New rule to punish parents for not being engaged? (activities, jobs)

[travbo]

This is beyond stupid. Even if Cobb finds a way to get parents engaged at the school level, this does nothing to maintain engagement at home. And that's where the true problem is to begin with.

[2nd trick op]

Originally Posted by BR Valentine

Glad to see that a majority of the Cobb School Board have more sense than David Morgan.

As a former PTA member I can state unequivocally that you don't have even the tiniest clue as to what you are talking about.

PTA's have been around at least since I was a primary-schooler -- nearly sixty years ago. And I had both teachers and administrators (admittedly in smaller school districts -- enrollment 500 or less; I myself attended a district with 3000 students) within my extended family during my formative years.

And when I was an undergraduate (late Sixties and early Seventies) visiting speakers from the state-based affiliate of the NEA made no secret of the fact that their goal was to turn it into an advocacy for the organization of school districts along the lines of a collective bargaining unit. That agenda was guaranteed to clash with the cultural ambience found in most rural communities ... and the battle was joined.

I am surely no Bible-thumping primitive; and I spent my early 20's arguing against a coalition determined to keep an outdated system of crumbling physical plant and mindless "back-to-basics" authoritarianism. But the current educational system represents just as great an imbalance at the opposite pole, -- a bland, but constant indoctrination in the values inculcated by an organization advancing its own agenda, and from which a large group (males) are virtually excluded, or relegated to second-class status, at the primary levels.

Nature abhors a vacuum and/or an imbalance, and it's no secret that the continued pursuit of power within a sector of society in which a government-run near-monopoly seeks additional power will provoke a reaction; hence the recent expansion in educational alternatives. Incidents such as the one documented in this thread are merely proof that the organized lowest-common-denominator Educational Establishment is getting desperate, and a threatened despotism invariably thinks in terms of the use of coercion.

[BR Valentine]

Originally Posted by 2nd trick op

PTA's have been around at least since I was a primary-schooler -- nearly sixty years ago. And I had both teachers and administrators (admittedly in smaller school districts -- enrollment 500 or less; I myself attended a district with 3000 students) within my extended family during my formative years.

And when I was an undergraduate (late Sixties and early Seventies) visiting speakers from the state-based affiliate of the NEA made no secret of the fact that their goal was to turn it into an advocacy for the organization of school districts along the lines of a collective bargaining unit. That agenda was guaranteed to clash with the cultural ambience found in most rural communities ... and the battle was joined.

I am surely no Bible-thumping primitive; and I spent my early 20's arguing against a coalition determined to keep an outdated system of crumbling physical plant and mindless "back-to-basics" authoritarianism. But the current educational system represents just as great an imbalance at the opposite pole, -- a bland, but constant indoctrination in the values inculcated by an organization advancing its own agenda, and from which a large group (males) are virtually excluded, or relegated to second-class status, at the primary levels.

Nature abhors a vacuum and/or an imbalance, and it's no secret that the continued pursuit of power within a sector of society in which a government-run near-monopoly seeks additional power will provoke a reaction; hence the recent expansion in educational alternatives. Incidents such as the one documented in this thread are merely proof that the organized lowest-common-denominator Educational Establishment is getting desperate, and a threatened despotism invariably thinks in terms of the use of coercion.

Your tinfoil hat is restricting blood flow to your brain.

David Morgan is a die-hard proponent of "educational alternatives" aka charter schools. His proposal was that public schools adopt a policy similar to a common one at no excuses charter schools. He modified the tactic to punish children by denying access to afterschool activities since public schools can't expel students for their parents' failure to comply with parent engagement requirements as some charter schools do.

The NEA and teacher unions in general have no presence or influence in Georgia.

[2nd trick op]

Originally Posted by BR Valentine

Your tinfoil hat is restricting blood flow to your brain.

And your own myopia is clearly focused toward the centralization and reinforcement of state power, in the pursuit of the warm, fuzzy folly known as Political Correctness, just as a system of public assistance reform, focused on identifying and excluding the "gainfully indolent" is thwarted by the would-be architects of bureaucratic empires.

David Morgan is a die-hard proponent of "educational alternatives" aka charter schools. His proposal was that public schools adopt a policy similar to a common one at no excuses charter schools. He modified the tactic to punish children by denying access to afterschool activities since public schools can't expel students for their parents' failure to comply with parent engagement requirements as some charter schools do.

The NEA and teacher unions in general have no presence or influence in Georgia.

The educational systems of the 1950's were fixated upon turning out interchangeable parts for private industry and the military. They had neither the funds, nor the incentive to individualize instruction, and we'll never recognize how many bright students (girls in particular) "fell through the cracks" while limited to a well-defined "track".

But unfortunately for all of us, the same pattern has emerged, merely re-oriented toward the creation of a feminist / environmentalist / socialist coalition which would remodel or society along the lines of stagnant, class-obsessed Europe. And it's the boys who are being ignored. ("Turn about" might be "fair play", but in the end, it just produces more alienated losers.)

Some fifteen years ago, in the wake of the failed "tech boom", I held a job in an Internet-related call center. Our "continuing education" came mostly from general technology-related sites like the one below -- demonstrating again that the most successful education is autodidactic:

http:// www.whatis.com

Too many of the younger people with whom I worked, including some women, "burned out" because their technical expertise was devalued by the limited number of paths to upward mobility within a narrowly-defined industry; they could only move "sideways" into the field of "general customer care" or supervisory roles -- at little increase in compensation. In fairness, it's always been that way. But the dominant educational philosophy of the present day has no more interest in divesting itself from the artificial (but possibly not-too-enduring) advantage it seeks to perpetuate.

[chiatldal]

Originally Posted by sedimenjerry

Parental involvement is important, but sometimes it's just not possible. Not everyone works a 9-5 (or similar) schedule. If a lack of parental involvement is deemed as negative for the student (which I think it is), I can't see restricting extracurricular or athletics as positive. For many students, after school activities are what help keep them out of trouble. If anything, those with inactive parents should be getting more attention. Maybe not play football but some sort of activity to get them invested if their parents don't.

Originally Posted by AnsleyPark

Punishing children for their parents' lack of involvement is ethically wrong in my view. Just because the parents are not involved, the kids should not be denied involvement in activities. What is a kid suppose to do - try to force their parents' involvement? That's a bit much to expect fro a child.

This is a bad plan all around.

^^^^ what they said

Extracurricular activities are promoted to keep kids out of trouble if the parents are not involved or there's trouble at home this is the opposite of what the child needs. This would make the situation worst cause now the school is also cutting the kid off because the parents are not involved that's ridiculous.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by 2nd trick op

And your own myopia is clearly focused toward the centralization and reinforcement of state power, in the pursuit of the warm, fuzzy folly known as Political Correctness, just as a system of public assistance reform, focused on identifying and excluding the "gainfully indolent" is thwarted by the would-be architects of bureaucratic empires.

The educational systems of the 1950's were fixated upon turning out interchangeable parts for private industry and the military. They had neither the funds, nor the incentive to individualize instruction, and we'll never recognize how many bright students (girls in particular) "fell through the cracks" while limited to a well-defined "track".

But unfortunately for all of us, the same pattern has emerged, merely re-oriented toward the creation of a feminist / environmentalist / socialist coalition which would remodel or society along the lines of stagnant, class-obsessed Europe. And it's the boys who are being ignored. ("Turn about" might be "fair play", but in the end, it just produces more alienated losers.)

Some fifteen years ago, in the wake of the failed "tech boom", I held a job in an Internet-related call center. Our "continuing education" came mostly from general technology-related sites like the one below -- demonstrating again that the most successful education is autodidactic:

http:// www.whatis.com

Too many of the younger people with whom I worked, including some women, "burned out" because their technical expertise was devalued by the limited number of paths to upward mobility within a narrowly-defined industry; they could only move "sideways" into the field of "general customer care" or supervisory roles -- at little increase in compensation. In fairness, it's always been that way. But the dominant educational philosophy of the present day has no more interest in divesting itself from the artificial (but possibly not-too-enduring) advantage it seeks to perpetuate.

Holy crap dude--I feel like I just stepped into the twilight zone reading this post.

[ElleKaye]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I think a lot of this parental involvement stuff is overplayed.

Back in the day my parents didn't have much if any involvement at all. They provided food, shelter and clothing for us but they were busy and they were not academic types to begin with.

We younguns just got up, went to school and did our work. That was your job as a kid.

I strongly agree as well as a previous poster, and my mom was an elementary school principal.


I mean seriously enough is enough of anything. I don't see how these children are going to make it. Everything is a problem. They can't fight, cant have a peanut in the school, and heaven and earth will come to pass if there's some wheat in there. It's ridiculous.


I am not saying a parent should never go to the school if there is a problem, but everything cannot be a problem. Actually, if there was a child with a discipline issue, my mom would call the parents from work to resolve it. Of things I know, parents do not like to have to take time of from work to go to the school. Trust me that's trust and whatever behavior needed corrected got corrected.


Anyway, it seems like we over-complicate some things these days.

[Alicia64]

One reason we homeschool is that I wanted to be around super involved parents.

Alley

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by toll_booth

Holy crap dude--I feel like I just stepped into the twilight zone reading this post.

What does it even mean??? Let us know if you figure it out.

[sedimenjerry]

Originally Posted by AnsleyPark

What does it even mean??? Let us know if you figure it out.

I've given up on this thread.