Book Reviewing Fever

School choice. “Government schools”. Such loaded terms!

Ok…first, “government schools”. Government in this United States is supposed to be “of the people, by the people, for the people”. Government schools therefore should be primarily examples of that phrase. In the history of the public schools, they were an institution of the local populace as a means of seeing that their children got an education. The local populace hired and fired and dictated what was taught. Look at what happened – things that we consider unacceptable today were taught because that was what people believed. Government stepped in and integrated the schools. Was that a good thing? I’m guessing that most will say yes…but if government has the right to determine that certain things are “right” you give it the power to determine the rightness of other things. Which brings us to the dilemna we have now…now the government says “you _must_ teach such and such”, but you object. Where is the power of the local control? does it still exist? Only in a very limited way, and getting more limited all the time. The constraints are established by the state. Nevertheless, the control of who hires and fires still is within the local board which answers to the voters. It’s up to the voters to take control if the situation is not a good one. Parents – if they are actively parenting – still have more influence on their children than school does – which is why we have some of the problems we have…too many parents are _not_ actively parenting.

So – to school choice. Schools are paid by the state based on the number of students they serve. If students are free to choose any school to attend, some schools will have a waiting list, some will be under attended. This should be a way to reward the desireable school, but what happens to the undesireable school? Is there a financial angle in who attends the desireable school? (transportation, for example) Should it be able to pick and choose who attends? Will there be additional money available to “fix” the undesireable school? Part of the success of private schools of any sort is that the parent cares enough to investigate and make a special effort of some sort to get their children there. They care if the child is in danger of being suspended or expelled. That alone is a factor in making that school better than the one where the parents simply send their kids to someone who will care for them all day. So…if you have the parents who care sending their kids to the school of their choice – whether publically supported or not – and parents who _don’t_ care sending their children to the local school, guess what! local school is going to go down in quality. Hiring qualified teachers is a part of the problem, but if there are constantly discipline problems and no way to expel children for bad behavior, even a highly qualified teacher is going to be slogging in an uphill battle.

Should we have vouchers? I really don’t know. In an ideal world, I’d say so…but we don’t live in an ideal world, and there are problems that will ensue if we permit willy-nilly free choice of any school. I think that the step of allowing charter schools (assuming good oversight) and magnet schools is a good compromise. And maybe someday…vouchers.

And while I’m at it, I’d also like to mandate parenting classes – with today’s small families, people don’t have any way to get experience raising children before they have their own – but that’s just a pipe dream! Government does not belong in _that_ area either!

- What are you currently reading?

~”Understanding and Applying The Bible” [revised edition] by Robert McQuilkin

- Ever thought about writing book reviews?

~Nope. I don’t even like to review the stuff I write much less somebody else’s!

- What are your views on school choice?

~I think it’s a good thing. It would introduce competition between academic institutions and as long as they based that competition on who provides the best education/preparation and parents made decisions which kept it that way, the kids would benefit immensely.

It would still require parents efforts to get their kids to the best possible choice, to push their local schools to be that best choice at risk of losing their kids and lessening the general value of the neighborhood, and to keep an eye on the way educator hiring, tenure and review is handled.

Parental involvement is more important than school choice, but school choice would be like giving a good carpenter a hammer to use in place of a big, flat rock. The rock works, but things go so much better with the right tool.

1. Am currently reading “Space Between Words, The Origins of Silent Reading” by Paul Saenger.

This work explains how a change in writing—early on writing was done without inserting spaces between words, e.g.,’Maryhadalittlelamb’—led to a change in reading, namely, reading silently.

2. Yes, I’ve been thinking of writing book reviews once again. I recently scribbled a mini-review of a giant book on my fledgling blog. Anyone who cares can read it at: http://blinkeredthinker.wordpress.com/2006/12/09/hello-world/

Keep up the good work La Shawn!

What are you currently reading?
The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge (children’s lit – I’m an educator, after all)

Ever thought about writing book reviews?
Not really – been too busy

What are your views on school choice?
I think I’d have to agree with SueK. In a perfect world, it would be great. But there would always be those kids who would be unable to escape bad schools. Private schools succeed because they can pick and choose their student populations. Public schools will never have that opportunity, even when disruptive students are able to be removed from the classroom.

~What am I reading? Currently I’m reading “Kite Runner,” (Khaled Hosseini), “Carpe Jugulum” (Terry Pratchett), and “A Year with Pope John Paul II”, which are daily excerpts from his writing.

~Thought about writing book reviews? All the time! I write reviews of what I’ve read and movies I’ve seen (and the occasional TV series that’s impressed me!) over at my blog: The Mad Tea Party.

~Thoughts on school choice & vouchers: Lots. We have sent 4 kids through our parish Catholic grammar school, but are unable to afford the tuition for high school. This year we applied for an interdistrict transfer for DS#2 and moved him out of our local high school into one in a neighboring community where the standards are much higher. In our experience, the quality of the education our children received depended more on the expectations of the teacher than on almost anything else. If the teacher doesn’t care, then it doesn’t matter how much money the school has, or the state of the building or the textbooks. What we have seen in our area is that the teachers who expect excellence and demand much from their students (our children) are older and are retiring. Many younger teachers want to be their students’ “friend” rather than being respected. The kids–at least mine–know the difference. Private school teachers expect more (usually) from their students. Parents expect more, too–especially because we’re paying for it!

La Shawn, I also love reviewing books. It just seems to come naturally to me. Sometimes I’ll be in the middle of reading a book, and the review starts writing itself in my mind. And no, I’ve never gotten any training for it, so I don’t know if I’m doing it “right” either!

Fortunately, since I host a radio interview show, I have access to lots of free books. I now parlay the radio interviewing and reviewing into my blog, Notes in the Key of Life. (The reviews are just one aspect of my blog.)

I generally concentrate on Christian fiction, but other genres will sometimes find their way onto my nightstand.

Recently I found my childhood copy of “Little Women” and saw that I had actually written a review in the back of the book!

Since it is the Christmas season, I send along a hearty “Bah! Humbug!”

The first job of parents is to prepare their children with all their might.

Nobody owes anything whatsoever to the concept of “public schools.” If the local public schools are fine, then use them and make them better. But, never, ever settle for second best.

Home schooling is fabulous for those who can dedicate the time and effort for making it work. Private schools are subject to rules of the market place and most of them are well worth the financial burden.

In my book, anyone who chooses a mediocre public school over financial inconvenience or for some ethereal altruistic reason is engaging in child abuse.

On the late professor Friedman’s show “Free to Choose” on PBS, he had a discussion on vouchers, that included the late Albert Shanker, Head of the NY State teachers union, When questioned about the drawbacks of a voucher system, Mr. Shanker replied that one was the possibility was “creaming”, the idea that most parents would take their children out of the public school system, leaving the system with only the dregs. Those unwilling or unable to receive an education, or whose parents simply didn’t care enough to be bothered to move them. He estimated that only 10% of the students would remain. I was struck by his answer, first and foremost was the head of the teachers union considering it “bad” that 90% of the people he purportedly served, would immediately leave given the funds. Not what you’d really consider a glowing recommendation. He also didn’t note that now that the system knew exactly what it was dealing with, brighter students would no longer be shortchanged due to the system being geared toward the “losers”. As he was a union leader I could understand his fear for his members jobs; but Shanker didn’t consider the issue of where the schools that arose in place of closed government schools were going to get instructors – or perhaps he did. The field would no longer be an Ed Major preserve and incompetents would have to find a new job.

My point was that “failing” schools fail because of the large number of students not performing academically. Even with a voucher system, not all students would get into their “preferred” school. If a child is in a “failing” school, but succeeding academically, I bet the parents are actively involved in their child’s education, and they are doing what they need to do to help their child succeed. I worry about those students whose parents DON’T care and AREN’T involved.

To repeat: I agree with SueK’s statement:

“Should we have vouchers? I really don’t know. In an ideal world, I’d say so…but we don’t live in an ideal world, and there are problems that will ensue if we permit willy-nilly free choice of any school. I think that the step of allowing charter schools (assuming good oversight) and magnet schools is a good compromise. And maybe someday…vouchers.”

Well, let’s get as many kids as possible out of the failing venue. As to the children of parents who do not care…My child was slated to go to a failing school and I was denied a transfer based on two things: 0ne) I was not a member of a national minority though my child would have been one of 2% white students attending her abysmally failing school 2) The school claimed that they could not afford to transfer the child of one of the very few children whose parents valued their child’s education…..as they cannot even get parents to attend parent teacher’s conferences, EVEN WHEN THE TEACHERS GO TO THE HOMES OF THEIR STUDENTS.

Often, I hear people talk about the hours that the poor work…Professionals put in 70-80 hours of work routinely. Poor people do not work more hours than professionals. Has anyone lived with a doctor lately?

As harsh as this may sound, I feel that it is an abomination to expect my child’s future to be sacrificed upon the altar of other parent’s bad choices…

Dear Miss Ladybug (love your name, BTW!),

As parent, I can tell you that my involvement was limited in public school–by the administration and by the teachers’ union. Where I was used to being involved in grammar school, the only time the public high school wanted to see me was for the one fundraiser the PTSA held and the annual spring musical.

Seriously.

Now the administration has decided that maybe they do need the parents, if for no other reason than we vote on the school bond issues. But teachers don’t return calls and concerns about the quality of the classes, especially in the sciences, are brushed off. Last year I was told I could get a waiver and send my child to the local community college if I thought the classes offered weren’t challenging enough. Instead, we transferred him to a different district.

He complains about the amount of work he is expected to do. My comment is, “Good!” Instead of only one demanding teacher, he has six. And he’s discovering that he’s capable of more than he realized.

March Hare~

I have been lucky enough not to personally experience schools of the type your son attended. During my student teaching, I was a bit disgourged that more wasn’t demanded of students. If they missed 16 of the 20 words on their weekly spelling test, they still received a 60 (failing, yes, but not the score they EARNED). Students were given second and third chances to turn in work on a given topic. I was told that if you have too many students fail, you could get fired. Well, those kids HAVE failed, and I don’t think we do them any favors from not demanding more from them. In a different school, things aren’t likely to be as bad, but I know that some schools are worse. The school is “recognized”, but they teach how to take the test (and still kids fail the practice tests). Each week, an entire day of instruction is lost to practice testing. But, it goes back to parental involvement – those students whose parents are involved DO their work and pass the practice tests and behave as expected in class. It is those kids whose parents AREN’T involved who can’t read on grade level, can’t recall basic math facts instantly, and/or don’t follow expected codes of conduct. I’ve subbed in that class twice now, without my cooperating teacher. The class, as a whole, behaved like a bunch of hooligans. I don’t normally raise my voice – I don’t like to – but I had to do it. The bottom line is the kids that misbehave aren’t taught how to behave at home, so they don’t think they should have to at school. The kids who have trouble academically either don’t have adults at home able or willing to help them with their homework. These kids are learning the rules in practice – not the rules in theory: even if I don’t pass my subjects, I will still be advanced to the next grade; even if I misbehave, they won’t throw me out of school. These kids aren’t presented with high expectations at home, so it is difficult for teachers of these students to get them to reach high expectations at school. The answer to my question about why student homework isn’t taken for a grade was that “if I did that, they would all fail, because they don’t do it”. That seems backwards to me. Let students, parents and administrators know that homework is to be completed each night because it WILL be taken for a grade – and don’t give in on that point. When kids PRACTICE what they are taught, that is when they truly learn it…

As for my “handle”, when I was invited by my best friend to guest-post on her blog (before I started my own), I had a hard time coming up with one. I want to be anonymous, at least for the time being, but I’d never really acquired any nicknames. However, when I was little, by dad used to call me “ladybug”. Since I’m still single, that’s where the “Miss” comes in. Plus, in the circles I travel in the blogosphere, no one else goes by anything like it

Reading: Full Moon, by P.G. Wodehouse. Spouse and I have been reading his novels for several months, getting new ones as we can find them. We’re going to have to catalog them, before long!

Reviews: Haven’t given that challenge much thought.

Vouchers for schools: Don’t know–as long as parents have choices for their kids’ schools, I don’t care too much what they’re called. The failing schools have choices, too: close down, or get their act together, start teaching basic stuff and demanding a reasonable level of mastery of reading (of good literature, not the tripe offered to dumbed-down schools), writing and math, branching out as they are able to other areas of learning. Or they can cry, “It’s not fair!” and close down.

I have several Christian Books awaiting my attention. I am taking a break from secular (political) non-fiction. I am currently reading Praying in the Word of God by Kathleen G. Grant. I just finished reading Surrender: The Heart God Controls by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, which was assigned reading by my Pastor to the church congregation.

I have attempted book reviews on my blog. I just did a review of Surrender.

jan,

Some low income people do work longer hours by taking on 2nd and 3rd jobs. When I was a child care teacher, I worked with a couple of people who worked evenings/nights, weekends and holidays on other jobs. One did this on 3 to 4 hours sleep during the week, and was happy that the extra work helped her total yearly income make it to the high 20’s (the year 2000).

Miss Ladybug,

My youngest sister was extremely studious in high school. Her report cards consisted of 1 or 2 Bs and the rest As. Her high school (late 70’s in Phila.) given a choice would not have been one that most people would have chosen for their children. You definitely would not choose it today. She worked hard in chemistry, and received grades of A throughout the report card year. She did well on the SATs She was rewarded with academic scholarships.

My sister went to a high class University, and almost gave it all up the first year. She was lost in her first chemistry class, because her high school chemistry class never covered material that was requisite for college level chemistry.

My sister is very on point when it comes to schooling for her own twin girls. They have always gone to private Christian Schools. Because of their love of the computer, she is considering the possiblility of their going to an online computer tech charter high school.

As far as school choice goes no one should be forced to go to a low performing school for any reason. Some parents along with their teens (as seen on a news program) choose long travel in order to go to better performing schools or schools that offer special extended emphasis in subject matters of personal interest. I am for vouchers.

I am finishing up my second semester of law school so my “reading” outside class is limited to my school books. I am trying to work my way through “While They’re At War” by Kristin Henderson.

I have thought about writing all kinds of things…if only there were more hours in a day!

The fact that we even have to discuss whether or not parents should have a choice of the school their children attend tells more about the state of our educational system than one might think. YES, the idea of compulsory education delivered via the government through taxes was a valiant one at its time, but was long ago corrupted by the teachers’ unions. These groups have a stranglehold on what is happening and almost none of it is pretty. It doesn’t take but a bit of truly looking at things to see that.

As a parent and someone with a degrees/certification in teaching & a professional educator background, let me tell you that even the so-called “best and brightest” aren’t all that swift. I taught at a private university for nearly a decade and have seen a general, downward progression of basic skills in writing, reading comprehension and argumentation skills that is very sad.

Looking at how other countries are able to educate their kids for much less than we spend per pupil, we should be able to do better. When public school districts are spending thousands of dollars more per kid that a good, private school costs in tuition/year, there is something wrong–especially if the public school students are ill-equipped and less educated than their private school counterparts.

I would not allow my daughters to attend the public school in the district in which we live. They attend a small, private elementary school and we work very hard to be able to send them there. If I didn’t have that option, I would homeschool them. When I was a 22-year-old college student, I was indoctrinated with the ‘creaming’ idea posited by the NY teacher’s union president. I didn’t buy it then and I don’t buy it now. If your school deserves to fail, it should; if you aren’t working to fix it, throwing good money after bad is a waste.

Jan,

The low income/long hours response was from me – Bev, not Miss Ladybug.

Professional people have more freedom with their work schedule than someone working a low wage job. When I became a director of a large child care center with extended hours, I worked 90% of the time from 6:00 am to 8:00pm. I could stop my paperwork just about any time to make a personal call. If I had school issues (hypothetical – I do not have children), I can call the principal and set up a time for an appointment. I could not do this as a classroom child care teacher. Policy forbade any personal phone calls in the classroom, only on a lunch break (when everybody else is on their lunch break). I could stop my paperwork and go meet with the principal. As a child care teacher, I could not leave the classroom. I have been in the position to have to say “no” to a staff person who wanted to leave before her shift was over to meet with a school official concerning her child.

Your right about over time for those who can get it, but the people that I mention had 1 or 2 part-time jobs along their full time child care job where I personally know that overtime was not allowed. They had very little freedom with their work schedule on any of their jobs.

To Miss Ladybug,

My sister did stay the course, and received her Bachelor’s degree in nursing in the early 80’s. She also obtained her Master’s in health administration 2 years ago.

Bev;

Thank you for clarifying. While, on an anecdotal level, I am sure that you meet many parents who are working long hours and have difficulty being involved in their child’s education.

Overall,though, families in the top income levels have 2.1 workers, while those in the bottom have 0.6 workers, 84% of which work part time, while 80% of workers in the top work full time.

And, those in the top quintile work extraordinarily long hours. As for flexibility,it is true that those at the top have more autonomy, but it is also true that absenteeism is far more rampant in the lower levels according to the Department of Labor.

I do not think that work is the problem overall with parental involvement in education…

Dear SueK~
“Complain…if the teacher doesn’t respond to a call, put it in writing with a CC to the principal. If that gets no response, write directly to the principal – CC to the Superintendent – with a CC also to the teacher. If that doesn’t work, send one to the board, CCing everybody. I might try a second on to the principal – sending it registered, signature required.”

LOL–the person I complained to and who gave me the brush-off WAS the principal. She is no longer a high school principal, BTW. My son’s high school was her second chance. Now she is principal at a grammar (K-6) school.

I’ve lost track of how many Superintendents our district has had over the last 20 years, but we have a new one. One of his first acts was to schedule a parent meeting at 5:30 p.m., a time when many parents would be on their way home to work and unable to attend. I am not hopeful.

Dear Miss Ladybug~

You are absolutely correct that students need to behave appropriately in class in order to learn and that learning takes place long before they set foot in the door. And they should know how to behave and understand what the consequences are long before high school. In the ’60’s, I knew if I misbehaved in class, not only would the teacher discipline me, but my parents would as well. That was not unique to my family.

Somewhere the idea was embraced that parents, and by extension, teachers, should be “friends” with the children in their care, rather than their guides. Giving my child a passing grade because s/he sits in the classroom and doesn’t make waves isn’t doing her/him any favors at all. Neither is allowing the hooligans to take over the class–and I’m not sure what the solution to that is. My school district has been sued because kids were suspended for more than 15 days/school year, so now suspensions are quite rare, furthering restricting what the teachers can do to remove the disruptive element.

I’m knee-deep in Mark Bowden’s Guests of the Ayatollah. While the words and prose are good the story is frustrating. It’s hard reading about the Iranian embassy hostages and the inaction and bogged-down nature of the Carter administration.