Time to Get Back on the Right 'Track'!

"Scores from the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment released Tuesday show 15-year-old students in the U.S. performing about average in reading and science, and below average in math. Out of 34 countries, the U.S. ranked 14th in reading, 17th in science and 25th in math." MSNBC news report, 12-07-10.

Two years before I retired from teaching I remember telling my Gifted and Talented students that they should seriously consider learning how to speak Chinese. At that time it was learned that the United States debt had been gradually been owned by China, India and several Middle Eastern countries. The Chinese had the fastest growing economy (this year passed up by India) and had for a long time the highest world's population.

To feed that population there would be eventually be a need to expand into other countries. To get along in the world I advised my students to learn Chinese since French, Spanish and German would only help them on travels to those countries. This would be a vehicle for their eventual survival in a Chinese dominated world.

Little did I know that the Chinese education system had advanced so quickly and admirably. I saw what they had done at the Olympics but thought that was only a microcosm. In this same test while the American children proved their mediocrity, the Chinese ruled supreme.

If the US educational system doesn't improve soon then we better get used to that phrase, "the Chinese ruled supreme". I don't think it is too late but I do think that drastic change is needed to move us up the list. The top five countries were all Asian countries. Doesn't that scare you?

If I ran the schools I wouldn't spend time reinventing the wheel. We had it right once and WE ruled supreme. I think it is time to get back to 'tracking' in education. I think it needs to start in elementery schools.

When I was a student in Canada we had two year high schools, four year high school programs and five year programs. The five year program was intended for those who would only go to university, the four year for technical programs and the two year for those who had the aptitudes to serve. For example a five year student learned the classics, foreign languages, higher math, science, music and by the time he was ready for college he had pinpointed the direction his future univeristy studies would take. He was slotted into this path in the earlier grades.

Canada has gotten away from that approach and has unfortunately dropped down the ladder of countries.

Another thing we did was learn to write. We wrote everything! Today they would use the computer for that, but the same principles would be applied. The mind grew at an amazing rate because of it. Scantrons were non-existent and exams were written for three hours and were on a semester of work or an entire year's work.

Tracking should be started at an early age. The kids would be in 'special' classes, whether they were special ed., technical, or gifted students. They would progress at a faster rate and at their own level. I have witnessed as much learning in my 'lab' classes I taught as I did in my gifted, just a different type of learning. They were all learning for what they could handle, not what the governmnent test dictated.

I have often equated tracking in schools to how we train our swimmers. We don't put the slowest swimmers in the same lane to train as our fastest. Can you imagine what Michael Phelps might had done if he was training in this type of learning environment. Sure he would still be good, but he wouldn't have 'ruled supreme' as he did in the last Olympics.

I don't have enough space to fully examine tracking but I will at a later date, but I firmly believe if we re-adopt this old technique and adapt it to the newer circumstances of our society we might have a chance to get back on track.

Can We Stop the Bullies?

Last week a Florida father entered his daughter's school bus to confront several students who had been bullying his daughter, a young girl who had cerebal palsy. They allegedly had made comments about her disability, threw condoms at her, made obscene gestures, physically attacked her among other things. The father had contacted the school district, but nothing supposedly was done about it. Usually a bus driver would have taken some action here, but none seemed to be done satisfactorily. The father, when boarding the bus used language and threats that only would appear in the movies, 'gangsta' rap CD's or on HBO. He was wrong in his approach, but when asked many Americans said that they would have done the same.

The question is not what the man did on the bus but why wasn't this handled way before it got to this point. Before we answer this question we need to ask "What causes bullying?"

I feel television is partially to blame. Bullying stems from a lack of respect. Respecting others, respecting yourself and respecting your school are forgotten by the bullies. All the 'character counts' programs fall on deaf ears. I have, since my retirement watched more TV than I used to when I was working. I have been studying commercials on the tube and many them show disrespect between men and women, between children and authority figures and for our elected officials. This is wrong. Then you just have to turn on the 'sport' channels where men and women are placed in cages and a prehistoric battle to the finish ensues and is revered by the audience. Does that lead to a celebration of violence? Is bullying not violence?

Parents also need to be held accountable in the bullying problem. It has been proven that most bullies at school have for the first years of their life  had models at home who bully, either their wives or husbands or their friends and neighbors. They need to be educated as well as their kids and they definitely to be held accountable by fines from the courts and restrictions by the schools.

However, bullying has gone on for a long time now, it is not a new concept. In this tract I am only addressing physical bullying, but there are other types. When I was a student in elementery school I was the youngest in my class. I often found myself being picked on because I was smarter than other students and my big mouth and sharp wit got me into trouble with some of the older and perhaps not so smart boys in my class. I was physically attacked being kicked continuously after being thrown to the ground on the playground. I had to walk home by walking on the top of fences to hide from these bullies. I survived and got stronger because of it, but for a few years I feared for my life at school. These kids made my life miserable and emotionally I was injured. It wasn't until high school that I was able to get retribution on some of those who bullied me. A sport called 'football' allowed that to happen for me.

Not all kids have the chance to intellectually or physically defend themselves. Some end up in therapy, some do not want to go to school anymore and unfortunately some take their own life. What can we do to stop this?

I think the summits they have been having in Washington are going to help. I feel that the national news stories about this Florida man's tirade will raise awareness of the problem. But if I ran the schools I would have a no tolerance-ZERO- policy towards those who bully one quarter of America's students. Get them off the busses. Have their parents required to pick them up at school and transport them. Require the parents and the students attend classes. Administrators should be expelling them and having the police arrest publicly the worst cases. Taking a student out in cuffs, parading him or her around the cafeteria before going to the police car and publicly denouncing the perpetrators of the 'violence' will go a long way to prevent bullying in the schools. Posters on the walls are not going to cut it, folks. Asking a kid who has been persecuted by one of these bullies is not going to work. He already lives in fear. If the school is not going to do anything about it then parents will see the need to act themselves. The parents of 'my school' would not have to stoop to that kind of remedy. Let's stop the bullies. Man up schools!

The Ugly American

Yesterday I was reading an article on the "Dumb Things Americans Believe" in Newsweek by David A. Graham. It listed the PEW poll which found out that President Obama was perceived by 20 percent of Americans to be a Muslim(remember Rev. Wright?),40 percent still agreed with Sarah Palin's belief that there would be a death panel with the new health care act, half of Americans still believe there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq(Pres. Bush even admitted that their weren't there), another 20 percent believed the sun revolves around the Earth and nine out of ten US citizens couldn't find Afghanistan on a map. The kicker for me was that 3 of 4 Americans could correctly name the three Stooges but only 2 of 5 could name the three branches of government. Who are the Stooges- look around you!
Why?
We have failed our kids.
Educators have spent so much time getting students ready for the 'test' that we have forgotten to actually educate them in what is important. I know many a good language arts teacher who has diligently taught students what the difference was between a fact and an opinion, or a fact and fiction. Obviously this skill did not sink into most students' brains or these percentages would be different. When you only have to obtain a 50 percent on a standardized test in order to get a passing grade we have failed the kids.
I'm very happy that my surgeon, my dentist and my lawyer were held to a higher standard.If they only knew 50 percent of their work- heaven help us.
We need to hold all American students to a much higher standard than we do. Yes it is idealistic that they will be as conscientious as the doctor, lawyer and dentist but we need to raise the bar when we teach, when we grade and when we pass those students on to the next grade.
I have traveled extensively in Europe and I am always dismayed when I come across the "Ugly American" who doesn't take the time to understand the customs and habits of the people in who's country he is a guest.They are rude and stand out like the proverbial 'sore thumb'. Now after reading Graham's article I know why.
If I ran the schools I would mandate more geography knowledge, more life skills, more world skills and above all real life relevant examples of fact and fiction. I would make them think, research and write on subjects that have to do with being knowledgeable about what is going on around them. I remember as a kid being required to bring into class a current event which was from a newspaper. A newspaper? 'What's that' today's student would ask?
Perhaps we should insist that they have a newspaper 'app' on their fancy phones. Maybe they could be required to text the news event to another student or put it on their Facebook page. As educators we need to try all the tricks we can to get them to learn something other than the 'test'.
Perhaps if we did this then we wouldn't anymore be known as 'the Ugly American' but as 'the Intelligent Savvy American'.

The First Day of School

Now that I'm retired from teaching the first day of school doesn't mean the same to me. It does, however, invoke many pleasant and some not too pleasant memories. It's a day that most students, all parents and even some teachers were waiting for with great excitement and anticipation.
The students have for the past week or so gotten in their last minute parties, finished up their obligatory family vacations, and if Facebook is any indicator have been busy doing their required summer reading. Being the procrastinators that they are they have left the latter task to the last minute, along with buying school supplies and clothing. They are so looking forward to seeing their old friends again and if they are changing schools to scoping out their new environs.
The parents have served their penance of having to look after their children all summer. Some of them have chauffeured them from place to place, from one activity to another and if they are older they have worried about them coming in before or after curfew. It's bittersweet when the kid's go back to school but at about 8:00 am this morning if you stepped outside you could hear a large collective sigh of relief go up into the skies from all the parents in an universal chorus.
The teachers have busily been spending their summer time doing one of several things: attending inservices,taking advanced college courses, traveling, looking after their own kids or working at a summer job. They too are eager to get back in their classrooms, decorate and set them up for their new kiddoes, meet with colleagues and understand the new policies of their schools and school districts. I remember that each school year not only started with a few butterflies in the stomach but with a refreshed attitude when I returned to the school environment that first day.
This year took on a little different twist for me. My only grandson was starting full day Pre-K this year. He is a bright young man with a lot of energy. I had told my daughter to expect a lot of calls from the teacher this year since he did things very fast and did not like a whole bunch of down time. Sometimes bright children don't do well with segments of free time so I was a little worried, especially with my 38 years of teaching and a number of these with bright children. So I was not at all surprised when my daughter called me and said she got a phone call already from the teacher. In my mind all I could think of is that he acted out and was in trouble. No such worry- the call was a positive call assuring my daughter that he had a great morning and did real well with legos and math. That was nice- a positive phone call.
I once had a principal who asked us to make a positive phone call each day. If I ran the schools I would mandate that program. I know how good my daughter felt today on the first day of school when she got that call. I know how this grandpa felt when she told me. Not a bad idea- perhaps we should ALL make one positive call each day, no matter what our job is!

A Little Help From My Brother

My older brother and I do not always see eye to eye on everything but when I read an article he had published in his local newspaper I thought I should copy it to my blog. This doea not have a lot to do with running the schools but I'm sure if we all shared the same idea our schools would run much better. He is a Baptist minister and a former Member of Parliament in Canada. This has a lot to do about values. Here it is:

THE VIEW FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE
BY REED ELLEY

THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR

I have to confess that I love Christmas. It brings me so many happy memories of childhood Christmases growing up in small town Ontario. We grew up in the Church and so Christmas held a special meaning for us. It was the traditional celebration of the birth of Jesus. So that meant Christmas Eve Candlelight Services,carolling to shut ins and seniors homes with the youth group,the annual Sunday School Christmas concert where tots to teens put on the show and much more. I remember them all. And it was all done with a backdrop of harsh winter weather and 3 or 4 feet of snow.
And then there were all the special goodies that my mother and indeed my father baked and prepared for Christmas. Whatever happened to Divinity Fudge? And real plum pudding, not that stuff out of some can! And every year,the turkey seemed to be just a little better than the last. I still think the smell of turkey cooking on Christmas Day is the best ever smell!

My parents weren’t wealthy. My father had been in the RCAF during the war and when the war was over he got retraining under a Veterans government program and was able to purchase a house under the Veterans Land Act. But I can’t remember a Christmas where we didn’t receive at least one substantial present from Santa Claus and several from other family members. There were five children in our family and we were all treated equally and well. I know my parents often made personal sacrifices to see that we were taken care of at Christmas.

My parents also instilled in us a belief that we were our brother’s keeper.They were kind and compassionate people. We were taught to care for the poor and those facing personal crisis. Christmas Day dinner was often celebrated with the presence of someone who would have otherwise been alone if they had not been invited to come and share our meal. My father often on his own made up Christmas hampers and took them to families whom he knew had little themselves.
Christmas was not as commercial as it is today. The religious significance was far greater than now. There was none of this insane political correctness where debates erupt over whether it is acceptable to say “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays”. Or if we can have Christmas pageants in public schools or we have to call them “Winter Festivals”. Is it a “Christmas” tree or a “Holiday tree”(thank you President Obama) and can we still sing Christmas carols which mention the name of Jesus for fear of offending someone?
How silly this is! Christmas is as much an important part of our national heritage as Remembrance Day is. And we wouldn’t think of doing away with Remembrance Day, would we? It is important to all of us whether we celebrate the religious significance or not. It reminds us of important values which still need to be emphasized in our society, peace and good will toward all mankind, loving and caring for one another, giving rather getting, hope in the midst of despair, just the sheer magic of Christmas often seen shining in the faces of our children.

So let us celebrate the season and remember the reason for it. Think of giving to the Harvest Home Food Bank or to a charity which helps those in need .Invite someone over to share your Christmas dinner. Because I happen to believe that this is the most wonderful time of the year and I hope you do to! And just because I am so politically incorrect,I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and in the words of Tiny Tim “God bless us,everyone!”

So you can see why I felt it was important to reprint this article from the Chemainus B.C. newspaper. It speaks volumes to how our world should be.

Education: The Reason the Berlin Wall Fell

Twenty years ago I was watching the television and all of a sudden Tom Brokaw broke in with a live shot of the Berlin Wall crumbling down. German citizens were frolicking and celebrating peacefully as that Wall came down. Today in Germany they are celebrating that remarkalble event in Berlin with some of the primaries behind the fall of the Wall such as Russian leader Michail Gorbachev and Polish Union leader Lech Walesa.

I was fortunate that two of the swimmers on my swim team, Indira Allick and Josh Davis were in Berlin with the USA Junior National Team participating in a meet near the time the Wall came tumbling down and brought me back a piece of the Wall, complete with graffiti. I treasure the piece I now own as a symbol of democracy and freedom.

In Karl Marx's 'Das Kapital' and in his 'Communitist Manifesto' he stresses that Communism is the next logical step after democracy using his theory of dialectical materialism. I have often felt that his concept was inaccurate since democracy is the endpoint of the struggles between the classes. This I believe is because education is the vehicle in which democracy prevails. In my theory, countries that have a high level of education and a large participation in the process of being educated are the ones that support a democratic system better. That is why the 1960's and 1970's attempts at democratizing countries like Vietnam were failures. The education systems were not mature in these countries, therefore the people were not ready to accept democracy as a viable choice. It is when citizens of these countries become so educated that they can question their oppression that then and only then will democracy be able to be installed as political system. This is why I feel we are failing in Iraq and Afghanistan because the people are not educated enought to manage on their own. Too many tribes are used to having someone control their lives.

This is what happened eventually in communist run countries. When the people realized how bad their system was, they revolted or in the case of the Wall, the leaders acquiesed to the populace's demand; that being the start of a democratic system. Education in these countries made this possible, in my theory.

Universal education is the key to any democratic system and was responsible for the fall of the Berlin Wall twenty years ago. Look at what followed that fall.

Making the School Day Longer or Not?

A month ago President Obama came out with a radical education idea, that being making our students stay in school longer. Longer school days and more school days were one of his answers for a better educational system. As many of you know, I have long been a supporter of the change that the President wants to make in this country. A lot of this stems from being an outsider and an immigrant. Having experienced systems in other countries I feel that the USA isn't necessarily the perfect situation, though I will qualify it by saying that in many aspects it is the best situation.

That being said our school system is far from perfect. I have often been a proponent of a longer school day, beginning at 7:00 am and going to 5:00 pm. I, however, differ from the President when I also advocate a four day school week.

I feel that we could educate better with these longer hours. There would be more time to emphasize the basics that our kids don't have time for in schools these days. I also feel that we should be downplaying the 'fluff' we have in our schools. Fridays could be set aside for remedial work, clubs, sporting events etc. Fridays in my opinion are wasted days at schools as are half days. The end of the school day could be set aside for enrichmnet activities and for further remediation. Students after a three day weekend come back ready to learn, in my opinion.

The parents would have a greater chance to get home from work to meet their children when they returned to work. Many industires and corporations are going to a four day work week and this would coincide woith a four day school week.Parents could have more opportunities to bond with their children by taking them places on the long weekend or visiting museums, parks etc. Lord knows we need to bring this bond back to America. It will make it stronger, I guarantee it.

The problem with the President's proposal was as is the case with most government programmes is paying for them. This way the extra time at school duing the week would be offset by the long weekend that teachers would have. There would be extra pay given to those who wish to run programs on Fridays. Coaches already get this extra money in most sports.

Add to this a few more weeks into June for most schools and we have a longer time to educate our students. The summer vacation in my state, Texas, is way too long. Kids have a hard enough time retaining work in their heads over a Christmas or Spring break, let alone a three month hiatus from school. Summer schools could still be kept in operation but I would think that with more time in the day for rote learning and drill in the basic subjects there would be fewer numbers of summer school students. Summer school should be used for those students who wish to extend their learning, not for those who didn't choose to learn it in the first place.

So Mr. President listen to my ideas. If we want to compete with the other world powers it startsin the classroom. We have too many good teachers and good students to waste this opportunity to make it better. This is only part of the problem, I know, but a little more intense time and rigor in the school can't hurt.