"It all seems to be a matter of numbers, of having too many kids in a classroom, so that the teachers can't possibly spread themselves thin enough to do all that they'd be able to do for a smaller group. The students all need encouragement and nurturing, no matter what their performance level, race, enthusiasm level, etc. may be. They need a chance to interact and develop their skills and self confidence. Without more funding to reduce classroom size, the system is failing all of them, even if the test scores of some get them into good colleges.
I don't think that anyone reading this discussion feels that it's the fault of the teachers; it's the fault of a system that treats the whole thing like bean-counting and thinks that a large box works just as well as a small one, but is willing to keep changing the name and pictures on the box every few years to see if that makes a difference." Hi Melani, Also, underfunded schools and their kids don't have proper ancillary services. Not only are art, music, sports, etc programs stimulating to different kids, the adults offer additional mentors. Guidance counselors and behavioral specialists also provide very important services for the kids and provide specialized help so the teachers can stay focused on the teaching. All these are not properly available in underfunded systems. If our society wants good policies, we citizens need to change the debate. No Child Left Behind was an attempt to justify the funding system by blaming principals and teachers often asked to do the impossible while demanding miracles and heroism from the staff. But blaming the victims of poverty, the parents, isn't a very good policy for society either. I think it's perfectly natural for teachers to defend themselves. But the fact is that we have a great deal of city families living in poverty. The problems can't be ignored. This is my specialty area. Many middle class people don't have any idea about the literacy problems in our poor communities. They don't really consider the mini-traumas of the working poor or impoverished; or the stress that comes when no temporary relief is possible. They don't consider the barriers to healthcare, both mental and physical. Etc Etc. Yes, the child's life begins at home. The reality is that the seriousness of many of the parents problems cause a break down in the child's early development. The struggle to blame teachers or parents keeps us from supporting good policy!!!! We can sacrifice the next generation or change the debate. To me, it's painful to know that many problems are unnecessary! But as long as we allow sound bites and deception to keep us from the real debate and solutions, the problems will be maintained. Some people want desparately to defend the wealth based system/division for all public issues and make these permanent. I checked, the federal contribution to education, 68 billion. Think of that in terms of the war, and the priorities become very clear. . Melani, I'd like to compliment your last couple posts. When you write from your feelings, you appear much differently to me and it's a pleasure exchanging ideas. Sincerely, Glenn ----- Original Message ----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [email protected] Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2008 6:22 PM Subject: Re: [UC] Penn schools In a message dated 4/10/08 6:11:12 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: The gentrifying mission of a neighborhood-based lab school like PAS is pretty plain. But high schools are clumsier tools of gentrification because they must draw from a wide geographical base.... I think that our rather jaded descriptions of the specialty schools using the blanket term of gentrification may not reflect the original purpose. My experience with the Philadelphia public schools only goes back about 20 years, to when my son Scott started kindergarten at Powel - I think in 1988. He was able to go to Powel instead of Wilson, which is our neighborhood school, because of the city's court-ordered "deseg" program. As I understand it, the deseg program had begun at a considerably earlier date, when it still appeared possible to racially balance the Philadelphia school system. Certain schools were given "perks" so that folks would voluntarily put their little kids on school buses and send them over, so that the school population would be mixed, as was required by the courts. Wilson, unfortunately, isn't targeted for deseg, so it doesn't get the perks. I don't know who made that decision. But the Powelton neighbors insisted that Powel be a deseg school from the time it was built - which I think was at the end of the 1950s. It wasn't that they wanted a "white" school for their kids - they wanted a school in which children of all races could learn together. I don't know if each deseg school has the same requirement, but for Powel, it was required that the school always be "majority minority" to reflect the population of the area - in other words, always more than 50% non-white. And it was a mixture of neighborhood school AND deseg school - kids within the neighborhood boundaries were automatically in; other children could apply "for the purpose of desegregation" if there were spaces available and they were of the races required for the deseg program. If these guidelines apply at every deseg school, there must be schools in the predominately white areas of the Northeast where the schools would be seeking non-white students for deseg. Does anyone know if the specialty schools we are talking about here were created for this same reason - to bring a blend of students to a middle or high school, rather than only a population of whichever race happened to live nearby? Not Central or Girls High, of course, they'd been around much longer. But maybe even Masterman came about as a result of the deseg program? Perhaps Wilma can enlighten us - not that she has been teaching since the creation of deseg schools, of course! All of that said, I have always found that the Philadelphia school system works best for smart white students - unfortunately. But, I'm not even sure it provided a very good education for my smart white child, compared to the opportunities at Friends schools, St. Joe's Prep, etc. Coming from nurturing preschools and home lives, my son and the other University City kids I know were self-confident and outspoken. At home, they were used to being listened to when they had an opinion; they carried on intellectual conversations with adults as a matter of course. Then they went to public school, where the teachers, struggling with so many kids in a classroom, wanted them to sit down and shut up. That contradicted what they'd been taught before, that their opinions counted and that the folks around them respected them. It wasn't always a good fit. It all seems to be a matter of numbers, of having too many kids in a classroom, so that the teachers can't possibly spread themselves thin enough to do all that they'd be able to do for a smaller group. The students all need encouragement and nurturing, no matter what their performance level, race, enthusiasm level, etc. may be. They need a chance to interact and develop their skills and self confidence. Without more funding to reduce classroom size, the system is failing all of them, even if the test scores of some get them into good colleges. I don't think that anyone reading this discussion feels that it's the fault of the teachers; it's the fault of a system that treats the whole thing like bean-counting and thinks that a large box works just as well as a small one, but is willing to keep changing the name and pictures on the box every few years to see if that makes a difference. - Melani Lamond Melani Lamond, Associate Broker Urban & Bye, Realtor 3529 Lancaster Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19104 cell phone 215-356-7266 office phone 215-222-4800, ext. 113 ************** Planning your summer road trip? Check out AOL Travel Guides. (http://travel.aol.com/travel-guide/united-states?ncid=aoltrv00030000000016) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.519 / Virus Database: 269.22.11/1368 - Release Date: 4/9/2008 4:20 PM
