Education Reform - You Decide 

My soon to be 40 year old daughter has been teaching for the past seventeen years.  She CHOOSES to work at the Kindergarten level because she believes children need a GREAT introduction to education and a caring roll model who makes learning fun.

Her portfolio includes a Master's Degree in Administrative Education, a B.A. in Education, multiple certifications in Early Childhood Development, Teacher of the Year and a nomination for Disney Teacher of the Year.  During staff orientation at the beginning of the new term, the district uses her room on their tour as a model for new Kindergarten teams and provides her name if they need to ask any questions about being a success in their field.

A work day for this awesome young woman starts at 7:30 am and usually stretches into twelve hours or more.  The proverbial summer vacations critics site when demeaning teaching as a so-called cushy job, are dotted with different continuing education requirements and preparations for the next year.  You see, each year the classroom must be redone, a new theme created and work packets designed and copied for each student. The job is physically and mentally exhausting and pays very little when compared to other degreed positions.

Most teachers love what they do and are willing to accept the rigors of their profession.  What they fight against and are force fed in many instances are rigid mandates from the district higher-ups and state education agencies that stifle creativity and classroom time with their students....Sadly, in an effort to improve education, lawmakers and administrators are accomplishing just the opposite by their micro-managing techniques.

Everyone has heard the expression, "Teaching the Test"  In Texas, that is exactly what teachers are expected to do in order to satisfy the ranking a school district must achieve to continue receiving their state funding. Instead of giving teachers a curriculum and saying, "TEACH THIS" then evaluating them on their individual performances, the powers-that-be maintain a short leash and actually chastise educators when they deviate from the 'SCRIPT'.  You might as well hire minimum wagers off the street.  As long as someone can follow an explicit outline, why does this type of system need a TEACHER.

There are some alarming statistics about the United States presented by Mark Rice, the Chair of American Studies at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York.  In his essay (1) for Forbes dated October 30th of this year, he provides charts ranking the U.S. in several areas, the following seemed relevant to this blog:

2nd in General Ignorance About Social Issues

24th in Literacy

17th in Educational Performance

23rd in Programme For International Student Assessment Science Scores

54th in Educational Expenditures

72nd in Girls Going to Grade School

85th in Boys Going to Grade School

18th in Reading

10th in Teachers' Salaries

34th in Math Progress

134th For Government Commitment to Education

...seems 'Teaching the Test' is NOT working.

My daughter IS a TEACHER.  There are many instructors with the same special skill sets. Passion, knowledge, experience, commitment and creativity will allow them to identify each child's limitations and strengths and use that information to clear roadblocks to learning. Children will excel under their tutelage. Scores will rise.  If an individual cannot do the job, get rid of them.  Don't Teach the Test'...Find a TEACHER and PAY THEM WHAT THEY ARE WORTH...


1  https://rankingamerica.wordpress.com/category/education/

The Recent Election...The Next Stage in the Destruction of America

Sorry I've been absent for a while.  The situation was beyond my control.  So, just a short note today...

Since my last blog, nothing has changed.  Elected officials continue putting their personal biases in front of the primary needs of our country and keeping it strong.

The Republican dominated House has blocked and tried to taint everything President Obama has done while using their social media to SELL their propaganda to us, the people of this country. They realize if you shout something loud and often enough, soon, the lies flowing into Voter's ears are spread as truths from many unwitting mouths...

For eight years, the old Pachyderm Party's relentless assault on the President has gained them a large following.  Why? A mass of voters have the same biases, others are unwilling to research the facts, the largest majority are becoming apathetic and suffer from the 'nothing's going to change' attitude, while common sense has been thrown out the door.   Whatever category one falls into, no one has fought back enough in public to dispel the heinous character assassination or the shameless innuendos.  It might damage THEIR chances for re-election...

Now the Republicans control both the House and the Senate...What a travesty!  They are not content with lining their pockets on the backs of taxpayers.  Instead of fixing what's broken in our Democratic System, they are like a giant cancer creeping into the Constitution, tearing down important legislation made from the bloodied deaths of countless women butchered in back alley abortions. They make a mockery of the words engraved on the Statue of Liberty, "Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses..."  They want to build a Berlin-Type wall instead of coming up with a workable system for people escaping their horrors...OMG!  Have we sunk so low?  What is our nation evolving into to?