January is designated as National Mentoring Month. This month highlights mentoring and the positive impact these volunteers can have on young lives.
During this month, Duval County Public Schools' honors individuals who have chosen to become mentors to our youth and recognizes them for making the future brighter for our young people. Being a mentor is easy: You just need to be able to listen and to offer friendship, guidance and encouragement to a young person on a consistent basis.
While National Mentoring Month brings national attention to the benefit of and the need for mentors, locally, it is critical that we recruit mentors to help attain our goal of increasing academic achievement for all Duval County Public Schools' students. Our whole community - individuals, businesses, government agencies, schools, faith-based communities and nonprofits - must work together to increase the number of mentors and assure a more successful future for our young people. Our strategic goal is 20,000 mentors by 2020. Help us reach this goal for our students.
According to research, when students have mentors they have better attendance, a better chance of going on to higher education and better attitudes toward school.
It's proven that the positive influence of role models can have a lasting impact. Program evaluation results show that after one year of being matched with a mentor, students:
Show a significant increase in their future orientation
Are more committed to living a drug and alcohol-free life
Show greater attachment to their family, friends and other adults
Show an increase in self-esteem
To learn how you can become a mentor, contact our Community and Family Engagement Department at 390-2960.
Ed Pratt-Dannals
Superintendent
Showing posts with label duval county. Show all posts
Showing posts with label duval county. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Friday, December 10, 2010
Disabled Children: The state is clueless as what to do once agin
The idiots, err excuse me, the administrators in Tallahassee think one size fits all for children, they are sadly mistaken. The girl below is on the high end for disabled kids, most of my kids are on the low end, they all deserve a chance -cpg
I am part of the problem....
It definitely won’t make the news, but Duval County failed another student today, though they are not alone as I failed another student today as well. I am not talking about failed in the sense we gave them a bad grade, and F, I am talking about it in the sense we let them down, we set them back, we have just made the rest of their lives more difficult.....
If you aren’t already fired up by the county failing students (the second version) something they annually do to hundreds if not thousands of them, don’t feel alone because sadly very few people are, and if that’s the case then don’t get fired up about me failing this last one either, as she definitely won’t be the last one I let down. I teach a special education science class at Ed White high school and I am part of the problem.
Don’t get me wrong, everyday I come to class prepared to teach. I roll up my sleeves and jump right in it’s just as my peers do, unfortunately like many of them I also feel like I am chipping away at a mountain with a plastic spoon. Teachers and students alike are handicapped by the FCAT, unrealistic graduation requirements, a lack of discipline and other policies and procedures mandated by the district or state that don’t make sense, nor do they seem to be in the best interest of us or the children. Everyday so many teachers who want to do well, who want to help the students in their charges do as well as they can go to work feeling like the deck is stacked against them and stacked very high.
My group of students has what we call varying exceptionalities, which means we group, educable mentally handicapped, emotional handicapped and students with specific learning disabilities together. Not only do I have students from all three categories in most of my classes, but I usually also have all four high school grade levels represented as well, and then during a few classes I am expected to teach a few different subjects.
All of my students including those that are capable of doing so much more are on what’s called a special diploma track. When they graduate they won’t receive a high school diploma, instead they will get a certificate of completion, which has more in common with three squares of toilet paper than it does with a diploma.
A lot of my students could achieve so much more if they were in classes with low teacher pupil ratios (two of my classes have more than twenty students in them) and received intensive remediation in reading, writing and math, in fact if those services were provided I may just be able to find a rocket scientist or two, but the powers that be don’t think they those things are important, so instead I am turning out students who at best after many years of dedicated service might make it to lead associate at a box retail store, if they aren’t jailed, living on the streets or on welfare that is.
Instead of giving my students what they need, what would make sense and prove beneficial to them giving their circumstances, I break open my fifteen year old text books that recently talked about an exciting new technology called laser discs, and has used the twin towers in several examples, and try to introduce them to topics they should have learned about years ago, but aren’t nearly as important when considering the fact many can’t read or write or do math on any level approaching their grade level. I have a friend that teaches fifth grade science and I am amazed at how often what the two of us are teaching overlaps.
This year had been amazingly frustrating, instead of teaching them the water downed science that I am, I felt I should be teaching them to read and write properly, or running a G.E.D. prep class as my students who may have aspirations of doing more will have to take it one day, that’s it had been amazingly frustrating, right up to the moment it became down right depressing.
It started when I got a new student right before winter break, she moved here from Michigan. I thought it a bit strange she came on the last day of class, but if you met this girl you might think it fit her. A little quiet and introspective she often writes in her journal when her work is finished deciphering the latest song lyrics or pondering the make up of the world. I asked her why she had come on this day of days (all we were going to do was watch movies) and she replied she didn’t want to have too many absences and since she was here she felt she should.
She has dyscalculia a math learning disorder that makes learning higher maths very difficult if not down right impossible. Except for her math classes and my science class, which I am sure they just threw her into she has all regular education classes.
Despite her above average I.Q. her disability and the absurdity of the situation, one size fits all graduation requirements, has served to seriously set this girl back in life just as it is beginning, and the thing is nobody seems to care, that she is going to earn a special diploma. I was told that for any student not in one of the work programs to graduate with a regular diploma they had to have algebra I and two other higher maths, if they couldn’t pass them regardless of disability they had to be on a special diploma track, though if they renamed it worthless diploma track that would be more accurate.
She’s not the only one, at my school for the most part we don’t even try to put capable, with accommodations, modifications and a differentiated curriculum special education students in regular education classes at my school, students that with help and accommodations could pass most subjects. After all if we don’t think they can pass the advanced math classes required what’s the point.
Here is the thing, when I was in high school, I took general math II as a junior and no math as a senior, if I were in school right now, I would be on a special diploma track, I would be graduating with a piece of paper that wasn’t worth the ink printed on it. In case you were wondering I have two college degrees from the University of North Florida, and my two degrees required a total of 7 credits of math, that’s two classes and a lab. Let me ask you a couple questions, how many of you would have received a special diploma based on our counties present requirements, how many members of the school board would, also how many of you recently used algebra II in your everyday life, and how many members of the school board do you think did.
In our mad rush to catch up with the rest of the world in math and science, despite the fact as far as I can tell we still lead the world in technology and scientific breakthroughs, I wonder how many students we are leaving behind, I don’t know the exact numbers but I know for a fact we are leaving more than a few behind in portable one at Ed White high school.
Why are kids that can barely read and write learning about the Revolutionary War and the cell, again? Why are we forcing students to learn higher maths that many who if they even go to college will not need or use again. Why are we trying to fit every child who is individual and has different needs into a one size fits all curriculum. Why do I get up everyday and go in despite the fact I know I am not giving my students what they need, despite the fact that I know I am part of the problem?.
I don’t have a good answer to any of those questions; maybe you do, because the school board doesn’t seem to have any good answers either.
I am part of the problem....
It definitely won’t make the news, but Duval County failed another student today, though they are not alone as I failed another student today as well. I am not talking about failed in the sense we gave them a bad grade, and F, I am talking about it in the sense we let them down, we set them back, we have just made the rest of their lives more difficult.....
If you aren’t already fired up by the county failing students (the second version) something they annually do to hundreds if not thousands of them, don’t feel alone because sadly very few people are, and if that’s the case then don’t get fired up about me failing this last one either, as she definitely won’t be the last one I let down. I teach a special education science class at Ed White high school and I am part of the problem.
Don’t get me wrong, everyday I come to class prepared to teach. I roll up my sleeves and jump right in it’s just as my peers do, unfortunately like many of them I also feel like I am chipping away at a mountain with a plastic spoon. Teachers and students alike are handicapped by the FCAT, unrealistic graduation requirements, a lack of discipline and other policies and procedures mandated by the district or state that don’t make sense, nor do they seem to be in the best interest of us or the children. Everyday so many teachers who want to do well, who want to help the students in their charges do as well as they can go to work feeling like the deck is stacked against them and stacked very high.
My group of students has what we call varying exceptionalities, which means we group, educable mentally handicapped, emotional handicapped and students with specific learning disabilities together. Not only do I have students from all three categories in most of my classes, but I usually also have all four high school grade levels represented as well, and then during a few classes I am expected to teach a few different subjects.
All of my students including those that are capable of doing so much more are on what’s called a special diploma track. When they graduate they won’t receive a high school diploma, instead they will get a certificate of completion, which has more in common with three squares of toilet paper than it does with a diploma.
A lot of my students could achieve so much more if they were in classes with low teacher pupil ratios (two of my classes have more than twenty students in them) and received intensive remediation in reading, writing and math, in fact if those services were provided I may just be able to find a rocket scientist or two, but the powers that be don’t think they those things are important, so instead I am turning out students who at best after many years of dedicated service might make it to lead associate at a box retail store, if they aren’t jailed, living on the streets or on welfare that is.
Instead of giving my students what they need, what would make sense and prove beneficial to them giving their circumstances, I break open my fifteen year old text books that recently talked about an exciting new technology called laser discs, and has used the twin towers in several examples, and try to introduce them to topics they should have learned about years ago, but aren’t nearly as important when considering the fact many can’t read or write or do math on any level approaching their grade level. I have a friend that teaches fifth grade science and I am amazed at how often what the two of us are teaching overlaps.
This year had been amazingly frustrating, instead of teaching them the water downed science that I am, I felt I should be teaching them to read and write properly, or running a G.E.D. prep class as my students who may have aspirations of doing more will have to take it one day, that’s it had been amazingly frustrating, right up to the moment it became down right depressing.
It started when I got a new student right before winter break, she moved here from Michigan. I thought it a bit strange she came on the last day of class, but if you met this girl you might think it fit her. A little quiet and introspective she often writes in her journal when her work is finished deciphering the latest song lyrics or pondering the make up of the world. I asked her why she had come on this day of days (all we were going to do was watch movies) and she replied she didn’t want to have too many absences and since she was here she felt she should.
She has dyscalculia a math learning disorder that makes learning higher maths very difficult if not down right impossible. Except for her math classes and my science class, which I am sure they just threw her into she has all regular education classes.
Despite her above average I.Q. her disability and the absurdity of the situation, one size fits all graduation requirements, has served to seriously set this girl back in life just as it is beginning, and the thing is nobody seems to care, that she is going to earn a special diploma. I was told that for any student not in one of the work programs to graduate with a regular diploma they had to have algebra I and two other higher maths, if they couldn’t pass them regardless of disability they had to be on a special diploma track, though if they renamed it worthless diploma track that would be more accurate.
She’s not the only one, at my school for the most part we don’t even try to put capable, with accommodations, modifications and a differentiated curriculum special education students in regular education classes at my school, students that with help and accommodations could pass most subjects. After all if we don’t think they can pass the advanced math classes required what’s the point.
Here is the thing, when I was in high school, I took general math II as a junior and no math as a senior, if I were in school right now, I would be on a special diploma track, I would be graduating with a piece of paper that wasn’t worth the ink printed on it. In case you were wondering I have two college degrees from the University of North Florida, and my two degrees required a total of 7 credits of math, that’s two classes and a lab. Let me ask you a couple questions, how many of you would have received a special diploma based on our counties present requirements, how many members of the school board would, also how many of you recently used algebra II in your everyday life, and how many members of the school board do you think did.
In our mad rush to catch up with the rest of the world in math and science, despite the fact as far as I can tell we still lead the world in technology and scientific breakthroughs, I wonder how many students we are leaving behind, I don’t know the exact numbers but I know for a fact we are leaving more than a few behind in portable one at Ed White high school.
Why are kids that can barely read and write learning about the Revolutionary War and the cell, again? Why are we forcing students to learn higher maths that many who if they even go to college will not need or use again. Why are we trying to fit every child who is individual and has different needs into a one size fits all curriculum. Why do I get up everyday and go in despite the fact I know I am not giving my students what they need, despite the fact that I know I am part of the problem?.
I don’t have a good answer to any of those questions; maybe you do, because the school board doesn’t seem to have any good answers either.
Monday, November 29, 2010
While at work.
While at work today I saw three young ladies beat up another. During the fight they pulled hair from her head and bloodied her face and foot. I am not a prison guard.
While at work today I got hit in the head while breaking up a fight. I am not a referee.
While at work today I saw two young men rummage through a purse that had been dropped and they did so in the full view of several staff members. I am not a store clerk.
While at work today I read an e-mail about a gun that was recently confiscated there. I don’t work at a call center or at one of the big banking or insurance complexes.
While at work today I wondered if we got all the guns that were here but then I thought, I bet we aren’t even close. I don’t work for the police.
While at work today I was cursed out not once but twice, I was told to mind my own expletive business when I asked someone to get to work and called a mother expletive when I asked someone what they were doing. I don’t work at a gym.
While at work today I had somebody burst into my room to yell at somebody who was in there with me. I am not a doctor or a lawyer.
While at work I got frustrated because I didn’t have up to date materials and supplies. I am not a painter.
While at work today I got disgusted with the lack of civility, respect, and dignity. I don’t work at city hall.
While at work today I was surrounded by apathy and noticed an extreme lack of effort, I don’t work for the department of motor vehicles.
While at work today, there were moments when I didn’t fee respected and I didn’t feel safe. I am not a soldier.
While at work today I wondered how many lawyers, bankers, sales clerks,
computer technicians, construction workers, politicians and paramedics, how many white collar and blue collar workers alike can say they had the same type of day as me. I would guess not many.
So what do I do, and where do I work? I am a school teacher at a public high school and today was a pretty typical day, but not just for me but for thousands of my colleagues as well. The really sad thing is a lot of students, who want to learn, who want to succeed, who deserve better had a much worse day than I did.
Have you ever wondered why we have an epidemic of violence in our street unlike never before? Have you ever wondered why we have a hard time first attracting and keeping more first rate businesses and companies? Have you ever wondered where civility, courtesy and respect went? Have you ever wondered why so many of our schools are failing and why graduation rates are are so abysmal?
I’ll tell you why, it’s because we don’t care about our schools, and we don’t care about education and worse of all we don’t care about our children.
Now we say we do care, and we shake our heads and sigh when we hear the news reports of violence, failing schools and the loss of opportunity our city experiences, but then we turn away, I imagine hopeful our elected officials will take care of it. But all they really do is form committees and initiatives. But these things are designed to distract us, to give us the illusion that somebody in charge will eventually do something that the care, but they don’t and I can prove it.
Ask yourself a question, do you think things are getting better or worse. If you answered yes welcome to the group that is called everybody thinks that.
In the end it’s the citizens of Jacksonville that need to stand up and say we care; we want things to be better and that enough is enough, if things are going to change it will only happen if we demand it, because if not us then who.
Like other municipalities that are tired of seeing their children hang out on the street corners with little hope and even less opportunity, that have seen their crime rates rise and their graduation and achievement rates drop, we have to step up, even in these tough economic times, we have to tell our government we want to have a first rate education system, and then we have to do what it takes even if it means digging into our pockets to make sure it happens.
Jacksonville doesn’t have to agree with Tallahassee and their decision not to care about education, just because it’s okay with them that Florida is fiftieth out of fifty in spending on children it doesn’t mean it has to be okay with Jacksonville.
Our school system desperately needs programs that give students extra tutoring in reading and writing, and programs that teach skills to the students not interested in college, such as vocational or trade programs. Likewise teachers need to have manageable classrooms and adequate supplies to be able to properly educate our children. Again just because the state of Florida puts educating our children below tax breaks for people who one multiple houses and luxury boxes it doesn’t mean the citizens of Jacksonville have too.
Times are tough and everybody understands that, but if we continue to underfund education, the needs of our children, do we think things are just going to miraculously fix themselves? When something in your house breaks does it miraculously fix itself, or do you have to spend the money to get it working again. Well if we as a city don’t start sacrificing then it’s many of our children’s future that will be lost, and it’s our city that will continue to suffer.
We have to decide whether we care about the future of our city or we don’t and we do that by deciding if we care about our children or we don’t, and the first step is to follow the lead that several other cities have done and that’s step up and stop just saying we care and start acting like we do.
Version II
I’ll tell you why, it’s because we don’t care about our schools, and we don’t care about education and worse of all we don’t care about our children. Children without boundaries grow up with a false sense of how things are. Children who don’t receive consequences for their actions do not learn from their actions. Friends we don’t have to reinvent the wheel to take back our schools and our streets; if we want things to improve, we need to bring discipline back to the classroom.
Teachers want all students to do well if not we would have picked different professions; professions where we are not routinely disrespected unappreciated and threatened, however the sad thing is not all students care about learning. They don’t come to school to do so; they come to school to hang out with their friends or to see what trouble they can find. So many students have no idea what being respectful and courteous means, or even what making an effort means. Instead they feel entitled and as if they can do whatever they want whenever they want.
It’s no coincidence the city has had an increase in burglaries and violence perpetrated by young people. You rarely hear about honor students being arrested for carjacking or valedictorians arrested for robbery. It’s always, they had a few problems in school, which is often code for they were always in trouble and/or we can’t believe it took so long for them to get caught. There is a direct correlation between students who constantly misbehave in school and students who commit crimes in society. Who knows what would have happened had they children been disciplined or received meaningful consequences for their actions. Let me ask you this, Why don’t you commit crimes, or curse out your boss, why don’t you steal or vandalize things, is it because you know it’s wrong and part of that knowledge came from whenever you misbehaved you received consequences for your actions?
While we are trying to save a few of the bad apples the whole cart is in danger of being spoiled. Students that fight should be removed if not arrested; students that don’t come to learn, just to hang with their friends or to see what trouble they can find should be expelled. Teachers lament all the time if little Suzy or Johnny wasn’t in their classroom they could teach or they rejoice when they are absent. Think about this if a teachers spends just ten percent of their time disciplining the continuously unruly few that’s 18 days of instruction that is lost, and how much better do you think some students would do with that extra time and believe you me, a lot of teachers are forced to spend a lot more time than ten percent.
If some families are abdicating the responsibility to show their children how to be responsible respectful citizens, then we have to do it in the classrooms and the schools because if not there then where else can they possibly learn it?
Are violent streets, low graduation rates and failing schools not enough? Do we need a tragedy does somebody at a school have to be killed before we wake up and do something? No child left behind should be we are leaving about ten percent of them behind until they shape up; we have the other ninety percent to think and care about.
While at work today I got hit in the head while breaking up a fight. I am not a referee.
While at work today I saw two young men rummage through a purse that had been dropped and they did so in the full view of several staff members. I am not a store clerk.
While at work today I read an e-mail about a gun that was recently confiscated there. I don’t work at a call center or at one of the big banking or insurance complexes.
While at work today I wondered if we got all the guns that were here but then I thought, I bet we aren’t even close. I don’t work for the police.
While at work today I was cursed out not once but twice, I was told to mind my own expletive business when I asked someone to get to work and called a mother expletive when I asked someone what they were doing. I don’t work at a gym.
While at work today I had somebody burst into my room to yell at somebody who was in there with me. I am not a doctor or a lawyer.
While at work I got frustrated because I didn’t have up to date materials and supplies. I am not a painter.
While at work today I got disgusted with the lack of civility, respect, and dignity. I don’t work at city hall.
While at work today I was surrounded by apathy and noticed an extreme lack of effort, I don’t work for the department of motor vehicles.
While at work today, there were moments when I didn’t fee respected and I didn’t feel safe. I am not a soldier.
While at work today I wondered how many lawyers, bankers, sales clerks,
computer technicians, construction workers, politicians and paramedics, how many white collar and blue collar workers alike can say they had the same type of day as me. I would guess not many.
So what do I do, and where do I work? I am a school teacher at a public high school and today was a pretty typical day, but not just for me but for thousands of my colleagues as well. The really sad thing is a lot of students, who want to learn, who want to succeed, who deserve better had a much worse day than I did.
Have you ever wondered why we have an epidemic of violence in our street unlike never before? Have you ever wondered why we have a hard time first attracting and keeping more first rate businesses and companies? Have you ever wondered where civility, courtesy and respect went? Have you ever wondered why so many of our schools are failing and why graduation rates are are so abysmal?
I’ll tell you why, it’s because we don’t care about our schools, and we don’t care about education and worse of all we don’t care about our children.
Now we say we do care, and we shake our heads and sigh when we hear the news reports of violence, failing schools and the loss of opportunity our city experiences, but then we turn away, I imagine hopeful our elected officials will take care of it. But all they really do is form committees and initiatives. But these things are designed to distract us, to give us the illusion that somebody in charge will eventually do something that the care, but they don’t and I can prove it.
Ask yourself a question, do you think things are getting better or worse. If you answered yes welcome to the group that is called everybody thinks that.
In the end it’s the citizens of Jacksonville that need to stand up and say we care; we want things to be better and that enough is enough, if things are going to change it will only happen if we demand it, because if not us then who.
Like other municipalities that are tired of seeing their children hang out on the street corners with little hope and even less opportunity, that have seen their crime rates rise and their graduation and achievement rates drop, we have to step up, even in these tough economic times, we have to tell our government we want to have a first rate education system, and then we have to do what it takes even if it means digging into our pockets to make sure it happens.
Jacksonville doesn’t have to agree with Tallahassee and their decision not to care about education, just because it’s okay with them that Florida is fiftieth out of fifty in spending on children it doesn’t mean it has to be okay with Jacksonville.
Our school system desperately needs programs that give students extra tutoring in reading and writing, and programs that teach skills to the students not interested in college, such as vocational or trade programs. Likewise teachers need to have manageable classrooms and adequate supplies to be able to properly educate our children. Again just because the state of Florida puts educating our children below tax breaks for people who one multiple houses and luxury boxes it doesn’t mean the citizens of Jacksonville have too.
Times are tough and everybody understands that, but if we continue to underfund education, the needs of our children, do we think things are just going to miraculously fix themselves? When something in your house breaks does it miraculously fix itself, or do you have to spend the money to get it working again. Well if we as a city don’t start sacrificing then it’s many of our children’s future that will be lost, and it’s our city that will continue to suffer.
We have to decide whether we care about the future of our city or we don’t and we do that by deciding if we care about our children or we don’t, and the first step is to follow the lead that several other cities have done and that’s step up and stop just saying we care and start acting like we do.
Version II
I’ll tell you why, it’s because we don’t care about our schools, and we don’t care about education and worse of all we don’t care about our children. Children without boundaries grow up with a false sense of how things are. Children who don’t receive consequences for their actions do not learn from their actions. Friends we don’t have to reinvent the wheel to take back our schools and our streets; if we want things to improve, we need to bring discipline back to the classroom.
Teachers want all students to do well if not we would have picked different professions; professions where we are not routinely disrespected unappreciated and threatened, however the sad thing is not all students care about learning. They don’t come to school to do so; they come to school to hang out with their friends or to see what trouble they can find. So many students have no idea what being respectful and courteous means, or even what making an effort means. Instead they feel entitled and as if they can do whatever they want whenever they want.
It’s no coincidence the city has had an increase in burglaries and violence perpetrated by young people. You rarely hear about honor students being arrested for carjacking or valedictorians arrested for robbery. It’s always, they had a few problems in school, which is often code for they were always in trouble and/or we can’t believe it took so long for them to get caught. There is a direct correlation between students who constantly misbehave in school and students who commit crimes in society. Who knows what would have happened had they children been disciplined or received meaningful consequences for their actions. Let me ask you this, Why don’t you commit crimes, or curse out your boss, why don’t you steal or vandalize things, is it because you know it’s wrong and part of that knowledge came from whenever you misbehaved you received consequences for your actions?
While we are trying to save a few of the bad apples the whole cart is in danger of being spoiled. Students that fight should be removed if not arrested; students that don’t come to learn, just to hang with their friends or to see what trouble they can find should be expelled. Teachers lament all the time if little Suzy or Johnny wasn’t in their classroom they could teach or they rejoice when they are absent. Think about this if a teachers spends just ten percent of their time disciplining the continuously unruly few that’s 18 days of instruction that is lost, and how much better do you think some students would do with that extra time and believe you me, a lot of teachers are forced to spend a lot more time than ten percent.
If some families are abdicating the responsibility to show their children how to be responsible respectful citizens, then we have to do it in the classrooms and the schools because if not there then where else can they possibly learn it?
Are violent streets, low graduation rates and failing schools not enough? Do we need a tragedy does somebody at a school have to be killed before we wake up and do something? No child left behind should be we are leaving about ten percent of them behind until they shape up; we have the other ninety percent to think and care about.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
While at work.
While at work today I saw three young ladies beat up another. During the fight they pulled hair from her head and bloodied her face and foot. I am not a prison guard.
While at work today I got hit in the head while breaking up a fight. I am not a referee.
While at work today I saw two young men rummage through a purse that had been dropped and they did so in the full view of several staff members. I am not a store clerk.
While at work today I read an e-mail about a gun that was recently confiscated there. I don’t work at a call center or at one of the big banking or insurance complexes.
While at work today I wondered if we got all the guns that were here but then I thought, I bet we aren’t even close. I don’t work for the police.
While at work today I was cursed out not once but twice, I was told to mind my own expletive business when I asked someone to get to work and called a mother expletive when I asked someone what they were doing. I don’t work at a gym.
While at work today I had somebody burst into my room to yell at somebody who was in there with me. I am not a doctor or a lawyer.
While at work I got frustrated because I didn’t have up to date materials and supplies. I am not a painter.
While at work today I got disgusted with the lack of civility, respect, and dignity. I don’t work at city hall.
While at work today I was surrounded by apathy and noticed an extreme lack of effort, I don’t work for the department of motor vehicles.
While at work today, there were moments when I didn’t fee respected and I didn’t feel safe. I am not a soldier.
While at work today I wondered how many lawyers, bankers, sales clerks,
computer technicians, construction workers, politicians and paramedics, how many white collar and blue collar workers alike can say they had the same type of day as me. I would guess not many.
So what do I do, and where do I work? I am a school teacher at a public high school and today was a pretty typical day, but not just for me but for thousands of my colleagues as well. The really sad thing is a lot of students, who want to learn, who want to succeed, who deserve better had a much worse day than I did.
Have you ever wondered why we have an epidemic of violence in our street unlike never before? Have you ever wondered why we have a hard time first attracting and keeping more first rate businesses and companies? Have you ever wondered where civility, courtesy and respect went? Have you ever wondered why so many of our schools are failing and why graduation rates are are so abysmal?
I’ll tell you why, it’s because we don’t care about our schools, and we don’t care about education and worse of all we don’t care about our children.
Now we say we do care, and we shake our heads and sigh when we hear the news reports of violence, failing schools and the loss of opportunity our city experiences, but then we turn away, I imagine hopeful our elected officials will take care of it. But all they really do is form committees and initiatives. But these things are designed to distract us, to give us the illusion that somebody in charge will eventually do something that the care, but they don’t and I can prove it.
Ask yourself a question, do you think things are getting better or worse. If you answered yes welcome to the group that is called everybody thinks that.
In the end it’s the citizens of Jacksonville that need to stand up and say we care; we want things to be better and that enough is enough, if things are going to change it will only happen if we demand it, because if not us then who.
Like other municipalities that are tired of seeing their children hang out on the street corners with little hope and even less opportunity, that have seen their crime rates rise and their graduation and achievement rates drop, we have to step up, even in these tough economic times, we have to tell our government we want to have a first rate education system, and then we have to do what it takes even if it means digging into our pockets to make sure it happens.
Jacksonville doesn’t have to agree with Tallahassee and their decision not to care about education, just because it’s okay with them that Florida is fiftieth out of fifty in spending on children it doesn’t mean it has to be okay with Jacksonville.
Our school system desperately needs programs that give students extra tutoring in reading and writing, and programs that teach skills to the students not interested in college, such as vocational or trade programs. Likewise teachers need to have manageable classrooms and adequate supplies to be able to properly educate our children. Again just because the state of Florida puts educating our children below tax breaks for people who one multiple houses and luxury boxes it doesn’t mean the citizens of Jacksonville have too.
Times are tough and everybody understands that, but if we continue to underfund education, the needs of our children, do we think things are just going to miraculously fix themselves? When something in your house breaks does it miraculously fix itself, or do you have to spend the money to get it working again. Well if we as a city don’t start sacrificing then it’s many of our children’s future that will be lost, and it’s our city that will continue to suffer.
We have to decide whether we care about the future of our city or we don’t and we do that by deciding if we care about our children or we don’t, and the first step is to follow the lead that several other cities have done and that’s step up and stop just saying we care and start acting like we do.
Version II
I’ll tell you why, it’s because we don’t care about our schools, and we don’t care about education and worse of all we don’t care about our children. Children without boundaries grow up with a false sense of how things are. Children who don’t receive consequences for their actions do not learn from their actions. Friends we don’t have to reinvent the wheel to take back our schools and our streets; if we want things to improve, we need to bring discipline back to the classroom.
Teachers want all students to do well if not we would have picked different professions; professions where we are not routinely disrespected unappreciated and threatened, however the sad thing is not all students care about learning. They don’t come to school to do so; they come to school to hang out with their friends or to see what trouble they can find. So many students have no idea what being respectful and courteous means, or even what making an effort means. Instead they feel entitled and as if they can do whatever they want whenever they want.
It’s no coincidence the city has had an increase in burglaries and violence perpetrated by young people. You rarely hear about honor students being arrested for carjacking or valedictorians arrested for robbery. It’s always, they had a few problems in school, which is often code for they were always in trouble and/or we can’t believe it took so long for them to get caught. There is a direct correlation between students who constantly misbehave in school and students who commit crimes in society. Who knows what would have happened had they children been disciplined or received meaningful consequences for their actions. Let me ask you this, Why don’t you commit crimes, or curse out your boss, why don’t you steal or vandalize things, is it because you know it’s wrong and part of that knowledge came from whenever you misbehaved you received consequences for your actions?
While we are trying to save a few of the bad apples the whole cart is in danger of being spoiled. Students that fight should be removed if not arrested; students that don’t come to learn, just to hang with their friends or to see what trouble they can find should be expelled. Teachers lament all the time if little Suzy or Johnny wasn’t in their classroom they could teach or they rejoice when they are absent. Think about this if a teachers spends just ten percent of their time disciplining the continuously unruly few that’s 18 days of instruction that is lost, and how much better do you think some students would do with that extra time and believe you me, a lot of teachers are forced to spend a lot more time than ten percent.
If some families are abdicating the responsibility to show their children how to be responsible respectful citizens, then we have to do it in the classrooms and the schools because if not there then where else can they possibly learn it?
Are violent streets, low graduation rates and failing schools not enough? Do we need a tragedy does somebody at a school have to be killed before we wake up and do something? No child left behind should be we are leaving about ten percent of them behind until they shape up; we have the other ninety percent to think and care about.
While at work today I got hit in the head while breaking up a fight. I am not a referee.
While at work today I saw two young men rummage through a purse that had been dropped and they did so in the full view of several staff members. I am not a store clerk.
While at work today I read an e-mail about a gun that was recently confiscated there. I don’t work at a call center or at one of the big banking or insurance complexes.
While at work today I wondered if we got all the guns that were here but then I thought, I bet we aren’t even close. I don’t work for the police.
While at work today I was cursed out not once but twice, I was told to mind my own expletive business when I asked someone to get to work and called a mother expletive when I asked someone what they were doing. I don’t work at a gym.
While at work today I had somebody burst into my room to yell at somebody who was in there with me. I am not a doctor or a lawyer.
While at work I got frustrated because I didn’t have up to date materials and supplies. I am not a painter.
While at work today I got disgusted with the lack of civility, respect, and dignity. I don’t work at city hall.
While at work today I was surrounded by apathy and noticed an extreme lack of effort, I don’t work for the department of motor vehicles.
While at work today, there were moments when I didn’t fee respected and I didn’t feel safe. I am not a soldier.
While at work today I wondered how many lawyers, bankers, sales clerks,
computer technicians, construction workers, politicians and paramedics, how many white collar and blue collar workers alike can say they had the same type of day as me. I would guess not many.
So what do I do, and where do I work? I am a school teacher at a public high school and today was a pretty typical day, but not just for me but for thousands of my colleagues as well. The really sad thing is a lot of students, who want to learn, who want to succeed, who deserve better had a much worse day than I did.
Have you ever wondered why we have an epidemic of violence in our street unlike never before? Have you ever wondered why we have a hard time first attracting and keeping more first rate businesses and companies? Have you ever wondered where civility, courtesy and respect went? Have you ever wondered why so many of our schools are failing and why graduation rates are are so abysmal?
I’ll tell you why, it’s because we don’t care about our schools, and we don’t care about education and worse of all we don’t care about our children.
Now we say we do care, and we shake our heads and sigh when we hear the news reports of violence, failing schools and the loss of opportunity our city experiences, but then we turn away, I imagine hopeful our elected officials will take care of it. But all they really do is form committees and initiatives. But these things are designed to distract us, to give us the illusion that somebody in charge will eventually do something that the care, but they don’t and I can prove it.
Ask yourself a question, do you think things are getting better or worse. If you answered yes welcome to the group that is called everybody thinks that.
In the end it’s the citizens of Jacksonville that need to stand up and say we care; we want things to be better and that enough is enough, if things are going to change it will only happen if we demand it, because if not us then who.
Like other municipalities that are tired of seeing their children hang out on the street corners with little hope and even less opportunity, that have seen their crime rates rise and their graduation and achievement rates drop, we have to step up, even in these tough economic times, we have to tell our government we want to have a first rate education system, and then we have to do what it takes even if it means digging into our pockets to make sure it happens.
Jacksonville doesn’t have to agree with Tallahassee and their decision not to care about education, just because it’s okay with them that Florida is fiftieth out of fifty in spending on children it doesn’t mean it has to be okay with Jacksonville.
Our school system desperately needs programs that give students extra tutoring in reading and writing, and programs that teach skills to the students not interested in college, such as vocational or trade programs. Likewise teachers need to have manageable classrooms and adequate supplies to be able to properly educate our children. Again just because the state of Florida puts educating our children below tax breaks for people who one multiple houses and luxury boxes it doesn’t mean the citizens of Jacksonville have too.
Times are tough and everybody understands that, but if we continue to underfund education, the needs of our children, do we think things are just going to miraculously fix themselves? When something in your house breaks does it miraculously fix itself, or do you have to spend the money to get it working again. Well if we as a city don’t start sacrificing then it’s many of our children’s future that will be lost, and it’s our city that will continue to suffer.
We have to decide whether we care about the future of our city or we don’t and we do that by deciding if we care about our children or we don’t, and the first step is to follow the lead that several other cities have done and that’s step up and stop just saying we care and start acting like we do.
Version II
I’ll tell you why, it’s because we don’t care about our schools, and we don’t care about education and worse of all we don’t care about our children. Children without boundaries grow up with a false sense of how things are. Children who don’t receive consequences for their actions do not learn from their actions. Friends we don’t have to reinvent the wheel to take back our schools and our streets; if we want things to improve, we need to bring discipline back to the classroom.
Teachers want all students to do well if not we would have picked different professions; professions where we are not routinely disrespected unappreciated and threatened, however the sad thing is not all students care about learning. They don’t come to school to do so; they come to school to hang out with their friends or to see what trouble they can find. So many students have no idea what being respectful and courteous means, or even what making an effort means. Instead they feel entitled and as if they can do whatever they want whenever they want.
It’s no coincidence the city has had an increase in burglaries and violence perpetrated by young people. You rarely hear about honor students being arrested for carjacking or valedictorians arrested for robbery. It’s always, they had a few problems in school, which is often code for they were always in trouble and/or we can’t believe it took so long for them to get caught. There is a direct correlation between students who constantly misbehave in school and students who commit crimes in society. Who knows what would have happened had they children been disciplined or received meaningful consequences for their actions. Let me ask you this, Why don’t you commit crimes, or curse out your boss, why don’t you steal or vandalize things, is it because you know it’s wrong and part of that knowledge came from whenever you misbehaved you received consequences for your actions?
While we are trying to save a few of the bad apples the whole cart is in danger of being spoiled. Students that fight should be removed if not arrested; students that don’t come to learn, just to hang with their friends or to see what trouble they can find should be expelled. Teachers lament all the time if little Suzy or Johnny wasn’t in their classroom they could teach or they rejoice when they are absent. Think about this if a teachers spends just ten percent of their time disciplining the continuously unruly few that’s 18 days of instruction that is lost, and how much better do you think some students would do with that extra time and believe you me, a lot of teachers are forced to spend a lot more time than ten percent.
If some families are abdicating the responsibility to show their children how to be responsible respectful citizens, then we have to do it in the classrooms and the schools because if not there then where else can they possibly learn it?
Are violent streets, low graduation rates and failing schools not enough? Do we need a tragedy does somebody at a school have to be killed before we wake up and do something? No child left behind should be we are leaving about ten percent of them behind until they shape up; we have the other ninety percent to think and care about.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Liars and politicians
There is an old adage that only, liars and politicians use statistics. I’ll let you decide what the superintendent is because you should know he sure likes to use statistics. In his state of the district speech he said Jacksonville’s graduation rates increased 3.2%. As far as I can tell that’s pretty accurate, though I do find it a bit opf a coincidence that the entire state improved by 3.2% as well. In case you are wondering that leaves us 11.8% behind the state average for graduation (76.3%). Three years ago it was 10.5%.
He also talked about how more minorities are taking more advanced placement classes than ever before, though surprisingly he didn’t mention how the percentage of students passing advanced placement tests have plummeted. Then he mentioned the forty-nine percent drop in suspensions, though he didn’t mention how part of a principals evaluation is tied to suspensions and that many teachers prefer to endure toxic learning environments rather than write students up and see the only person to receive a consequence (poor evaluations) is them. Finally he mentions that we are a “B” district according to the states grading formula, which coincidently factors in suspensions and minority students taking advanced placement tests. Amazing. Right?
There is one stat he didn’t mention and that’s how our drop out rate increased by nearly forty-five percent this past year, though since it is nearly impossible to remove kids for non attendance and we don’t start compiling the rate till high school it might actually be hirer. The rate went from 3.3 percent of our students to 4.8. Though why would he mention that statistic, after all it doesn't fit in with his smoke and mirrors we’re heading in the right direction message.
We have a lot of good things going on in the district, no make that amazing. I just happen to think the vast majority are the indiviual and class interactions between teachers and students and very few are happening at 1701 prudential drive.
Yep, there is an old adage; only liars and politicians use statistics.
Chris Guerrieri
City Stakeholder
He also talked about how more minorities are taking more advanced placement classes than ever before, though surprisingly he didn’t mention how the percentage of students passing advanced placement tests have plummeted. Then he mentioned the forty-nine percent drop in suspensions, though he didn’t mention how part of a principals evaluation is tied to suspensions and that many teachers prefer to endure toxic learning environments rather than write students up and see the only person to receive a consequence (poor evaluations) is them. Finally he mentions that we are a “B” district according to the states grading formula, which coincidently factors in suspensions and minority students taking advanced placement tests. Amazing. Right?
There is one stat he didn’t mention and that’s how our drop out rate increased by nearly forty-five percent this past year, though since it is nearly impossible to remove kids for non attendance and we don’t start compiling the rate till high school it might actually be hirer. The rate went from 3.3 percent of our students to 4.8. Though why would he mention that statistic, after all it doesn't fit in with his smoke and mirrors we’re heading in the right direction message.
We have a lot of good things going on in the district, no make that amazing. I just happen to think the vast majority are the indiviual and class interactions between teachers and students and very few are happening at 1701 prudential drive.
Yep, there is an old adage; only liars and politicians use statistics.
Chris Guerrieri
City Stakeholder
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
The Dog and Pony show: The school board visits Ribault High School
The school board paid a surprise visit to Ribault High School, accompanied by the Florida Times-Union and Action News. (I say 'surprise visit' not because Ribault didn’t know they were coming, but because many people probably weren’t aware that the school board did anything but follow lockstep behind the superintendent). There the school board met with 30 hand-picked students to discuss the issues facing Ribault High School. In case you were wondering, Dog and Pony Magazine rated this visit a five out of five.
Does the school board expect the public to think they care, because of this visit (their third visit to a school in the last ten months)? Talk about an easy schedule and part-time work... There they said they met with children who represented the student body - those from the A.P. classes, student council and ROTC classes. Ummm...I am sorry, but if they wanted to get a true representation of the student body, they should have met with children in the intensive reading and math classes, the kids with no electives on their schedules.
I hope nobody thinks I am being critical of Ribault. I have a friend who works there and she believes they are truly turning it around after years of mismanagement, and that they finally have a team that is headed in the right direction. I wish her luck. Unfortunately she, the rest of the staff, the students, and- heck- the community of Jacksonville itself will need it, as long as we allow this current school board to oversee the management of the county’s public schools.
The school board somehow got mixed up with what it is supposed to do. That’s what will happen when casual observers (filled to overflowing with hubris) want to get involved and politicians use the school board as a stepping stone. Both groups think more of the position as a line on the resume than as a sacred public trust. What they have either forgotten or don’t realize is that they don’t just represent Ed Pratt-Dannals and his high-priced team at 1701 Prudential Drive, they represent the teachers, the stakeholders and the parents of the city as well - or, they should, anyway. They can’t sit back and listen to the reports that come out of the downtown high-rise because they are all glowing reports; even the drop in the F-CAT was somebody else's fault. I'll bet Martha Barret (District 1) and Nancy Bronner asked him what score they should give him (out of 5) and he said, 'oh I don’t know; 4.7...5... something around there'.
They can’t be effective if they just hear his voice. Pratt-Dannals has 270,000 reasons (his salary) to put a positive spin on everything. Instead, they need to get out and talk to the people and three visits in ten months is unacceptable. What are we paying them for anyway? If you guessed 'to rubber stamp what Ed Pratt-Dannals wants', you are probably correct, because that’s all they have done - well, that and give him a $100,000 raise in the last three years.
Not only should the school board be willing to meet with three people standing on a street corner (if they asked), but they should also be in different schools every single day. If they were in my school, they would have found 120 kids and 6 substitute teachers in the auditorium doing nothing. If they were at another, they would have found that the teachers there were told parking on campus was a privilege. I could go on and on, because there are not just a million stories in the naked city - not in Jacksonville anyway - but because there are an equal amount on its school campuses as well. (Though, going to a school is just half the battle, because when they get there, they have to look, too).
Last year when the school board visited my school, they didn’t go anywhere near the trainable mentally handicapped classrooms where kids were packed in like sardines and where learning couldn’t occur. It’s because they didn’t want to see it. I don’t think they wanted to know, to look at the evidence - three school visits in ten months; hand-picked students and zero teacher forums.
When the school board visits schools, they can’t just meet with the hand-picked students either; as much as I think they wish it would, it doesn’t give the most accurate snapshot of what’s actually going on. Willie C. Barron, a two-sport athlete who is also enrolled in the International Baccalaureate program, was profiled in the Florida Times-Union piece; but, for some reason, I think if he was the typical student Ribault has, the school would not be experiencing many of its problems. According to the same article, W.C. Gentry wondered where the other kids were, saying, "if all the kids were like that, you have won the war". I will tell you where they are, Mr. Gentry; they are in their intensive math and reading classes having their joy of learning sucked out of them. Now, a few might be in electives, but not many, because draconian state cuts and policies have eliminated many of the electives.
If the school board is serious (something I doubt) about improving things and getting a real picture of what is going on, it also has to visit the classrooms and see what is happening there. Furthermore, they can’t give notice (months of notice) in the case for the school visits. They have to show up unannounced, and not even the principals should know. Then, they should also meet with teachers - though they will have to meet with most of them off the record and in secrecy, as many are afraid there will be repercussions if they tell about what is actually happening. I overheard a veteran teacher the other day consoling a new teacher who was at the end of her rope because of a not-so-pleasant conversation she had with an administrator. She was told that kids could not put their heads down after the umpteenth benchmark test - instead, she should have had "enrichment work" (i.e., "busywork") for them to do. Her veteran colleague told her to just keep her head down and avoid eye contact. The school board doesn’t want to know what teachers think, and I should know, because I have given them an opportunity to hear from them. I have organized a couple of teacher forums and invited W.C. Gentry and Brenda Priestly-Jackson to the next one. Sadly, they were too busy planning their one trip to a school in the last six months to respond.
Friends, we have serious problems - and we need serious people to solve them. Not people who look at the position of school board member as a line on a resume or as a stepping stone to something else. We shouldn’t look at the "Dog and Pony Show" as an example of how well the school board is doing their job. Instead, we should look at it like it is another blaring example of how they aren’t.
Does the school board expect the public to think they care, because of this visit (their third visit to a school in the last ten months)? Talk about an easy schedule and part-time work... There they said they met with children who represented the student body - those from the A.P. classes, student council and ROTC classes. Ummm...I am sorry, but if they wanted to get a true representation of the student body, they should have met with children in the intensive reading and math classes, the kids with no electives on their schedules.
I hope nobody thinks I am being critical of Ribault. I have a friend who works there and she believes they are truly turning it around after years of mismanagement, and that they finally have a team that is headed in the right direction. I wish her luck. Unfortunately she, the rest of the staff, the students, and- heck- the community of Jacksonville itself will need it, as long as we allow this current school board to oversee the management of the county’s public schools.
The school board somehow got mixed up with what it is supposed to do. That’s what will happen when casual observers (filled to overflowing with hubris) want to get involved and politicians use the school board as a stepping stone. Both groups think more of the position as a line on the resume than as a sacred public trust. What they have either forgotten or don’t realize is that they don’t just represent Ed Pratt-Dannals and his high-priced team at 1701 Prudential Drive, they represent the teachers, the stakeholders and the parents of the city as well - or, they should, anyway. They can’t sit back and listen to the reports that come out of the downtown high-rise because they are all glowing reports; even the drop in the F-CAT was somebody else's fault. I'll bet Martha Barret (District 1) and Nancy Bronner asked him what score they should give him (out of 5) and he said, 'oh I don’t know; 4.7...5... something around there'.
They can’t be effective if they just hear his voice. Pratt-Dannals has 270,000 reasons (his salary) to put a positive spin on everything. Instead, they need to get out and talk to the people and three visits in ten months is unacceptable. What are we paying them for anyway? If you guessed 'to rubber stamp what Ed Pratt-Dannals wants', you are probably correct, because that’s all they have done - well, that and give him a $100,000 raise in the last three years.
Not only should the school board be willing to meet with three people standing on a street corner (if they asked), but they should also be in different schools every single day. If they were in my school, they would have found 120 kids and 6 substitute teachers in the auditorium doing nothing. If they were at another, they would have found that the teachers there were told parking on campus was a privilege. I could go on and on, because there are not just a million stories in the naked city - not in Jacksonville anyway - but because there are an equal amount on its school campuses as well. (Though, going to a school is just half the battle, because when they get there, they have to look, too).
Last year when the school board visited my school, they didn’t go anywhere near the trainable mentally handicapped classrooms where kids were packed in like sardines and where learning couldn’t occur. It’s because they didn’t want to see it. I don’t think they wanted to know, to look at the evidence - three school visits in ten months; hand-picked students and zero teacher forums.
When the school board visits schools, they can’t just meet with the hand-picked students either; as much as I think they wish it would, it doesn’t give the most accurate snapshot of what’s actually going on. Willie C. Barron, a two-sport athlete who is also enrolled in the International Baccalaureate program, was profiled in the Florida Times-Union piece; but, for some reason, I think if he was the typical student Ribault has, the school would not be experiencing many of its problems. According to the same article, W.C. Gentry wondered where the other kids were, saying, "if all the kids were like that, you have won the war". I will tell you where they are, Mr. Gentry; they are in their intensive math and reading classes having their joy of learning sucked out of them. Now, a few might be in electives, but not many, because draconian state cuts and policies have eliminated many of the electives.
If the school board is serious (something I doubt) about improving things and getting a real picture of what is going on, it also has to visit the classrooms and see what is happening there. Furthermore, they can’t give notice (months of notice) in the case for the school visits. They have to show up unannounced, and not even the principals should know. Then, they should also meet with teachers - though they will have to meet with most of them off the record and in secrecy, as many are afraid there will be repercussions if they tell about what is actually happening. I overheard a veteran teacher the other day consoling a new teacher who was at the end of her rope because of a not-so-pleasant conversation she had with an administrator. She was told that kids could not put their heads down after the umpteenth benchmark test - instead, she should have had "enrichment work" (i.e., "busywork") for them to do. Her veteran colleague told her to just keep her head down and avoid eye contact. The school board doesn’t want to know what teachers think, and I should know, because I have given them an opportunity to hear from them. I have organized a couple of teacher forums and invited W.C. Gentry and Brenda Priestly-Jackson to the next one. Sadly, they were too busy planning their one trip to a school in the last six months to respond.
Friends, we have serious problems - and we need serious people to solve them. Not people who look at the position of school board member as a line on a resume or as a stepping stone to something else. We shouldn’t look at the "Dog and Pony Show" as an example of how well the school board is doing their job. Instead, we should look at it like it is another blaring example of how they aren’t.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Duval County School District, not running near student cpacity
The school districts closest to Jacksonville are all running near student capacity. St. Johns is at 92%, Clay County, 97%, Nassau, 94% and Baker County is even running over capacity (5,600 students from a population of 4700 children), which makes me wonder if a few families on the far Westside of town aren’t tweaking the rules just a bit.
The Duval County Public School System on the other hand is running at 85 percent. This means that nearly one in seven children who could get a free public education are not. Their families have decided to home school them, send them to private school or the children have decided that school just isn’t for them. Can you imagine one in seven of your friends turning down free electricity or phone service, what about free food? Because that’s about the equivalent of what families are doing when they turn away from Jacksonville’s public schools.
The worse part I believe is the Duval County Public School system seems okay with this. Despite the fact they take every opportunity to mention that we are a “B” school district something that you would think would attract families back. There was been no, return to your public schools, campaign. Perhaps it’s because they realize that the families that got their children out, probably know better than to look at the districts grade.
Furthermore all throughout the state private school enrollment is declining, except here in Jacksonville. Families are making the sacrifice to move their kids out of our public schools. Who can blame them? We should all want what’s best for our children.
Our school district is missing almost 22,000 children. Our administration and the city should both be concerned and make every effort to get them to return.
County Projected students Children between 6-18 AT capacity
St. Johns 29,334 31,676 92%
Clay County 35,918 37,164 97%
Duval County 123,040 144,839 85%
Nassau County 11,000* 11,654 94%
Baker County 5,600* 4,714 119%
* estimated
I took the amount of residents in each county between ages 6 and 18 and figured out how many there were by using 2009 censes data. I then compared the amount of students attending public schools as printed in the Times Union and the amount of students that could be attending public schools. Are the numbers completely accurate? No, but I believe they give a fairly realistic snap shot. I lost all the five year olds, kindergartners who are required to go to school but I was forced to factor in some 18 year olds that had undoubtedly graduated. Since I lost some and gained others I figured it was a wash. I then divided the number of students the districts had with the number they could have to figure out the capacity that area school districts are running at.
The Duval County Public School System on the other hand is running at 85 percent. This means that nearly one in seven children who could get a free public education are not. Their families have decided to home school them, send them to private school or the children have decided that school just isn’t for them. Can you imagine one in seven of your friends turning down free electricity or phone service, what about free food? Because that’s about the equivalent of what families are doing when they turn away from Jacksonville’s public schools.
The worse part I believe is the Duval County Public School system seems okay with this. Despite the fact they take every opportunity to mention that we are a “B” school district something that you would think would attract families back. There was been no, return to your public schools, campaign. Perhaps it’s because they realize that the families that got their children out, probably know better than to look at the districts grade.
Furthermore all throughout the state private school enrollment is declining, except here in Jacksonville. Families are making the sacrifice to move their kids out of our public schools. Who can blame them? We should all want what’s best for our children.
Our school district is missing almost 22,000 children. Our administration and the city should both be concerned and make every effort to get them to return.
County Projected students Children between 6-18 AT capacity
St. Johns 29,334 31,676 92%
Clay County 35,918 37,164 97%
Duval County 123,040 144,839 85%
Nassau County 11,000* 11,654 94%
Baker County 5,600* 4,714 119%
* estimated
I took the amount of residents in each county between ages 6 and 18 and figured out how many there were by using 2009 censes data. I then compared the amount of students attending public schools as printed in the Times Union and the amount of students that could be attending public schools. Are the numbers completely accurate? No, but I believe they give a fairly realistic snap shot. I lost all the five year olds, kindergartners who are required to go to school but I was forced to factor in some 18 year olds that had undoubtedly graduated. Since I lost some and gained others I figured it was a wash. I then divided the number of students the districts had with the number they could have to figure out the capacity that area school districts are running at.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The Devil it’s Due
It’s no secret that I am not a big fan of our school board. I think they are directly responsible for many of the problems facing the district. If you look at the make up of the school board for the most part it is made up of politicians on their way up or way down or casual observers with tenuous ties to education. When I pick a doctor, I pick someone who has been to medical school, not someone who has a cousin who is a doctor or who has watched three seasons of Grays Anatomy and thinks to themselves, hey I could do that. With that being said, it would be disingenuous of me, not to “give the devil it’s due.”
When superintendent Pratt-Dannals, at the last possible moment, asked the school board to declare financial urgency in order to breech the contract with teachers, three board members voted against it. When it passed teachers were outraged and four members of the school board were sent scrambling to justify their positions. In a way this was also a very rare occurrence, not that teachers aren’t routinely in an up roar about what the school board does and school board members aren’t often scrambling to justify their positions.
What is amazing is that three board members voted against breaking the contract with teachers. If you look back at board votes over the last few years, they usual rubber stamps whatever the superintendent wants. I can’t remember the last time any vote had so many dissenters.
According to the Times Union, board members Betty Burney, Tommy Hazouri and Brenda Priestly Jackson voted against the move because they said the district had not done enough to justify pursuing it. Hazouri said the district should first consider not filling positions or spending money on consultants before breaking the contract.
The other board memebrs despite voting on tens of millions on other projects, including hundreds of thousands of dollars on travel and consultants over the last few months respectfully disagreed. Maybe they voted for breaking the contract because they thought it was a good idea but then again maybe not.
There is a quote from the movie JFK that I like a lot. One actor asks Kevin Costner, “How do you know who your daddy is? It’s because your momma said it was so.” This is pretty relevant because in Duval County because how does the school board know it’s a good idea, because the administration says it so.
Compass Odyssey, Math Investigations, Oncource, along with various other computer programs and learning curriculums that have come and gone, the rotation of the North Side middle schools, the expansions at Ed White and Lee High schools, the creation of a new high school when numerous high schools on the west and north side stand half empty, their students using magnet schools and opportunity scholarships to leave, the pushing of more and more children to take advanced placement tests, tying principals evaluations to suspensions, the hiring of a public relations person and many, many other ideas have had their detractors. In the end however they were all good ideas or so the powers-that-be at 1701 Prudential Drive would have us believe and were ideas either that the school board rubber-stamped or allowed to happen.
For some reason the school board lost it’s way and if you want to know why go reread the first paragraph, it might help you figure it out. They forgot that they don’t just represent one building on the riverfront of the south bank of downtown. They forgot they also represent the students, parent’s, stakeholders and teachers; yes teachers of the district as well.
Some might make the mistake of lumping the teachers in with Duval County School District. On the surface that seems reasonable. Unfortunately when they took away teachers creativity and semi-autonomy, began overloading them with endless tasks, adopted policies that put both teachers and their students at a disadvantage and stopped treating teachers with respect, it forced teachers into a separate camp. So many teachers consider the District and the School Board as opponents not to be trusted. Just nod and take it so many teachers say, in a few years they will be off to do something else new. That’s what happens when people who give so much and sacrifice so much are pushed into a corner and told they are not valued.
Lets face it and be realistic as well. The raises most teachers get are pretty bad. They don’t keep up with cost of living increases and teachers earning power actually decreases for about the first ten years. When I started teaching a decade ago my contract was for 26,000 dollars and I had thousands in savings. Fast-forward 11 years and even though my salary is nearly forty, I like many teachers live paycheck to paycheck in fear of an illness, a car breaking or some other ordinary occurrence.
Furthermore, the raises don’t come anywhere near compensating teachers for all the supplies they buy for their rooms and their children and they don’t nearly cover all the untold hours of over-time that teachers put in. If anything, until you have been teaching for fifteen years or so the raises are largely symbolic, a small gesture that said teachers are noticed and appreciated. Unfortunately four members of the school board and the superintendent have seemingly disagreed about that this year.
Let me at least give the devil, make that the three members of the school board who looked at the same facts and figures as the other four members and the superintendent did and said, our teachers are worth it.
Sadly I am not optimistic about this 4-3 vote even though it seemed to show the first sign of independent thought out of the school board in quite sometime. In a few days it will probably be back to business as usual and sadly if you take teachers morale as an indicator business isn’t that good.
When superintendent Pratt-Dannals, at the last possible moment, asked the school board to declare financial urgency in order to breech the contract with teachers, three board members voted against it. When it passed teachers were outraged and four members of the school board were sent scrambling to justify their positions. In a way this was also a very rare occurrence, not that teachers aren’t routinely in an up roar about what the school board does and school board members aren’t often scrambling to justify their positions.
What is amazing is that three board members voted against breaking the contract with teachers. If you look back at board votes over the last few years, they usual rubber stamps whatever the superintendent wants. I can’t remember the last time any vote had so many dissenters.
According to the Times Union, board members Betty Burney, Tommy Hazouri and Brenda Priestly Jackson voted against the move because they said the district had not done enough to justify pursuing it. Hazouri said the district should first consider not filling positions or spending money on consultants before breaking the contract.
The other board memebrs despite voting on tens of millions on other projects, including hundreds of thousands of dollars on travel and consultants over the last few months respectfully disagreed. Maybe they voted for breaking the contract because they thought it was a good idea but then again maybe not.
There is a quote from the movie JFK that I like a lot. One actor asks Kevin Costner, “How do you know who your daddy is? It’s because your momma said it was so.” This is pretty relevant because in Duval County because how does the school board know it’s a good idea, because the administration says it so.
Compass Odyssey, Math Investigations, Oncource, along with various other computer programs and learning curriculums that have come and gone, the rotation of the North Side middle schools, the expansions at Ed White and Lee High schools, the creation of a new high school when numerous high schools on the west and north side stand half empty, their students using magnet schools and opportunity scholarships to leave, the pushing of more and more children to take advanced placement tests, tying principals evaluations to suspensions, the hiring of a public relations person and many, many other ideas have had their detractors. In the end however they were all good ideas or so the powers-that-be at 1701 Prudential Drive would have us believe and were ideas either that the school board rubber-stamped or allowed to happen.
For some reason the school board lost it’s way and if you want to know why go reread the first paragraph, it might help you figure it out. They forgot that they don’t just represent one building on the riverfront of the south bank of downtown. They forgot they also represent the students, parent’s, stakeholders and teachers; yes teachers of the district as well.
Some might make the mistake of lumping the teachers in with Duval County School District. On the surface that seems reasonable. Unfortunately when they took away teachers creativity and semi-autonomy, began overloading them with endless tasks, adopted policies that put both teachers and their students at a disadvantage and stopped treating teachers with respect, it forced teachers into a separate camp. So many teachers consider the District and the School Board as opponents not to be trusted. Just nod and take it so many teachers say, in a few years they will be off to do something else new. That’s what happens when people who give so much and sacrifice so much are pushed into a corner and told they are not valued.
Lets face it and be realistic as well. The raises most teachers get are pretty bad. They don’t keep up with cost of living increases and teachers earning power actually decreases for about the first ten years. When I started teaching a decade ago my contract was for 26,000 dollars and I had thousands in savings. Fast-forward 11 years and even though my salary is nearly forty, I like many teachers live paycheck to paycheck in fear of an illness, a car breaking or some other ordinary occurrence.
Furthermore, the raises don’t come anywhere near compensating teachers for all the supplies they buy for their rooms and their children and they don’t nearly cover all the untold hours of over-time that teachers put in. If anything, until you have been teaching for fifteen years or so the raises are largely symbolic, a small gesture that said teachers are noticed and appreciated. Unfortunately four members of the school board and the superintendent have seemingly disagreed about that this year.
Let me at least give the devil, make that the three members of the school board who looked at the same facts and figures as the other four members and the superintendent did and said, our teachers are worth it.
Sadly I am not optimistic about this 4-3 vote even though it seemed to show the first sign of independent thought out of the school board in quite sometime. In a few days it will probably be back to business as usual and sadly if you take teachers morale as an indicator business isn’t that good.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Education Commentary
I thought Marvin Edwards’s commentary on local education was dead on. He is right the problems we are facing aren’t knew but sadly neither is our response to them. We keep electing the same type of leaders over and over. Our school board is still dominated by members of the political machine. All to often it is used as a stepping-stone for politicians on the way up or on the way down.
Tommy Hazouri has a long record of mediocrity, Stan Jordan left to run for state senate before his term was up, W.C. Gentry only ran for the school bard after a failed run at the state senate and Brenda Priestly Jackson recently announced she was running for the city council. What do they all have in common? Well like Eric Smith and Fel Lee two long time politicians who are running for the school board, they have either never been in a classroom or they were in one a very long time ago. If these are the types of leaders we repeatedly put on the school board is it any wonder we have such horrendous results.
Mr. Waters had another point about the money that the city has spent that could have gone to education but my question is what about the money that is dedicated to our school district that could have gone to education. Out superintendent, makes a hundred thousand dollars more than the mayor and as much as the superintendents in both St. Johns and Clay counties. The district spent a million dollars on new cars this year for it’s fleet of 520 cars. Thirty-two other employees most of who are on the superintendents inner circle and don’t work directly with children make over a hundred thousand dollars and we go through licensing agreements like water. Every few years there is some new software, computer program or miraculous education cure that the district uses only to replace when it proves ineffective. Then don’t get me started about the 750-person middle management that the district thinks it needs to perform its functions. These aren’t support or maintenance staff either but the amount of administrators the district has and like the superintendents inner circle they to don’t work directly with children.
I could go on and on adding to Mr. Waters’s points but then again I am the choir he was preaching to. I believe what he is saying and have seen the hopelessness on students, teachers and parents faces alike. Though that brings me to one problem he didn’t mention and that is the sad fact he is preaching to a very small choir. Unfortunately most people either don’t care or just don’t get how important education is. Our city and our children are suffering because of this.
Chris Guerrieri
Tommy Hazouri has a long record of mediocrity, Stan Jordan left to run for state senate before his term was up, W.C. Gentry only ran for the school bard after a failed run at the state senate and Brenda Priestly Jackson recently announced she was running for the city council. What do they all have in common? Well like Eric Smith and Fel Lee two long time politicians who are running for the school board, they have either never been in a classroom or they were in one a very long time ago. If these are the types of leaders we repeatedly put on the school board is it any wonder we have such horrendous results.
Mr. Waters had another point about the money that the city has spent that could have gone to education but my question is what about the money that is dedicated to our school district that could have gone to education. Out superintendent, makes a hundred thousand dollars more than the mayor and as much as the superintendents in both St. Johns and Clay counties. The district spent a million dollars on new cars this year for it’s fleet of 520 cars. Thirty-two other employees most of who are on the superintendents inner circle and don’t work directly with children make over a hundred thousand dollars and we go through licensing agreements like water. Every few years there is some new software, computer program or miraculous education cure that the district uses only to replace when it proves ineffective. Then don’t get me started about the 750-person middle management that the district thinks it needs to perform its functions. These aren’t support or maintenance staff either but the amount of administrators the district has and like the superintendents inner circle they to don’t work directly with children.
I could go on and on adding to Mr. Waters’s points but then again I am the choir he was preaching to. I believe what he is saying and have seen the hopelessness on students, teachers and parents faces alike. Though that brings me to one problem he didn’t mention and that is the sad fact he is preaching to a very small choir. Unfortunately most people either don’t care or just don’t get how important education is. Our city and our children are suffering because of this.
Chris Guerrieri
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
A Lack of Vision
One of the biggest problems the Duval County School District has is it lacks vision. We don’t seem to have a comprehensive and realistic plan for our children. Now we do have a vision statement. It says: Every student will graduate from Duval County Public Schools with the knowledge and skills to be successful in post-secondary education and/or the workforce.
Unfortunately recent indicators say we’re not doing such a good job achieving that.
Florida State College at Jacksonville reports that seventy percent of recent grads have to take remedial courses before they start their studies. Then several employers have likewise said that finding competent workers among recent graduates is getting harder and harder to do. Which begs the question what are we doing wrong?
Could it be that we are requiring every student to take and pass the same classes to graduate? That’s right folks, here in Jacksonville we require every child regardless of ability, aptitude, intelligence, interest or desire to take the same classes to finish school. We in effect have a one-size fit’s all curriculum that sadly isn’t leading to many children being successful either in school or once they graduate.
The truth is the reality of society doesn’t support our districts vision. We don’t want a society of just brain surgeons or engineers, which is what the school board will have you believe, is possible. We need laborers, artists, tradesmen, and dozens of other professions that won’t be outsourced to India or other emerging third world countries. We however do need them to be able to do their jobs well.
Shouldn’t our vision instead be to help every child be as productive member of society as possible regardless of what they do? Whether they work with their hands or with their brains? Whether they dig ditches or fix hearts? Shouldn’t the vision we have for our children be realistic and achievable?
Furthermore if some or our students after they graduate high school get a job with a decent wage that has potential for advancement even if they never plan to go to college we should celebrate that. Not every child is going to be cut out for college and even more aren’t going to have the desire to attend. We as a society should not just accept that fact we should also embrace it. We should encourage children to be the best they can be whether they have a degree or not and public school should help develop whatever skills they have, not what skills we wish they had.
Also as society has evolved it’s become completely debatable if it’s even necessary that college be required to be successful. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that seven of the 10 employment sectors that are growing the quickest, those that include occupations such as home healthcare aide, customer service representative, food prepares and servers not only will see the largest gains over the next decade but require little more than on the job training to do successfully. These jobs don’t require four years of college and tens of thousands of dollars of student loan debt to do. They also don’t require advance maths like algebra II or other courses that the DCPS system requires. A math teacher colleague of mine once asked, why am I teaching algebra II to a kid who wants to drive trucks for a living?
In a recent Las Angeles Times article W. Norton Grubb, a professor at UC Berkeley's School of Education said that "People with bachelor's degrees will increasingly get not very highly satisfactory jobs. In that sense, people are getting more schooling than jobs are available." He also noted that in 1970, 77% of workers with a bachelor's degree were employed in professional and managerial occupations but that by 2000, that number had fallen to 60%. The article went on to quote the National Assn. of Colleges and Employers, which said that only one out of four college seniors this year had a job waiting for them upon graduation.
Please don’t get me wrong. I am not saying college isn’t important, you will find study after study, which indicates it leads to higher salaries and more opportunities. I also personally greatly believe in education and encourage the kids in my class to pursue as much as they can, even the ones I know because of desire or ability won’t get that far.
I am also not saying we shouldn’t have minimal standards. Kids should be able to read and write, do math to a realistic level and have the ability to critically think upon graduation. They should also be respectful and have some semblance of a work ethic too, things the school system destroys when it doesn’t give kids consequences for bad behavior or pushes then along without the skills they need to be successful or just teaches to one test.
What I am saying is we need to have graduation tracks that teach kids, skills and trades. We need to serve the needs of all our students not those just destined to go to college upon graduation.
What I am saying is a bachelors degree is not the end all be all that it was a generation ago and what with the fast food eating, video game playing, Ritalin popping kids we have roaming the halls of today’s schools we should be exploring other options. I am saying that instead of just unrealistically preparing all our students for college, instead we should be preparing them for life and to be successful at whatever they choose to do.
How’s that for vision?
Those who are in charge at 1700 Prudential Drive might disagree with me when I say we lack vision. They would probably point to the Magnet School programs that have seen two of our schools, Stanton and Paxon be ranked in the top eight of the whole country. They might also point out that for years students here have been required to take advanced maths and science classes to graduate. That these are requirements that the state is now just beginning to phase in over the next four years.
The thing is for every success like above that the district points to, critical thinkers can also find numerous blaring drawbacks. There’s our graduation, reading and drop out rates, which are some of the worse in the state that people can easily point to. That and the fact even that college isn’t for everyone and by forcing all students into the same track more and more are needlessly dropping through the cracks. Plus I never said we lacked vision, I said we lacked a realistic and achievable one.
Unfortunately recent indicators say we’re not doing such a good job achieving that.
Florida State College at Jacksonville reports that seventy percent of recent grads have to take remedial courses before they start their studies. Then several employers have likewise said that finding competent workers among recent graduates is getting harder and harder to do. Which begs the question what are we doing wrong?
Could it be that we are requiring every student to take and pass the same classes to graduate? That’s right folks, here in Jacksonville we require every child regardless of ability, aptitude, intelligence, interest or desire to take the same classes to finish school. We in effect have a one-size fit’s all curriculum that sadly isn’t leading to many children being successful either in school or once they graduate.
The truth is the reality of society doesn’t support our districts vision. We don’t want a society of just brain surgeons or engineers, which is what the school board will have you believe, is possible. We need laborers, artists, tradesmen, and dozens of other professions that won’t be outsourced to India or other emerging third world countries. We however do need them to be able to do their jobs well.
Shouldn’t our vision instead be to help every child be as productive member of society as possible regardless of what they do? Whether they work with their hands or with their brains? Whether they dig ditches or fix hearts? Shouldn’t the vision we have for our children be realistic and achievable?
Furthermore if some or our students after they graduate high school get a job with a decent wage that has potential for advancement even if they never plan to go to college we should celebrate that. Not every child is going to be cut out for college and even more aren’t going to have the desire to attend. We as a society should not just accept that fact we should also embrace it. We should encourage children to be the best they can be whether they have a degree or not and public school should help develop whatever skills they have, not what skills we wish they had.
Also as society has evolved it’s become completely debatable if it’s even necessary that college be required to be successful. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that seven of the 10 employment sectors that are growing the quickest, those that include occupations such as home healthcare aide, customer service representative, food prepares and servers not only will see the largest gains over the next decade but require little more than on the job training to do successfully. These jobs don’t require four years of college and tens of thousands of dollars of student loan debt to do. They also don’t require advance maths like algebra II or other courses that the DCPS system requires. A math teacher colleague of mine once asked, why am I teaching algebra II to a kid who wants to drive trucks for a living?
In a recent Las Angeles Times article W. Norton Grubb, a professor at UC Berkeley's School of Education said that "People with bachelor's degrees will increasingly get not very highly satisfactory jobs. In that sense, people are getting more schooling than jobs are available." He also noted that in 1970, 77% of workers with a bachelor's degree were employed in professional and managerial occupations but that by 2000, that number had fallen to 60%. The article went on to quote the National Assn. of Colleges and Employers, which said that only one out of four college seniors this year had a job waiting for them upon graduation.
Please don’t get me wrong. I am not saying college isn’t important, you will find study after study, which indicates it leads to higher salaries and more opportunities. I also personally greatly believe in education and encourage the kids in my class to pursue as much as they can, even the ones I know because of desire or ability won’t get that far.
I am also not saying we shouldn’t have minimal standards. Kids should be able to read and write, do math to a realistic level and have the ability to critically think upon graduation. They should also be respectful and have some semblance of a work ethic too, things the school system destroys when it doesn’t give kids consequences for bad behavior or pushes then along without the skills they need to be successful or just teaches to one test.
What I am saying is we need to have graduation tracks that teach kids, skills and trades. We need to serve the needs of all our students not those just destined to go to college upon graduation.
What I am saying is a bachelors degree is not the end all be all that it was a generation ago and what with the fast food eating, video game playing, Ritalin popping kids we have roaming the halls of today’s schools we should be exploring other options. I am saying that instead of just unrealistically preparing all our students for college, instead we should be preparing them for life and to be successful at whatever they choose to do.
How’s that for vision?
Those who are in charge at 1700 Prudential Drive might disagree with me when I say we lack vision. They would probably point to the Magnet School programs that have seen two of our schools, Stanton and Paxon be ranked in the top eight of the whole country. They might also point out that for years students here have been required to take advanced maths and science classes to graduate. That these are requirements that the state is now just beginning to phase in over the next four years.
The thing is for every success like above that the district points to, critical thinkers can also find numerous blaring drawbacks. There’s our graduation, reading and drop out rates, which are some of the worse in the state that people can easily point to. That and the fact even that college isn’t for everyone and by forcing all students into the same track more and more are needlessly dropping through the cracks. Plus I never said we lacked vision, I said we lacked a realistic and achievable one.
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