You can't hide behind the problems you list. Those are a given. In some schools they are not going to change? So because of the minority, we don't try to improve the overall process? Doesn't make sense.

 

You are thinking that changing the calendar will magically make parents care about their child's education????

 

That is the problem. All that other stuff is treating symptons and not the illness.

 

You can change the calendar and feel good about yourself and it ain't changing a thing until parents of failing students CARE about THEIR child's education.

 

I will give Obama props that he called out parents of failing students when he talked about improving education and told them that they had a major part to play in this. Kudos to him for touching that third rail in educational politics and calling out the parents instead of dropping all the blame on schools/teachers.

I guess. However, you made it sound like it was not a method you want to employ because of the impact on test scores.

 

Not sure where I implied that.

 

My focus as a teacher is the child. That is where I am concerned. That the child is learning that education is vital to their success in life and that reading is a very important cog in that.

I do not know if this example would help in understanding how parental and student attitudes make a difference, but here goes. Covington Holmes is at the bottom of CATS testing scores in the state, with many students functionally illiterate. Yet, there are students who pay tuition to go Holmes for their advanced academic program. If you check into Holmes it has some of the best students in the state, although you have a school in academic crisis. What is the difference between the best and worst? Some of it would be ability, but I would say that the attitude of success, by both parents and students make a huge difference. School calendars or any other changes would be secondary to their sucess.

I do not know if this example would help in understanding how parental and student attitudes make a difference, but here goes. Covington Holmes is at the bottom of CATS testing scores in the state, with many students functionally illiterate. Yet, there are students who pay tuition to go Holmes for their advanced academic program. If you check into Holmes it has some of the best students in the state, although you have a school in academic crisis. What is the difference between the best and worst? Some of it would be ability, but I would say that the attitude of success, by both parents and students make a huge difference. School calendars or any other changes would be secondary to their sucess.

 

THAT IS A GREAT POINT!!!:thumb::thumb::thumb:

 

Everything is the same except for one thing. The attitude of the child/parents. And the difference is Academic excellence.

Here is a presentation Bardstown did after going to a new schedule and the result after 9 years.

 

They will point out that the schedule BY ITSELF did NOT cause ALL of the improvements. They will also tell you it was a key factor.

 

http://www.btown.k12.ky.us/yre/Bardstown_YRE_files/frame.htm

 

Do you think Bardstown schools have any kids with bad parents?

 

Do you think Bardstown has kids who do not want to do homework?

 

No one yet has refuted that this has shown to be a benefit across the country. All I've read is reasons that are universal yet they have not prevented schools from moving the needle.

Japanese schools do have a summer break, it is one month long.

The truth is that while year round school may work for one district with the superintendent, principals, teachers, etc. who are in that place at that time. Education is dealing with people. You can't say "It would be better if it were done this way" because it might be for one group but not for another. Districts have to have the freedom to utilize the best methods for their community, personnel, and students. You can't box it up and package it.

Japanese schools do have a summer break, it is one month long.

 

Not all youth go on to what is the equilivant of our high school from my understanding.

 

They do not test EVERY STUDENT as we do in this country. They test, from my understanding, their best and brightest that would be going on to college.

 

If that is accurate as I have been told, than of course they are going to test better than the US.

Here is a presentation Bardstown did after going to a new schedule and the result after 9 years.

 

They will point out that the schedule BY ITSELF did NOT cause ALL of the improvements. They will also tell you it was a key factor.

 

http://www.btown.k12.ky.us/yre/Bardstown_YRE_files/frame.htm

 

Do you think Bardstown schools have any kids with bad parents?

 

Do you think Bardstown has kids who do not want to do homework?

 

No one yet has refuted that this has shown to be a benefit across the country. All I've read is reasons that are universal yet they have not prevented schools from moving the needle.

 

I believe 2 other factors may have played a bigger factor than the calendar. The increase of 470 students is a huge change and would outweigh any other factor. The fact that they have a ratio of 1 teacher for each 16 students is more important than the calendar. Could the calendar have played a factor in better attidudes, yes, but I believe that better attitudes are there , because parents instill that attitude.

 

As far as the Japanese going more days, I once read were they go a half day on Saturdays, but sometimes that may be for helping clean the school. I know it is only one example. While workiking on my masters a gentleman from Japan talked to one of my classes and felt that they needed to adopt some US educational methods. He believed the Japanese were not innovative enough.

I believe 2 other factors may have played a bigger factor than the calendar. The increase of 470 students is a huge change and would outweigh any other factor. The fact that they have a ratio of 1 teacher for each 16 students is more important than the calendar. Could the calendar have played a factor in better attidudes, yes, but I believe that better attitudes are there , because parents instill that attitude.

 

.

 

I don't follow you on the increase in students being a factor.

 

What was the ratio of teachers to students prior to the change?

 

Are you trying to tell me that there are no "bad parents" in Bardstown?

I don't follow you on the increase in students being a factor.

 

What was the ratio of teachers to students prior to the change?

 

Are you trying to tell me that there are no "bad parents" in Bardstown?

 

These new students may have been better students. Or could they and their parents brought a new attitude to the system? Yes they may have. With a small system it does not take many students with novice scores to pull down the school's overall scores. There wiill be some novice scores because there are some parents who do not value education, they are too busy earning a living and do not have time or maybe their own education level is at a point they are of little help to their children.

 

As far as the ratio goes, I do not know.

These new students may have been better students. Or could they and their parents brought a new attitude to the system? Yes they may have. With a small system it does not take many students with novice scores to pull down the school's overall scores. There wiill be some novice scores because there are some parents who do not value education, they are too busy earning a living and do not have time or maybe their own education level is at a point they are of little help to their children.

 

As far as the ratio goes, I do not know.

 

Unless the city put in new zoning restrictions tied to the IQ of the kids, you can't assume anything other than the new students are typical.

I guess you misunderstood what I meant by it. I took what you said to mean that people were attacking teachers. The point of my post was why couldn't a teacher get their continuing ed or take their masters course at night or on the weekends like everyone else. My mom, dad, and brother all received their masters while working full time jobs. My mom would drive to Bowling Green every Saturday to take classes. So why can't teachers do it?

 

This is going to be long so be patient with me.

 

I received my Masters while working full time as a teacher and coaching full time. I took classes at night, I took classes on weekends and I took classes during the summer. I hardly had any time at all for my family except during the summer for the two years I was working on my Masters. I have to ask. Are you a teacher? have you ever taught? Do you realize that the work day for most teachers does not end at 3. Many coach and depending on the level you coach at, that could be anywhere from 2 to 5 hours. That also does not include grading and lesson planning. The planning period that teachers get is not near enough time to prepare and add the fact that many teachers do not always get their planning period for various reasons and you have more time crunches. Add classes and Masters work and you see why many teachers burn out. I have taught for many years and I have never had a full summer break. I have a always been involved in coaching, summer school or my own schooling for the entire time I have taught. There are many more teachers who do the same. I think perhaps if you have not taught you might want to try and see what it is like. It is one of the most mentally and emotionally exhausting jobs that you can have. It is often thankless and unappreciated and teachers in our culture are viewed by many people as the bad guys because we are authority figures. There are many reasons many other countries students do better. For one their students are taught to respect teachers and to treat them accordingly. Here in the U.S. we use to have that many years ago but many parents today worship their children and do not raise them to be young adults but self entitled adolescences who think everything should be given to them. Second we spend millions of dollars educating students to go to college who have no desire to go to college ever. Thirdly, we spend countless millions on special education and neglect our gifted and talented. Fourthly, we have taken the accountability off the students and put it squarely on the teachers. Their is very little fear of consequences to a child if they do not perform. It is not the teachers who do not want to hold under performing children back, it is the government with all their special legislation. Fifthly, Consolidation has killed the school. Big school with thousands of students have mired our education systems. Classes with student numbers reaching 35 and higher is counter productive to a learning environment in public schools. There is a reason that small schools score higher on almost all test in this country and that is because the classroom size is much smaller. There is a reason kids did better 50 years ago and that is because most of them went to small schools where they were a student and not a number. If you want education to better in this country, consolidation must be stopped. However many of you would be against that because it would set back athletics for the bigger schools now. Which is more important?

However with that being said, I am not against the year round system. it would not bother me at all, I would appreciate the extra breaks. What I wanted to point out to you was that trying to blame the education systems problem on the calendar is absurd. There are many more issues that have caused the current problem and I wanted to point a few of those out. Changing the school calender will not fix anything. All it does is change the days you go to school. You want to fix the education system start with the true problems I mentioned above and the prevailing anti-teaching attitudes in this culture.

Well obviously if you have all those activities it would be tougher, but still doable. However, if I was forced to get an additional degree for my job, I think that would be my priority, not coaching sports. JMO.

 

If you are a new teacher and you refuse to coach, you are not going to have a job very long. The schools will find someone who is willing to do it. Shessh.

It may be a long break, but it's about over.:sssh: In-service last week, open house(s) early next week, students back the middle of next week.