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Pronouncing Student Names Correctly

If you think you’ve heard it all, you might not have. There is now a program to help teachers to learn to correctly pronounce the names of their students. Seriously. Wait: Are teachers intelligent and well educated – or not? Learning to pronounce the names of the children in their class shouldn’t be all that difficult. Sure, there are unusual names – there always have been – but a class in effect, a program, for teachers to learn proper name pronunciation?

Apparently, when a teacher is unable or doesn’t bother to pronounce a name his or her student suffers. According to the equity and diversity coordinator for a Nevada school district, “To walk around in a space that is supposed to be designed for you to feel welcome and safe and to be who you are, and know that every day someone is mispronouncing your name, is emotionally exhausting.” While I wouldn’t disagree with the point that teachers should pronounce the names of their students accurately this seems a bit dramatic and having little to do, once again, with academic education.

To resolve the ‘problem’ some districts have made pronunciation a priority. A priority? Teachers are encouraged to spend more time (how about on teaching) learning names of students, oh, and staff. I mean really. There is even a west coast resource called My Name, My Identity. Interesting. Likely unnecessarily costly. Yet another way for school boards to spend district money not teaching. Makes me crazy.

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Laboratories of Innovation

Aren’t states supposed to be these? Aren’t School Boards supposed to be responsible locally for the education of the children in their districts? These questions, clearly, are rhetorical but a way to begin this chapter. With every intent to remain non political the naming of this candidate or the state where he currently holds office will be left for you to discover if you so choose. This headline though is one which attracts my attention – “School Chief Touts Test Reduction, Common Core Removal, Student Opportunities” – how could it not?

The article is written by a State School Superintendent who claims that four years ago he campaigns on a platform of bringing the words “child” and “common sense” back into education So far, so good. Is he able to do so? “Less testing and more teaching, scaling back Washington overreach, elevating the teaching profession, expanding opportunities, and ensuring a balanced education system that prepares our students for life.” Can one man or woman accomplish these? Geez, I’m impressed that someone wants to.

This is brilliant. The Chief works with the General Assembly to pass legislation to establish an Innovative Assessment Pilot which will provide a path to create assessments that are less intrusive, provide more immediate feedback and are rooted in instruction rather than accountability. Perfect. There is support here for a further reduction of the number of high stakes tests, support of district innovation and flexibility, and creating an assessment system that truly informs teaching and learning.

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Principles, or Lack Thereof, of Principals

A Florida teacher arrives at her gifted, honors ninth grade student class recently to finish their lesson about The Necklace, true literature. Each of the fifty books along with the teacher’s copy well annotated throughout the years is missing.

This 30 year veteran teachers scores deem her one of the best in the state and she has been using this textbook, McDougal-Littell Literature for ten years – its poems, essays, short stories, Edgar Allan Poe and Shakespeare is a curriculum she knows “challenges and rivets” her students. Of course, these have for centuries.

The Florida Department of Education phases out this textbook, introducing new titles that districts are permitted to use. Permitted? A committee of teachers choose “Collections,” a digital text that aligns with new Florida standardized tests that heavily emphasize nonfiction and information texts. Read: Common Core.

Our teacher has long been retaining her hard cover books until a group of district officials stops by her classroom. The next morning the books are gone. None are in the closed cabinets where she keeps spares, not in the baskets beneath the children’s desks, and not in her own desk. Oh, this teacher has paid for all of these so doesn’t ‘theft’ come to mind? It does to mine.

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When Did Holidays Become an Academic Subject?

According to a publisher’s website at least one half of school districts countrywide are spending taxpayer money for a booklet/curriculum supplemental resource titled: Holidays Around the World. This 22 page, 1,679 word 8 – 9 age level booklet tells young readers how “Kids just like you around the world” celebrate holidays. Fascinating.

Each publication from this source is strongly Common Core related according to their site. Let’s see – the booklet holidays or whatever begins with Ramadan, then Hannuka – okay, now Christmas. “Many Christians go to church on Christmas Day or the night before. Since he also refers to gift opening either “the night before, or Christmas morning” is the writer unfamiliar with the term Christmas Eve? They sing songs – these would be hymns – and pray – to whom?- that others will be safe, healthy, and happy during the holiday season.” Just for the holiday season?

He then claims that Christian homes are decorated with, “red, green and white.” What? What about tinsel? Or gold, or colorful hand painted tree ornaments. Reindeer? Pine cones – well, guess some are painted white. I posit that perhaps his thinking is limited to evergreen trees and Santa Clause in his red suit with his white beard. Maybe he’s never seen a Nativity; most have Mary dressed in blue. Overall his views are limited and likely both naturally and intentionally so.

Then Kwanza, non religious and created in 1966 in Los Angeles;  which specifics don’t appear.

The Chinese New Year then Holi which is celebrated by Hindus, most of whom live in India, what they and the rest are ‘just like’ is that they are all children. Otherwise ‘they’ are all quite different. The booklet concludes with New Years. Oh, Easter isn’t mentioned. Told you the author’s worldview isn’t exactly worldwide. Or, he didn’t want to present two Christian holidays. I don’t know.

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Mandated Mental Health Education?

Have been looking through these books for Aristotle and American History. Not a mandate for mental health education.

Seems extreme and it is. School districts everywhere are already being encroached upon by aligned health care far beyond the day of the school nurse. Now, according to Truth in American Education New York schools are being mandated to teach mental health. Really. Apparently, such a new law has gone into effect and impacts elementary, middle and high schools in the State fall far beyond the scope of the school counselor.

Remember when physical education included some minor elements of ‘health,’ but focused on sports and team play; exercise to ensure that our students are not seated all day at their desks learning the requisite academic subjects that are, or should be, basic education.

Evidently parents are not conferred with – more and more as with Common Core – and haven’t an idea of what is forthcoming on any given day re the education of their children. Why, I wonder and wonder, are so many parents either willing to hand over their children to the school systems or to not stand up to the schools. These are our children and too worthwhile to be ‘educated’ by a system that adds mandates that take away from actual education.

“Specifically the law states:

All schools under the jurisdiction of the department shall ensure that their health education programs recognize the multiple dimensions of health by including mental health and the relation of physical and mental health so as to enhance student understanding, attitudes and behaviors that promote health, well being and human dignity.”

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United States Parents Involved in Education

How involved is your school board  with this organization? Are its members even aware? They should be and if not they are not doing their job. You might want to bring USPIE to their attention.
For decades “school choice” has been the education policy mantra of the conservatives and has been fought hard by liberals every step of the way. Now, for the first time in history, we have a market for school choice and it appears even some former foes are embracing and perhaps coopting the term. This, in and of itself, causes one to exert caution and question the continued reverence of “school choice” as the panacea to mend education.
The term “school choice” when thoughtfully considered is inadequate to describe the proper emphasis of authority necessary to right the education ship. Parents are a child’s first teacher and they should have absolute say in what and how their children learn. We must restore parental authority over children’s education and therefore USPIE will begin by redefining the solution from school choice to parental choice.
Additionally, parental choice means curriculum choice where classical, technology free, and other non Common Core curricula are available.
Parental choice options such as charter schools, vouchers, education savings accounts, and tax credits are a step in the right direction away from government controlled education
if structured properly. However, outside of tax credits, government remains in control through mandatory testing, which undermines the viability of these options.

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Teaching Time Off

What, you might be wondering, do school boards have to do with teacher time off? Everything, that’s what. Honestly, I hadn’t given much thought to this until I posted on face book an article from Illinois Review about a 54 year old principal retiring who stands to collect more than $7 million during retirement.

She has paid $358,000 into the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) during her 33 years of employment. Oh, and Maine Township District 207 paid for two additional years of service to ensure that she receives a maximum pension. How kind. That’s our money.

At age 65 she will be paid an annual salary higher than she ever earned. Nice work if you can get it. Until then, this retiring principal at age 54 can, and probably will, move to a state next door and be hired as a superintendent; usually four year contract/s, higher salary, impressive benefits and additional pension payments when she finally actually retires. Neither can I add this high nor can I imagine.

A selected school board member or two along with district personnel, and legal, work with union representatives on contracts. Of course, four out of seven board members must approve – or not – the completed contract. I used to say about all large expenditures, “Are you reading the newspapers? The state is out of money so how, precisely, do you feel certain they are going to provide payments they’ve promised?” They won’t be able to. And, they won’t. I am the only board member who suggests that if teachers want to strike, they should. Really dislike being threatened. If teachers strike, administration and staff, even some parents can substitute. Children will still attend school.

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Common Core and More

From the onset, your child’s principal tells you this: ‘Common Core State Standards are simply standards – not curriculum.’ This is what our superintendent tells us as board members. Amazingly, some believe him. More do not. And some board members, school principals and the superintendent again repeat this to concerned parents.

Yet, how precisely are the ‘standards’ to be met via the use of varying curriculum? Soon after CC is introduced a new non profit organization is tasked with reviewing textbooks and other instructional materials to ensure they align with the Common Core standards. How do ‘align with’ and ‘use whatever curriculum you choose’ make sense? Correct. It does not.

How, now, do we undo the damage? For one thing, according to Dr. Sandra Stotsky an inside expert on the subject, local school districts should be suing their state Boards of Education for not having insisted upon reviewing – not that they are given the opportunity – the standards prior to signing on to them. The state Boards don’t have to; there is no legal basis or requirement. Follow the money.

Most maddening is the lack of consultation with local school boards and, so, parents. Whether a student, technically, rather than the Board (boards haven’t the backbone albeit one or two members might) must file, still every local level should be insisting that the state board of ed be put out of existence. Can anyone actually define any positive purpose of state school boards?

First, your taxpayer dollars go to the state and your district receives some percentage of them back with many strings – 99% of which make no academic sense – attached. You and the state send money to the feds and receive some percentage of it back – the districts with serious and deleterious strings attached. Districts, since they fail miserably in the area of budgeting, believe they need these minimal funding amounts. To provide a basic academic education they do not. To ensure teacher, administration and staff salaries and benefits they do not either but rather than take any chance on these they readily take chances with the education of our children.

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Are Board Members Friends of Parents?

They’d best be since they are the last resort of school and education problem solutions from parental viewpoints. Some board members truly try to understand and stand up for parents when they’ve concerns or complaints. Others  seem to maintain the attitude that they know best, along with their determination to follow policy set down through state boards from the Federal Department of Education – in other words that education is not actually local as it is supposed to be. Remember, no where in the Constitution is the word ‘education.’ What is not addressed within the Constitution is left to the states.

Generally, federal courts recognize the fundamental rights of parents to direct the “upbringing and education of children.” This, factually, isn’t holding up well of late. Still, if and when parents are insistent and determined they can cause school districts to pay better attention and in some instances remedy unseemly situations. Some of the back to school suggestions listed here might be met with resistance from teachers and principals. That is when you and other  displeased parents, as many as you can gather, ought attend school board meetings and speak up. If you cannot, you all should email and/or call every board member and politely but clearly challenge the issue asking what they intend to do. Let them know that you expect their assistance.

Parents and guardians should:

Of course, be notified if their child is tardy or absent from school;

Request and arrange a time to examine textbooks (sometimes these are on display at the local library for a brief time albeit often parents are unaware), lesson plans, curriculum and supplemental materials used in their child’s classroom.  Don’t let them tell you they only use supplemental materials so you don’t need to see the text as it isn’t much in use. Really? Then why do they have it, and did taxpayers pay for it? You want to look at everything;

Ask for a time to visit the school, and observe your child’s classes;

Meet and consult with the teacher and other educators with whom your child interacts;

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Federal Department of Education

Okay, so I’ve been thinking that since we keep hearing about the many available jobs, these could be filled by former Department of Education employees. I like it.

As mentioned earlier there is a one sentence long bill, introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky) which would eliminate the Department of Education in its entirety. The Congressman resubmits such a bill each year. Sign on.

This is not a political book albeit politics and education have long been intertwined, they should not be. The focus here is, quite simply, education. Truth Behind School Boards is my way of providing information about how Boards work – and don’t. My audience: Parents and property taxpayers. Still, school boards are about education, or should be.

Let’s go back to learn how we got here. During Candidate Jimmy Carter’s 1976 presidential campaign, in an attempt to earn the endorsement of the NEA he promises a Department of Education. They endorse him, he wins. By 1979 the congress narrowly passes the bill (likely written by the lobbyists as is often the case on either side) using the phrase ‘for the common good,’ as it is otherwise unconstitutional. We know this because unless something is written into the Constitution it is left to the states. Education, therefore, is a local issue. Oh, and I dare anyone to convince me or anyone else that the Department of Education has in any way promoted or resulted in ‘the common good.’ President Carter signs the bill during early 1980 – he is running for reelection. So, the Department remains unconstitutional writ large.

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