Commenter Archive

Thanks!

You have nothing honest to say do you Density?

Blaise who are you responding to?

Okay dude.

mike also

In the ten years since testing began in earnest in order to hold schools and teachers ‘accountable’ we have lost more extra-curricular activities, more ‘non-essential’ programs like art and music and theatre, and more sports funding than we lost in decades preceding that, even as the overall wealth of the area grew. This is a problem facing our schools. Maybe there is a way to address this from a national level.

Mike -
Like I said, I’m not really interested in arguing this point. We have fundamentally different premises here and that’s not going to change.

The unique problems facing schools here are often related to Native American issues (though not always). These issues are different from problems facing other cultural/racial groups, because these sorts of race/culture issues are inevitably unique to the specific subgroups involved. Certainly the unique problems facing inner-city neighborhoods (drugs, gangs, violence) are different than those facing very rural areas (transportation issues, etc.) and those facing my town are inevitably going to be unique - as are problems facing each specific class, and each specific student. I’m not a teacher, so I don’t have a great handle on all the very specific problems, but one is that a lot of Navajo people have extremely different cultural values regarding education, not to mention the history of education being used as a weapon against them (Indian boarding schools).

But really, I don’t think the impetus is on those wanting to retain local control and autonomy. The impetus is on those who think they know better. What is the perfect one-size-fits-all solution that you propose? What is your solution for my community’s schools?

Mike, but don't you see? The very fact that you have to ask, that you don't have the answer, proves my point.

Different problems call for different solutions.

I never said that either. I said my blog would not be about that. teachers need to work with each other, principals and others on teaching methods and professional development all the time. that should be continuous.

How many Navajo and Hopi students do you have in Louisville?

I said teacher-proof curriculum was appalling.

I see no reason why the various powers that be couldn't work something like this out.

Though you may indeed be correct about the value of strict order in inner city schools. They should totally try that based on their unique situation and local knowledge. I'm against one size fits all solutions, not against all solutions.

I so completely disagree with this mike, I see very very little reason to argue over it, we come from such entirely different views.

A better balance could certainly be achieved, no doubt.

Oh snap. I knew I was doing something wrong.

Jay Daniel -
I’m not fetishizing teachers. I’m premising my argument on the fact that teaching is best tackled at the classroom level and that teachers and professional educators know the best way to handle their own teaching situations. Does this mean we can’t have a strong curriculum for them to teach from? Absolutely not. But we should allow teachers room to teach creatively, give them support to do so, and encourage their own professional development.
You say I will be embarrassed looking back on this, but this isn’t really any different than anything I’ve ever written about teachers. Nor do I understand how you are in any position to suggest what I may or not be embarrassed about in the future. That’s a fairly arrogant assumption to make.
In any case, if you’re annoyed by it, don’t read my education posts - then voila! The problem is solved.

Re: Teach for America - I think it’s a lot of hype and entirely the wrong direction to take teaching. These kids often are really good, enthusiastic people. But they pop in for a little while and then dash off to some other more lucrative career. We need to make teaching a more lucrative career and - like Finland - a better respected one. TFA doesn’t do this - if anything it makes teaching look easy, which it’s not.

thanks!

But here is where we start here is where we start getting into pissing matches.

Well put.

I'm fairly certain I was disagreeing with him quite strongly....

Indeed not only can it be both - it is!

Very well said, Blaise. Democracy is a voluntary association, absolutely. It's an effort to make governance more in line with civil society.

Thanks, all. Dennis give me a bit to put together a coherent response when time is permitting.

Thanks!