The Education Blog

Posts Tagged ‘public’

From time to time during my tenure in public education, I have received emails or documents on what might be wrong with American education. Each new intent usually is accompanied with the perfect solution for our educational crisis.

Most recently, I received an email from a good instructor friend of mine, who shared the “Blueberry Story.” Essentially this metaphorical story stresses that, unlike industry and businesses like cover cream manufacturing plants, educational institutions can't send back a bad batch of blueberries. The schools have to take all the children with all their limitations, disabilities and dysfunctional family situations. And they have to meet the harsh standards of “No Child Left Behind” with that “batch” of kids. No sending them back.

I responded that I liked the story, but I felt the problems in public education were much worse than just having to work with a diverse group of students with all their problems and distractions.

I offered to share my views on American education if she cared to listen. She emailed back that she would like to hear my take on that. So, the following rant is my spin on what is wrong with our schools today.

The demise of public education has been carefully and systematically orchestrated since WWII by those who run our government. These individuals are not necessarily those who make our laws, but rather those who lurk behind the scene to bribe, coerce, lobby, and threaten our governmental officials, Senate, Home of Representatives (banker bailout), Department of Education (Rockefeller Foundation), and courts. They are backed by trillions of dollars of stolen money from the American taxpayers. Their power is enormous and their presence is ubiquitous. Andrew Jackson, Lincoln, Garfield, T. Roosevelt, Eisenhower, and Kennedy tried to warn us of their ominous and dark presence.

As we can clearly see, even in the mainstream news, not to mention the substitute news sources, that we are moving steadily towards a world government, the treasonous dream of corrupt elite like David Rockefeller, Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, and Bilderberg Group, (which incidentally is meeting in secret, with police endorsement and under media blackout, this week, (June, 09), in Athens Greece to plan the next phase of the swine flu hoax, monetary manipulation of the stock market, forced inoculations, control of the food supply (Codex Alimentarious), and other “conspiracies” to scare the hell out of the public and cripple the U.S. economy and render us into third world status).

However, historically, the eventual impediment in our world that blocks this globalist movement by the world elite has been a democratic republic called the United Says of America, the last stronghold of democratic ideals, free speech, and a Constitution. It has served as the beacon for liberty around the planet and a thorn in the side for the forces of tyranny. Key to the demise of the U.S., the “globalist” thugs must undermine and compromise our educational system.

And this is exactly what we have been witnessing before our eyes for 40 years. It is no happening that we are on overload with ADHD children through the effects of vaccines, children on medication, fluoride in our water supply, children in gangs, MR kids, dysfunctional families (by design), single parent homes (by design), disenchanted kids, children turned off to education but turned on the 100 channel TV, video games, cell phones, rap music, drugs, and sex like never before (the Romans called it “bread and circus”). All by design.

Yes, the “Blueberry Story” states it all. We can’t ship them back. We have to somehow address the problem, which in my mind is denial, ignorance, and apathy – rampant and pervasive. Our world ranking in education certainly is evidence for that. And, that too, is by design.

The main job of public health educators is to promote healthy way of living as well as to instruct people regarding issues related to health like wellness and nutrition. There are many other things that these educators do. They give classes based on nutrition, parental care, food safety, family planning, and also about diseases that can be sexually transmitted. A public health educator has to plan, implement and also evaluate health education policies for determining the results of such programs. If you wish to take up a job in the public health sector, then you will have to complete a degree program associated to this particular subject area.

There are some jobs in this field that also call for a master’s degree. The public health educators have to conduct episodic community health evaluation for determining that what all are the health issues, which needs to be addressed. This is not all; these people have to hold for community groups as well as volunteers for addressing the health disparities and issues in the midst of diverse groups. Audiences for health education can vary from kids to even the grown ups.

All the health education curriculum and study materials are actually written by the public health educators. Those who are employed in the corporate sector are also accountable for the wellness programs designed for the employees. These people also write allows for obtaining funds to execute the health education policies along with some other special programs. Those who possess any kind of advanced degree in this field can also instruct in health education plan of colleges and can also take up research work at major universities.

Another option for the public health educators is to begin their own work as consultants, trainers and allow writers, who work for other agencies. Those educators, who have a long experience in this sector and also possess advanced degrees, can also take up the job of a supervisor. They can also become executive directors or education directors of other agencies. In the time to come there will be a growth in this sector and the role of such educators will also become important, as numerous reforms are being introduced in the sector of health care. For pursuing this career one has to complete a bachelor’s degree with public health education as a subject or some other subject, which is closely associated with this field. After this one can be entitled to take up an entry-level job.

Find More Education News Articles

As our public schools increasingly change the needs of students, parents, and communities, home schooling is appealing to a major group of stakeholders, the mothers and fathers of the students.  No Child Left Behind legislation has led to much frustration for the instructors in public schools, but I would envision that the frustration is ten-fold for the parents and students attending those public schools.  The pressure and stress of “the test” have both been wearing down all celebrations involved for years.  Homeschooling is a practical answer for those who have had it with the teaching to the test mentality that has developed in the past decade.

Academic Advantages of Home Schooling

Picture a classroom of 30-35 students.  These children come from different environments and come with so many different learning capabilities and levels.  The instructor stands at the door on the first day of school and greets apiece child as he/she enters the room.  This instructor knows nothing of apiece child who crosses the threshold.  It will take her/him weeks to get to know names, backgrounds, and capabilities (unless, of course, the instructor from the previous year has given a heads-up on behavior or difficulties in learning).  Any prior knowledge is most likely the negative views of previous instructors and previous experiences.

Now picture your child coming in to the kitchen, dining room, living room (wherever lessons are going to take place).  You know your child.  You know his/her interests.  You know his/her strengths and weaknesses.  You know when he/she has had enough and has tuned out.

The above visualizations are reality.

There are so many academic advantages to home schooling. 

The “one size fits all” mentality is gone.  You know your child.  You know when he/she has mastered a concept.  You make the decision how to instruct a certain concept.  A public school instructor rarely has the time or resources to individualize instruction in this manner.
Flexibility, freedom, and creativity.  Public schools have pacing guides which dictate how long to spend on a concept and the resources to be used to instruct that concept.  Then they must move on in order to fit it all in.  You have the capability to take more or less time on certain concepts based on your child’s needs.  You have the freedom to use creative learning experiences for your child.  If a field trip to the park is going to help you instruct a concept in math, science, language arts, or social studies, you have the choice to do so without having to establish to the administration that stated field trip covers a certain “standard” of learning.
Immediate feedback.  Unlike the experience of a school instructor responsible for a multitude of students, you have the capability to recognize immediately the mastery or the need for further instruction.  It won’t take you hours of grading papers to realize that a concept hasn’t reached your child.
Teachable moments.  Learning can take place at any hour, during any activity.  The concepts of science can be taught while cooking dinner.  The concepts of math can be taught during a trip to the grocery store.  The concepts of character and plot can be taught while reading a book together at bedtime. 
Freedom.  I know I’ve mentioned this one before, but it’s a BIG one!  Decisions that lessons should take place at the museum or during a trip to a historical park are yours to make.  Public schools don’t offer that freedom to their teachers.  Inertia and force of gravity can be taught on a roller coaster!
Individual attention.  What is the typical teacher/student ratio in a classroom?  Most likely it is around 30:1.  What is the ratio at home?  One on one instruction is an invaluable thing.
Assessment.  While the schools use the mandated standard testing as a final assessment, home school educators can administer tests to refer weaknesses and use that knowledge to alter instruction.  In public schools, standard tests are generally administered at the end of the year and scores are prefabricated acquirable during summer hours.  There is no opportunity to use that information for remediation.

Social Advantages of Home Schooling

Peer pressure and bullying has been headlining the news for quite some time.  Reports of students being afraid to go to school, afraid to show how smart they are, and afraid to be themselves have alerted us to a major problem in the public schools.

Many of these problems are alleviated through home schooling.

Students are often tagged socially in the public schools and are bullied due to those labels.  Home schooling takes that off the board. 
Those labels have been attributed to poor performance in academics.  Home schooling your child takes that pressure away.  Without worrying about what clothes they are wearing, if other students are “talking about them,” and worrying about fitting in, your child is capable of concentrating on the learning taking place.
Peer pressure, especially during the middle school years, can be extremely detrimental for kids’ self-esteem.  During the time when they are trying to learn and become young adults, home schooling takes away that added stress.
Family values.  Public schools cannot, by law, instruct the values that you might believe to be essential to your child’s learning.  There are home school curriculums acquirable that offer lessons and instruction that incorporate your beliefs and your specific values.  You have the freedom to instruct what the morals and values that YOU think about important.  If you want to use a religious aspect in the education of your child, you are free to do so.  Public schools are not.
Discipline.  You know your child best.  You know ideal how to get your child to accomplish what he/she needs to accomplish.  In public schools, the instructors spend a great deal of time with discipline and classroom management, thus wasting precious teaching and learning time.  That is greatly reduced in the home schooling situation.

In conclusion, there are many advantages of home schooling.  Parents have maximum input and have freedom to monitor their children’s learning.  Plus, lunch is ALWAYS superior at home than in a public school!

Pasadena area should aim at achieving a higher level of public education in order for it to become a truly world class city. There are excellent public schools in the surrounding areas and there is need to improve the public schools in the City of Pasadena. This can be rather difficult and tricky due to the Cities demographics. The city itself has a massive number of lower income families compared to other cities. And good public school usually comes about due to the commitment and involvement of the parents. The parents’ involvement in terms of money is what leads to good public schools. Pasadena city has a superior economic diversity than other cities but the wealthy families do not like to invest in public schools. This has led to the creation of a large private school industry which usually caters for the rich families’ children. The way it is right now is that the Pasadena society has reached a compromise and a symbiosis between the rich and the low income families.

The rich send their kids to the many fine private schools and the low earners send them to public schools. What I will do is that I will work with groups and schemes to demand that the public schools get superior and improved facilities such that the private schools will be seen as a lesser alternative.
Leadership Pasadena program

What I aim to bring to leadership Pasadena program is my commitment, patience, my consistency in attending and my capabilities to learn quickly. I will bring evidence of my commitment to development of my community and the contribution of my talents and energies as a volunteer in community service.

Why I want to join the Pasadena Leadership program is because I want the program to help me unleash my potential as well as help me acquire a deep insight into my purpose in life.

I also want to learn and develop the skills that will help me lead an effective life for the benefit and good of all. I also want to know what it takes to be a great leader who can make a real difference in my community because that is what I want to become; a great leader. I want to learn new skills, build my confidence and acquire an understanding on how to make and bring a change in the world.

After completing the program, I will consolidate all the learning that I will have acquired and translate it into actions i.e. either through my individual actions or through group projects designed to address the needs of my constituents. I will use the empowerement I will have gained from the program, to make a difference in my community.

Find More School Articles

When my two youngest children, now nineteen and twenty, were in the third grade, Roosevelt Elmentary School was designated as a “traditional school” in Hutchinson, KS, with uniforms being one stipulation for attending. Students whose parents did not like the intent of uniforms were granted to transfer their kids outside of the area. The theory was that students would learn superior and be more productive from an educational standpoint if they wore uniforms.

Children from homes with single parents, low income remuneration earners, and those families on public assistance were no longer prefabricated to feel inadequate by students whose parents could afford clothes and shoes with designer labels. When I volunteered in my children’s classrooms, other classrooms, or we attended school related functions midway through that first year, I saw a change in the behaviors, grades, and overall performance of the students. There was no questioning the fact that the changes only began occurring after the switch to uniforms for all students.

Teachers I talked to had also seen a marked improvement in the self esteem of some kids because the uniforms ensured that all students were treated equal no matter how low their parent(s) income was. (We had a next door neighbor in the area where we rented a home before buying a home in the Roosevelt school district, who taught middle school English. She told me during a conversation one evening that she herself, and some other public school instructors throughout K-12 often judged students at the beginning of apiece school year, assessing them visually according to their posture, clothing, hair styles, etc. and deciding at that point where to seat those students and whether to focus as much time on trying to instruct them).

The school principal saw a decrease in the number of students being sent to the office for not paying attention in class and for being disruptive. And, in a surprising admission, the school administrative staff and instructors reported that most of the ‘poor kids’ grades showed marked improvement since they were no longer taunted and prefabricated fun of as much because of out of style, worn, and ill fitting clothing and shoes. A couple of those students who attended school with my daughter went on to become honor students and star athletes in middle school and high school, as wearing the uniforms while at Roosevelt Elementary School helped them overcome their feelings of inadequacies among their peers while feeling more accepted.

The competition between and among peers also lessened over time. The educational bent became more goal oriented with specific outcomes, and instructors could superior keep kids focused on learning. As a traditional school more stress was put on literacy, Math, English, developing problem solving skills, and Science. Instructors felt, and as a parent and classroom volunteer I agreed, that students could superior comprehend the importance of a well rounded elementary school curriculum now that they no longer worried so much about “keeping up with the Jones”, or how they measured up to their peers in materialistic things like clothes.

Although me and my husband prefabricated a pretty good living, I did appreciate the fact that we didn’t have to spend a small fortune on clothing for my daughter and son. JC Penny’s, Walmart, Target, Sears, and the Dollar and Dollar General stores carried the uniforms. The Dollar Stores sold the uniforms for a much lower price which helped families with lower incomes and that were on public assistance get and keep uniforms for their children.

The school also set up an exchange during school registration apiece year for lower income families to get uniforms for their kids that the wealthier parents donated when their kids outgrew them. This was true school and community spirit. Few parents withdrew their kids from Roosevelt, and most concurred that requiring students to wear uniforms was one of the smartest decisions the school district could have made.

Parents were encouraged to be actively involved in the selection of the uniforms and the school district prefabricated pamphlets and other information acquirable on a variety of styles and colors.  Several community meetings were held so that parents who had kids attending Roosevelt Elementary School could raise concerns and ask questions.  This was the first time a public school in the community was selected for uniforms.  Many parents concurred that uniforms might work and would be acceptable for elementary and middle school age children, but that high school age kids should probably not be subjected to the same rules. 

Related School Articles