Improving Schools is Necessary to Improving Community
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Recent posts
Mr. Myers and I are in lock step agreement on much. I completely agree with his statement here. “I believe the most important duty for our future is the work of great teachers and proactive, positive parents. And make no mistake, it takes both. Despite the overwhelming criticism – even from some board members, students whose parents are actively involved in their education are very likely to do well — in any school system.” And I completely agree with his statement here. “However, addressing the elephant in the room, one of the biggest problems for our schools is that a large number of parents, for a lot of different reasons, some good, and others, unfortunately bad, are not involved enough in the education of their children.” However, we come to completely different conclusions on how to best address the issue. I for one, believe that we need to change our school design so that student development no longer hinges on outside support from parents who may or may not be able/willing provide it. Changing the school design so that all students can succeed, without exterior support, will be far easier and quicker than a change in community culture.
so very true, but isn’t that even closer to 1984, and do we really want that lifestyle?
Good article, Mr Meyers. Yes, improvements are much needed and never more so than the inner city. Those kids are doomed! Doomed! Single parent households, parent that has never worked, gangs, poverty. And it is, collectively, OUR fault. Year after year we let this continue. Reduce the pupil-teacher ratio to 10 to 1; provide breakfast, lunch, dinner; a study hall after school, before dinner; counselors for the most disturbed children; bonus pay for teachers willing to serve and have their results measured; cameras in every room to provide video evidence of disruptive students so they can be promptly removed AND teachers can be coached on more effective ways to teach these difficult students. If you think this sounds expensive, you’re right but is it more expensive than incarceration? Does it give these kids a fighting chance? YES! I wrote a detailed letter to the state Department of Education and to the Governor outlining these suggested steps. Never even received an acknowledgement; that’s how unserious we are about helping these children.
The biggest elephant in the room- where is the dad? Many children are now brought up in a single parent household which means raised by mom. The father is to love, lead,provide and protect. This includes discipline. An undisciplined child will ruin the learning environment for a whole class. We can’t expect the school and community to take the place of a healthy family. The youth detention centre is filled with boys from fatherless homes.
In my view, getting fathers back in the home is never going to happen; they don’t care. Getting a single mom living on welfare to care about her child’s education, never gonna happen – she has no frame of reference, having grown up in similar circumstances. WE have to break the poverty cycle by approaching education of these children in a comprehensive way – a “Marshall Plan”. Pull out all the stops, provide the resources. Do school boards ever think outside the box?