vision2020
Re: schools
Marci--there are some of us who have children in Moscow schools currently, have
been active in both elementary and junior high parent groups, attend
significant MSD Board meetings, and have also the perspective of having been in
other districts elsewhere who feel like the teachers and administrators by and
large do a very good job of educating our children. Exceptions? Sure. But we
don't have the impression our children's classes are significantly slowed by
underachievers who were socially promoted. Our kids report that most of those
in their classes who haven't been academically prepared for the work usually
don't care enough to slow things down by asking questions and trying to
understand.
Similarly, we are aware of a number of situations where discipline has been
administered for infractions both minor and major. Sometimes we've thought the
punishment more severe than warranted, sometimes less, but mostly pretty much
on target. I wouldn't pretend, however, to know all the circumstances or
considerations in each case, so while I might have a question in a given
instance, I would not condemn without knowing a good bit more.
Certainly we all have to recognize that school discipline situations can
become lawsuits and in evaluating appropriate discipline, an administrator has
to pay some attention to how far s/he may have to go to back up a decision.
Lack of "proof," if things go that far, can be expensive to the District,
embarrassing, and just as negative a lesson to the child as a somewhat lighter
punishment that everyone can live with. It's all well and good to have a "get
tough" policy with kids, but when your butt's in the witness box instead of the
classroom, hallway, or office and the District is paying a lawyer $125 an hour
or more, you'd like to be darn sure you're right and that it's clear to the
judge or jury as well.
The short of it is that wherever our children attend school, whomever
administrates, and whatever specific circumstances are faced at a given time,
someone has to exercise her or his judgment or discretion. That means we can
all say we'd have done something differently. We're pretty happy with the
dedication, consistency, concern for children, AND judgment as we've seen it in
the District.
Most of all, in addition to volunteering as was suggested previously, if you
involve yourself with the PTO, PTA, or PAT at your child's school, and discuss
things about which you have a question with the teachers/principal/staff, you
should have a pretty good feel for whether things are being done "right" for
your child.
Mike Curley
> Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 16:13:25 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Robert Probasco <rcp@uidaho.edu>
> To: Marci Schreiber <eschreim@gritman.org>
> Cc: Vision 2020 <vision2020@moscow.com>
> Subject: Re: schools
> Check my postings to V2020 in the archives, in Feb. 1998.
>
> http://lists.fsr.com/vision2020/1998/9802/0252.html
>
> > On Wed, 5 May 1999, Robert Probasco wrote:
> > > Until the public schools halt social promotion and instill real
> > > discipline and solid requirements (especially in the elementary grades),
> > > I choose not to throw good money after bad.
> >
> > On Wed, 5 May 1999, Marci Schreiber wrote:
> > Your response intrigued me. What do you mean by "social promotion"? What
> > do you see teachers doing? Likewise, what do "real discipline and solid
> > requirements look like? Simply, what behaviors do you feel teachers
> > should stop using and what behaviors should they start using? (OK, maybe
> > it's not THAT simple.) I'm asking as a naive parent of a soon to be
> > school aged child. Marci Schreiber
>
> In a nutshell, social promotion is the malpractice of pushing all 3rd
> graders into 4th grade, even though some cannot read nor add. This
> lockstep of age=grade permeates American schools, inc. Moscow. Thus,
> pupils who do nothing are "rewarded" for doing nothing, and other kids who
> would work wonder why they should bother to exert themselves.
>
> Discipline refers to having kids accept real consequences for their
> actions, as was common until the 1960s. Nowadays, the threat of a lawsuit
> seems to paralyze administrators, so little is done when a child
> misbehaves (if the parents are adverse to consequences, that is). This
> undercuts the authority which all growing children need to learn to
> accept.
>
> Solid requirements means restoring some pedantic skills like spelling and
> multiplication tables, memorizing poetry and reading valid works. This
> need not erase higher level skills, but those higher level skills need a
> grounding in the basics.
>
> "Reforms" of the 1970s have obviously affected our schools, and there are
> some good aspects to main-streaming kids. There is also the need for some
> adjustments, and the NEA seems to have resisted tracking and other
> solutions.
>
> All kids can learn, and what they learn first is the system and how to
> manipulate it (at home or at school). When we accept this, we can act
> rationally, and make the system work for all of us, esp. the kids.
>
> I know many excellent teachers in the Moscow system. I also know some
> excellent former teachers who would not put up with the nonsense they had
> to endure. (I also encountered some "teachers" who were much less than
> excellent.) I hope we can turn the tide in this corner of the world.
>
> To get a feel for what it is like, volunteer in the classroom and the
> playground for a couple hours over the next month. It will be an
> eye-opening experience.
> Robert Probasco
>
>
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