RANDOM THOUGHTS -- SUMMER 2010

FILM

AMC recently presented the 1975 film, Three Days of the Condor, with Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway and Cliff Robertson . It has always been one of my favorite movies. Each time I watch this film I notice something I had not paid much attention to in previous viewings. What struck me this time was that having just watched CNN continue reporting on the BP oil disaster, along with coverage of the Washington Post series "Top Secret America" the film was very timely. The movie gives us a rogue operation within the CIA with scenes set in the lobby of the World Trade Center and a plot based on the demand for oil. Remember the movie was made 35 years ago.

WINE

I recently came across an old and yellowed newspaper clipping from the San Francisco Chronicle. It was written by Herb Caen, the Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for the paper who died in 1997. The paragraph was from his daily column and this one was titled My Kind of Monday. He wrote: "I have a new hero: Kermit Lynch, wine merchant, of 935 San Pablo Ave., Albany. His latest elegantly produced
brochure includes this offering:'1962 Romanee St. Vivant (H. Auddifred, shipper). Cloudy, browning garnet. Nothing to the noise but oxidation. Flat and empty on the palate. No character or depth. Way past its prime. $21.50 per bottle. $232 per case.' ... Imagine what it would cost if it were any good ! (No sales to date.)"


CALIFORNIA

It amuses me that Republican candidate for Governor of California, Meg Whitman, will spend upwards to $200,000,000 of her personal fortune to win the election. At the same time she is preaching that we must cut expenses, not raise taxes and tighten our belts to turn the state around. She is a classic example of "Don't do as I do; but do as I preach!" Seems that having wealth does not necessarily mean one will have wisdom.

WEATHER

Reliable sources report that the month of June was the coldest month for the San Francisco Bay area in 40 years, with temperatures consistently below normal. I now understand why the politically correct term "global warming" was changed to "climate change". Now where did I put my extra sweatshirts?

TELEVISION

Not long ago we received our television signal via the roof top antenna. Today we have a choice of cable or dish reception. There is a problem however in that what we receive is crap and what we used to receive was, in my opinion, a wider selection of quality programs. It seems my cable channels are clogged with alleged reality, insipid attempts at comedy, desperate bitches, and countless reruns of the Shawshank Redemption. Amazingly what we once received for free we now pay through the nose to watch in HD. No wonder Netfix is so popular.


READING

Back in early December of 2009 while visiting Bainbridge Island my good friend, Mary Miller, gave me a Michael Connelly novel, The Black Ice, to read and I was hooked. Harry Bosch is the smart ass, laid back, to hell with authority character that reminded me of Clint Eastwood's character, Harry Callahan. Over the next six months I read all 21 novels by Connelly, most revolving around the character, Harry Bosch. On October 5th his next novel, The Reversal, will be released. In the mean time thanks to another close friend, Gerry Donnelly, I am reading the novels of John Lescroart and enjoying another enigmatic character, Dismas Hardy.

FIXING OUR SCHOOLS FOR DUMMIES-VIII

Dangerous, Disruptive and Disobedient Students

Whether it is still done or not I do not know; but there was a time when children had to pass a readiness test for admittance to kindergarten. Children were evaluated on the basis of social, motor and language skills. In the social skills section of the evaluation, among other questions, parents were asked: if their child could follow directions, do tasks when asked the first time and work independently. I would venture to say that a significant number of our students currently in the upper elementary grades and in junior and senior high school would not pass this kindergarten readiness test. These students cannot or will not follow directions, rarely do anything when first asked or even after multiple requests and are unable or unwilling to work either independently or in a group. It is these uncooperative students that create the toxic atmosphere in which teachers and the rest of the students currently have to function.

As these uncooperative students move through the system they continue to be not only uncooperative; but disruptive, increasing disobedient and at worse they become dangerous individuals. Unfortunately, the way the system now operates these malcontents must be dealt with in the school setting. Yes, the very worst may be reassigned to "opportunity classes", occasionally suspended and some even expelled; but the vast majority are accommodated within the regular school setting. Consequently, teachers spend far too much time trying to deal with the aberrant behavior of these uncooperative individuals. Sadly every minute spent controlling these disruptive students is time taken from the process of teaching.

The solution is rather simple. Allow schools to provide the service that they were mandated to provide; that is, a free education. It is not the school's role to be a detention or mental health facility nor an extension of the courts, probation departments or social services. The school's staff are trained in the area of education not social work, custodial supervision, parental support or crime fighting. Those educators not in the classroom, administrators at all levels, must begin to show more than lip service support for classroom teachers by seeing that the disruptive, chronically disobedient and dangerous students are removed from the regular classroom environment. Just as one rotten apple can spoil the barrel, one disruptive student can spoil the positive learning atmosphere for an entire class. It is time for educators in policy and decision making positions to put their money where their mouths are. If the educational leaders truly want to see gains in achievement via standardized test scores then level the playing field for all students and all teachers. Teachers and students now working in schools that are like combat zones need to have their environments adjusted to be similar to that of schools were deviant student behavior is not tolerated.

Just as the gifted and talented students perform and achieve more when taught with other gifted and talented students so too the vast majority of the regular student population would perform, achieve and learn more in peaceful, orderly, engaged and trouble free classrooms. Students have a right to be safe and experience a positive learning environment at all times and in all schools regardless of the school's location. Administrators have a responsibility to see that both students and staff are safe at all times during the school day. If they are unable or unwilling to provide this safe environment then they need to step aside. The buck does indeed stop with the school administrators when it comes to school safety and they must either lead, follow or get the hell out of the way. There is too much at stake to accept less.

Next Post: Over Emphasis on Testing

The Gulf Oil Mess

As the Gulf Oil Disaster continues and the combined response seems to be one big clusterfluck with daily reports offering misinformation and bureaucratic bungling it is obvious that there is no real master plan nor is there any one person really in charge. Just the other day the Coast Guard ordered the oil vacuuming recovery vessels off the water because they had not yet been inspected ... inspected for what no one can really say; but rules are rules. Below is a Wikipedia paragraph I found on the naval evacuation of Dunkirk. Read it and see how Churchill took charge of a disaster. It is this kind of leadership and resourcefulness that is seriously lacking in this current situation.


"In May 1940, during the Battle of France, the British Expeditionary Force in France aiding the French, was cut off from the rest of the French Army by the German advance. Encircled by the Germans they retreated to the area around the port of Dunkirk. The German land forces could have easily destroyed the British Expeditionary Force, especially when many of the British troops, in their haste to withdraw, had left behind their heavy equipment. For years, it was assumed that Adolf Hitler ordered the German Army to stop the attack, favouring bombardment by the Luftwaffe. However, according to the Official War Diary of Army Group A, Field Marshall Gerd von Rundstedt, the Chief of the General Staff, ordered the halt. Hitler merely validated several hours after the fact. This lull in the action gave the British a few days to evacuate by sea. Winston Churchill ordered any ship or boat available, large or small, to pick up the stranded soldiers, and 338,226 men (including 123,000 French soldiers) were evacuated - the miracle of Dunkirk, as Churchill called it. It took over 900 vessels to evacuate the Allied forces. More than 40,000 vehicles as well as massive amounts of other military equipment and supplies were left behind; their value being less than that of trained fighting men. The British evacuation of Dunkirk through the English Channel was codenamed Operation Dynamo. 40,000 Allied soldiers (some who carried on fighting after the official evacuation) were captured or forced to make their own way home through a variety of routes including via neutral Spain."

If the mentality and actions of our Federal Government, the Coast Guard and British Petroleum had been prevalent in May 1940 then 338,226 men would have more than likely been left to die on the beaches of Dunkirk. As it is the above three stooges have been the principal players in a comedy of errors and missteps that will be felt in the gulf for many, many years.

FIXING OUR SCHOOLS FOR DUMMIES- VII

SAFE AND SECURE SCHOOLS

In the United States like many other countries students by law must attend school. Students cannot legally drop out until they complete the high school academic year in which they turned 16. Unfortunately, more and more of our students drop out of high school. It is a baffling situation because successful completion of high school and actually graduating is the minimum necessary in this country for future success. One cannot even join the military without completing high school or getting one's GED and the military limits the number of GED applicants it will accept. GED stands for General Educational Development and it is viewed as an equivalent document to a high school diploma.

There are countless reasons for students to drop out of high school. These reasons might include: family problems, socio-economic issues, poor grades, substance abuse, behavior problems and a failure to recognize the value of an education. Recently another factor may be accountable for not only students dropping out of high school; but even the increasingly poor attendance of more and more elementary and junior high school students. That factor is school safety. Violence both in and around our schools is increasing. The killings at Columbine was the wake-up call and there seems to be more and more incidences of students fighting, stabbing and shooting one another in and around schools across the country.

If attending school is compulsory then it is school system's responsibility to see that students are safe and secure in a situation where their attendance is mandatory. One can only wonder if the truancy on the elementary level and the accelerating dropout rate in high schools are the results of the increasing incidences of school violence. The school environment is fast changing and unfortunately those responsible for administering our schools are out of step. While school boards argue over the political correctness of social studies books and site administrators focus on gum chewing and clothing styles, other more serious problems need attention. Educators seem to be packed in a slow moving school bus in the commuter lane while students are speeding along in the fast lane.

I viewed a presentation recently in which the speaker offered that by the time kids get to school their brains have been rewired to be digital because they have spent so much time with digital activities, http://www.wimp.com/secretpowers/. Unfortunately the school environment is analog in that students are expected to focus on lectures, books, paper assignments and tests. In the classroom students cannot use the pause or delete key. Obviously, some will not be able to handle this foreign and unfamiliar situation. Lacking self-control, poor behavior is inevitable.



During my years of teaching I encountered poorly behaved students who enjoyed their attempts to be disruptive in the classroom. Ironically these same students rarely missed a day of school. Some actually bragged that they came to school not to learn but to socialize, hassle their fellow students, annoy teachers and see how much they could get away with. It is long past the time when the vast majority of students who attend regularly, participate in class, do their assignments and stay out of trouble once again become the focus of attention. This taken for granted, unappreciated and basically ignored student population needs to become the main attraction and receive top billing. The misfits, trouble makers, occasional attendees, novice gang members, and all those who just don't give a damn about their education need to be dealt with in a manner and location that does not detract from those students who appreciate and want an education.

Our schools are not an extension of the juvenile justice system or the mental health system. For too long the schools and their staffs have been used as the untrained extensions of the courts, law enforcement, health services and on occasion neglectful parents. The business of education is education. Current conditions make it difficult enough for schools to fulfill their primary responsibility without having to be burdened by all of society's other problems. When schools once again focus on those who want to learn and allow teachers to teach without being part time cops, social workers, mental health professionals and truant officers a more safe environment will be established and school violence will no doubt decrease. This is not rocket science just plain old common sense ... something that seems to be in short supply.

Next Post: Dangerous, Disruptive and Disobedient Students

FIXING OUR SCHOOLS FOR DUMMIES-VI

Return to Student Tracking

If you are like me, a baby boomer, then you probably remember the small groups in which we were placed in grade school, especially for reading. These groups were identified by various names such as "Bluebirds" and "Redbirds" allowing the teacher to group students according to reading ability. Years later in my high school there was only one class that was different from the other classes and that class was known by us as the "Brain Class". At Loyola High School this class was made up of the best and brightest students and the guys in this class were guaranteed admission to college as sophomores as a result of their advanced work .

Today we have students in what are now called "gifted and talented" programs at one end of the educational spectrum and the special education classes at the other end. In the middle is everyone else regardless of achievement, skills mastery and actual performance. It is this middle group that makes up the vast majority of all classes in which most students are placed and most teachers teach. These classes will have students who will be reading three to four years above and below grade level. Some students in these classes will be disappointed if they do not earn "A" grades and others will celebrate if they achieve a "D-".

For some reason the practice of grouping by ability or tracking fell out of favor and became educationally incorrect. Whereas homogeneous grouping is desirable for the gifted and the educationally handicapped it is not a placement process for everyone else. As a result teachers are forced to modify their instructional delivery by offering differentiated instruction; that is, teaching to multiple groups with varying ability levels. Furthermore teachers must accommodate many individual students with specific learning difficulties that require individualized instruction. This is to be accomplished in a class with 30 or more students with no other adult assistance. You see, administrators know that "redbirds" and "bluebirds" still exist; but refuse to divide students into manageable groups. Instead teachers are now required to set up subgroups in their classes to effectively deal with these vast differences in ability.

The result of this departure from tracking is that now most teachers spend more time dealing with issues of how to teach and classroom management issues rather than what to teach. Teachers must be aware of and recognize the cultural diversity, socio-economic background as well as the level of skills mastery of their students. It is understood and accepted that the educationally handicapped need to be isolated in special education classes to succeed. Additionally, the gifted and talented also allegedly achieve more when placed in homogeneous classes; but its baffling that these same placement considerations are denied to the vast majority of regular students. Consequently the end results, namely the achievement levels, actual grades and of course standardized test scores of the regular students are all over the place.

It is generally believed that nothing in education is ever really new; but a repackaging of something that has previously been done. If this be true, then why not bring back the "Redbirds" and "Bluebirds"? Let us begin to place regular students in classes by achievement or ability just like the gifted and talented and the educationally handicapped are now placed. Let us begin to give the regular students the same educational advantage that these other two groups of students now enjoy. Let us give the teachers of these regular students the same teaching advantage that the teachers of the other two groups of students now experience. Tracking once worked and still works for a few so why not allow tracking to work for everyone? We really have nothing to lose.

Next Post: Safe and Secure Schools

FIXING OUR SCHOOLS FOR DUMMIES - V

Focus on Subject Matter

There has been a steady shift or slide by educators from spending professional time on their particular subject matter to spending professional time on classroom management, cultural diversity, fostering self-esteem, parent and student rights, educational standards and of course the now all important and almighty standardized testing. While all these topics and concerns have varying degrees of relevance and possibly importance, the business of education remains education. As such, curriculum is all important. Professional time should be spent on what is being taught in the core subjects: English, Mathematics, History and Science. Teachers need to be able to meet as colleagues and discuss subject matter concerns. Teachers must have the time to discuss particular subject matter units and how these units are being presented to students. Over the years teachers' meetings have been usurped by administration to cover, discuss, debate and promote everything; except the business of education. This trend must be reversed.

What teachers teach and what students learn in each grade as students progress through public school has become pretty much standardized and predictable. Yes, there have been some unfortunate changes like the mandate that all eighth graders must be taught algebra regardless of their mastery of basic math skills. But in general, there is for the most part a somewhat logical progression of skills acquisition and subject matter exposure. Unfortunately, for many teachers they teach in a collegial vacuum and professional isolation. Many novice teachers have little time to be mentored by their more experienced colleagues and veteran teachers have little or no time to "talk shop" with their peers. Once that bell rings and the door closes its is show time and all teachers are on their own, even the novice first year teacher with no experience.

During the last years of my teaching career most meetings, both full faculty and departmental, were taken up with the new concerns of education. Topping this list was of course standardized testing; but many other non-education topics consumed precious time under the alleged importance of staff development, in-service training and school improvement. Countless school improvement plan requests drifted down from the non-teaching administrators in the district office that required many precious hours to process and complete. To add insult to injury in some instances these plans would be filed away having never been reviewed or read. If by chance someone had discovered a new resource to explain the plot of The Call of the Wild or a new web site that provided more detailed back ground information for The Diary of Anne Frank little formal meeting time was available for sharing this information.

As a result of universal education in that all children regardless of school readiness, mastery of skills, attitude, behavior, attendance and socialization occupy seats in this country's classrooms; the classroom teacher now faces many challenges. Teachers are expected to wear many hats. They are expected to be social workers, counselors, crisis intervention specialists, surrogate parents, nutritionists, behavior modification specialists, attendance monitors and security cops in their overcrowded classrooms with far too many students needing special services. These special needs students are in addition to the educationally handicapped students that were once taught in special education classes; but now include the growing number of delinquent, chronically truant, frequently suspended, disinterested, out of control, parentally neglected children who are a constant source of disruption in the classroom.

No doubt if school administrators would handle the problems that these feral students bring to the classroom maybe, just maybe teachers could devote more time to improving their subject matter presentation and less time on all the various facets of classroom management. Could this result in even test scores going up ? Now that is a carrot to wave in front of school administrators.

Next Post: RETURN TO STUDENT TRACKING

FIXING OUR SCHOOLS FOR DUMMIES -IV

REALITY BASED CURRICULUM

A school's curriculum is a school's course of study and for students it is the education and training they receive. I attended a college preparatory high school in Baltimore, Loyola High School, which is a Jesuit institution. There were no shop classes or art and music classes. All classes were academic with one goal in mind and that was to prepare students for college. There were schools that were even more specialized in their course offerings, like Baltimore's Polytechnic High School which prepared its students for continuing education and careers in engineering. Eastern High School offered business and secretarial skills to its female student body and Mergenthaler Vocational and Technical High School prepared it students for immediate employment in the trades. Yes, I suppose this was a form of institutional tracking; but it was also an understanding and acceptance that one size did not fit all. The reality was that not all students were college bound. It is that narrow minded one size will fit all concept which now manifests itself in the current educational philosophy that all students will be college bound and is in fact so out of step with reality.

This country's high school student drop-out rates are alarmingly high. Over the last decade roughly 70% of all high school seniors graduated and of that number roughly 34% possess the skills and qualifications necessary to enter college. With these statistics smacking us in the face why then are so many schools modifying their curricula in deference to the college bound and at the expense of all other students? Many years ago I attended one of the few in-service/staff development training sessions that was not a mind numbing experience. The guest lecturer offered that America's schools are set up so that all students are expected to be kindergarten ready at around age 5 and ready to graduate from high school at age 18. Yet every year tens of thousands of students demonstrate that they are not ready to begin at age 5 and not ready to leave at age 18. This guest lecturer also offered that the two American institutions that are very much alike in the manner in which they operate are the educational system and the prison system. However; unlike this country's educational system the prison system is slowly changing. It seems this country's prison population fares better than its student population.
Just as the five year olds and the 18year olds continually demonstrate that readiness to begin school and readiness to exit is somewhat fluid, so does a significant part of our student population continue to demonstrate that they are not college bound and that what is currently be offered in the form of course work and career training is not relevant to their lives and their futures.

I have a friend who is a plumber by trade. After high school he joined the US Navy and specialized in being a pipefitter/steamfitter. After his tour of duty he gained employment with a bay area plumbing contractor. After several years he got his own plumbing contractor's license and now operates his own plumbing business. His earnings are excellent. He is married and owns a home and he is not a college graduate.

On a recent visit to my home the subject of schools came up and he expressed some rather strong negative opinions about his son's education. Apparently the boy would someday like to follow in his father's footsteps and become a plumber. What my friend objected to was the fact that his son's education was devoid of any exposure to the trades. Regardless of his son's interests his education is structured on the college preparatory track. My friend feels that his son is being blatantly discriminated against because the schools have decided that it is best for everyone to be educated as if they are going to college. To paraphrase my friend, some students should be learning how to read a tape measure and instead are being taught algebra. He pointed out that he doesn't use algebra as a plumber but being able to correctly read a tape measure is crucial.

If schools are to ever see a decrease in the drop-out rate and an increase in the graduation rate than schools must once again offer a reality-base curriculum. Students who plan on joining the family restaurant business, retail store, various trades and service jobs must have meaningful courses from which to choose. It is a disservice to these students and their families to force all of them into the college preparatory track when so many have plans that do not include college. Not all students are interested in Racing to the Top. Some have been Left Behind because their destination was different and just as Failure is Not an Option to the educational decision makers, college is not an option for those with other plans and interests.

Next Post: FOCUS ON SUBJECT MATTER