Turnaround for South Chicagoland

[Chuckity]

Originally Posted by Drover

Chicken v. egg: which came first? Does improving the schools improve the character and culture of the city, or does improving the character and culture of the city improve the schools? You can have the best facilities and the brightest, most enthusiastic teachers and the finest curriculum, but none of that will matter if the kids are little sociopaths. That said, I don't know if that's the case in CCH or what the condition of the schools are there.

If you improve the schools - the rest will come. And it must be said that when I say "improve the schools" I don't mean throw more money at it and/or hire more qualified educators. Improving the quality of schools also means improve the quality of the kids as well.

Which goes back to parental involvement.

So at the heart of improving the schools IS the parents. They need to not only take a more active role in their children's education - but a bigger and more active role in the SCHOOL itself.

Originally Posted by deechee

Ah that's the spirit! Finally someone gets it. People always blame things on teachers when sometimes the fault lies entirely with the "student."

Ahh I cannot wait until I am a certified teacher. I wonder what awaits me

I never blamed anything on the teachers.

[ajolotl]

Better yet, send the kids to private school. If that's too expensive, just move. The schools cater to the lowest common denominator. I come from a family with many educators. Apparently at some point (70s) administrators became so afraid of lawsuits and accusations of racism that their hands are completely tied.

Originally Posted by Chuckity

If you improve the schools - the rest will come. And it must be said that when I say "improve the schools" I don't mean throw more money at it and/or hire more qualified educators. Improving the quality of schools also means improve the quality of the kids as well.

Which goes back to parental involvement.

So at the heart of improving the schools IS the parents. They need to not only take a more active role in their children's education - but a bigger and more active role in the SCHOOL itself.



I never blamed anything on the teachers.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Chuckity

If you improve the schools - the rest will come. And it must be said that when I say "improve the schools" I don't mean throw more money at it and/or hire more qualified educators. Improving the quality of schools also means improve the quality of the kids as well.

Which goes back to parental involvement.

So at the heart of improving the schools IS the parents. They need to not only take a more active role in their children's education - but a bigger and more active role in the SCHOOL itself.

Or, as ajolotl suggests, instead of fighting an entrenched bureaucracy and social pathologies that each have more inertia than Planet Jupiter, you could just move to a district that doesn't suck.

I get what you're saying and I agree, there needs to be parental involvement. But some districts actively chafe against it, and in other districts many parents just couldn't be arsed. Trying to change these factors is good and necessary, but by the time any significant progress is made, your kids will have already gone through their entire primary and high school education and the primary benefits will not accrue to them. When it comes to a choice between staying to "fight the good fight" and making sure my kid is properly educated, my kid's education comes first. If that means I pack up and leave, unfortunately that is what I'll do.

Of course, I'd like to see the whole stinking system overhauled altogether, but that's a whole different fight.

[BRU67]

[quote=Drover;9559488]

I get what you're saying and I agree, there needs to be parental involvement. But some districts actively chafe against it, and in other districts many parents just couldn't be arsed. Trying to change these factors is good and necessary, but by the time any significant progress is made, your kids will have already gone through their entire primary and high school education and the primary benefits will not accrue to them.[quote]

Totally disagree. Your grandkids will have gone through their entire primary and high school education before there is any significant progress made if we rely on parental involvement within the existing system! It just isn't going to happen. As you say, there needs to be a complete overhaul. How is the big question.

[Drover]

^^ Put a slash in front of the second quote tag.

[deechee]

Chuckity: I actually never said you blamed anything on the teachers...reread for me please.

I actually believe different people need to move here. Better people. Then we will have the manpower to overhaul the schools.

[Opkl]

Originally Posted by deechee

Chuckity: I actually never said you blamed anything on the teachers...reread for me please.

I actually believe different people need to move here. Better people. Then we will have the manpower to overhaul the schools.