Bill Gates Grant (Memphis: daycare, homes, public schools)

[BIGBANKHANK662]

I'm interested to hear how my fellow Memphians feel the grant provided to Memphis City Schools will affect our city.

Is it the greatest thing to ever happen to the city? Will the funds be squandered? Does this mean I'll have a decreasing chance of being robbed by career criminals over the next decade? Does it mean nothing?

Lets hear it!

Memphis City Schools accepts $90 million Gates Foundation grant» The Commercial Appeal

[maximus10]

It's definitely the greatest thing that's happened to Memphis City Schools. That's for sure. 90 million dollars is 90 million dollars. It's supposed to change how they hire and retain teachers. It will be a while before they can even begin catch up to Shelby County Schools though. They're the best in the state. I think in the long run though, you will see a change in the school system. It may not be desirable when you compare it to Shelby County Schools but I definitely think you'll see a dramatic improvement in about 5 to 7 years.

[(901)]

I have the upmost confidence those bafoons will **** it away...

What I wanna know is, when are my property taxes going down?

[NC_Man27006]

I am new to the area, and don't believe that any sum of money - $90MM or $900MM - will materially change the educational status of the area (Memphis City or any other poorly performing city) - I am not singling out Memphis.

The reason why I believe this is at the core of the problem is lack of family values and solid support structures that kids need in order to be disciplined enough to want to learn. You can put Albert Einstein in front of them, they will do little to improve without substance at home. With escalating divorce rates (or are they declining in the recession?), many kids come home to either no parent or a neighbor to watch them versus having someone that has a great enough stake in their future to continue the educational process at home. Home life goes well beyond academics, it is the molding of our nation's future into loving, caring, intelligent, ethical, and decent people. When this is absent, you had better watch out!

My 6 yr old son could count to 50, knew his abc's, colors, and was beginning to read at 4. That wasn't because he had a good teacher, it is because his mother and I care about him and his future. He is now in first grade and is reading on a 3rd grade level and excels at everything he does. His sister who is now 4, is just as advanced as he was at that age.

My boss grew up in Memphis, he told me stories about interviewing HS graduates that can't even read. Is that a function of the school system or the family? I guess many could debate that for some time, but I blame it on the family. It isn't the school's responsibility, it isn't a daycare, they shouldn't always take the blame for everything.

Just my 2 cents!

[Tigertate]

This grant will change nothing in the school system because you will still have a system full of kids who are being raised by parents who do not give a rat’s behind about their education. That is why MCS got the grant in the first place. They do not give these grants to good or even average school systems. They give grants like this to school systems that are in dire straits. The greatest thing MCS could do with that 90 mill is build new optional only schools so that the kids who actually want to learn can have a safe environment to do so. MCS does not have a money problem. Their yearly budget is almost a billion dollars for God's sake. MCS does not have a teacher problem. If you look up the credentials of the teachers in the MCS website you will see they have highly qualified teachers. MCS has administration, discipline, student population, and parental involvement problems. I mean seriously, when you have 15 year old cold blooded murderers (see the story about the student at Raleigh Egypt high who was just murdered by a classmate) walking the halls of our public schools terrorizing the poor kids who actually care about their education and their future, you have a problem that money will not fix. MCS needs to get some balls and get these criminals separated from the many good kids in the system. There needs to be a zero tolerance policy on discipline. You act up you get sent to a special school for delinquents. If the discipline problems continue then expel the child from school. Give those sent to the delinquent school incentives to get back into the general population, like improved grades and conduct. Make the delinquent school have mandatory school on Saturday and longer school hours with no fun time so kids dread the thought of ever being sent there. MCS also needs to have a vo-tech program for kids who are just not very book smart, but show an interest in a trade. If you teach someone a trade that can earn them an honest living you may be surprised at how interested they become in school. Let those kids get their basic education and have the opportunity to attain certification in a specific trade. I am sorry if I sound harsh, but the system just has too many problems for business as usual and the problems are not going to be easily fixed. The problem stems from a large population of poor underprivileged children who may come from really bad homes. You cannot approach educating that population of students the same way you would educate middle class suburban kids that come from stable homes. That’s just my opinion. I just get sick and tired of these new superintendents coming in to the MCS system and trying to address everything but the obvious. Someone tell me; are my thoughts out of line or against the law in some way? Why has the system not addressed these issues? I mean why do we even have a school uniform system when MCS lets the kids where the pants hanging off their butts. Is public education so bureaucratic these days that administrators are afraid to do what is needed?

[NC_Man27006]

I totally agree with your perspective Tigertate, as the root of the problem is the family/home, not the qualified teachers. I'm sure the teachers walk in with the intention of being the best and contributing back to the city/society by making a difference in the lives of every child they interact with (I know that I would). However, when the parents don't care, it all falls apart. Expelling kids that are problems will only make matters worse unless there is a social program in place to take care of them during school hours - otherwise they will run the streets and get involved in very bad things. An approved boot camp of some description might be effective - that will get to your soul!

[pixiepony]

But hopefully it will improve things for those whose parents do care. Hopefully it will bring more opportunity and better education. Only time will tell. Time for us to be proactive in our childrens education and insist they get the best.

[98SS]

Originally Posted by BIGBANKHANK662

Is it the greatest thing to ever happen to the city?

Will the funds be squandered?

Does this mean I'll have a decreasing chance of being robbed by career criminals over the next decade?

Does it mean nothing?

Debatable.

Hell yes, it's Memphis.

I doubt it.

I wouldn't say nothing, but I fully agree with what's already been stated. You can only do so much at the school. The rest is dependent on the way the kids are raised. My friend's ex girlfriend is a teacher at an MCS and he has told me some stories that make you want to take kids away from people and sterilize them so they can't breed anymore.
I fully believe that if it were practical to restrict who can and can't have kids, I'd be a full supporter of it.

One kid didn't know his own name going into the first grade. He seriously thought his name was "pork rib" and answered to it.

[Pearlbob]

Ok that made me laugh. A lot.

I think the money is a good thing. Things can't get much worse! Maybe they can set up some sort of mandatory parents program for problem students. Like has been said, there is only so much the schools can do to help the kids.

Originally Posted by 98SS

One kid didn't know his own name going into the first grade. He seriously thought his name was "pork rib" and answered to it.

[philbert_wormly]

Poor 'lil old pork rib LOL

That reminds me of my late great uncle who had cerebral palsy as well as dementia. He went by his middle name his whole life. When he fell just downright horribly ill round about this time last year and had to go live in a nursing home, he had trouble answering to his first name. The reason why he had trouble answering to his first name is that no one at the nursing home caught on to the fact that he had never went by it in over 77 years and more than likely plumb forgot what it was. I had to hand letter little signs here and there over at the home so the staff would catch on. Sad and somewhat funny but true.

Sorry for going off topic.

With the Gates Grant, I sincerely wish the best for all the youngsters who will benefit. It is going to take a heck of a lot to get a fair amount of those youngsters on track because of the myriad negative societal influences and practices outside the school setting, but I think the Gates Grant will help them out somewhat.

Memphis has thrown a lot of *what have you* against the wall when it comes to the MCS children and nothing really did manage to stick all too very much. Hopefully the Gates Grant will stick because there are a lot of safeguards in place with it and everything.

I do have a nightmarish thought which is horribly irrational and inane as most nightmarish thoughts oftentimes are, really...

my nightmare is that Willie Herenton will drop his Congressional bid and try to become MCS superintendent again what for all this Gates Grant money.