vision2020
RE: Levy Comments
Ok... I will bite!
I have been a great supporter of the schools and am generally happy with
Lena Whitmore school where my children attend school. I am, however, puzzled
as to the concrete evidence you seek. The fact that our schools are barely
above average in a nation that ranks poorly among countries with a fraction
of its resources is not enough? Ok... I will give you another. How about the
fact that I have to spend 2-3 hours a day supplementing my son's education
so he actually is challenged? How about the fact that the majority of
students graduating from high schools are not ready for college. How about
the fact that most of my students at U of I complain about my junior level
class being too hard when it is sadly watered down. How about the fact that
we do not teach our children the skill of thinking. How about the fact that
we spend a lot more money on education that those other countries that beat
us but get much less for it. Do we not see that the ignorant children make
for ignorant adults? Why do you think it is that foreign students breeze
through American schools? Do we think that foreigners are just smarter? Are
there superior brain genes abroad?
I have found the earlier 1-5th grade classes move at a reasonable pace but
they did not progressively increase the level of difficulty. My son is now
having problems in 6th grade not due to its difficulty. No... in fact I have
started him on far more challenging projects at home and he is excelling.
His problem is that the substance is not there. At this age, there is a huge
need for critical thinking and reasoning skills yet they are still working
on generating index cards out of stories. They should be working on
research, report writing, and presenting skills but they have to wait until
high school for that... and even then a weak treatment. At some point we
have to realize that we are not challenging our kids. They are getting
bored.
I am not suggesting that the English system is appropriate. I went to school
in such atmosphere... I did not like it! However, we cannot continue to
ignore discipline. We cannot continue to allow our children to be victims of
mediocrity. We are not preparing our students for hard work. We think we are
doing them a favor but in reality, we are committing a great injustice. They
will have to compete in this increasingly global world and believe me
friends... even our college graduates do not come close to those of the
other countries. It is sad really, we are loosing the intellectual advantage
we have due to laziness and apathy.
Having said that I have to admit that I have known many dedicated educators
at my children's school. I have mentioned before how fond of this school and
its principle I am. This may seem like a contradiction but it is not. The
problem is not our school system alone. The problem is with us as a whole.
As long as we go on accepting mediocrity and being mediocre ourselves, we
will be blessed with mediocre children! We, as a nation, are bringing up a
bunch of mediocre, lazy, ignorant, unmotivated children. We are too busy to
care about our kids. We are quick to blame the schools and the system for
our own lack of parental fortitude. We treat our schools as a glorified
babysitter and are amazed when the system fails. The fact is that our
children are a reflection of us. If we are lazy unintelligent couch potatoes
who sit in front of the TV for 4 hours a day we will be unlikely to have an
intelligent, motivated, productive offspring.
My purpose here is not to blame the schools, the parents, or the society. My
purpose is to blame them all! Stop wasting money in the schools. Start
challenging the kids. Get your face out of the damned TV and spend some time
with your children. It all depends on your priorities. If you are self
centered enough to not have time for your kids then do not expect them to
turn out any different that you.
I am sorry if this letter is harsh to everyone. I am sure I will be
unpopular for this one but I guess that is not a big change. I seem to enjoy
a strong level of contempt from most of the members of this forum. But quite
frankly... I do not give a damn! When it comes to kids, I am all on their
side! I am sick and tired of lack of vision and concern about our children
in this country. I am tired of the children suffering for our stupidity. I
am tired of people blaming others for their lack of motivation and
dedication. I am tired of stupid power games in the governing bodies of this
country, including the school board, which further erode the resources
available to our children. I am sick of the parents who have their heads so
firmly planted where it was not intended to be and thus utterly failing to
accomplish their duty. Until that adult population of this country pull
their head out of their (you know what) we will not change the education in
this country... no matter how much money you throw at it.
"Your brother in arms"
Shahab...
By the way, since I have been a source of annoyance to most of you in this
forum and also since I have started working with my son in the afternoons
after school I will be signing off this forum. I am sure there will be a
great rejoicing in the land so I feel I am achieving two goods with one act.
For those who have shown me kindness, I appreciate it. For those who taught
me things, thank you. I feel that it is more important for me to spend time
with my children than voice my un-welcomed and unpopular mind.
I wish you all well and hope that Truth finds you,
Shahab...
-----Original Message-----
From: John Davis [mailto:jcdavis@uidaho.edu]
Sent: Monday, November 12, 2001 7:01 PM
To: vision2020@moscow.com
Subject: Levy Comments
I too am concerned with comments by French in the MDN and Danahy on the
vision listserve, and am disturbed for several reasons.
First, French calls for 'efficient' schools, based I suppose on some sort
of efficient factory-production model. Well, we just can't do that very
easily with people; especially given the mandate of American public
education: a comprehensive successful educational experience for all
students in a safe, non-threatening environment. It is no small feat to
accomplish this task, given the multitude of variables our professional
educators manage (ranging from learning styles and abilities to concerns
over issues which socially impact their students). While I agree that
there are some fiscal parameters that our district can and will examine
from a cost-effective standpoint (technology, transportation, energy
consumption, etc.) AND knowing that the majority of funds are committed to
salaries I, and I am sure many others, are quite content with paying an
additional tax of $.50 to $1.00 per day to ensure that we retain small
class sizes and the supportive, nurturing environment that is enabled by
such schools. Keep students in schools within their respective
neighborhoods. . . and if we have some variation between schools,
departments, and grade levels regarding class size, so be it.
Second, Danahy claims that our schools are not effective. . . and even
"stoops so low" (to use his words) to engage in accusations against a very
professional group of individuals--yes, our community teachers. You state
strong opinions, but they appear to be just that--baseless opinions, not
positions supported by evidence. Speaking of evidence, where is
yours? Even a shred? Have you interviewed and categorized all the parents
and children who attend schools other than MSD? Do you examine test
scores, both standardized and pencil-and-paper? Are you familiar with the
post-graduate success rate of our students in business, industry,
vocational programs or college? Are you at all familiar with what our
children can do? Are you even remotely aware of the quality environment
our children have in this lovely, provincial community? I suspect not. I
am not even going to portray my children's experiences, although, suffice
to say that it is far more positive than your account. . . AND my children
had experience with MSD and a local private school. It seems as though you
harbor some hostility regarding the teachers. . . yes, there is an apparent
long-standing 'issue' between the MSD and trustees. . . but, it is time to
grow up. I expect my current, future, and past trustees to be professional
in every sense of the word. Resentment of the past can only lead to
continued conflict in the future.
I am proud of all of our community schools. . . ALL of them. They are
staffed by well-educated, well-meaning, bright, articulate professionals
who work hard to help us help our children be successful in any and all
endeavors they choose. Do they make mistakes? Of course. Do
I? You? Yes, we all do. However, it is our responsibility to learn from
our mistakes and move forward.
John Davis
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