Cheryl Miller
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On the Blog Post Set the Bar Low and Tell Kids to Aim for the Middle
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On the Blog Post Tips on Energy Efficiency
Cheryl Miller
11:33 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
ReplyThank you ADT for being concerned about our energy conservation. It's a bit ironic that we just had a story here about the schools having to leave on tons of lights both inside and outside of our schools all day, every day just for their security cameras to wrok, which so far they haven't because we had to invest in tracking technology to track down the stolen computers that were reportedly recoverd.
Do you have any advice for schools that are forced to fire teachers and other school house staff because their utilities ran so far over budget and the security is to blame? Our board has been unable to comprehend any reasonable methods that might help them with this dilemna. Thank you.
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On the article Tucker Schools in CBS Investigation of Electricity Waste
Cheryl Miller
11:28 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
ReplyAlso, if you watch the actual story as the link provides, you will feel foolish at the suggestion that these lights are on for security.
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On the Blog Post Set the Bar Low and Tell Kids to Aim for the Middle
Cheryl Miller
7:53 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Replyby the way, how old were they when you had IQ tests done? who ordered them? I have not heard of the school system doing this across the board for kids, but it would not surprise me. Don't put too much of your time worrying about a number. We all have obstacles to overcome in life. Some of us are just presented with them at a younger age than others, but we are also given what we need by God to find a way to push through. Have faith. It will get better. It always does.
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On the Blog Post Set the Bar Low and Tell Kids to Aim for the Middle
Cheryl Miller
7:51 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
ReplyDelores, thank you for sharing your story with us. I feel for what you are going through as my daughter had several non-English speaking children in her class and they were not only lost, bored and confused, but they didn't even realize that they could have spoken to each other in Spanish. The teacher didn't speak Spanish and I think a special education person came in for about an hour which was the only time I ever saw these kids' faces light up. (I volunteered in the classroom.)
It was confusing to my daughter because these kids were getting so much attention and were often not behaving correctly. She thought maybe she was doing something wrong, but really it was just that it was easier for the teacher to ignore her because she knew she would be "ok." And our teachers are not being judged on how much greater they can make a good student. They are expected to work miracles with the most difficult ones and also bring the others along. I agree with you that this does not make sense and I guess when I was writing my article I was thinking of kids on the same basic skill level, but I definitely agree that there needs to be a better way to separate them based on what they are able to do so the ones who need help will get it. Unfortunately, the Title I money that goes to the schools with kids who need help does not follow the student; it stays with the school. But, when the school does not make AYP, the kids are encouraged to leave for other schools without the funds.
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On the article SACS Is Not a Thermostat
Cheryl Miller
10:52 am on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
ReplyTo make matters worse, parents with complaints are urged to email their PTA board members who are told to "hold all complaints" and "let them vent if they need to," but they do not ever intend to actually do anything about it, keep any records or contact anyone in the school, much less the board, about it. They are a buffer between the parents and the school, so the only issues that do get brought up are the ones that the board members themselves actualy have or agree with. The PTA will then notify the principal who will not want the complain to go further than his/her office. If it is something they are tired of hearing or something they also are concerned about, then it might get passed to the Superintendent or a Regional Super. but still not the board. A board member may then be blindsided by a remark made by an angry parent or group of parents at a board meeting who show up and rant about how they have tried and tried, but no on will listen to them. The board member is clueless, the Superintendent may be able to fill in some blanks, but they are not going to disucss the matter then and there. The board members cannot respond to the citizens. The citizens cannot applaud or show any form of support and the whole mess either fizzles out or turns itself into an ugly lawsuit. And you've heard the track record on those, right?
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On the Blog Post Set the Bar Low and Tell Kids to Aim for the Middle
Cheryl Miller
10:37 am on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
ReplyThe goal of education IS education.
Teachers are there to teach, not train, otherwise they would be paid by the business sector and earn a hell of a lot more money than they do now. It would also be a more highly competitive profession with a lot more emphasis on the outcome.
To try and fail is human and is all part of how we learn.
To never try at all because you don't believe in yourself is truly the only failure you can never overcome.
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On the Blog Post Set the Bar Low and Tell Kids to Aim for the Middle
Cheryl Miller
8:55 am on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
ReplyI have a daughter and I'll be darned if the school system is going to try to tell her that because she seems to be interested in hair and makeup she might be better off spending half days at the cosmotology school instead of finishing the high school dipolma we sent her to school expecting her to receive.
Again, I am not insulting the career choices of ADULTS. I am talking about the purpose of an EDUCATION system and its responsibility to the CHILDREN ... a PUBLIC education system which, by definition, is supposed to provide a quality education, funded by taxes that are given by the members of the community for the purpose of creating equal opportunity for ALL children.
If you are saying that some kids are just not SMART enough or GOOD enough to go as far in their education as others, that's your opinion. If you have been elected to sit on the Board of Education and you are saying that, then it is a major cop-out, in my opinion. That's blaming the children for your own failure to do your job well. If they are not "cut out" for more it is because the school system failed them.
I believe all children enter the school system with an ability to learn and a willingness to be taught. I think all teachers enter the profession with the right motivations and a reasonable level of enthusiasm. They don't all leave the way they came in. Who's fault would you like it to be?
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On the Blog Post Set the Bar Low and Tell Kids to Aim for the Middle
Cheryl Miller
8:33 am on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
ReplyDelete .
Cheryl Miller
8:31 am on Wednesday, July 25, 2012You obviously do not have kids because no one I know would direct a daughter toward skipping out on the chance at a college education. Your comments would set back the civil rights and feminists movements by several decades.
We obviously see the purpose of an educational system in different ways. You see it as a system to prevent children from failing. I see it as a system that should prepare them for success.
Do we need those occupations you listed? Of course. Are we helping the employers by pre-training the children in South DeKalb to become the workforce of tomorrow? You bet. Is this in the best interest of these kids? You tell me. I don't think it is.
I heard about the 7th grade "re-routing" at the candidate forum held July 19th. It was not a statement about what we are doing now. It was an answer to a question about the future.
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On the Blog Post Set the Bar Low and Tell Kids to Aim for the Middle
Cheryl Miller
8:32 am on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
ReplyYou obviously do not have kids because no one I know would direct a daughter toward skipping out on the chance at a college education. Your comments would set back the civil rights and feminists movements by several decades.
We obviously see the purpose of an educational system in different ways. You see it as a system to prevent children from failing. I see it as a system that should prepare them for success.
Do we need those occupations you listed? Of course. Are we helping the employers by pre-training the children in South DeKalb to become the workforce of tomorrow? You bet. Is this in the best interest of these kids? You tell me. I don't think it is.
I heard about the 7th grade "re-routing" at the candidate forum held July 19th. It was not a statement about what we are doing now. It was an answer to a question about the future.
It's my job to make sure she has every opportunity to pursue any career. It's the purpose of education. Once she is an adult, she can choose what appeals to her. If you had a child, you would understand. No parent would make the arguments you are trying to make.
Cheryl Miller
1:44 am on Thursday, July 26, 2012
Thank you Audrey. The same article posted on the Tucker Patch and I think there were some who misunderstood my point.
I'm not giving an opinion about the choices that grown women and men make about their own lives. But, the goal of an education system is not to turn out a labor force for the local big businesses, it is to provide all children with the education they deserve and we are paying for.