Category Archives: Education

Forsyth Educators Living in Some Kind of Fairy Tale Universe?

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Kim Underwood has an article in today's Winston-Salem Journal about the Winston-Salem Forsyth County School Board exploring the possibility of laying people off due to budget issues.  The part of the story that caused my jaw to drop was this:

If individual cuts are necessary, the potential list of criteria
presented for the board to consider included evaluations;
student-performance data; length of service, giving preference to
teachers with National Board Certification; and level of degrees.

Tripp Jeffers, the president of the Forsyth County Association of
Educators, which represents the school system's teachers, urged board
members not to include such subjective elements as evaluations and to
rely more on seniority. Board members Buddy Collins and Jeannie Metcalf
expressed reservations about having evaluations and data that included
student performance too high on the list.

"The part that bothers me is the subjectivity of some of these things," Metcalf said.

What kind of fairy tale universe do these people live in?  The rest of us in the working world are evaluated by our bosses, peers, customers, etc. and have our employment tied to these highly subjective measures. Should I expect to continue to be retained, even if I do crappy work, just because I've been around longer than the highly competent person working next to me?  I don't think so. As both a boss (taxpayer) and customer (my children are students) I would like very much for the teachers to be retained based on their performance and not on their ability to breathe the air between the schools' four walls for a longer period of time than anyone else.

More Dudes Needed

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According to this post at Applied Rationality, which in turn links to an Inside Higher Ed article, it seems that small liberal arts colleges are struggling with their own bizarro world cases of gender equity:

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has started an inquiry into the extent to which liberal arts colleges discriminate against female applicants in an attempt to minimize gender imbalances in the student body. On Friday, the commission agreed on a set of colleges — primarily in the Washington area — to investigate, but declined to release a full list.

The issue is an extremely sensitive one for liberal arts colleges, many of which in recent years have worried about their gender ratios reaching points (60 percent female is commonly cited) where they face difficulty in attracting both male and female applicants. Generally private undergraduate colleges have the legal right to consider gender in admissions. They were specifically exempted from the admissions provisions of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

People, it's not complicated.  Want more dudes?  Simply do the following:

  • Install 60" flat screens in every dorm room.
  • Outfit all rooms with an Xbox and a free subscription to Live.
  • Also provide unlimited supplies of nachos and any fried food.
  • Remove any "English Literature" requirements from the curriculum. Yes, yes I know it's a "Liberal Arts" college, but what's so liberal about reading boring crap written by a bunch of whimpy navel gazers or, well, women. Sounds anything but liberal to me.
  • Introduce a course on Family Guy, and call it something cool sounding like, "Influence of Modern American Cartoons on Familial Discourse."

Do those things and you'll be swimmin' in dudes.  You might be wondering why I didn't mention free beer, but honestly today's generation of young dudes seem to be a bunch of pansies who drink froo-froo concoctions with all kinds of silly names.  Sadly, the beer would be wasted.

The Question is “Whose Energy is Being Conserved?”

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Every weekday I get an email from West Forsyth H.S. that contains the school's daily announcements.  In today's announcements I found this:

  1. Dr. Martin has stated that in an effort to conserve energy, school offices will be closed the day before Thanksgiving and all of Christmas Break.

FYI, Dr. Martin is the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools' superintendent.

 

Seriously, am I the only one who finds this lame?  I'm not sure what the normal protocol is for the school system during the holidays, but if they normally keep their offices open the day before Thanksgiving and all of Christmas Break, and if the school system's office employees are not getting paid for those "energy conservation" days, then they ought to just call this what it really is: a furlough.  On the other hand if the office employees are going to be paid for those "energy conservation" days then they ought to call it what it really is: a paid holiday.

 

On a side note, someone at the school is getting entrepreneurial.  Here's the next announcement:

  1. Parents, Teachers, and Students begin your Christmas shopping today from 4:00-7:00 in the 300 building. Pampered Chef, Thirty-one, and Premier Design Jewelry will be here!

In My Day it Was NoDoz and Mountain Dew

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Back when I was in college exam week meant little sleep and lots of stress, which resulted in most of us turning to artificial aids to keep us going.  Some people went hard core (i.e. speed), but everyone I knew stuck to some sort of toxic brew of NoDoz and Mountain Dew or Jolt.  By the end of the week nerves were frayed and stomachs were fragile, but for the most part we made it through the week legally.

Kids these days have other options that, quite frankly, scare the bejeezus out of me.  From the Freakonomics blog:

Students apparently consume mass quantities of the performance-enhancing drug Adderall during exam time. Normally the price is $3 for 10 mg, but it rises during exam week to at least $5.

The blog post actually focuses on the fact that drug dealers speculated on Adderall in anticipation of the rise in prices and did so in such volume that they actually drove the price down.  I, on the other hand, am focused on the fact that kids would routinely turn to an OTC drug that's essentially this generation's version of speed and I worry that they don't understand the potential side effects.  From the Wikipedia page about Adderall:

Adderall has a high abuse potential. Due to the fact that Adderall has a powerful effect of increasing blood pressure, it carries the same risk of sudden death, stroke, and heart attack in patients with pre-existing heart conditions, as does methylphenidate and other stimulants used to treat ADHD, as well as the same risk of seizures in patients with a history of seizures.

Lewisville Native at Center of Washington Controversy

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53 Republican members of the US House of Representatives are calling for President Obama to remove Kevin Jennings from the position of 'safe schools czar'.  From an article in The Hill:

The lawmakers accused Jennings of "pushing a pro-homosexual agenda" and said that Jennings's past writings exhibit a record that makes him unfit for the position.

"We respectfully request that you remove Kevin Jennings, the Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, from your Administration," the Republicans wrote. "It is clear that Mr. Jennings lacks the appropriate qualifications and ethical standards to serve in this capacity."

Apparently Mr. Jennings is a native of Lewisville.  I'm not really up on this issue, but it sounds like they're trying to get rid of him based on problems they have with his background, not anything he's actually done in his position.  We'll have to wait and see how it plays out.

Below's the full text of the letter that the 53 House Republicans sent to the President.  I'll let you draw your own conclusions about their logic:

October 15, 2009

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President,

We respectfully request that you remove Kevin Jennings, the Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, from your Administration. It is clear that Mr. Jennings lacks the appropriate qualifications and ethical standards to serve in this capacity.

As the founder of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), Mr. Jennings has played an integral role in promoting homosexuality and pushing a pro-homosexual agenda in America’s schools—an agenda that runs counter to the values that many parents desire to instill in their children. As evidence of this, Mr. Jennings wrote the foreword for a book titled Queering Elementary Education: Advancing the Dialogue About Sexualities and Schooling. Throughout his career, Mr. Jennings has made it his mission to establish special protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered students to the exclusion of all other students. The totality of Mr. Jennings’ career has been to advocate for public affirmation of homosexuality. There is more to safe and drug free schools than can be accomplished from the narrow view of Mr. Jennings who has, for more than 20 years, almost exclusively focused on promoting the homosexual agenda.

Equally troubling is Mr. Jennings’ self-described history of ignoring the sexual abuse of a child. In his book, One Teacher in Ten, Mr. Jennings recounts a 15-year old student confiding in him that he had a sexual relationship with a much older man. Mr. Jennings’ only response was to ask if the underage boy used a condom. As a mandatory reporter, Mr. Jennings was required by law to report child abuse, including sex crimes. Mr. Jennings cannot serve as the “safe schools” czar when his record demonstrates a willingness to overlook the sexual abuse of a child.

As the “safe schools” czar, Mr. Jennings is also charged with ensuring our schools and students are drug free. It is clear that Mr. Jennings is unfit to serve in this capacity, as well. His own history of unrepentant drug and alcohol abuse indicates that he is of the opinion that getting drunk and high as a young person is acceptable. In his memoir, Mama’s Boy, Preacher’s Son, Mr. Jennings describes his use of illegal drugs, without expressing regret or acknowledging the devastating effects illegal drug use can have on a person’s life.

Everyone that deals with the education of the most vulnerable must be a positive role model.  Our children are not blessed with the wisdom to discern and reject. Children presume the adults who educate them are approved by the larger society and their parents.  Kevin Jennings cannot gain the approval of parents who want their children safe and their schools drug free. You should replace him with someone who has a record of educating children in a safe and moral environment.

Given these very serious issues with Mr. Jennings’ record, we urge you to remove him immediately.

Sincerely,

KING
Alexander
Aderholt
Akin
Austria
Bachmann
Bachus
Bartlett
Barton
Boozman
Broun
Brown, H.
Carter
Chaffetz
Coffman
Cole
Conaway
Davis, Geoff
Fallin
Fleming
Foxx
Franks
Garrett
Gingrey
Gohmert
Hunter
Issa
Jordan
Lamborn
Latta
LuetkemeyerMarchant
McClintock
McHenry
McKeon
McMorris
Mica
Miller, J.
Myrick
Neugebauer
Olson, P.
Pence
Pitts
Posey
Rogers (AL)
Rooney
Ryan, Paul
Shuster
Smith, C
Smith, L.
Wamp
Westmoreland
Jones, Walter

President Obama Doesn’t Want Your Kids to Be Dumberer Than You

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First he gave a speech indoctrinating America's students into his radical agenda of studying hard so they could, you know, get j-o-b-s some day and now he's going absolutely revolutionary on their young butts by proposing they spend more time in school.  Good gracious, what's next, an expectation of literacy?

I predict a joining of forces of the following lobbyists in DC:

  • Teachers
  • Beach communities
  • Amusement parks
  • Baseball (major and minor leagues)

Here's an interesting nugget from the story:

While it is true that kids in many other countries have more school days, it's not true they all spend more time in school.

Kids in the U.S. spend more hours in school (1,146 instructional hours per year) than do kids in the Asian countries that persistently outscore the U.S. on math and science tests — Singapore (903), Taiwan (1,050), Japan (1,005) and Hong Kong (1,013). That is despite the fact that Taiwan, Japan and Hong Kong have longer school years (190 to 201 days) than does the U.S. (180 days).

Based on the conversations I hear between what I'd consider very average American teenagers I'd say that students in Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong probably also outscore American kids on English tests.

So how is it that our kids spend more time at school than their Asian counterparts, yet do not achieve the same level of proficiency?  It would be easy to point the finger at the schools, teachers, curriculum, parents or the kids themselves, but the reality is it's probably a combination of factors.  Some of it is crappy teaching, some of it is crappy parenting and Lord knows there are plenty of lame classes being offered. 

My gut tells me that while President Obama's direction is positive, we'd probably be better served by looking at how the hours are spent before we look at adding more of them. There has to be a reason that our kids are being outperformed even though they're spending more time in school.  We have to question everything: teachers, curriculum, class size, daily schedule and physical resources (books, lab equipment, etc.).  Think about it logically: if we are doing something wrong and we add more time to do it without correcting our process then all we're going to accomplish is doing it wrong more often.  How's that going to help?

Helping Mrs. C’s Class

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A friend of ours teaches special needs children in a high poverty school here in Winston-Salem.  She's signed up on DonorsChoose.org to raise a couple of hundred dollars for some equipment she needs for her class.  Here's the description:

"I teach middle school students with moderate intellectual cognitive disabilities, mild physical disabilities and/or mild to moderate autistic tendencies. My 30 students are unable to read grade leveled materials but LOVE to read. My program's number one goal is to get my students to become readers and writers and most importantly to LOVE SCHOOL!

We graduated to middle school but all of our technology was left behind!!! I moved up to the middle school with my students, however, with budget cuts there is no money for my "new classroom". During their elementary years, my students had daily access to specialized computer programs, adaptive hardware and the opportunity to learn computer applications in a small group setting. This year, we have are not so lucky. My goal is to have my students write, edit and publish self created books weekly. Due to the numerous physical and cognitive limitations of my students, they need to write books at a pre-K level and read books presented in a variety of formats, ranging from paper to computer. I am in need of materials to save and print student created PowerPoint books. Some of my students are capable of paper copies, however, others will need to read their books on their home computers and will need a way of "bringing home" their published work. Once home, my students will be able to share their love of books with their families.

I am in need of paper, computer ink, book binding combs and several thumb drives. With these materials, my students will be able to participate in a weekly literacy lesson which will produce a book that is not only accessible, but interesting and appropriate for all of my students with moderate cognitive delays.

MY STUDENTS NEED YOU!! With your support, you will give my students access to the world of literature.

My students need two reams of paper, computer ink, book binding combs, and four memory sticks. The cost of this proposal is $256, which includes shipping for any materials requested and fulfillment ."

You can contribute here. 

Our Kids Be Getting Dumber?

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If you measure intelligence by standardized test scores then our kids are stupidifying.  Sadly the SAT remains the most prominent barometer of our children's education, which to me is much like describing the weather by merely looking at the temperature. 

On any given day I could tell you that I've observed the decline of civilization first hand (show me a parent of a teenager who denies this and I'll show you someone even dumber than their kids), but somehow I think my parents would have said the same 25 years ago and their parents would have said even worse 50 years ago. If our kids are so dumb then how the hell did they figure out how to text 4,000,000 words a minute using a phone keypad while their parents struggled to tap out a random OMG in 30 minutes using a QWERTY keypad on a Blackberry?

WSFCS Getting Off to a Rip-Roaring Start

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Ah, school.  On this day last year I went on a bit of a rant about the school textbook situation.  Unfortunately I didn't have enough personal time to devote to looking into that situation as I wanted to, but maybe at some point in the future I will.  This year I'm not feeling too good about the whole schedule thing, but before I get into it I want to emphasize that I'm really not trying to give the folks at school who are dealing with this mess a hard time.  I can only imagine how complex this whole process is and I'm certain they've been burning the midnight oil trying to get it all figured out. 

Here's the deal: the school system has decided that they want all the schools on the same kind of schedule, so our kids' high school had to change how classes are scheduled.  I'd provide details if I understood them, but let's just say the change has caused some problems.  To wit:

  • Last spring when my oldest did his schedule with his counselor he signed up for an economics class at the Career Center.  A week or two ago he got a call from his counselor saying that with the new scheduling system his econ class was impossible to fit into his schedule so he needed to pick another class.  From the limited options he was able to get…Shakespeare. If you're looking for an association between the two I guess you could say that one's the dismal science and the other's the dismal art.  Even worse, that's just for one semester.  The other semester he's going to be doing something like assisting people in the office just so he can get a credit. 
  • We got a letter from the school system saying that because of the scheduling headaches the kids wouldn't get their schedules until they showed up at the open house tonight.  Given what we've already seen happen to our son's schedule I'm interested to see what happens to our daughter's schedule.  I will NOT be surprised if we have a nasty surprise or two.
  • Speaking of surprises, I just got this email alert from West Forsyth H.S.: "This message is to the parents of students who have classes at West Forsyth and the Career Center.  Students should be aware that the schedules they picked up at the Career Center's Open House last night may not be accurate. We are asking our students to pick up their West Forsyth schedule at tonight's Open House before questioning their assigned classes. Thank you!"  In a way I guess you could say our son losing his one Career Center class was a lucky break.
  • On the other hand the booster club is on top of things.  The same day we got the letter about the schedule snafu we also received a fundraising solicitation for all things athletic at the school.  I have no problem with that, but it's a little ironic that while all the students are wandering around thinking they might end up in underwater basket weaving the jocks can rest assured that the uniforms will be shiny and the grass extra green.

You know what? Maybe this isn't so bad after all. The kids are getting a glimpse at how the real world works. You know, the mid-managers (principals, counselors and teachers) get to implement the super-duper plan handed down by upper management (school administrators) and then deal with the customers (students and parents) screaming at them for screwing everything up.  Another lesson is that no matter how well you plan, something invariably goes wrong and you have to adjust.   Finally, unless you want to pony up for private school or go the home schooling route then you have to pretty much abide by what "the man" (government/school) tells you to do. If that means trading in Keynes for the Bard then that's what you have to do. Welcome to life, kids.

Another Reason to Boo the Heels and the Pack

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In this article in the Raleigh News & Observer (h/t to Ed Cone for the link) it's revealed that even in this dire economy, one in which the state budget is being slashed virtually across the board, the state universities' athletic booster clubs are continuing to be subsidized by we taxpayers.  It's all due to a four year old law that allows schools to pay in-state tuition rates for out-of-state scholarship athletes.  From the article:

The difference is substantial, according to the legislative fiscal staff.

UNC-Chapel Hill tuition for the coming academic year is expected to be $3,865 for in-state students and $21,753 for out-of-state students. That means a savings of $17,888 for each of the 139 out-of-state athletes at Chapel Hill, or $2.5 million in total.

As a Wake fan I'll be honest and tell you I don't need any more reason to boo the Heels or the Pack, but the fact that as a taxpayer I'm subsidizing the ringers they bring in from hither and yon is giving me ample cause to really boo them.