FISH TALK

It has been said it is difficult to know what fish talk about.  They know they cannot change the water.  Fish probably talk about how they must adapt to the changes the water brings to them.  Schools can change.   The student must realize they must adapt to the changes brought to them.  

SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND SCHOOL STUDENTS

School districts around the country are not living up to the standards set in No Child Left Behind mandates.   I am not criticizing the mandates, I am criticizing the manner the 'powers that be' are tying to fix.  The Superintendents and the Boards are trying give the districts a fix without addressing the student performance.  All the reports keep stating the future of the students is the focus.  This is bunk.  If a district needs improvement then firstly gain student improvement.  Focus on students doing better then the district will naturally become fixed.  Students must have one goal.  This goal is to the present in class, be attentive in class and pass the daily assignment with comprehension of the subject.  If this is met, the district will improve.  To hire new Superintendents, read my book for a practical view about Superintendent positions in a school or to elect new Board members will not fix a student performance.  It is a student up approach not a Superintendent down approach to gain a better school district.  Who will join me on this quest?  Where are all the voices and joint dialogues for this approach?  Please contribute to this blog so I can start to unite us.  Silence is deafening about under performing school districts which parallels under performing students.  Let's start today and come together. 

DAILY GOAL FOR STUDENTS - 2012 PLEDGE

It is almost 2012.  Time for the schools to change from a teacher focus to a student focus.   High school administrations like to voice they are preparing the student for college or work after high school.  This is too far of a goal for a student.  Every day in school IS the life of the student.  Every day in school IS when a student should listen, learn and do what assignment is given to them.  Every day in school IS the sole goal a student should strive to achieve.  While administration is measuring a daily teacher goal per the lesson plan preparation and diversity of content.  The student has the one goal - graduate.  What a wrong scenario.  The administration must stand with the teacher, not in evaluation only, and be sure each student comprehends and completes each daily assignment.  Each day is a lesson for the student to learn as each day is the life of the student.  My plea for 2012 is for every administrator to stand beside with the teacher and look at the students as a team to get the student on the path of daily focus and completion of assignment.   Each parent and teacher should join as a team to ensure the goal for the student is daily.

PODCAST ABOUT GRASP EDUCATION

Be sure to take the opportunity to listen to the podcast about me and my book.  Thanks for listening.  Now you are ready to read the book and start a dialogue about parents, students and the educational system in the USA. 

http://grandviewcsd4.blogspot.com/2011/10/ghs-science-teacher-and-published.html

MANUFACTURING VS. SERVICE INDUSTRY SCHOOL SYSTEM

America has changed over the years from a society of manufacturing industries to service industries.   Service industry is based upon appeasing the client.  Service industry is measured on the end result, usually making a sale.  Service industry is more likely to cut corners with the client so that the end result is met.  Manufacturing industry is based upon the accountability for the assembly of the product.  Manufacturing industries are about the means along the process towards reaching an end of a well assembled and accountable product.  Public school education has changed over the same period in time.  Public school education has a means and an end.  The means is each student’s daily comprehension, understanding  and accountability towards each subject.  The means in school is to produce a student who knows each subject matter and is accountable for that gained knowledge.  The end of a public school education is the issuing of the diploma.   More emphasis is placed by school districts upon the end which translates into more diplomas awarded to students.  Less emphasis is placed upon student understanding and comprehension during the high school education.   Students are held less accountable and within lower standards for comprehension along the means.  Correct spelling, proper grammar usage, math proficiency, historical information, writing ability, scientific concepts, etc.  are not as important as it used to be when America was a manufacturing society.  Schools are educating and appeasing students towards an end of receiving a diploma only.  This is a symptom of a service industry society.   Public schools are turning into a service industry.  Public schools should revert back to a manufacturing mode to produce a better product,  accountable fully educated graduated student.   Then each end product, the student awarded a diploma, is of measurable and accountable quality this USA society deserves and requires as we progress more and more into the 21^st century.

EDUCATORS CHANGING STUDENT SCORES ON STANDARIZED TESTS

This week in Atlanta numerous teachers, administrators and superintendents were revealed to have changed students  scores on standardized tests.  The report indicated this unprofessional practice is  widespread across America and not localized to any particular geographic region.  Too many educators have only two goals in their careers.  The first goal is to reach tenure with a school district.  Then the union can give them protection through job security.  The only other goal for too many educators is retirement.  Educators submit to cheating and sub-par practices to make their student and the district meet and better achievements and set statistical data. The powers overseeing the school district often narrow their look at data, not the individual student’s comprehension of said subject material.  “Students aren't knowledgeable, and are probably lazy and procrastinate, so they cheat. These are crimes based on a lack of knowledge. It's a terrible character trait to develop” Quote by  Fran Cohen.  As my book is about character traits I fully agree with the words of Fran Cohen.  The educator is deficient and lazy while not doing their job and knowledge so the student performance is acceptable.   Educators should not only do what is expected, they must do what is correct.  Let me conclude this entry with a description of the school district the educators have made through cheating.  Sri Guru Granth Sahib wrote,  “ Cheating is eating a rotting carcass.”  

EACH STUDENT IS AT WORK

I have students which do not want to complete assignments.  They put their head down, mess with their cell phone and continually ask to leave the classroom for the bathroom, locker or anywhere but where there is an assignment.  I tell them school is a student's work.  Students laugh at me and retort, 'School is not their work.'  I challenge each one.  I relate to them if I call their Mother right now on the telephone and report their child is refusing to do the assignment and does not turn in the assignment, the Mother will want to speak with their child.  I ask the student, what shall their Mother say to them if I put the two together on the telephone?  The Mother always says, 'Get your WORK done.'  She will say, 'Turn in your WORK.'  So now to each student I ask, "Where did your Mother send you each morning when you left to go to school?"  The student went to WORK. 

SCHOOL POLICIES ON CELL PHONES

The school district I am involved has a collective goal for the students to reach when they take the ACT college entrance test.  The collective composite score for the school should be 21.  Some of the students in  the surrounding schools have reached and surpassed this composite score goal for their school.  The teachers in my school, for the most part, would like to have cell phones and electronic items banned from the school building.  But the policy is students can use their ipods and cell phones in the hallway, common areas and lunchroom.  This is no matter if class is on or not.  Once a student is out of a classroom, electronic items can be used, no matter the time of the school day.  I reviewed the student discipline policies for the surrounding schools which had met our set goal for the composite ACT goal.  Their cell phone and electronic policy is zero tolerance.  No cell phone or ipod is to be visible or used during the school day, period.  When I related this information the comment came forth that unless further survey and data was collected there could be no correlation made between policy and the results for the ACT test.  That was not my intention.  My comment in return says my thought on the matter, 'if you wish to eat like a cheetah, run like a cheetah after cheetah food.'

STANDARDIZED TESTING

There seem to be too much standardized testing of the student in the USA public school system.  I must say, there is too much standardized testing without any intervention improvement for each student as follow-up to the testing.  The tests seem to be conducted for the sake of data collection only.  There is no improved learning by a student from taking a standardized test.  There seldom exist an individual student improvement plan stemming from the student results on a standardized test.
I shall always remember the words a fellow educator said once concerning too much standardized testing, 'it is like trying to fatten the cow by weighing it every day.'