Spring page 151
“The first section of this chapter, “The Education Chair,” asks a central question regarding the control of education: Who should decide what knowledge should be taught to public school students?”
Right now, the major decisions being made for our education system is happening by people who are not in the education world, but in the business world. School boards are often made up of elite members of the business world who do not reflect the social make-up of the surrounding community in which the serve. Many times, these boards have an agenda that does not include listening to the voices of the families that are involved in the school system every day. Their decisions are made up by what would be best for the economy and for the outcome of the country and working world as a whole. What would happen if our boards actually listened to our parents, our students and our teachers? Our boards should be made up of people that are in the system every day, living the life that the laws are being created for. I do think that we need some business people on them to help decide where money will be allocated and have some say in what is being brought up in the meetings, however they should not be the main ones doing it. I feel like everyone involved in the school system, in any way, should be able to have a say in what is going on. Will the government ever see this in the way that many of our citizens see it, or will their laws and decisions continue to be made based off of whatever they want it to be (I actually don’t know why they make some of the laws they do, so I don’t have a good enough reason to actually use)?
Spring page 162
“In 2006, supporters of charter schools in the U.S. Department of Education were surprised by a report issued by the National Center for Education Statistics that found that the achievement gap in reading and math of students in public charter schools was lower than that of students in public noncharter schools.”
Spring makes several arguments about charter schools, or at least he portrays different arguments made by both supporters and non-supporters of charter schools. There are different ways to look at the fact listed above. Supporters of charter schools would say that they have not been around long enough for people to really know how they will do (in the long run) on teaching children to receive good test scores. Another argument made by supporters includes the fact that many charter schools tailor to the needs of low-income students, which does not help their test scores. However, the test scores cannot be ignored, and the fact that they are lower than public schools is something that should be looked at. Is a reason that the test scores lower because the teachers hired don’t necessarily need to follow the laws that require schools to hire certified teachers? Charter schools are made to look like a haven for students who are not receiving a fair education, however, is the reality of it that they are going to receive any better of an education there either? Why is it ok for the schools to advertise in such a false way then? I feel like children are being cheated out of a promising education if they end up at a school that promises something that it can’t deliver.
Spring page 171
“Can you trust parents to be good teachers?”
This quote is in relation to homeschooling. The main reason, according to Spring, that many parents decide to home school is related to a families religious views. For example, strict Christian parents who do not agree with the fact that church/God cannot be brought up in the schools may decide to home school because their child can receive an education that is linked to their religious views. For some parents, they link morals to religion and believe that if religion is not being allowed in the classroom, then the morals that are being taught are not good morals. In some ways I agree that the morals taught in school are based too much on personal success, money, business, etc and not enough on family values, but in some cases I do understand why some parents choose to home school. However, I worry that because parents are not required to have a teaching degree, many may not be prepared enough for the job. I do not think that many parents are able to teach their children everything that they need to know, therefore not providing the same learning experience that they should be getting (that they would be getting from a classroom teacher.) I do think that some of the morals that the school system is teaching are not the best for students, but will the children that are homeschooled be able to survive successfully in a world where values are placed on money and business instead of family if they are not taught how to live it like they would be in a school? What is best for the student in this case?
Spring page 209
“They feel the same grim climate of isolation from adults, poor physical environment, and lack of community respect. They also must seek extracurricular school and summer employment to fill the gap left by inadequate salaries.”
This is some of the harsh reality that comes with being a teacher. Spring give us an example of a teacher named Horace who has been teaching for 28 years. He loves his job, but is forced to cut many corners in his teaching because of the realities of the teaching career. He doesn’t give as much homework as he should do his students, because he does not have the tie to spend that many extra hours correcting homework. He works 42 hours a week, but also helps out in extracurricular activities at the school. He makes very little money for the work that he does, compared to most other professions that include the same amount of time spent on the job. This example shows us the realities of the working environment that we are headed into as teachers. Personally, I may be facing more hours of focus on work because I m going into elementary education. Spring states that if you are going into the job because you love kids, then you need to find something else that will keep you there, because that reason won’t hold you. It is good for us, as pre-service teachers, to have the chance to see the reality of what we are about to become. For many people I think it may scare them, and turn them against it. Looking at the facts, it makes me wonder why teachers are not paid more for what they do. Teachers have such a big job that they must do well in order to help their students learn in the most fulfilling way. I feel like most people don’t know what it takes to be a teacher, and that is why many people blame them for the problems that are occurring in the school system. I think if more people knew, they would be less likely to criticize a teacher as quickly as they do. In order to be a successful teacher, someone really needs to have the desire, patience, and determination to be everything that they need to be. Why is it that these facts aren’t being made known to people who are quick to criticize the work of the teacher? I give teachers a lot of respect for what they do, why don’t other people?
Spring page 205
“Teacher’s salaries might compare favorably to occupations that do not acquire a college diploma. However, they do not compare favorably with other occupations requiring a college education.”
I feel like that for all of the work that teachers are required to do, most of which is listed above, they should make more money than they do. On average, an elementary school teacher makes between $30,000 and $40,000 a year. If teachers have the most important job, helping every single person to learn and grow, which in turn helps them become the adults that they become in our country, why isn’t more gratitude given to the teachers? Why is it a lawyer makes ten times more than that, when it was a teacher who helped them become that lawyer in the first place? I guess the money is not what makes a teacher want to teach, I know it’s not my main focus. Being a teacher is extremely satisfying, when it is something you love to do. Helping children to grow and experience new things on a daily basis is one of the most rewarding things a person can do, but is that rewarding feeling enough of a thank you from others, or should teachers income be more reflective of the job and responsibility that each teacher has?
Spring page 203
“Veteran teachers (those hired before the start of the 2002-2003 school year) must demonstrate competency by either meeting the requirements of new teachers or by meeting state requirements.”
The veteran teachers have been there for such a while that they are not usually up to date with today’s trends in teaching, unless they do outside research on their own.) This makes me wonder how they are able to meet the standards of today’s teachers, in any way. They have gone through their teaching career adapting to the new laws, and learning everything as they go. Teachers today are expected to know certain things before they even enter the teaching career. First, I feel like the teachers that are doctored into the system won’t ever be able to know everything that the teachers today are required to know. Second, I feel like because of that, it is an unfair system that requires many things from new teachers although has lesser requirement for people who may be teaching in the classroom next door just because they have been doing it longer. I do agree that having highly qualified teachers teaching our children is important, but I am not sure how to qualify a teacher that has been teaching for 20 years is because they aren’t force to do the same things that new teachers are. Is experience enough to make someone a good teacher, or do people really need to take tests in order to qualify them as good? Has requiring a teacher to have the name “highly qualified” change what is going on in the school system today, or are things still the same as they were before?
Kara,
ReplyDeleteIn response to your second quote, the one about charter schools. It's a possibility that the scores could be lower in these schools because the teachers are not all necessarily certified. There's a lot to being a teacher and I feel it's very important to get some type of educational background on being one. Sometimes I'm stressed in a classroom of students even with the education I have being a teacher now, I couldn't imagine what it would be like without knowing what I DO know about teaching! As far as schools advertising in a false way, there are some really fantastic charter schools out there! Yet, there are some terrible ones as well and it's hard to pick and choose what's good or bad. Granted, it's hard when a brand new charter schools opens out of nowhere because there's no research on the school to look at, but if there is any research for a particular charter school out there, parents should most definitely look it up before enrolling their environment. It could also be the fact that, even though these schools do have lower test scores, it just may be a safer environment for students to be in rather than their public school, especially in an urban area where most charter schools tend to be. Charter schools use to simply be experimental schools and they've switched roles to be a school's "haven" as you had mentioned. Don't you think instead of spending so much money on opening up a new charter school this money should be used to either revamp an older public school or to make schools bigger? Well-educated teachers and smaller class sizes seems to be a pretty good start on a great school to me, don't you?
Katrina,
ReplyDeleteI wish I knew more statistical facts about the difference between how well someone teaches with a degree versus someone who doesn't have one. Do you know where to even start with trying to find out that information? I agree though, it is a possibility that the reason charter schools are scoring lower is because they may not have certified teachers. I can't help but wonder if their lack of needing to follow other state-mandated laws may affect it also though. I agree with what you are saying about parents wanting to go there for a safer environment also. However, is it a given that the environment in a charter school will be safer than in the private school? Are there any rules or general qualifications that state that they may be safer? Just some questions I thought about when reading your post. I also wonder what parents think after there children are not picked in the school's lottery. Students themselves must be devestated that they didn;t get the opportunity to go to a school that may have given them a beter education than the public school they are attending, but I wonder how the parents of these children respond to that same situation. Is there anything that they can do about their children not getting in? And what dothey tell their children now, after so long of telling them how much of a better opportunity the charter school would be, after receiving the news that their children won't actually be going there. Can a parent fix that mistake?
On the other hand, I do think that it would be smarter to put more money into the current public schools that are not doing well than it would be to do leave them in as horrible condition as they are in and try to make things better by building a brand new school for only a few children to go to. What makes them not do this?
Kara,
ReplyDeleteI wish I knew those statistical facts as well because that would be fantastic research to know. No, I guess there is not anything that specifically states these schools are safer than public schools, I think it's just assumed that they are. An older public school in an urban area packed with thousands of students seems a little less safe than an urban charter school packed with a few hundred students. The less students, the less problems in a sense, just a thought. I feel as though the lottery system of a charter schools definitely needs to be changed up. Why should both the students and the parents participate in the lottery? This is simply nerve wracking for the student and if they don't get in, they think that they're going to fail now because they have to go back to their old school. I think parents should, of course, mention to students that they're going to try to get them into another school, but that's it. Students shouldn't need to know more until after the lottery process. Why would anyone want to put so much burden on such young children? Unfortunately, depending on the state, at this point the student would just go back to their public school unless the parents can pay for a private school. Would you want your own 10 year old son/daughter dealing with the whole process of getting into a charter school?. It's completely devastating if they don't get in and those children don't need anymore pressure than they already have.
Katrina,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, I do not like the process of the a lottery that charter schools use for the admission process. I think you have a great idea about not letting children know about how much better the charter school MIGHT be for the child. There are a few problems that are involved with the lottery system and telling children about what could be there for them in a charter school. One is, like you were talking about, what would happen if the children did not get in. There would be so much stress on them that should not be put on a child. Second, there is the problem with not all charter schools providing better opportunities that they promise the children. I don't know if not having charter schools at all would be better, but I think that things need to be changed before more and more students are disappointed in more ways than one.