A Modern Parable

This parable was sent to me by a close friend. I am sure that someone probably sent it to him via an e-mail. It is both relevant and timely enough to post here.



A Modern Parable

A Japanese company ( Toyota ) and an American company (Ford
Motors) decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri River Both
teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance
before the race.
On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.
The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to
investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team
made up of senior management was formed to investigate and
recommend appropriate action.
Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person
steering, while the American team had 7 people steering and 2
people rowing.
Feeling a deeper study was in order; American management hired a
consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a
second opinion.
They advised, of course, that too many people were steering the
boat, while not enough people were rowing.

Not sure of how to utilize that information, but wanting to
prevent another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team's management
structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 2
area steering superintendents and 1 assistant superintendent
steering manager.

They also implemented a new performance system that would give the
2 people rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was
called the 'Rowing Team Quality First Program,' with meetings,
dinners and free pens for the rowers. There was discussion of
getting new paddles, canoes and other equipment, extra vacation
days for practices and bonuses. The pension program was trimmed to
'equal the competition' and some of the resultant savings were
channeled into morale boosting programs and teamwork posters.

The next year the Japanese won by two miles.
Humiliated, the American management laid-off one rower, halted
development of a new canoe, sold all the paddles, and canceled all
capital investments for new equipment. The money saved was
distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses.

The next year, try as he might, the lone designated rower was
unable to even finish the race (having no paddles,) so he was laid
off for unacceptable performance, all canoe equipment was sold and
the next year's racing team was out-sourced to India.

Sadly, the End.

Here's something else to think about: Ford has spent the last
thirty years moving its factories out of the US, claiming they
can't make money paying American wages.
TOYOTA has spent the last thirty years building more than a dozen
plants inside the US. The last quarter's results:

TOYOTA makes 4 billion in profits while Ford racked up 9 billion in
losses.

Ford folks are still scratching their heads, and collecting
bonuses... and now they want a bail out!

IF THIS WEREN'T SO TRUE IT MIGHT BE FUNNY.

Buddy Can Ya Spare a Couple Billion?

Remember when Bush wanted to invade Iraq and Congress approved the invasion because Iraq had Weapons of Mass Destruction ? More recently Congress in another act of irresponsibility and gullibility approved "The Plan" giving former Wall Street Executive Paulson complete control over $750 billion dollars of bail out money. The Congressional procedure of "Ready - Fire - Aim" seems to always miss the mark. There were no WMD and the plan to spend billions to buy up toxic loans and allow the banks to once again offer credit did not happen.

The Bail Out Billions have kept the cesspool giant AIG afloat and will allow for continued upper level executive bonuses, rewards and compensation for jobs poorly done. Is this a form of merit Pay? U.S. banks who have been recipients of the billions have been allowed to do pretty much whatever they want with the money. It seems offering mortgages and freeing up credit are not on the short list; but using the billions to acquire banks is quite popular.

Now we have the auto industry. Unfortunately this is an industry run by CEO's who have seen the movie Wall Street far too many times. I imagine when Gordon Gekko announces "Greed is Good" these CEO's jump from their seats and high five each other. They are so out of touch, so arrogant and feel so entitled that they arrive in Washington, D.C. with hat in hand, not asking; but expecting billions of dollars in Bail Out funds having arrived in the luxurious comfort of their private corporate jets. If it costs $20k to fly their corporate asses from Detroit to D.C. one can only wonder how much has been spent on previous flights ... and to where?

The other day the Kelly Blue Book announced the top ten list of Green Cars for 2008 --- all ten were imports, not one U.S made car made the list. As I have written before ,in my opinion the U.S. auto industry has not had a creative ideal since the introduction of the Mustang in the mid 1960's. It would not surprise me to learn that there has been collusion between Big Oil and the Big Three of the auto industry.

The plan would be more palatable to many middle class Americans if there had been accountability built into the plan. Banks, financial institutions, insurance companies and industries that receive Bail Out funds should immediately be taken over by an economic control board to see that the top incompetent executives are immediately fired and the funds are used wisely .... not squandered on private corporate jets, retreats, end of year bonuses,and obscene salaries.

Now that a barrel of oil has dropped $100 in the past month why hasn't the oil industry collapsed? Will they be next to ask for Bail Out Funds? Better yet, maybe the oil companies who have racked up obscene profits quarter after quarter should be the source of auto industry Bail Out funds. They can afford it !!

And the Beat Goes On ......

Well, the dust has settled and both the cheering and the crying have somewhat stopped ; but the economic debacle and the financial chicanery continue. Citi Bank has apparently realized that it may be better (for the bank?) to put a moratorium on foreclosures while other banks continue with foreclosures. The giant septic tank of an insurance company, AIG, continues to suck up billions of dollars of tax payer bailout money and complain that the terms are too stiff and the interest rate is too excessive. As Bruce Willis said in the movie Die Hard .. "Welcome to the party, Pal !!" I am sure at AIG's next executive gathering at some exclusive resort there will be much complaining over the absence of top shelf liquor and the loss of Cuban cigars.

While billions of dollars are being doled out to the corporate needy the line of greedy open hands continues to grow. Now we have the U.S. auto makers, who haven't made a sound decision since the introduction of the Mustang in the early 60's, crying that their sky is falling. We have the daily batch of economic experts telling us that the auto industry must be saved as it is now described as a matter of national security. When will saving or just helping middle class homeowners become a matter of national security?

On the political front the intelligentsia of the news media are totally preoccupied with the really pressing questions of the day: where the Obama children will attend school?, where is Sarah Palin's $150,000 RNC purchased wardrobe?, and will the Obama's socialize more than the Bush's. Missing from this media saturation coverage is any report on the whereabouts or doings of the Maverick. It is like John McCain has disappeared. However; it appears that his aides and staffers have been quite busy. They are in what appears to be a junior high school drama event to soil the reputation and future political career of their choice for VP --- Sarah Palin, the next Senator from Alaska?

As San Francisco's greasy haired, big mouth mayor ("Like it or not folks") inadvertently did his part to pass Prop 8 , the McCain people did their part to defeat the Maverick --- they put forth the Queen of Alaska and her first Dude of a husband for the American public to consider. Rally after rally we were treated to the on stage site of the Maverick, his Stepford Wife, the Alaska Queen and her First Dude and to round out the court there was the smiling face of the court jester -- Sen. Joe Lieberman. Poor Joe ... where ya gonna run to now? You are not a Democrat, and you may be a Republican; but right now you are a dependent independent.

Maybe the national bird should have been a turkey.

Random Thoughts

Sarah Palin

Palin hasn't stolen the spotlight from John McCain as some suggest. She is shielding McCain from the spotlight. She is doing exactly what the Republicans wanted. We are not focused on problems & issues; but Palin's eyeglasses, hairstyle and inexperience. What a strategy ... or was that a tactic?

With Wall Street CEO's and other banking and insurance executives being paid millions for their "hard work", the $150K spent to spruce up Palin is chump change. Do I really care if the RNC spent $150K on Palin? NO, I don't care. Is the fact that the alleged Walmart Mom got a new wardrobe from Neiman Marcus hypocritical -- of course; but so much of what the McCain/Palin road show says and does is hypocrital.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. In less than 2 weeks this exceedingly long, tedious, monotonous, yet at times, humorous mini series will soon be over. And then we can focus our attention on some real issues rather than the cost of Palin's wardrobe.

The Economy

To finance our efforts in WW II the US government sold War Bonds or maybe they were called Liberty Bonds. It was the patriotic thing to do (buy bonds) for everyday citizens to support the war effort. Maybe it is time for another round of bond sales. As opposed to the current "solution" at least with bonds the common citizen got something back. With depositors withdrawing money in the billions from banks and S&L's there is money out there. Would this work?

Anderson Cooper

Anderson Cooper is an entertainer not a reporter. He would be better suited with FOX news. He likes to make news or work on stories, certainly not report the news. It was entertaining to see him standing in the middle of a flooded street in Texas with water up to his waist holding a wired mic. Isn't he Geraldo Rivera in disguise ?

John McCain

As a senior member of the Senate John McCain was respected. His choice (or was it his advisors choice) of Palin for VP shows serious flaws in decision making. Of course the Republicans have a history of strange VP candidates: Nixon, Agnew, Quayle and of course Cheney. Scarier still is that all four of these candidates became VP and one actually became President. Could it happen again?

CNN

For the Presidential Debates viewers were able to watch the reactions of Democrats, Republicans and Independents as McCain and Obama spoke. For the VP debate the reaction graph was tied to gender. Would it have been better to keep the reaction groups similar so comparisons could be made between the presidential debate and the VP debate? Was CNN reporting news or attempting to make news?

The Big Spenders

We keep hearing that the leaders of the US Senate had to add (earmarks)$150 billion to the $700 billion dollar bail out/rescue (merit pay?) plan in order to achieve passage. It would be most interesting to have the names of individual Senators listed and publicized as the individuals responsible for this additional $150 billion. Basically, the list would show what each Senator's "YES" vote costs. Since 74 Senators voted "YES", then it is obvious that some of these "YES" votes were very, very, very expensive. But hey, its not their money.

Colin Powell

Colin Powell is an honorable man. During his tenure as Secretary of State he basically took orders from Bush (The Commander-in-Chief) who was greatly influenced by the super hawk, Rumsfeld, then Secretary of Defense. Powell believed the twisted, doctored and distorted information from Bush and Rumsfeld and provided by both NSA and The CIA that "proved" Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. He took the Bush/Rumsfeld lie to the UN to convince the world of the presence of WMD.

Later, when Powell finally realized that Bush had used him to sell the WMD story to the world he resigned. Now, watching the McCain-Obama battle for the Presidency and realizing that McCain believes we belong in Iraq Powell chose to endorse Obama. Call it pay back or getting even for being used by the Bush administration, none-the-less Powell's eloquent denunciation of McCain and support for Obama was a stunning and well deserved blow to the Republicans.

"What's Going On ... What's Happening Brother"

Marvin Gaye released this song in 1971 and it is worth listening to. Just Google the song title and you can watch and listen to Marvin sing. It was calming to hear the nine minute version tonight after watching the last Obama/McCain Debate. Considering recent events the song title is very appropriate. However; I would change the wording to "What the Hell is Going On / Just What the Hell is Happening".

The daily events play out like a poorly written mini series. We have President Bush doing his imitation of a ground hog as he steps outside the safety of The White House to tell us the sky is not falling and then quickly run back inside lest he get hit on the head. Yesterday, the stock market was up over 700 points and today it was down over 700. Anderson Cooper continues to identify the Culprits responsible for the Collapse and we have been treated each night to these culprits explaining their innocence or justifying their mega million salaries and bonuses. Watching these crooks is enough to gag a maggot.

In his inaugural Address in 1961 John Kennedy stated, "Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country." How things have changed. Wall Street Executives and Bank Officials have followed instead the Gordon Gekko business model in that "Greed is Good". Their problem is now our problem and must be fixed with our money not their money. We have a rogues gallery of characters offering and explaining the latest version of the bail out/recovery plan. The problem is that for most middle class Americans we are still not sure exactly who or what is being bailed out. Home buyers can not buy, home sellers can not sell, 401K's are tanking, and cost for the basics is climbing.

The candidates' answer to this mess is to buy our vote. Both Obama and McCain are offering how they would implement the federal bail out plan and what additional perks Americans would receive if one or the other is elected. We are being tempted with Medical Premium help, college tuition assistance, reduced capital gains tax, reduced 401 early withdraw penalty, foreclosure moratorium, and much more. We don't have to ask what our country will do for us -- they are telling us. All we have to do is vote.

Virgil in the Aeneid wrote "Do not trust the horse, Trojans. Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks even when they bear gifts." Of course many of us know the story. The Trojans accepted the gift not knowing that Greek soldiers where hidden inside the huge horse. Under cover of night the Greek soldiers exited the horse and opened the gates of Troy to the Greek Army. Troy was defeated.

We must be wary of the candidates, all politicians, anyone connected with the U.S.Treasury and the Federal Reserve and of course anyone speaking for the current administration. Even bearing gifts these characters are not to be trusted. The gifts being offered come with a price tag. We have been spending money lavishly, foolishly,and carelessly both domestically and on misguided foreign ventures for too long. The result is that we are billions, if not trillions, in debt. Maybe it is time to ask what all of us we can do for our country. And the first group that should respond to this question are those who have profited the most. Wall Street and Bank Executives are you listening?

What's going on ... What has happened here? Who can we trust?

The "PLAN" ........

In September was the Plan.

- And then came the Assumptions.

- And the Assumptions were without form.

- And the Plan was without substance.

- And darkness was upon the face of the citizens.

- And they spoke among themselves, saying, "It is a crock of sh-t, and it stinkith"

- And the citizens went unto their Congressmen and said, "It is a pail of dung, and we cannot abide the smell."

- And the Congressmen went unto their Leaders, saying "It is a container of excrement, and it is very strong, such that none may abide by it."

- And the Leaders went unto their Senate, saying, "It is a vessel of fertilizer and none may abide its strength."

- And the Senate spoke among themselves, saying to one another, "It contains that which aids plant growth, and it is very strong."

- And the Senate went to the Candidates, saying unto them, "It promotes growth, and it is very powerful."

- And the Candidates went to the President, saying unto him, "This new plan will actively promote the growth and vigor of the company with powerful effects"

- And the President looked upon the Plan and saw that it was good.

- And the Plan became Policy.

- And that, my friends, is how sh-t happens.

Takin' Care of Business

The wheelin' and dealin' taking place on Wall Street and in the financial sector is truly mind boggling. Sell offs, right offs, bail outs, buy outs and golden parachutes mainly at tax payer expense. And now we have the 85 billion dollar bail out of insurance giant AIG.

We are fighting and funding two wars in the mid east and losing our own cities to crime, violence and decay. The partisan eunuchs in Sacramento finally finalize a budget based on increasing California wage earners' state income tax by 10% and borrowing against the state lottery. Creative book keeping at its finest.

VP hopeful Biden says McCain is out of touch and it seems that McCain is not alone. A Federal Reserve Spokesperson said,"[A] disorderly failure of AIG could add to already significant levels of financial market fragility and lead to substantially higher borrowing costs, reduced household wealth and materially weaker economic performance." So the hundreds of thousands of mortgage foreclosures were not "disorderly failures"? Were these individuals and families not significant enough to warrant Federal assistance?

What the hell is going on? Taxpayer money is being used to fund an unwanted, lost cause war, pay off greedy CEO's and bail out failing businesses all to avoid "disorderly failures". It seems that some failures whether disorderly or not are either more acceptable or at least more tolerated. Far too many of our elected wise ones have shown themselves to be legislative and administrative failures. Even the current batch of candidates are proving to be more than "out of touch"; but could be more appropriately described as "disorderly failures".

When and where will it all end?

Come September ....

Well, I survived August and I am proud to say that I saw not one second of the Beijing Olympics nor one second of the Democratic National Convention and successfully avoided seeing any of the Republican Convention this month. I did catch some of Sarah Palin's speech on a news cast and it looks like John McCain is suffering from some type of post traumatic disorder after his POW days. He may be a maverick politician; but Sarah Palin is a loose nut. She may be the female version of Dirty Harry and Rambo and the Republicans have taken quite a chance with her selection.

Of course the Republicans have always gambled with their VP choices. Remember these former Republican VP's: Richard Nixon, Spiro Agnew, Dan Quayle and now Dick Cheney. McCain has followed his predecessors by choosing yet another scary individual. One can only hope that unlike the above named four men, Palin will not be elected.

The polls are out this morning and they now put McCain ahead of Obama. Will this be another instance of the Democratic Party self destructing coupled with Republican Party chicanery at the polls? As we head toward the November election it will be a matter of who do you trust and who has been the most truthful.

There does seem to be an over emphasis and misplaced concern over foreign policy issues. This is understandable due to our recent attempt to be the police men of the world. In one of his last interviews Former President Ford stated "And I just don't think we should go hellfire damnation around the globe freeing people, unless it is directly related to our own national security." He made this statement in response to the U.S. invasion of Iraq based on the alleged presence of weapons of mass destruction.

I can only assume that most Americans would rather see better policing of our cities as they continue to look more and more like the Dodge City and Tombstone of the old west. Here in the San Francisco Bay area the morning news includes a body count based on the number of deadly shootings the night before. As our domestic problems escalate I want a President more concerned with domestic issues. I am not proposing isolationism; but it seems it is time for an American President to be more of an American President and less of a world leader. We desperately need domestic leadership and we need it now.

A New School Year

A New School Year

Well, I checked my calendar this morning and I see that it is Tuesday, August 26th. In just two days my Walters JHS colleagues will return to school to begin three days of Staff Development or In-Service Training. I will not be with them because I am now retired! This is the time when the fact that I am retired will truly set in because my “vacation” will continue after Labor Day. I wonder how their year will progress.

I wonder if these three days of mandated staff development & training will be as mind numbing and the colossal waste of time that they have always been. I wonder if the new teachers will realize that they are truly alone when the bell rings and that they are a one person show? I wonder how many parents will allow their students to attend school three or four days a week and routinely excuse their weekly absences. I wonder how many students will spend more time on work avoidance, off task behaviors and disruptive behaviors than those who really want to learn. When will adults realize that ipods and cell phones are both a disruption and distraction in the classroom setting? I wonder if any of these topics will be discussed before the school year begins.

No doubt there are topics of concern; but more than likely these topics will focus on test results, identification of under achieving students, reasons for their underachievement and suggested remedies. Teachers know why some students are underachievers and administrators should know; but when the plan is launched to bring about change it will miss the mark. More than likely when the plan is launched it will identify parents as a vital part of this success plan; but they will not be held accountable or responsible for their students’ attendance, behavior, attitude, or completion of work.
Next, we have the under achieving student. As a possible new arrival to this country or as a possible refugee from one of our own urban war zones these students are thrust into a curriculum designed for the college bound and they do not possess the necessary prerequisite skills in reading, writing and computation to be successful. They are behind on day one and continue to fall behind as the year progresses.

Lastly, we have the end of the line service provider --- the classroom teacher. The experts with the power point presentations will enthusiastically demonstrate that by means of a more personalized teaching approach with heavy emphasis on cultural relevancy, increased concern for student self-esteem, and a more pronounced level of tolerance and acceptance of behaviors and attitudes not usually associated with main stream attitudes and behaviors that these teachers can turn under achievers into achievers.

This plan is the obvious result of the realization that the educational system has no power to affect change with either parents or students; but teachers can and will be manipulated. Consequently, if these under achievers do not achieve it will not be their fault or the fault of their parents; but the blame will be placed squarely on the backs of teachers.

This plan, like so many plans hatched outside the classroom with little or no teacher input truly stinks … and the stench will linger for a long time.

Jonathan Alter's Reply

Ronneburger, Julie [Julie.Ronneburger@newsweek.com]

on behalf of; Web Editors[Web.Editors@newsweek.com
Please see Mr. Alter's response below

"i totally agree. i'm for parent contracts to make them more accountable too....but the lack of accountability by teachers is the most glaring right now, and one the unions must grapply with... best- Jonathan Alter"

My response:

Mr. Alter:

Thanks for your response. I am glad to read that you see the importance of parent responsibility. However; I remain puzzled by your focus on the "lack of accountability by teachers". What exactly do you want teachers to be responsible for and how do you see the unions as dealing with this?

The problems that I encountered as a classroom teacher were many. I had no problems with course content and as a result of my Jesuit education I likewise had no difficulty with classroom management. However; student absenteeism, parental indifference and students' refusal to complete homework assignments were real problems. We have far too many students in our classrooms whose parents lack the skills to be parents and as a result their feral children cause problems.

I would assume that you believe there are far too many incompetent or ineffective teachers in the classroom. In my years of teaching I only encountered a few and they did not last. I believe the real problem is that new teachers do not receive appropriate support and assistance. For them it is like being thrown into the deep end of a swimming pool and told to swim ... but in their case to teach, manage and control. Remember for the vast majority of teachers when the bell rings and the door is closed it is a one person show.

In the event that there is a person teaching who should not be teaching school administrators have the process to document, meet and confer, and if needed dismiss. However; far too many administrators have attained freedom from the classroom and are loathe to return to observe, evaluate and offer assistance. The union's role in any process is to see that the process is followed correctly and a teacher's due process rights are followed.

The problems facing the American education system are many and to focus on one and only one aspect will achieve nothing. As we have achieved little in the problem areas of drugs, crime and poverty we will continue to flounder with education. We have no focus, no agenda, no plan, and little leadership.

Check Please on PBS -KQED

THE MOUNTAIN HOUSE RESTAURANT

After watching an episode of KQED's Check Please and reading the comments on the Check Please web site, in which the Mountain House Restaurant, in the Kings Mountain Community of Woodside, California, was reviewed (praised by one and roasted by two), I decided to share some thoughts. It seems there are obvious flaws in the way KQED presents this program. At times it comes across like a Fox network reality survivor program. An enjoyable restaurant experience should not be defined by the drive or distance to reach it, the weather or the parking lot configuration. The experience is all about the food and service! While the gentleman, Lou, recommended and loves the Mountain House, the two women, Marcia and Helen, did not share his opinion

Lou had a pleasant drive from Belmont to the Mountain House whereas the women complained of their trek from Oakland and San Francisco respectively. Maybe all participants should be from the same geographic locale or KQED needs to eliminate travel as a factor in the restaurant reviews. Both women began their reviews with complaints about the "seemingly haphazard" and "helter-skelter" parking and continued by expressing their annoyance as a result of walking in mud or soggy earth, and in Helen's case trying to avoid the "big drops of fog and strong wind". Were these two ladies made aware of the fact that the Mountain House is at an elevation of approximately 2000 feet, surrounded by towering redwood trees in the Santa Cruz Mountains and occasionally kissed by fog? They were most definitely not in the urban environs of Berkeley and San Francisco.

Once inside the restaurant the complaining continued. Marcia, from Oakland, enjoyed her salad, buffalo steak and her companions' fish dishes; but described the soup as "bland", the vegetables "too al dente" and the garlic mashed potatoes lacking in garlic. Marcia is a contradiction in that she admits to ordering "simple dishes"; but then states she would have felt differently had the "food had more panache". It would seem that if you want more panache then don't order simple food – order the special items with dash and flair.

Helen, from San Francisco, was warmed both literally and figuratively by the fireplace and pleasant ambience of the Mountain House; but her mood changed upon hearing ten people loudly sing "Happy Birthday" at a nearby table. She stated that the singing was "louder than I've heard at Chuck E. Cheese." I find this ironic, that a woman criticizing the food at the Mountain House admits to even being in a Chuck E. Cheese !!!

As for Helen's dinner: the Cajun popcorn shrimp were not Cajun enough, the seasonal greens salad were not seasonal enough nor was her table "intimate" as promised. She did state that their cocktails were well made. The menu's wording of some item descriptions was, in her opinion, "too grandiose". Having seen buffalo steaks and elk chops she ordered shrimp scampi with pasta. Apparently her disappointment over the Cajun popcorn shrimp could not be overcome. As a parting shot Helen admits she would, if ever in the neighborhood again, stop in the Mountain House for drinks; but would "take them a recipe for Cajun popcorn shrimp".

When trying to figure out the disappointment and at times hostility directed at the Mountain House by urbanites Helen and Marcia, one only has to examine the restaurants these two ladies recommended. Marcia offered a Chinese restaurant in San Francisco called Da Lian which she loves as it reminds her of her time spent in China. Helen was predisposed to enjoy Da Lian as she admits to eating "Chinese food about four times a week". For her part Helen recommended an Italian restaurant called Buca di Beppa which has been described by another reviewer as the "Chuck-E-Cheese of Italian restaurants." That says it all.

Somehow the restaurant playing field needs to be leveled. It is no surprise that the women were not impressed with the Mountain House and that Lou was not pleased with the women's choices. Clearly alleged urban sophisticates may feel out of place in the casual elegance and charm of the Mountain House with its eclectic and carefully worded menu. Finally, this mountain resident has never been in, nor ever will be in a Chuck E Cheese like Italian restaurant. Life is too short for bad food and bad wine. As for the Mountain House Cajun popcorn shrimp, they have always been a family favorite – Cajun or not. We feel fortunate to have a restaurant that offers wonderful food, excellent service and a relaxed dining experience so close to home.

Jonathan Alter's Newsweek Article

Jonathan Alter's recent denunciation of the American education system and his attack on teachers is both inaccurate and misleading. He has identified teachers as both the subject and object of accountability. He wants teachers removed from the classroom when they fail and and rewarded when students succeed. What is so blatantly and glaringly missing from this article is any recognition and expectation of accountability from both students and their parents.

It is easy and convenient to blame the failures of the education system on the teachers' unions. However; having been a teacher for almost 40 years ( I am now retired) most teachers recognize both the NEA and the AFT as little more than paper tigers. Both the judicial and the legislative branches of government must also take responsibility for conditions in our schools. If the teaching profession is as safe, secure and comfortable as Mr. Alter would have us believe then why are we facing a teacher shortage in the hundreds of thousands?

If accountability is to be the new battle cry then let's make it universal. Both parents and students must be held accountable for attendance, attire, attitude, behavior, and homework. Attending school and being successful is serious business and far too many parents and students have forgotten this fact. It is no surprise that some charter schools and most private schools are successful. Their success is not just the result of excellent teachers and excellent teaching; but the result of responsible and involved parents and well disciplined and motivated students.

If the American education system is to improve and succeed then all involved in the system must be held accountable --- not just the teacher in the classroom.

Big Russ & Me

Big Russ & Me

Several months ago I purchased Tim Russert’s book about his father, Big Russ & Me. Like many similar purchases I had plans to read it; but not immediately. Mr. Russert’s (little Russ) sudden death last month changed all that. During a planned trip to Baltimore to visit my 84 year old father I read this wonderful book.

Having a dad who fought and was injured in WW II, having attended a Catholic grade school (St. Rita in Dundalk, Md.) and having attended both a Jesuit high school (Loyola) and college (again Loyola) I could identify with many of Mr. Russert’s growing up experiences. If you have ever had a close encounter with a Jesuit Prefect of Discipline and been given time in “jug” then you will not only appreciate ; but thoroughly enjoy this book.

A quick look at the chapter headings will convince you that if you are a baby boomer you will enjoy this book. With chapters titled: Respect, Work, Baseball, Discipline, 1968, Politics and more you will relive your childhood in these pages.

In the chapter titled Respect you will read: “After supper, nobody had to remind us to do our homework; it was part of our daily routine and we just did it.” Mr. Russert continues: “This may sound hard to believe , but when my sisters and I were in school, homework was something that children did all by themselves.” Additionally Mr. Russert states: “ Self-esteem wasn’t something you started out with; it was a feeling that you earned through hard work.”

In the chapter titled Discipline Mr. Russert recounts the words of warning of the Prefect of Discipline at Canisius High School: “You must be at school on time. If you don’t have an alarm clock, ask your parents to get you one. With punctuality, as with everything else at this school, you will be held responsible for your actions. Getting here on time is not your parents’ responsibility. That is your job. There is one excuse that I will absolutely not tolerate, and that is, ‘My mother didn’t get me up on time’.”

In this chapter Mr. Russert also makes a very timely and telling observation: “ It’s important to have high expectations of children and young people, and it’s equally important to give teachers the authority they need to impose discipline and teach accountability. In this respect, I believe that parents of my generation have often failed our kids. We are so eager to be understanding and sympathetic, that we end up being too lenient, even as we further undermine the already diminished authority of teachers, coaches and administrators”.

In 2006 Mr. Russert wrote Wisdom of Our Fathers --- if it is half as good as Big Russ & Me then it will be well worth reading.

COMMON SENSE

COMMON SENSE CAN NOT BE LEGISLATED

Common sense is an expression that historically means basing one’s actions on sound judgment and/or conventional wisdom. Using our common sense one would not attempt to pet a snarling dog nor exit a bus while it was still moving. Unfortunately, more and more of our fellow citizens either lack or fail to exercise common sense in many situations. The result of this failure to either have or exercise common sense is legislation. However; a law can not take the place of common sense. People can still be counted on to act carelessly, negligently or even stupidly with or without benefit of a law.

Some current examples of the absence of common sense, in spite of clear and present danger, is the failure of some counties to recognize the immediate danger of fireworks. Presently there are almost 1000 wild fires burning throughout the state of California. Homeowners are exercising caution even in the use of weed whackers less they accidentally spark a fire. Exercising even a minimum level of common sense one would expect all counties throughout the state to ban the private use of fireworks; but that is not to be. Tradition and economics will prevail.

On California’s overcrowded roads it is common knowledge that bicyclists and car drivers do not always “share the road”. Avoiding finger pointing and placing blame at this time, suffice it to say that in far too many situations cars and bikes are like vinegar and water --- they do not mix well. Most of the time motorists can expect bicyclists to obey the rules of the road. Stop signs, traffic lights and lane markings are in place for everyone’s safety. However; bureaucrats are now considering modifying the rules. Bicyclists would be allowed to roll through stop signs, treating them as if they were yield signs and treating red lights as if they were stop signs, allowing them to stop and go even if the light was still red. What happened to common sense?

Today the Supreme Court ruled against the city of Washington, D.C. law banning the ownership of handguns. Even though Washington, like many other U.S. cities is becoming more and more like Dodge City or Tombstone of the old west, towns which did actually have strict gun laws, you can not legislate common sense. A law banning or controlling guns will be obeyed by the law abiding and ignored all others. The criminal element will still be armed! If cities want to become safer then the criminal element must be removed. In today’s political climate with emphasis on and individual’s rights and not responsibility, over crowded prisons resulting in early release, the ease by which the criminal element can obtain weapons and the inability of the police and prosecutors to be effective, the Supreme Court’s decision should come as no surprise. You can not legislate common sense into a society; nor can you easily legislate it out of a society.

The Irony of it All

One Friday during second semester, just before the start of the first period, I watched one of our counselors, directing a group of students and a teacher from Irvington High School, to Mr. Sach’s social studies class. I laughed to myself at the irony of this scene because this counselor is the transition counselor for Walters’ 8^th graders who will be going to Kennedy High School and there she was assisting the Irvington head hunters.

Now I have had the rationale for this visit explained to me. The visit was FUSD Board approved. The Irvington scouts would be visiting all the junior high schools. And, yes they are limited to accepting only 20 Walters’ students. I also know that the Irvington teacher stated that they accepted 75 Walters’ students into their freshman class last year. And when asked if one had to stay involved in the “Arts” after the freshman year he admitted that no one really checked.

There was really no need to disrupt our social studies classes for this farce. No doubt, considerably more than 20 of our students will apply for acceptance into Irvington’s freshman class. The question remains will that number increase by considering extenuating circumstances like: sibling attendance, distance factor or FUSD board meddling?

Earlier this month the FUSD Board of Education, in an obvious display of preferential treatment for one of its own, declared Centerville Junior High School an open school, ready willing and able to accept transfer students from the other junior high schools. Now if this was done to ease the crowded conditions at Horner, Thornton and Hopkins, it could be viewed as appropriate; but under populated Walters was also included. Walters was included because this would allow for a specific student transfer that had previously been denied. More than likely Centerville, following the practice established by Irvington, will probably attempt to actively recruit from the Walters student body.Will we soon find recruitment flyers in our message boxes? No doubt Centerville will want to visit the Walters campus to drum up interest in their school as the alternative school to attend.

It seems the concept of “equity” is rather hollow and meaningless in this district. Irvington’s past and present recruiting actions hurt Kennedy High School and that damage trickles down to Walters. If 75 of our best and brightest were skimmed off the freshman class of Kennedy to attend Irvington using the ruse of participation in the Arts & Performance Magnet School Program, Kennedy’s loss is our loss. Those 75 students took their academic excellence, serious study skills and highly proficient test scores to Irvington not Kennedy. As a result Kennedy looks bad and to some extent so does Walters.

Involved parents, not wanting their 6^th graders to eventually attend Kennedy High School (for whatever reasons), may opt to place their children at Centerville hoping that attendance at Centerville may lead to admission to Washington High School. Another incidence of Board meddling and this could happen. Walters has already endured the loss of the Ardenwood students and we may see a significant number of our Mattos students opting for Centerville. Keep in mind that these two schools are in established residential neighborhoods with parents who have high expectations and whose children meet those expectations. Like the loss of Ardenwood students, the loss of Mattos students will have a negative impact on our “numbers”, school climate and test scores.

Finally, the possible loss of students from Walters will also mean the loss of sections and the resulting loss of staff. One can only wonder what the future holds for Walters and this attendance area. Just how low can our population drop before we become unnecessary as a junior high school? Will Walters become the first middle school when the remaining 6^th graders in this attendance area are assigned to our campus? As California copes with an ever growing budget deficit and this district has to cope with the resulting loss of funds, where will the cuts, closings and lay-offs occur?

I have always felt that FUSD is a unified school district in name only. It seems that each attendance area looks out for its own interests and only its own interests. It may be time for Walters to take off the gloves and play as cut throat as the other attendance areas and even the Board. The district in its wisdom once considered closing and selling off both the Kennedy and Walters sites. With future Board member changes and the gloomy financial climate will this plan be re-visited?

The irony is Walters is the largest campus, has survived two rounds of modernization, has well maintained buildings, hard working administrators, dedicated and skilled teachers and an ever increasing population of students who need “more” and yet; always seem to receive “less” from the district. The 2008-2009 school year should certainly prove to be an ( ) <--- insert your word or words here …. school year.

Culturally Relevant Instruction

CULTURALLY RELEVANT INSTRUCTION

While driving home the other day I heard a news report on State Superintendent of Education, Jack O’Connell’s, State of Education Address of January 22, 2008. One phrase piqued my interest: “culturally relevant instruction”. Being one who has decided, for several reasons, not to pursue CLAD certification I figured this was a CLAD spin phrase of which I was ignorant. I located the Superintendent’s address at:

http://www.cde.ca.gov/eo/in/se/yr08stateofed.asp and gave it quick read. Here is what Mr. O’Connell had to say about culturally relevant instruction: (bold face added by this writer)

“Clearly, it is time to move past the discomfort of talking about culture and race. It's time to move past the harmful illusion that we live in a color-blind society. Whether we know it or not, an attempt to be color-blind can feel to a student of color like a rejection of that student's culture and experience.

Our schools cannot create a climate that is supportive of all students unless they first understand the perceptions, impressions, beliefs, and expectations of a school's students, teachers, and staff.

We are all, to some extent, trapped in the perspectives, assumptions, and experiences of our own culture. We conduct our relationships and build our institutions on the basis of those perspectives, assumptions, and experiences. If we expect all our students to learn to their full capacity, we must make them feel safe, encouraged, and empowered to learn. They must feel that their culture and the experiences they bring into the school are not only tolerated but understood and respected. Are we truly doing all we can to understand the culture and respect the experiences of every student? Without a conscious effort to do so, our actions might unconsciously reflect the historical, institutionalized habits that have disadvantaged our students of color. Unconsciously, we may be conveying that differences are deficits our students bring to school.

It's not easy to engage in self-reflection about race, for me or for anyone else. I've struggled and stumbled at times over the past year when talking about race. But until we begin the discussion, until we understand our own cultural perspectives and biases, we can't begin to correct any institutional biases that we might have: biases such as those that allow for lower expectations, culturally ineffective instruction, or fewer resources at schools serving students of color. It is time we have the discussion. It is past time”

This is a rather startling pronouncement. After years of teaching multi-cultural, multi-racial, ethnically diverse classes of students while trying to show no bias based on race, creed, color or ethnicity, I now read that “an attempt to be color-blind can feel to a student of color like a rejection of that student's culture and experience.” In my 35 years of teaching I have never heard this as either a comment or complaint from any parent or student. Is there really verifiable research to back up this claim?

Now being somewhat agitated I continued to “Google” for more information. Was there a clear definition of “culturally relevant instruction? I found one at:

http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/multicultural/hanley2.htm

A Culturally Relevant Lesson for African American Students

by Mary Stone Hanley

At the center of culturally relevant instruction is the culture of the learner. To develop an instructional program that is relevant to student’s educators need to understand the core beliefs and experiences of their culture. The National Commission on Teaching and American's Future (1996) proposes that Teachers must understand students and their many pathways to learning as deeply as they comprehend subjects and teaching methods. It means that teachers need to understand how students of different language backgrounds and cultures can be supported in learning academic content and how those with a range of approaches to learning can be met with a variety of teaching strategies (p. 13)

This abstract proposes that educators utilize a variety of teaching strategies to reach all learners. We know that good teaching employs a variety of methods not limited to: direct instruction, visual and aural learning, hands on activities, presentation modifications or any approach that opens the “pathways to learning”. However; this article is not about teaching strategies but about developing “an instructional program that is relevant to students’ educators need to understand the core beliefs and experiences of their culture.” This proposal seems to be more appropriate for Peace Corps volunteers going to serve in a third world country rather than for this country’s public school teachers. In some cases “core beliefs and experiences of their culture” may be in opposition to the core beliefs and behaviors of our culture, especially the cultures and beliefs in countries where theocracies dominate the landscape.

Additional web exploring turned up another abstract:

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-8251(199712)28%3A6%3C709%3ACRMTIA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-1

Culturally Relevant Mathematics Teaching in a Mexican American Context
Eric Gutstein, Pauline Lipman, Patricia Hernandez, Rebeca de los Reyes
Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, Vol. 28, No. 6, Equity, Mathematics Reform, and Research: Crossing Boundaries in Search of Understanding (Dec., 1997), pp. 709-737

Abstract

This article examines mathematics instruction and its intersection with culturally relevant teaching in an elementary/middle school in a Mexican American community. The findings are based on a collaborative-research and school-change project involving university researchers, teachers, and the school's principal. On the basis of ethnographic data and an interdisciplinary theoretical framework, we propose a three-part model of culturally relevant mathematics instruction. The 3 components are (a) building on students' informal mathematical knowledge and building on students' cultural and experiential knowledge, (b) developing tools of critical mathematical thinking and critical thinking about knowledge in general, and (c) orientations to students' culture and experience.

It appears that even mathematics must be taught in a culturally relevant manner. I write “even” because I always believed the popular notion that mathematics was the universal language. From the web site:

http://www.learner.org/interactives/dailymath/language.html

We read that: “Mathematics is the only language shared by all human beings regardless of culture, religion, or gender. Pi is still 3.14159 regardless of what country you are in. Adding up the cost of a basket full of groceries involves the same math process regardless of whether the total is expressed in dollars, rubles, or yen. With this universal language, all of us, no matter what our unit of exchange, are likely to arrive at math results the same way.

Very few people, if any, are literate in all the world's tongues—English, Chinese, Arabic, Bengali, and so on. But virtually all of us possess the ability to be "literate" in the shared language of math. This math literacy is called numeracy, and it is this shared language of numbers that connects us with people across continents and through time. It is what links ancient scholars and medieval merchants, astronauts and artists, peasants and presidents.”

Therefore, if mathematics is truly our universal language in that “virtually all of us possess the ability to be ‘literate’ in the shared language of math“, then what is the relevance in “teaching in the Mexican American Context?

Of course it seems not every one agrees that culturally relevant instruction has to be culturally specific. Consider the apparent one size (approach) will fit all comment of Congressman Augustus Hawkins (Retired):

"Black children are the proxy for what ails American education in general.
And so, as we fashion solutions which help black children,
we fashion solutions which help all children."

Congressman Augustus Hawkins (Retired)
Former Chairman of Committee on Education and Labor
U. S. House of Representatives

Culturally relevant instruction also has an extreme side and this radical approach can be seen in the La Raza Public Charter School in Los Angles.

Take a look at La Academia Semillas del Pueblo, a public charter school in LA.

Check out the school's purpose: (bold face added by this writer)

Academia Semillas del Pueblo Charter School is a kindergarten through eighth grade public school dedicated to providing urban children of immigrant native families an excellent education founded upon their own language, cultural values and global realities.

. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academia_Semillas_del_Pueblo

Do you think these students begin each day with the Pledge of Allegiance? Visit the web sites to see culturally relevant instruction that seems to thumb its nose not only at American values; but at American education.

Over the years (decades) I have watched education shift from an emphasis and concern on what we teach (content) to and ever growing preoccupation on how we teach (strategies) and whom we teach (clients). Additionally, I have seen our special education classes change from classes for students with true educational handicaps to dumping grounds for behavioral problems. The very successful Mainstream Program has been bastardized to the absurd practice now known as Full Inclusion. Tracking, a concept and practice always uncomfortable for some, is now more palatable under its new name of Differentiated Instruction. What is the genesis of Culturally Relevant Instruction and where will it take education? If its element of global consideration does to education what “global” did for the U.S. economy, then we have rough times ahead. Is there a Pledge to the United Nations in our future?

No doubt everyone is concerned about the inability of some students to achieve. Current testing statistical data identifies under achieving students by their ethnicity. Using data provided by the State Dept. of Education it is easy to see that a school like Hopkins Junior High School’s proficient and highly proficient Asian population (now at almost 80%) will always secure excellent test score results. Conversely, Hopkins’ Hispanic (below 2%) students (usually labeled as chronic underachievers) are not even identified as a sub group and have virtually no impact on their test scores.

Walters Junior High School attempts to compete in this battle of the tests scores with the lowest Asian (high achievers) population (19%) and the highest Hispanic (underachievers) population (31%). Maybe it is time to think outside the box. Instead of just looking at our students in terms of ethnicity maybe it would be better to view them in terms of social class. Hopkins JHS is populated by students from Fremont’s upper middle and upper classes. Their parents have college degrees, excellent jobs, expensive homes and they have very high expectations for their children. They are the parents of theTHE MISSION ATTENDANCE AREA!

The rest of FUSD’s attendance areas are not as well off as Mission; but they are also not as bad off as our attendance area – the Kennedy Attendance Area. We are the orphan child of the district. The Kennedy attendance area has consistently gotten the short end of the stick for decades. Walters, until current administration, struggled under incompetent leadership for almost 15 years!! During that time we lost teachers, programs and students. Remember, we use to receive the Ardenwood students who now go to Thornton. And now there is the real possibility, as a result of recent FUSD Board actions, that we will lose students from yet another excellent feeder school.

When the Ardenwood students left Walters and went to Thornton the pseudo superintendent at that time directed us to work harder to attract more and better students to Walters. Are we to hear that same challenge again? Now as we cope with all the demands placed on us to achieve and compete with the other junior high schools, what will culturally relevant instruction demand of us?

What new hoops and hurdles will Walters students and staff be expected to navigate to compete in the on going educational version of “Survivor”? At the risk of offending some and stepping on the toes of others it seems that we teach at Walters with one specific deficiency that sets us apart from the other schools. It becomes more and more obvious that we have far too many parents who do not have a clue as to how to parent their children through the junior high school years. We have far too many parents who tolerate inappropriate behavior at home and then excuse that same behavior at school. These same parents have no or low expectations of their children for academic success. We have far too many students who seem to “run” the house and have no limits on television, computer and cell phone use and accountability of their time, activities and friends. Far too many of our parents can not even get their children to attend school on a regular basis. Does Walters still have the worst attendance record of all the junior high schools?

Maybe it is time for more parent directed trainings, in-services and evenings with the “experts” that delight in telling us how to teach. There must be parenting experts less nauseating than Dr. Phil. Maybe our parents should spend a day with Clay. To continue to expect more from staff and to tolerate the status quo of parent involvement and responsibility is not a formula for success.

Teachers may be forced to become culturally relevant in their instructional practices; but until more parents become relevant in their own children’s lives we are spinning our wheels. Any ideas?

The Pimp of San Francisco

Thankfully all the hubbub over gay and lesbian marriages has died down. I am not opposed to gay/lesbian marriages as I really don't care who enters into a marriage contract. Whomever someone decides to marry is their business ... not mine. However; what did annoy me when the state supreme court made their decision was the grandstanding, flamboyant, words and actions of San Francisco's sleazy mayor.

The country was treated to Mayor Newsom declaring that with respect to gay marriages -- so goes San Francisco so goes the country. Is he that stupid? Has he never visited the heart land or the bible belt? Those people find San Fransisco amusing, even entertaining ... but not a city to follow. For a man who can't keep his own pants zipped it was ludicrous for Newsom to think he could preach to the country. It seems San Francisco's Pimp Mayor thinks his championing the gay marriage cause will be his ticket to advance his political career.

Mayor Newsom needs a reality check. He is mayor of San Francisco and as such he should confine his actions and behavior to the city and citizens who elected him. The rest of us have our own clowns, both state and national with whom to contend.

LOOKING BACK … STARING FORWARD

I began teaching in California, in the Fremont Unified School District in 1974. At that time I was a Special Education Teacher working with Learning Handicapped Students. There was no collective bargaining for teachers. There were no Individualized Educational Plans for special education students or “504 plans” for regular students. Mainstreaming had not yet become popular and Prop. 13 was only an idea. I was fortunate to be working for a Principal who was not only an instructional team leader; but he was also an excellent plant manager. In other words, he not only knew what we should be teaching; but how to teach, and he also made sure we had sufficient supplies: including paper, pencils, TP and light bulbs … Thank You Mr. E !!!

In those mid 70’s years some students who were in special education classes were able to successfully return to regular education classes because we were able to remediate their learning difficulties. There were few students with severe behavior problems. This is not the situation today. Special education students seem to be career special ed. students with little chance of ever returning to regular education and students with behavior problems are in all our classes. By the end of the 70’s regular ed. teachers were teaching more and more South East Asia immigrants with limited English ability; but who had a strong desire to learn and make America their new home. We were successfully teaching this diverse population without the benefit or alleged need of CLAD training and certification.

Of course change was in the wind. Apple Computer had placed a single Apple IIe in every California school and most bit from the apple and fell under its spell. Prop. 13 was now a reality and with reduced school funding, limited resources went to buy the coveted computers and the necessary software. In many cases the need and use of computers was created after the purchases were made.

The winds of change continued to blow and blow stronger. The Leave It To Beaver neighborhood in which my school was located was also changing. We began to see more students with behavior problems. Dyslexic students were being replaced by the Hyperactive and then Attention Deficit Syndrome students. Learning Handicapped Classes were becoming the dumping ground for students with behavior problems. Students who were truly learning handicapped were now being kept in the regular classes with the idea that monitoring them while they were being mainstreamed would meet their needs. Consequently, this put added stress and work on regular teachers and students.

At this time those who should have been administering schools abdicated their power to the state legislature, the courts and other special interest groups. With this abdication came a focus on cost and efficiency. Since the Legislature has tunnel vision and only sees things in terms of numbers (votes, dollars, poll results, statistics) standardized testing became popular. Test results were all important. Over the years schools, students and teachers have had to deal with a Pandora’s Box of tests: CAP, CLAS, STAR and now CAHSEE, the high school exit exam. These tests produce numbers and it is numbers that elected officials relate to. Of course, for graduating college bound high school seniors it is the SAT that is most important and the test that they most relate to.

This preoccupation with testing has caused education to suffer. Many educators would like to see mandated testing just go away; but are powerless to effect a change. The distraction of testing consumes more and more of our instructional time. One could ask what the CTA and NEA have done about this intrusive testing and if an answer is discovered, by all means, please share it.

A recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle, Unprecedented Look at School System, begins with “The vexing decline of California’s school system – its difficulty retaining teachers, maintaining schools and helping all students succeed – has been variously blamed on Proposition 13’s tax cap and on an influx of low-income and non-English-speaking students over the past 25 years”. This sentence packs quite a punch and needs consideration.

First, California’s school system is described as “declining”. Yes, buildings need updating (modernization) and equipment needs to be replaced; but is this decline? We still have qualified and dedicated teachers and an energetic and diverse student body. Is there a decline here? However; when California’s students’ test scores are compared to other states we do show a decline. When we compare school expenditures per student on a state by state basis, we most definitely show a decline. Maybe it is true that you get what you pay for. The same legislature that wants to see excellent test results wants these results on a low budget, economy plan educational budget. Dream on !

Teacher retention is another area of concern. New teachers are subjected to a barrage of methodology courses that have little to do with the real problems of diverse student populations and the difficulties of classroom management. Veteran teachers are subjected to a mind numbing array of in service days and activities and most recently the demand to be CLAD certified. Sadly, there seems to be little concern for what we teach; but a rabid concern for how we teach. Having been educated in a Parochial School through eighth grade and then by the Jesuits in high school, college and graduate school, this preoccupation with methodology rather than course content has always puzzled and amused me.

Consider providing new teachers with the support they need so they will continue in their chosen career as teachers. Review and examine all continuing education programs that new teachers must take to keep and/or renew their credentials for not only need but appropriateness. Listen to what veteran teachers have to say about what is working and what needs change and/or improvement. Veteran teachers continue to be an ignored and untapped educational resource. Lastly, both the legislature and the courts need to back off and stop micro-managing schools. Their decisions and unfunded mandates are not always educationally sound or even possible.

Finally, there is a layer of non-teaching educational interests: School Boards, School Administrators, NEA, CTA and AFT, elected officials on the local, state and federal level and various educational advocacy groups who exert tremendous pressure on the system. All seem to have their own agenda and their agendas and their pressure do not always have positive results. It is important to remember that everything that takes place at school is secondary to students’ education. The business of education is in fact education. If everyone involved could recognize their role in the process and not interfere with the responsibilities of others, then California may see a return to its halcyon days of educational leadership rather than continually playing catch-up and trying to avoid last place.

With California’s ever increasing cost of real estate and the frequency with which California homes are bought and sold, the effects of Prop 13 have long since been mitigated. And of course, teachers have been successfully working with non English and limited English speaking students for decades. It is only recently, with the absurd demands placed on the school system by legislative and judicial know-it-all’s, that problems in teaching the English language learners have become severe. These same legislators who are elected using multi-lingual ballot information packets demand that the children of this state be tested in English only! Their motto seems to be “Don’t do as we do; but do as we say”.

So where do we go from here? Well, as yet another round of studies are done resulting in reports on the problems with California’s schools and probably offering suggestions for improvement, I will offer some suggestions and observations based on almost 35 years teaching in the system. First, and foremost, schools must be viewed as places of learning and not labs to test the latest educational and social theories. Students who are chronic behavior problems must be relocated to facilities that can deal with their special needs. Public schools are not designed to be detention facilities or mental health clinics for special needs students. The desire and need of the majority of students to learn in a safe learning environment must be supported and maintained. Return to serving real food items at lunch and immediately stop selling items more commonly sold at amusement parks. Maybe more traditional lunch items will result in a return to more traditional and acceptable student behavior not only at lunch … but all day.

Consider controls and restrictions on the use of ALL electronic devices on school grounds. Ipods, Iphones, cell phones and most other electronic devices continue to be a constant source of distraction and interruption on school grounds. Parents need to be continuously reminded that they are responsible for their student’s attire, attendance, behavior and achievement. They seem to be out of the loop.

Finally, the increasing preoccupation with cultural relevancy is undermining the effectiveness of our schools. While it may be helpful to recognize the diversity of our student population this diversity should not compromise the fact that American schools should be focusing on the English language and literature, American customs and culture and United States history. The current multi-cultural global view of our identity seems to be causing an identity crisis. We are one nation not the United Nations.

When I first started my teaching career I was fortunate to have heard a speaker identify one of education’s absurd expectations; specifically, that as educators we expect all children to be school ready at age five and then graduate at age eighteen. In spite of this expectation countless numbers of students do not meet this expectation. Today we now expect all students to be college bound after graduation from high school. Again many students are not only not college bound; but they are not even graduating from high school. The one curriculum fits all approach that we now have is cheating a significant number of our students of a meaningful education.

Seems we have a problem ………………… Can we fix it ????