,000 in student debt.  Her payments will soon be over $1600 a month...for the next 20 years. Some people have talked a little bit about the appropriate cost of college.  Is college too expensive for the average person now?  Should students, when they enter the "real world" be saddled with debt? 

Parent-Teacher Conferences

As I'm sitting here at my Parent-Teacher Conferences (0 students so far, 5 all of last year), I wonder why there is such a discrepancy in the attendance.  Elementary and to some extent middle school conferences are all very well attended.  It doesn't seem that way at the high school level.  I just received the statistics in my board packet regarding Beaverton's attendance.  At the primary level (K-3), 90% of parents attended, and that was followed up by 88% at the middle school level (4-8).  However, at the high school level, only 44% came.  I checked with the administrators at Dow High, and they reported similar figures.  Why do the parents stop coming at the high school level?  For some students, graduation is in question and need their parents more than ever to lean on them and put pressure on them to buckle down.  Anyone have any thoughts?

Are Teachers Prepared for the Classroom

When you got your first teaching job, did you feel prepared?  Did you know the ins and outs and what you had to do?  Did you feel in the 4,5,6 years you spent in college that you spent enough time in a real classroom, and not listening to professors tell you how to teach?  Well, if you answered yes to any of these, chances are you're not alone.  A recent study is recommending that teacher prep programs at the college level need to be drastically altered.  (Click Here to Read the Story).  The problem with the report is that they are only recommendations, and none of it is mandatory.  However, eight states have already signed off on the report, and vowed to put in the use the recommendations.  I know the state of Michigan has a good reputation when it comes to turning out teachers.  However, I was less than thrilled with my teacher prep program.  I went to Central, and will openly question whether CMU is resting on its lofty reputation and not doing much to really prepare their future teachers.

Felons Volunteering in the Classroom

I've been watching this story develop over time regarding the Grand Rapids school district.  In essence, GR has a policy that many (if not all) schools in the state have: if you are a convicted felon, you cannot volunteer to work at a public school.  (Read the Story Here)  However, there is pushback to thise policy in Grand Rapids.  A number of parents, who are felons, have argued that what they did years, sometimes decades ago, should have no bearing on whether they can help in in school.  A caveat to this is that none of the crimes involved children or violence.  The current policy states that any volunteer must undergo a background check and anyone with convicted felonies are automatically disqualified.  Should a parent want to appeal that decision, that appeal can be made directly to the Superintendent.  Because of a series of signature petitions, the Grand Rapids school board is considering revising the policy.  What do you think?

Thanks Politicians

This recent action comes straight out of a typical politicians' playbook and illustrates what is so wrong with the Michigan legislature.  Schools districts recently won a landmark decision in the Michigan Supreme Court which said that school districts are not subject to state requirements if the state fails to pay for those requirements.  At issue was all the new reporting guidelines and data collection that districts must do and then pass that information on to the state.  When passing the bills to introduce this new regulation, the legislature failed to provide any money to carry out those duties: an unfunded mandate.  The Supreme Court ruled that dollars must accompany any new requirement.  In this example, it was determined that approximately $16 per student is needed to fulfill the new reporting measures.  I have no idea where they came up with that dollar figure, but at least they came up with something.  So, in order to fix the situation, here's what Michigan politicians did.  They cut the per pupil foundation (how school districts are funded) by $16 per student this fiscal year (which is already 1/3 of the way over) and then moved that $16 into a special fund which covers the cost of individual districts' new reporting guidelines.  That's like saying you transferred $100 from your savings into your checking accounts, and saying you have an extra $100.  Only in Lansing...

Rethink Thinking

The following video talks about how Michigan needs to transform itself and put education first.  (Check it out Here)

Samantha Kelly suicide

I'm not sure how many of you have been following the case involving 14-year-old Samantha Kelly, who hanged herself this week after bringing accusations of rape against an 18-year-old male student, then subsequently being bullied about it at school.  There are so many problems with this case, that it's nearly impossible to blame one side or the other.  (Read the Article Here)  On one hand, you have a girl who initially reported the sex as consensual, then went on TV (at the request of her mom), changed her story and said she was raped.  On the other hand, you have media, in its exuberance to report anything related to bullying, failing to do its due diligence to protect the girl from further taunts.  The school district also plays a role, as it allowed both the victim and defendant to continue to attend school together, and who was asked to intervene numerous times against the bullying.  Let's also not forget about the defendant, who kept a running account of details on his Twitter account, is being investigated in a second case of sexual assault, and has since dropped out of school.  This is a tragic case all around, and while nobody receives all the blame, certainly they all receive some blame. 

Firing Ineffective Teachers

The cost to fire an ineffective teacher in education is great, in more ways than one.  Districts have to spend tens of thousands of dollars in severance pay and legal proceedings just to remove the teacher.  Students suffer as the longer that teacher is still teaching, the farther behind they get.  The article that I just came across spells this out.  A Cedar Springs teacher received a $40,000 settlement to resign.  When you look at his personnel file, it's amazing he got one penny for it.  (Read the Article).  The teacher showed up at a DARE concert smelling strongly of alcohol, allowed students to access his computer by giving them his password, walked through the halls barefoot, leaving no lesson plans for a long term sub, missing required PD, and sending email messages full of sexual innuendo.  His previous evaluations showed his poor classroom management skills, failure to communicate with parents, failure to work well with colleagues, and missing paperwork deadlines.  This teacher only worked 3 months last year, was granted paid leave the rest of the year, and then a $40,000 settlement to resign.  This case illustrates how difficult it is to fire an ineffective teacher, and the burden that is placed on all when that occurs. 

To follow up, the Grand Rapids Press reported from 2004-2008, 29 teachers were fired in their area, resulting in payments of $760,000 in salaries and benefits to remove the teachers.  An incredible amount.

Lame Duck Legislature Aims to Reform Teacher Tenure Laws

There is a report that Michigan's Lame Duck Legislature is drafting a proposed bill that would drastically alter teacher tenure laws.  (Read The Article Here)  Some of the changes would be that tenure would be tied to teacher evaluations, at least 50% of that evaluation would be based on student growth, which would be assessed using state assessments.  Teachers would then be rated either effective or ineffective.  Should teachers be granted tenure, but then in subsequent years achieve an ineffective rating, they would go back to probationary status.  At probationary status, they could eventually be dismissed.  What are your thoughts on this? 

Are Teachers Getting a Bad Rap?

It seems like the only thing in the news lately regarding teachers has been negative.  From the teacher sex scandal in Freeland, to school-wide bullying, to Waiting for Superman to a Gladwin teacher furnishing alcohol (Read the Article Here), there hasn't been positive news in some time.  My question is: does the teachign profession still regard itself in high esteem?  Surely, the argument of a few spoiled apples ruins the bunch applies here, but whatever happened to teachers setting a good example inside and outside of the classroom?  Being role models?  Surely, there are articles out there in your local paper that detail just this.  Pass them along.  I'm in need of some feel good news.     

Election Fallout Related to Education

Now that Republicans have grabbed the reins of the political procress at nearly every step of the line, the question becomes how does that impact education?  In an article published today (Click Here to Read the Article), it takes a look at some federal changes as well as changes in the state of Michigan.  At the federal level, the likelihood is that federal spending on education will go down as the priority shifts in the Republican party to jobs and the economy.  It's not all bad news though.  The likely new Chair of the House Educaction Committee (John Kline R-MN), has said many times he thinks the federal government should fully fund special education.  He also goes on to say that no new reforms should be enacted until the current ones are fully funded. 

At the state level, Rick Snyder's campaign has been faily vague in dealing with education.  He support consolidation of services at the ISD-RESD level, but not forced consolidation.  He also supports privatizing services such as busing, cleaning, and school lunches.  And of course Snyder will look at insurance and pension reform for all state employees, teachers required. 

It will be interesting to see how much clout the MEA still has now that both chambers of the Legislature as well as the governorship is Republican. 

Teacher's Unions

I came across an article today that is dealing with the Grand Rapids teacher union.  In the article (Click Here to Read the Article), because the union and district has failed to reach an agreement, the district could be looking at losing $25 million in federal grants.  This brings up the debate of whether the unions are really a benefit or detriment to public education.  After sitting in a staff meeting this morning in which our high school is introducing a once-every-six-weeks career development module for students, all the debate revolved around how this is illegal to the contract, an additional prep, blah blah blah.  Never once was it brought up that maybe students need to realize they need to prepare for college/career, and this is a great opportunity.  The basics is that every six weeks, students will be grouped into career paths that interest them, and then teachers will present information regarding careers, salaries, hot jobs, education needed, guest speakers from the field, etc... I think this is a great thing, and had to listen to teachers bitch about how they don't want to do it.  It was extremely frustrating, and I can see why no real progress or innovation ever occurs in education.