School Choice

[DGS49]

Every "argument" on this topic from the Left is tainted by slavish support for teachers' unions. There is nothing illogical, unfair, or unreasonable about allowing TAXPAYING parents to remove their kidlets from unsatisfactory schools and get either a tax credit or a voucher from the government schools for the imputed cost saved.

There are valid economic arguments supporting the proposition that the full per-student cost is not saved in each individual case, so the credit or voucher can be a reduced amount, but if I choose not to avail myself than I shouldn't have to pay the full cost.

It is up to the STATES to police charter schools, and this concept is written into every charter school law. the charters are temporary, and certain performance levels must be maintained in order to have the charter renewed. States not doing their jobs here is not a legitimate argument against charter schools.

And OBVIOUSLY, fiscal constraints must be imposed and enforced, and audited. Again, finding a few fiscal horror stories is not relevant to the discussion. I have seen incompetent public school superintendents set off with half-million dollar payouts more than once. And even worse, I see them getting YEARS of pay for "vacation and sick leave not taken," at which point I usually have to restrain myself from committing a terrorist act.

There ARE public schools which are not satisfactory, and when that school has PROVEN over a period of years that it cannot bring itself up to a reasonable standard, the parents and students must not be condemned to stay there, just so that the teacher's union will not be "upset."

Is Wry Catcher on drugs? Can he read? WTF?

 

[Unkotare]

....

When Johnny gets mom is waiting to talk about his school day, provide him a snake and settle him in to work on his homework before being taken to soccer or baseball or basketball or piano practice.....

Why do they give Johnny a snake? Sounds dangerous.

LOL, I type fast, not necessarily with much accuracy. Thus I've learned to review and edit some silly mistakes. Of course I meant that the snack of the day was on occasion a snake, better that he learn how to deal with snakes and their oil sold by salesmen, bankers and Pols at an early age.

Snake is delicious.

 

[Wry Catcher]

Every "argument" on this topic from the Left is tainted by slavish support for teachers' unions. There is nothing illogical, unfair, or unreasonable about allowing TAXPAYING parents to remove their kidlets from unsatisfactory schools and get either a tax credit or a voucher from the government schools for the imputed cost saved.

There are valid economic arguments supporting the proposition that the full per-student cost is not saved in each individual case, so the credit or voucher can be a reduced amount, but if I choose not to avail myself than I shouldn't have to pay the full cost.

It is up to the STATES to police charter schools, and this concept is written into every charter school law. the charters are temporary, and certain performance levels must be maintained in order to have the charter renewed. States not doing their jobs here is not a legitimate argument against charter schools.

And OBVIOUSLY, fiscal constraints must be imposed and enforced, and audited. Again, finding a few fiscal horror stories is not relevant to the discussion. I have seen incompetent public school superintendents set off with half-million dollar payouts more than once. And even worse, I see them getting YEARS of pay for "vacation and sick leave not taken," at which point I usually have to restrain myself from committing a terrorist act.

There ARE public schools which are not satisfactory, and when that school has PROVEN over a period of years that it cannot bring itself up to a reasonable standard, the parents and students must not be condemned to stay there, just so that the teacher's union will not be "upset."

Is Wry Catcher on drugs? Can he read? WTF?

"Every "argument" on this topic from the Left is tainted by slavish support for teachers' unions." Hyperbole in the first sentence makes one wonder if reading beyond is worthwhile.

Logic has very little to do with this topic, it is as emotional as is the issue of gun control and abortion.

Vouchers are not the panacea for poor performing schools, no more than blood letting aided a sick person; transfusions though, can be life saving.

Taking money from schools to allow a for-profit institution or corporation to operate a private school isn't insane, it is immoral. For not every parent can afford to use a voucher, have the time to transport their child or children back and forth to a school which they pay for, and may be a greater, or much greater distance from their home.

I have no great love of unions, but they are necessary until human nature can be controlled. Tenure can be a problem, for it can be used as cost control or discipline, and not a method of evaluating a teachers ability to teach and to be a good role model for their charge.

If you want a good school, get your ass into a seat at the next school board meeting, or better yet, support someone who you believe will do a better job. Let the public know which school or district allows mediocrity and for how long and lobby for improvements.

Let's not destroy a public education system, let's fix it to reflect reality:

• Every child needs to learn how to read with comprehension, communicate verbally and in writing, compute, and be up to date with technology;
• Not every child will want or need to attend college;
• By the 12th grade every child with the ability should have the skills in bullet 1.
• Every school district or county/parish ought to have a 13th and 14th grade level provided in a Jr. College, which would allow those late bloomers to make up what they didn't/couldn't complete by HS Graduation, and for those who wanted to learn the skills to go into the workforce and compete.

For those parents who want a private school, there are banks ready to give them money, at a cost. But at their cost, not the cost of those parents and others who are paying taxes to support the public school system.

 

[psikeyhackr]

Let's empower students and parents instead of tired, bloated bureaucracies. Why should only the rich have school choice?

The rich need for people to believe in schools in order to control education.

I have an app on my smartphone that can read e-book files.

Alreader.com - new perspective on reading e-books.

If I was still in grade school how much would I need a teacher with that app and Project Gutenberg? If anything the problem would still be selecting books that are worth the time.

So why don't we have a National Recommended Reading List? Because it would then be too easy for smart poor kids to do a better job of educating themselves than dumb rich kids sent to the best schools?

psik

 

[Wry Catcher]

Let's empower students and parents instead of tired, bloated bureaucracies. Why should only the rich have school choice?

The rich need for people to believe in schools in order to control education.

I have an app on my smartphone that can read e-book files.

Alreader.com - new perspective on reading e-books.

If I was still in grade school how much would I need a teacher with that app and Project Gutenberg? If anything the problem would still be selecting books that are worth the time.

So why don't we have a National Recommended Reading List? Because it would then be too easy for smart poor kids to do a better job of educating themselves than dumb rich kids sent to the best schools?

psik

This ^^^ is absurd in my opinion. It is wishful thinking which lacks understanding of the social issues of attending school and working with peers, learning to listen actively and debate ideas, and put one's own ideas and conclusions orally and on paper.

Not every child has the advantages, ambtion and intellect of Rene Descartes.

 

[yiostheoy]

School choice is a euphemism for segregation.

Negroes worry about this a lot.

It has become a paranoia for them.

So what's wrong with Negroes teaching Negro children in schools that are predominantly Negro ??

That's how Negro kids prefer it anyway.

 

[Wry Catcher]

....

When Johnny gets mom is waiting to talk about his school day, provide him a snake and settle him in to work on his homework before being taken to soccer or baseball or basketball or piano practice.....

Why do they give Johnny a snake? Sounds dangerous.

LOL, I type fast, not necessarily with much accuracy. Thus I've learned to review and edit some silly mistakes. Of course I meant that the snack of the day was on occasion a snake, better that he learn how to deal with snakes and their oil sold by salesmen, bankers and Pols at an early age.

Snake is delicious.

Low in fat, high in protein.

 

[Wry Catcher]

School choice is a euphemism for segregation.

Negroes worry about this a lot.

It has become a paranoia for them.

So what's wrong with Negroes teaching Negro children in schools that are predominantly Negro ??

That's how Negro kids prefer it anyway.

LOL, you know this how?

 

[Markle]

You don't reach out to them?

I can't reach out to 180 people on an individual basis are the start of the year, it's impossible. I do make the students get their syllabi signed where I reach out to them in the paper. I contact student parents for behavioral issues and/or grade issues when necessary and even call home for the good kids.

The level of apathy among parents at my school is disheartening. Most voice calls go unanswered, emails unread and/or not responded to and conference night is almost empty at the school.

2/150 is pathetic no matter how you slice the numbers or resolve cognitive dissonance.

Nonsense. Of course, it is possible to reach out to a mere 180 people. Apparently, you have a computer, is email not available? It is impossible for me to believe that there are not contact management programs available to teachers just as they are for me a 40 year Realtor.

When I was active I had a contact list of over 1,200 people with whom I had a friendship, professional contact, listed or sold a property to or for. Monthly they were contacted by me with a letter or card. Every three months, or monthly for many, I contacted them personally by phone. Each got a hand written Christmas card.

Yes, I made my living by keeping in touch with these friends, my livelihood depended on referrals. However, you're only talking about 180 people. Quarterly I would visit, going door to door, each house in a neighborhood of 225.

1) Not all of my students have internet access at home...you should have seen my old school when I was shocked that almost none of my students knew how to even turn a computer on-let alone know how to send/receive emails.

2) I clearly said on an INDIVIDUAL basis-not sure if you missed that part or not. Sending a mass email to all parents is obviously not reaching out to them on an individual level. Do you really think it's possible to take ten minutes to write 180 emails within the first few days of school? That comes down to 1800 minutes (30 hours).

PS:

-I have stopped sending emails home to parents because they never get answered (unless the parent has emailed me first-and they all have my email)
-My district has an online grading program where parents can message me-and some do and I obviously respond to them on there. Also, all of my assignments are posted on the program so parents have access to it.

3) Contacting parents makes up a small part of my job I have:

Online classes to take for my certification, 6 hours of classes to teach a day, two lessons to plan (per day), essays/papers to grade, tests to grade, IEP/504 notes to submit, pre and post observations to plan for, PLC meetings/observations, prepare my students for their state writing test that they must pass in order to graduate, write recommendation letters, tutor students individually, etc.

Don't get me wrong: I am not complaining about my job whatsoever. I'm merely pointing out that it's not feasible for me to call or contact each parent on an individual level...hence why I said I send home a syllabus to be signed, make calls on on individual basis when necessary (this includes bad AND good calls). Believe it or not I've had plenty of parents get upset at me for contacting them (since they're so used to be contacted by the school for their child's behavior). But of course it's not their fault or their kid's fault why their kid got caught selling molly in the bathroom--they were framed by the REAL drug dealers in the school! (give me a break LOL).

Conference night is the perfect time for parents to show up...and there's crickets. The parents that do show up I absolutely offer input for them and make sure I ask them if they have any suggestions for my class-but usually it's the parents of the "A" or "B" kids that show up, and they're typically very pleased with my class. On the odd occasion they offer a suggestion-I take it seriously as I stated above.

I understand it's a bother to make it a point to contact parents on a regular basis. Saying they don't all have the internet is a cop out. You're saying you won't contact 180 parents because five don't have the internet.

A bad response from someone and I'd contact them once more and make a note to not call them again. You've gone the extra mile.

When I say they don't have the Internet it's true.

Now as I stated every student gets a syllabus from me with my phone number and school email address-so every parent should have my contact information. I make the students rip the portion to it with a parent's signature (those that don't return it or forged a signature get a call home). That's the first way I reach out.

I update all of my contact information and assignments/announcements on my class page for their parents to access.

I call parents whose child is struggling-many times their parents don't answer, aren't interested, or are afraid to talk to school personnel due to their legal status as in the us.

I invite parents to attend conference night.

Other than calling every parent on the phone (which I will do if their kid is either messing up or improving), or knocking on their doors there's not much more I can do.

If a parent contacts me (which I've clearly informed them on how to do so), I'll talk to them and be open minded (like I said a lesson I taught a few weeks ago directly came from a conversation I had with a parent in the past). It was a great lesson and honestly one I probably wouldn't have thought of on my own-so why wdid uosnt I teach it?

My problem is with the drug dealers, the kids who look up to Pablo Escobar or Jay-Z and the apathy that runs rampant in my classroom. I produce results which is why they give me "those kids" the ones that nobody else wants and I get some kind of them on the right track. The bottom line however is if parents don't care about their child's education and the child doesn't care...there's only so much I can do. I can give them the keys and the car to get to where they need to go, but if they sit around all day doing nothing and don't want to get into the car-i can't force them to.

I understand you do the minimum amount possible because you get a paycheck regardless.

You could call no more than 3 or 4 parents a day and have all 180 contacted, or left a message for in three months and then start over. Maybe you could make a change in your school. Please don't tell me that you could not at least double the parents showing up if they really believed YOU had as much or more of an interest in their kids. Shame them into participating.

 

[Wry Catcher]

School choice is a euphemism for segregation.

/---- How stupid.

Funny how such a stupid comment cannot be proved stupid, or that those who believe it is a stupid statement have no statement of substance to post, or facts to support their comment.

 

[Thunderbird]

The meme on the conservative side is don't throw money at schools, don't pay teachers well and let's spend that money on private schools so affluent parents don't need to worry that Jr. will slow their learning, or worse, infect them with bad habits.

School choice means funding schools that work. Why do you what to fund bloated bureaucracies and failed schools?

 

[Cellblock2429]

School choice is a euphemism for segregation.

/---- How stupid.

Funny how such a stupid comment cannot be proved stupid, or that those who believe it is a stupid statement have no statement of substance to post, or facts to support their comment.

/---- some statements are straw man arguments designed to make opponents defend their position against a false argument. Therefore the statement that school choice is discrimination is stupid.

 

[mgh80]

I can't reach out to 180 people on an individual basis are the start of the year, it's impossible. I do make the students get their syllabi signed where I reach out to them in the paper. I contact student parents for behavioral issues and/or grade issues when necessary and even call home for the good kids.

The level of apathy among parents at my school is disheartening. Most voice calls go unanswered, emails unread and/or not responded to and conference night is almost empty at the school.

2/150 is pathetic no matter how you slice the numbers or resolve cognitive dissonance.

Nonsense. Of course, it is possible to reach out to a mere 180 people. Apparently, you have a computer, is email not available? It is impossible for me to believe that there are not contact management programs available to teachers just as they are for me a 40 year Realtor.

When I was active I had a contact list of over 1,200 people with whom I had a friendship, professional contact, listed or sold a property to or for. Monthly they were contacted by me with a letter or card. Every three months, or monthly for many, I contacted them personally by phone. Each got a hand written Christmas card.

Yes, I made my living by keeping in touch with these friends, my livelihood depended on referrals. However, you're only talking about 180 people. Quarterly I would visit, going door to door, each house in a neighborhood of 225.

1) Not all of my students have internet access at home...you should have seen my old school when I was shocked that almost none of my students knew how to even turn a computer on-let alone know how to send/receive emails.

2) I clearly said on an INDIVIDUAL basis-not sure if you missed that part or not. Sending a mass email to all parents is obviously not reaching out to them on an individual level. Do you really think it's possible to take ten minutes to write 180 emails within the first few days of school? That comes down to 1800 minutes (30 hours).

PS:

-I have stopped sending emails home to parents because they never get answered (unless the parent has emailed me first-and they all have my email)
-My district has an online grading program where parents can message me-and some do and I obviously respond to them on there. Also, all of my assignments are posted on the program so parents have access to it.

3) Contacting parents makes up a small part of my job I have:

Online classes to take for my certification, 6 hours of classes to teach a day, two lessons to plan (per day), essays/papers to grade, tests to grade, IEP/504 notes to submit, pre and post observations to plan for, PLC meetings/observations, prepare my students for their state writing test that they must pass in order to graduate, write recommendation letters, tutor students individually, etc.

Don't get me wrong: I am not complaining about my job whatsoever. I'm merely pointing out that it's not feasible for me to call or contact each parent on an individual level...hence why I said I send home a syllabus to be signed, make calls on on individual basis when necessary (this includes bad AND good calls). Believe it or not I've had plenty of parents get upset at me for contacting them (since they're so used to be contacted by the school for their child's behavior). But of course it's not their fault or their kid's fault why their kid got caught selling molly in the bathroom--they were framed by the REAL drug dealers in the school! (give me a break LOL).

Conference night is the perfect time for parents to show up...and there's crickets. The parents that do show up I absolutely offer input for them and make sure I ask them if they have any suggestions for my class-but usually it's the parents of the "A" or "B" kids that show up, and they're typically very pleased with my class. On the odd occasion they offer a suggestion-I take it seriously as I stated above.

I understand it's a bother to make it a point to contact parents on a regular basis. Saying they don't all have the internet is a cop out. You're saying you won't contact 180 parents because five don't have the internet.

A bad response from someone and I'd contact them once more and make a note to not call them again. You've gone the extra mile.

When I say they don't have the Internet it's true.

Now as I stated every student gets a syllabus from me with my phone number and school email address-so every parent should have my contact information. I make the students rip the portion to it with a parent's signature (those that don't return it or forged a signature get a call home). That's the first way I reach out.

I update all of my contact information and assignments/announcements on my class page for their parents to access.

I call parents whose child is struggling-many times their parents don't answer, aren't interested, or are afraid to talk to school personnel due to their legal status as in the us.

I invite parents to attend conference night.

Other than calling every parent on the phone (which I will do if their kid is either messing up or improving), or knocking on their doors there's not much more I can do.

If a parent contacts me (which I've clearly informed them on how to do so), I'll talk to them and be open minded (like I said a lesson I taught a few weeks ago directly came from a conversation I had with a parent in the past). It was a great lesson and honestly one I probably wouldn't have thought of on my own-so why wdid uosnt I teach it?

My problem is with the drug dealers, the kids who look up to Pablo Escobar or Jay-Z and the apathy that runs rampant in my classroom. I produce results which is why they give me "those kids" the ones that nobody else wants and I get some kind of them on the right track. The bottom line however is if parents don't care about their child's education and the child doesn't care...there's only so much I can do. I can give them the keys and the car to get to where they need to go, but if they sit around all day doing nothing and don't want to get into the car-i can't force them to.

I understand you do the minimum amount possible because you get a paycheck regardless.

You could call no more than 3 or 4 parents a day and have all 180 contacted, or left a message for in three months and then start over. Maybe you could make a change in your school. Please don't tell me that you could not at least double the parents showing up if they really believed YOU had as much or more of an interest in their kids. Shame them into participating.

I do the minimum? Tell that to the kids I tutor (for free) after school. Tell that to the kid who came to my room last week in tears because I guided him on his way to earning a scholarship (which I wasn't paid for).

Contacting 3 parents a day would take 60 days....which would be 12 weeks...almost 1 1/2 semesters. That's assuming that every parent i call answers.

Again they have my contact information and they're adults-if they want to contact me they can. It's not my fault if they don't take any initiative. It's called personal responsibility and if parents want a say in what goes on i the classroom-they need to show up to conference night, or email their kid's teachers, or call the teachers, or send a note with their kid, or call the school. I guarantee the parents go to the football games (I do too mind you).

Believe me I don't do my job for a check (I run my online business for a check)--I actually make less money by teaching than I would if I didn't. I'm well aware there are teachers who do the minimum just for a check and it's embarrassing befaue it makes us who are dedicated look worse.

 

[Markle]

Nonsense. Of course, it is possible to reach out to a mere 180 people. Apparently, you have a computer, is email not available? It is impossible for me to believe that there are not contact management programs available to teachers just as they are for me a 40 year Realtor.

When I was active I had a contact list of over 1,200 people with whom I had a friendship, professional contact, listed or sold a property to or for. Monthly they were contacted by me with a letter or card. Every three months, or monthly for many, I contacted them personally by phone. Each got a hand written Christmas card.

Yes, I made my living by keeping in touch with these friends, my livelihood depended on referrals. However, you're only talking about 180 people. Quarterly I would visit, going door to door, each house in a neighborhood of 225.

1) Not all of my students have internet access at home...you should have seen my old school when I was shocked that almost none of my students knew how to even turn a computer on-let alone know how to send/receive emails.

2) I clearly said on an INDIVIDUAL basis-not sure if you missed that part or not. Sending a mass email to all parents is obviously not reaching out to them on an individual level. Do you really think it's possible to take ten minutes to write 180 emails within the first few days of school? That comes down to 1800 minutes (30 hours).

PS:

-I have stopped sending emails home to parents because they never get answered (unless the parent has emailed me first-and they all have my email)
-My district has an online grading program where parents can message me-and some do and I obviously respond to them on there. Also, all of my assignments are posted on the program so parents have access to it.

3) Contacting parents makes up a small part of my job I have:

Online classes to take for my certification, 6 hours of classes to teach a day, two lessons to plan (per day), essays/papers to grade, tests to grade, IEP/504 notes to submit, pre and post observations to plan for, PLC meetings/observations, prepare my students for their state writing test that they must pass in order to graduate, write recommendation letters, tutor students individually, etc.

Don't get me wrong: I am not complaining about my job whatsoever. I'm merely pointing out that it's not feasible for me to call or contact each parent on an individual level...hence why I said I send home a syllabus to be signed, make calls on on individual basis when necessary (this includes bad AND good calls). Believe it or not I've had plenty of parents get upset at me for contacting them (since they're so used to be contacted by the school for their child's behavior). But of course it's not their fault or their kid's fault why their kid got caught selling molly in the bathroom--they were framed by the REAL drug dealers in the school! (give me a break LOL).

Conference night is the perfect time for parents to show up...and there's crickets. The parents that do show up I absolutely offer input for them and make sure I ask them if they have any suggestions for my class-but usually it's the parents of the "A" or "B" kids that show up, and they're typically very pleased with my class. On the odd occasion they offer a suggestion-I take it seriously as I stated above.

I understand it's a bother to make it a point to contact parents on a regular basis. Saying they don't all have the internet is a cop out. You're saying you won't contact 180 parents because five don't have the internet.

A bad response from someone and I'd contact them once more and make a note to not call them again. You've gone the extra mile.

When I say they don't have the Internet it's true.

Now as I stated every student gets a syllabus from me with my phone number and school email address-so every parent should have my contact information. I make the students rip the portion to it with a parent's signature (those that don't return it or forged a signature get a call home). That's the first way I reach out.

I update all of my contact information and assignments/announcements on my class page for their parents to access.

I call parents whose child is struggling-many times their parents don't answer, aren't interested, or are afraid to talk to school personnel due to their legal status as in the us.

I invite parents to attend conference night.

Other than calling every parent on the phone (which I will do if their kid is either messing up or improving), or knocking on their doors there's not much more I can do.

If a parent contacts me (which I've clearly informed them on how to do so), I'll talk to them and be open minded (like I said a lesson I taught a few weeks ago directly came from a conversation I had with a parent in the past). It was a great lesson and honestly one I probably wouldn't have thought of on my own-so why wdid uosnt I teach it?

My problem is with the drug dealers, the kids who look up to Pablo Escobar or Jay-Z and the apathy that runs rampant in my classroom. I produce results which is why they give me "those kids" the ones that nobody else wants and I get some kind of them on the right track. The bottom line however is if parents don't care about their child's education and the child doesn't care...there's only so much I can do. I can give them the keys and the car to get to where they need to go, but if they sit around all day doing nothing and don't want to get into the car-i can't force them to.

I understand you do the minimum amount possible because you get a paycheck regardless.

You could call no more than 3 or 4 parents a day and have all 180 contacted, or left a message for in three months and then start over. Maybe you could make a change in your school. Please don't tell me that you could not at least double the parents showing up if they really believed YOU had as much or more of an interest in their kids. Shame them into participating.

I do the minimum? Tell that to the kids I tutor (for free) after school. Tell that to the kid who came to my room last week in tears because I guided him on his way to earning a scholarship (which I wasn't paid for).

Contacting 3 parents a day would take 60 days....which would be 12 weeks...almost 1 1/2 semesters. That's assuming that every parent i call answers.

Again they have my contact information and they're adults-if they want to contact me they can. It's not my fault if they don't take any initiative. It's called personal responsibility and if parents want a say in what goes on i the classroom-they need to show up to conference night, or email their kid's teachers, or call the teachers, or send a note with their kid, or call the school. I guarantee the parents go to the football games (I do too mind you).

Believe me I don't do my job for a check (I run my online business for a check)--I actually make less money by teaching than I would if I didn't. I'm well aware there are teachers who do the minimum just for a check and it's embarrassing befaue it makes us who are dedicated look worse.

You say you don't do it for a check but refuse to reach out to anyone who doesn't come to you first.

The usual has failed. Yet you have a lot of excuses for not changing. You wish for me to believe that reaching out to parents, bringing them into a circle of communications with emails and phone calls would make more of a difference than one student is not believable. If the parents don't answer, you leave a message.

That's fine, I understand.

 

[mgh80]

1) Not all of my students have internet access at home...you should have seen my old school when I was shocked that almost none of my students knew how to even turn a computer on-let alone know how to send/receive emails.

2) I clearly said on an INDIVIDUAL basis-not sure if you missed that part or not. Sending a mass email to all parents is obviously not reaching out to them on an individual level. Do you really think it's possible to take ten minutes to write 180 emails within the first few days of school? That comes down to 1800 minutes (30 hours).

PS:

-I have stopped sending emails home to parents because they never get answered (unless the parent has emailed me first-and they all have my email)
-My district has an online grading program where parents can message me-and some do and I obviously respond to them on there. Also, all of my assignments are posted on the program so parents have access to it.

3) Contacting parents makes up a small part of my job I have:

Online classes to take for my certification, 6 hours of classes to teach a day, two lessons to plan (per day), essays/papers to grade, tests to grade, IEP/504 notes to submit, pre and post observations to plan for, PLC meetings/observations, prepare my students for their state writing test that they must pass in order to graduate, write recommendation letters, tutor students individually, etc.

Don't get me wrong: I am not complaining about my job whatsoever. I'm merely pointing out that it's not feasible for me to call or contact each parent on an individual level...hence why I said I send home a syllabus to be signed, make calls on on individual basis when necessary (this includes bad AND good calls). Believe it or not I've had plenty of parents get upset at me for contacting them (since they're so used to be contacted by the school for their child's behavior). But of course it's not their fault or their kid's fault why their kid got caught selling molly in the bathroom--they were framed by the REAL drug dealers in the school! (give me a break LOL).

Conference night is the perfect time for parents to show up...and there's crickets. The parents that do show up I absolutely offer input for them and make sure I ask them if they have any suggestions for my class-but usually it's the parents of the "A" or "B" kids that show up, and they're typically very pleased with my class. On the odd occasion they offer a suggestion-I take it seriously as I stated above.

I understand it's a bother to make it a point to contact parents on a regular basis. Saying they don't all have the internet is a cop out. You're saying you won't contact 180 parents because five don't have the internet.

A bad response from someone and I'd contact them once more and make a note to not call them again. You've gone the extra mile.

When I say they don't have the Internet it's true.

Now as I stated every student gets a syllabus from me with my phone number and school email address-so every parent should have my contact information. I make the students rip the portion to it with a parent's signature (those that don't return it or forged a signature get a call home). That's the first way I reach out.

I update all of my contact information and assignments/announcements on my class page for their parents to access.

I call parents whose child is struggling-many times their parents don't answer, aren't interested, or are afraid to talk to school personnel due to their legal status as in the us.

I invite parents to attend conference night.

Other than calling every parent on the phone (which I will do if their kid is either messing up or improving), or knocking on their doors there's not much more I can do.

If a parent contacts me (which I've clearly informed them on how to do so), I'll talk to them and be open minded (like I said a lesson I taught a few weeks ago directly came from a conversation I had with a parent in the past). It was a great lesson and honestly one I probably wouldn't have thought of on my own-so why wdid uosnt I teach it?

My problem is with the drug dealers, the kids who look up to Pablo Escobar or Jay-Z and the apathy that runs rampant in my classroom. I produce results which is why they give me "those kids" the ones that nobody else wants and I get some kind of them on the right track. The bottom line however is if parents don't care about their child's education and the child doesn't care...there's only so much I can do. I can give them the keys and the car to get to where they need to go, but if they sit around all day doing nothing and don't want to get into the car-i can't force them to.

I understand you do the minimum amount possible because you get a paycheck regardless.

You could call no more than 3 or 4 parents a day and have all 180 contacted, or left a message for in three months and then start over. Maybe you could make a change in your school. Please don't tell me that you could not at least double the parents showing up if they really believed YOU had as much or more of an interest in their kids. Shame them into participating.

I do the minimum? Tell that to the kids I tutor (for free) after school. Tell that to the kid who came to my room last week in tears because I guided him on his way to earning a scholarship (which I wasn't paid for).

Contacting 3 parents a day would take 60 days....which would be 12 weeks...almost 1 1/2 semesters. That's assuming that every parent i call answers.

Again they have my contact information and they're adults-if they want to contact me they can. It's not my fault if they don't take any initiative. It's called personal responsibility and if parents want a say in what goes on i the classroom-they need to show up to conference night, or email their kid's teachers, or call the teachers, or send a note with their kid, or call the school. I guarantee the parents go to the football games (I do too mind you).

Believe me I don't do my job for a check (I run my online business for a check)--I actually make less money by teaching than I would if I didn't. I'm well aware there are teachers who do the minimum just for a check and it's embarrassing befaue it makes us who are dedicated look worse.

You say you don't do it for a check but refuse to reach out to anyone who doesn't come to you first.

The usual has failed. Yet you have a lot of excuses for not changing. You wish for me to believe that reaching out to parents, bringing them into a circle of communications with emails and phone calls would make more of a difference than one student is not believable. If the parents don't answer, you leave a message.

That's fine, I understand.

How is me posting my contact information on the site/program for the class not reaching out? How is me sending them home with a syllabus with contact information not reaching out?

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

Very true

Should gated communities be able to take the part of their tax dollars that support police and pay for their own private force?

They pay for both.

Should they be able to withhold taxes to pay for their own security force?

That's a stupid analogy, people who have no kids can't with hold tax dollars for schools, we pay no matter what.

Good point

Why should someone who sends their kid to catholic school receive a voucher while someone without kids gets nothing

I believe you're off track. We are talking about giving a voucher to students in failing schools to allow them the same choice of schools enjoyed by more affluent parents. How is that a bad thing? How does competition harm education?

The schools are not failing. The students that attend them are failing.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

I can't reach out to 180 people on an individual basis are the start of the year, it's impossible. I do make the students get their syllabi signed where I reach out to them in the paper. I contact student parents for behavioral issues and/or grade issues when necessary and even call home for the good kids.

The level of apathy among parents at my school is disheartening. Most voice calls go unanswered, emails unread and/or not responded to and conference night is almost empty at the school.

2/150 is pathetic no matter how you slice the numbers or resolve cognitive dissonance.

Nonsense. Of course, it is possible to reach out to a mere 180 people. Apparently, you have a computer, is email not available? It is impossible for me to believe that there are not contact management programs available to teachers just as they are for me a 40 year Realtor.

When I was active I had a contact list of over 1,200 people with whom I had a friendship, professional contact, listed or sold a property to or for. Monthly they were contacted by me with a letter or card. Every three months, or monthly for many, I contacted them personally by phone. Each got a hand written Christmas card.

Yes, I made my living by keeping in touch with these friends, my livelihood depended on referrals. However, you're only talking about 180 people. Quarterly I would visit, going door to door, each house in a neighborhood of 225.

1) Not all of my students have internet access at home...you should have seen my old school when I was shocked that almost none of my students knew how to even turn a computer on-let alone know how to send/receive emails.

2) I clearly said on an INDIVIDUAL basis-not sure if you missed that part or not. Sending a mass email to all parents is obviously not reaching out to them on an individual level. Do you really think it's possible to take ten minutes to write 180 emails within the first few days of school? That comes down to 1800 minutes (30 hours).

PS:

-I have stopped sending emails home to parents because they never get answered (unless the parent has emailed me first-and they all have my email)
-My district has an online grading program where parents can message me-and some do and I obviously respond to them on there. Also, all of my assignments are posted on the program so parents have access to it.

3) Contacting parents makes up a small part of my job I have:

Online classes to take for my certification, 6 hours of classes to teach a day, two lessons to plan (per day), essays/papers to grade, tests to grade, IEP/504 notes to submit, pre and post observations to plan for, PLC meetings/observations, prepare my students for their state writing test that they must pass in order to graduate, write recommendation letters, tutor students individually, etc.

Don't get me wrong: I am not complaining about my job whatsoever. I'm merely pointing out that it's not feasible for me to call or contact each parent on an individual level...hence why I said I send home a syllabus to be signed, make calls on on individual basis when necessary (this includes bad AND good calls). Believe it or not I've had plenty of parents get upset at me for contacting them (since they're so used to be contacted by the school for their child's behavior). But of course it's not their fault or their kid's fault why their kid got caught selling molly in the bathroom--they were framed by the REAL drug dealers in the school! (give me a break LOL).

Conference night is the perfect time for parents to show up...and there's crickets. The parents that do show up I absolutely offer input for them and make sure I ask them if they have any suggestions for my class-but usually it's the parents of the "A" or "B" kids that show up, and they're typically very pleased with my class. On the odd occasion they offer a suggestion-I take it seriously as I stated above.

I understand it's a bother to make it a point to contact parents on a regular basis. Saying they don't all have the internet is a cop out. You're saying you won't contact 180 parents because five don't have the internet.

A bad response from someone and I'd contact them once more and make a note to not call them again. You've gone the extra mile.

When I say they don't have the Internet it's true.

Now as I stated every student gets a syllabus from me with my phone number and school email address-so every parent should have my contact information. I make the students rip the portion to it with a parent's signature (those that don't return it or forged a signature get a call home). That's the first way I reach out.

I update all of my contact information and assignments/announcements on my class page for their parents to access.

I call parents whose child is struggling-many times their parents don't answer, aren't interested, or are afraid to talk to school personnel due to their legal status as in the us.

I invite parents to attend conference night.

Other than calling every parent on the phone (which I will do if their kid is either messing up or improving), or knocking on their doors there's not much more I can do.

If a parent contacts me (which I've clearly informed them on how to do so), I'll talk to them and be open minded (like I said a lesson I taught a few weeks ago directly came from a conversation I had with a parent in the past). It was a great lesson and honestly one I probably wouldn't have thought of on my own-so why wdid uosnt I teach it?

My problem is with the drug dealers, the kids who look up to Pablo Escobar or Jay-Z and the apathy that runs rampant in my classroom. I produce results which is why they give me "those kids" the ones that nobody else wants and I get some kind of them on the right track. The bottom line however is if parents don't care about their child's education and the child doesn't care...there's only so much I can do. I can give them the keys and the car to get to where they need to go, but if they sit around all day doing nothing and don't want to get into the car-i can't force them to.

I understand you do the minimum amount possible because you get a paycheck regardless.

You could call no more than 3 or 4 parents a day and have all 180 contacted, or left a message for in three months and then start over. Maybe you could make a change in your school. Please don't tell me that you could not at least double the parents showing up if they really believed YOU had as much or more of an interest in their kids. Shame them into participating.

Bullshit! You can call, send home letters, progress reports, report cards and you get NOTHING!

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

1) Not all of my students have internet access at home...you should have seen my old school when I was shocked that almost none of my students knew how to even turn a computer on-let alone know how to send/receive emails.

2) I clearly said on an INDIVIDUAL basis-not sure if you missed that part or not. Sending a mass email to all parents is obviously not reaching out to them on an individual level. Do you really think it's possible to take ten minutes to write 180 emails within the first few days of school? That comes down to 1800 minutes (30 hours).

PS:

-I have stopped sending emails home to parents because they never get answered (unless the parent has emailed me first-and they all have my email)
-My district has an online grading program where parents can message me-and some do and I obviously respond to them on there. Also, all of my assignments are posted on the program so parents have access to it.

3) Contacting parents makes up a small part of my job I have:

Online classes to take for my certification, 6 hours of classes to teach a day, two lessons to plan (per day), essays/papers to grade, tests to grade, IEP/504 notes to submit, pre and post observations to plan for, PLC meetings/observations, prepare my students for their state writing test that they must pass in order to graduate, write recommendation letters, tutor students individually, etc.

Don't get me wrong: I am not complaining about my job whatsoever. I'm merely pointing out that it's not feasible for me to call or contact each parent on an individual level...hence why I said I send home a syllabus to be signed, make calls on on individual basis when necessary (this includes bad AND good calls). Believe it or not I've had plenty of parents get upset at me for contacting them (since they're so used to be contacted by the school for their child's behavior). But of course it's not their fault or their kid's fault why their kid got caught selling molly in the bathroom--they were framed by the REAL drug dealers in the school! (give me a break LOL).

Conference night is the perfect time for parents to show up...and there's crickets. The parents that do show up I absolutely offer input for them and make sure I ask them if they have any suggestions for my class-but usually it's the parents of the "A" or "B" kids that show up, and they're typically very pleased with my class. On the odd occasion they offer a suggestion-I take it seriously as I stated above.

I understand it's a bother to make it a point to contact parents on a regular basis. Saying they don't all have the internet is a cop out. You're saying you won't contact 180 parents because five don't have the internet.

A bad response from someone and I'd contact them once more and make a note to not call them again. You've gone the extra mile.

When I say they don't have the Internet it's true.

Now as I stated every student gets a syllabus from me with my phone number and school email address-so every parent should have my contact information. I make the students rip the portion to it with a parent's signature (those that don't return it or forged a signature get a call home). That's the first way I reach out.

I update all of my contact information and assignments/announcements on my class page for their parents to access.

I call parents whose child is struggling-many times their parents don't answer, aren't interested, or are afraid to talk to school personnel due to their legal status as in the us.

I invite parents to attend conference night.

Other than calling every parent on the phone (which I will do if their kid is either messing up or improving), or knocking on their doors there's not much more I can do.

If a parent contacts me (which I've clearly informed them on how to do so), I'll talk to them and be open minded (like I said a lesson I taught a few weeks ago directly came from a conversation I had with a parent in the past). It was a great lesson and honestly one I probably wouldn't have thought of on my own-so why wdid uosnt I teach it?

My problem is with the drug dealers, the kids who look up to Pablo Escobar or Jay-Z and the apathy that runs rampant in my classroom. I produce results which is why they give me "those kids" the ones that nobody else wants and I get some kind of them on the right track. The bottom line however is if parents don't care about their child's education and the child doesn't care...there's only so much I can do. I can give them the keys and the car to get to where they need to go, but if they sit around all day doing nothing and don't want to get into the car-i can't force them to.

I understand you do the minimum amount possible because you get a paycheck regardless.

You could call no more than 3 or 4 parents a day and have all 180 contacted, or left a message for in three months and then start over. Maybe you could make a change in your school. Please don't tell me that you could not at least double the parents showing up if they really believed YOU had as much or more of an interest in their kids. Shame them into participating.

I do the minimum? Tell that to the kids I tutor (for free) after school. Tell that to the kid who came to my room last week in tears because I guided him on his way to earning a scholarship (which I wasn't paid for).

Contacting 3 parents a day would take 60 days....which would be 12 weeks...almost 1 1/2 semesters. That's assuming that every parent i call answers.

Again they have my contact information and they're adults-if they want to contact me they can. It's not my fault if they don't take any initiative. It's called personal responsibility and if parents want a say in what goes on i the classroom-they need to show up to conference night, or email their kid's teachers, or call the teachers, or send a note with their kid, or call the school. I guarantee the parents go to the football games (I do too mind you).

Believe me I don't do my job for a check (I run my online business for a check)--I actually make less money by teaching than I would if I didn't. I'm well aware there are teachers who do the minimum just for a check and it's embarrassing befaue it makes us who are dedicated look worse.

You say you don't do it for a check but refuse to reach out to anyone who doesn't come to you first.

The usual has failed. Yet you have a lot of excuses for not changing. You wish for me to believe that reaching out to parents, bringing them into a circle of communications with emails and phone calls would make more of a difference than one student is not believable. If the parents don't answer, you leave a message.

That's fine, I understand.

Reaching out is done, but does no good! Doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

1) Not all of my students have internet access at home...you should have seen my old school when I was shocked that almost none of my students knew how to even turn a computer on-let alone know how to send/receive emails.

2) I clearly said on an INDIVIDUAL basis-not sure if you missed that part or not. Sending a mass email to all parents is obviously not reaching out to them on an individual level. Do you really think it's possible to take ten minutes to write 180 emails within the first few days of school? That comes down to 1800 minutes (30 hours).

PS:

-I have stopped sending emails home to parents because they never get answered (unless the parent has emailed me first-and they all have my email)
-My district has an online grading program where parents can message me-and some do and I obviously respond to them on there. Also, all of my assignments are posted on the program so parents have access to it.

3) Contacting parents makes up a small part of my job I have:

Online classes to take for my certification, 6 hours of classes to teach a day, two lessons to plan (per day), essays/papers to grade, tests to grade, IEP/504 notes to submit, pre and post observations to plan for, PLC meetings/observations, prepare my students for their state writing test that they must pass in order to graduate, write recommendation letters, tutor students individually, etc.

Don't get me wrong: I am not complaining about my job whatsoever. I'm merely pointing out that it's not feasible for me to call or contact each parent on an individual level...hence why I said I send home a syllabus to be signed, make calls on on individual basis when necessary (this includes bad AND good calls). Believe it or not I've had plenty of parents get upset at me for contacting them (since they're so used to be contacted by the school for their child's behavior). But of course it's not their fault or their kid's fault why their kid got caught selling molly in the bathroom--they were framed by the REAL drug dealers in the school! (give me a break LOL).

Conference night is the perfect time for parents to show up...and there's crickets. The parents that do show up I absolutely offer input for them and make sure I ask them if they have any suggestions for my class-but usually it's the parents of the "A" or "B" kids that show up, and they're typically very pleased with my class. On the odd occasion they offer a suggestion-I take it seriously as I stated above.

I understand it's a bother to make it a point to contact parents on a regular basis. Saying they don't all have the internet is a cop out. You're saying you won't contact 180 parents because five don't have the internet.

A bad response from someone and I'd contact them once more and make a note to not call them again. You've gone the extra mile.

When I say they don't have the Internet it's true.

Now as I stated every student gets a syllabus from me with my phone number and school email address-so every parent should have my contact information. I make the students rip the portion to it with a parent's signature (those that don't return it or forged a signature get a call home). That's the first way I reach out.

I update all of my contact information and assignments/announcements on my class page for their parents to access.

I call parents whose child is struggling-many times their parents don't answer, aren't interested, or are afraid to talk to school personnel due to their legal status as in the us.

I invite parents to attend conference night.

Other than calling every parent on the phone (which I will do if their kid is either messing up or improving), or knocking on their doors there's not much more I can do.

If a parent contacts me (which I've clearly informed them on how to do so), I'll talk to them and be open minded (like I said a lesson I taught a few weeks ago directly came from a conversation I had with a parent in the past). It was a great lesson and honestly one I probably wouldn't have thought of on my own-so why wdid uosnt I teach it?

My problem is with the drug dealers, the kids who look up to Pablo Escobar or Jay-Z and the apathy that runs rampant in my classroom. I produce results which is why they give me "those kids" the ones that nobody else wants and I get some kind of them on the right track. The bottom line however is if parents don't care about their child's education and the child doesn't care...there's only so much I can do. I can give them the keys and the car to get to where they need to go, but if they sit around all day doing nothing and don't want to get into the car-i can't force them to.

I understand you do the minimum amount possible because you get a paycheck regardless.

You could call no more than 3 or 4 parents a day and have all 180 contacted, or left a message for in three months and then start over. Maybe you could make a change in your school. Please don't tell me that you could not at least double the parents showing up if they really believed YOU had as much or more of an interest in their kids. Shame them into participating.

I do the minimum? Tell that to the kids I tutor (for free) after school. Tell that to the kid who came to my room last week in tears because I guided him on his way to earning a scholarship (which I wasn't paid for).

Contacting 3 parents a day would take 60 days....which would be 12 weeks...almost 1 1/2 semesters. That's assuming that every parent i call answers.

Again they have my contact information and they're adults-if they want to contact me they can. It's not my fault if they don't take any initiative. It's called personal responsibility and if parents want a say in what goes on i the classroom-they need to show up to conference night, or email their kid's teachers, or call the teachers, or send a note with their kid, or call the school. I guarantee the parents go to the football games (I do too mind you).

Believe me I don't do my job for a check (I run my online business for a check)--I actually make less money by teaching than I would if I didn't. I'm well aware there are teachers who do the minimum just for a check and it's embarrassing befaue it makes us who are dedicated look worse.

You say you don't do it for a check but refuse to reach out to anyone who doesn't come to you first.

The usual has failed. Yet you have a lot of excuses for not changing. You wish for me to believe that reaching out to parents, bringing them into a circle of communications with emails and phone calls would make more of a difference than one student is not believable. If the parents don't answer, you leave a message.

That's fine, I understand.

They simply ignore the message.

 

[Markle]

Reaching out is done, but does no good! Doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.

That perfectly describes our current education system run by teachers unions. Keep doing the same thing and keep paying those DOLLARS!

National Education Association General Counsel Bob Chanin stated in July 2009.

Chanin: "It is not because we care about children. And it is not because we have a vision of a great public school for every child. NEA and its affiliates are effective advocates because we have power. And we have power because there are more than 3.2 million people who are willing to pay us hundreds of millions of dollars in dues...."



Says it all, does it not?