14 Wacky "Facts" Kids Will Learn in Louisiana's Voucher Schools

[thereisnospoon]

Having children should not be a "right".

Ouch....That opens a rather large can of worms.
Read this quote from the movie "Parenthood"...
Keanu Reeves:....
"Ya know what Mrs. Buckman? You have to get a license to catch a fish. They make you have a license for your dog, but they will let any sorry jerk have a kid."

 

[thereisnospoon]

nah, brutaltroll, you are not in charge here

you walk into our schools with a chip on your shoulder, you will leave with it knocked off

support your schools and teachers, and do you children a favor, hmmm?

A chip, yes. With a legitimate concern/complaint yes by all means.
As long as the schools take our taxpayer dollars, that money comes with strings attached.

 

[thereisnospoon]

Brutal Troll, you are talking nonsense, and you know it. If you walked into our schools, you would have toed the line. period. I was the school board president, not a teacher, and I backed the superintendent and his policies. His first policy was to back the teachers, particularly against parents, like you, who had not a clue about education. Our students went to LSU, A&M, USC, Stanford, and Duke. I am not in the least concerned that you have any idea about what good educational administration or good pedagogy requires. You don't.

My family members and I own a chain of businesses across the lower south, we are very successful, and we all recognize trolls like you in a heartbeat. We discharge them immediately when they act out.

So beat your mouth off all you want here. For you, it is enjoyable, like masturbation, but also is just as sterile.

Look, you have experience in the area of public education. That's fine. You decided to serve on a school board. Beautiful. What is frightening is your "back up" commentary.
That is WRONG. School boards are supposed to be neutral. These bodies are supposed to represent the taxpayers on issues regarding the public schools. School board members would be unethical should they as you had done, which was to take sides.
And why did you find it necessary to post your resume? What you do for a living is irrelevant to the subject matter of the thread.

 

[thereisnospoon]

Lol, I had one teacher, such as yourself, terminated from employment just last year. Fact is, the "our schools" quite frankly just isn't how it works. Perhaps some study into the rapid increase of children being home schooled would be in order for you, and some preparations made into a more "stable" field of employment wouldn't hurt either.

From what I understand, the recent increase in home schooling is due to religious objections, not educational reasons. This is due, in part, to the rise of fundamentalism in the US objecting to things like evolution.

"Fact is, the 'our schools' quite frankly just isn't how it works." If you're a product of public schools, I agree. Your grammar is atrocious. Just kidding!

You have to remember that public schools do more than just educate. They culturalize and socialize, turning individuals into citizens and members of our communities, both local and national. That's extremely valuable.

And as a former teacher and principal of private schools, I can tell you first-hand that they can be better AND worse than public schools. It more depends on funding, local culture, quality of parenting, and quality of instruction. Private schools do not have a lock on any of that.

Perhaps you should do a little more research. Parents remove their kids from the public schools for many reasons. Religion being just one.
These reasons include: ridiculous bus schedules, poor discipline, poor test scores, low teacher performance expectations, substandard curriculum, unresponsive school administrators.

 

[thereisnospoon]

The far religious right gets pissy that public schools teach critical thinking, which, in fact, undermines church and parental teachings. So the private school or home school their children. The children, who write well to the 2nd level of analysis, freak when they get to college and encounter critical thinking. Once they get through that heart break, they do fairly well.

In what state are kids taught critical thinking skills? Please tell me where this educational utopia exists!
I maintain that critical thinking is suppressed in favor of learning "the test".
Standardized testing has ruined public education.
I have three friends that teach. One is a private school teacher. There is no teaching the test in that school( 95% of graduates attend college). The other two are public school teachers. They will tell me they are not supposed to "teach the test". But they ALL tell me that is precisely what they teach.

 

[thereisnospoon]

I'm a teacher and I would like to know what your idea of "bullshit" is

so that next time I speak with a parent maybe I can dispense with the bullshit and tell them straightforward that their kid is doing poorly because he is stupid and lazy just like them.

thanks for your help

It's your job as a teacher to provide and set forth a curriculum that both engages and inspires students to learn. School counselors are paid a salary because "supposedly" they have the ability to offset anything that might be deterring a child from learning.

Clearly wasted salaries and tax payers dollars on both accounts. As well, grammar as a teacher is second nature, and a peeve when not performed properly. You are no teacher, but troll?

how the hell old are you anyway?

you sound like a spoiled teenager. Should I get in front of the class and do a song and dance about fractions?

Stand on my head and recite the Kama Sutra?


What are the guidance counselors going to do, inject 50 IQ points into their brains or do a song and dance to that will get them to magicallly give a shit?



BTW, why isn't your post in APA format?

You are expressing the same rhetoric that gives the general public the perception that educators look to blame every one else for the problems that exist.
Quite frankly, the taxpayers have grown tired of the excuses and the constant demands for more in tax dollars to "fix" the problems.

 

[squeeze berry]

The teachers are always stunned to see my wife AND me at meetings.

they suffer for it, since I don't tolerate bullshit.

I'm a teacher and I would like to know what your idea of "bullshit" is

so that next time I speak with a parent maybe I can dispense with the bullshit and tell them straightforward that their kid is doing poorly because he is stupid and lazy just like them.

thanks for your help

You may do this. But just be diplomatic about it.
That's a problem many teachers have with meeting with parents. They do not want to say things to parents that the parents do not want to hear.
However, there are teachers who will try to blow sunshine up your ass. That to me is "bullshit".

in the past i have been quite diplomatic not wanting to give the parents an excuse to go to the superintendant saying I was rude to them.

As a result i have taken quite a bit of shit from parents without responding.

Those kind of parents aren't the norm, but they still get away with it because they are not held accountable by the school board.

Our principle told us that a school board member will almost always side with the parent. the SB member wants their vote.

 

[squeeze berry]

It's your job as a teacher to provide and set forth a curriculum that both engages and inspires students to learn. School counselors are paid a salary because "supposedly" they have the ability to offset anything that might be deterring a child from learning.

Clearly wasted salaries and tax payers dollars on both accounts. As well, grammar as a teacher is second nature, and a peeve when not performed properly. You are no teacher, but troll?

how the hell old are you anyway?

you sound like a spoiled teenager. Should I get in front of the class and do a song and dance about fractions?

Stand on my head and recite the Kama Sutra?


What are the guidance counselors going to do, inject 50 IQ points into their brains or do a song and dance to that will get them to magicallly give a shit?



BTW, why isn't your post in APA format?

You are expressing the same rhetoric that gives the general public the perception that educators look to blame every one else for the problems that exist.
Quite frankly, the taxpayers have grown tired of the excuses and the constant demands for more in tax dollars to "fix" the problems.

how many threads do you seen on USMB blaming teachers for everything under the sun ?

Compare that to how many threads are started by teachers that blame students or parents?

I'll be waiting for your answer.

PS it's attitudes like yours that makes many teachers want to quit

 

[thereisnospoon]

I'm a teacher and I would like to know what your idea of "bullshit" is

so that next time I speak with a parent maybe I can dispense with the bullshit and tell them straightforward that their kid is doing poorly because he is stupid and lazy just like them.

thanks for your help

You may do this. But just be diplomatic about it.
That's a problem many teachers have with meeting with parents. They do not want to say things to parents that the parents do not want to hear.
However, there are teachers who will try to blow sunshine up your ass. That to me is "bullshit".

in the past i have been quite diplomatic not wanting to give the parents an excuse to go to the superintendant saying I was rude to them.

As a result i have taken quite a bit of shit from parents without responding.

Those kind of parents aren't the norm, but they still get away with it because they are not held accountable by the school board.

Our principle told us that a school board member will almost always side with the parent. the SB member wants their vote.

As I stated, school board members should be neutral. To make decisions and determinations without passion or prejudice.

 

[thereisnospoon]

how the hell old are you anyway?

you sound like a spoiled teenager. Should I get in front of the class and do a song and dance about fractions?

Stand on my head and recite the Kama Sutra?


What are the guidance counselors going to do, inject 50 IQ points into their brains or do a song and dance to that will get them to magicallly give a shit?



BTW, why isn't your post in APA format?

You are expressing the same rhetoric that gives the general public the perception that educators look to blame every one else for the problems that exist.
Quite frankly, the taxpayers have grown tired of the excuses and the constant demands for more in tax dollars to "fix" the problems.

how many threads do you seen on USMB blaming teachers for everything under the sun ?

Compare that to how many threads are started by teachers that blame students or parents?

I'll be waiting for your answer.

PS it's attitudes like yours that makes many teachers want to quit

That is not my concern. As matter of fact, I don't care about other threads.
I believe the number of good people involved with public education far outnumber the drones and dregs.
The point is, whining and moaning among the few and then the excuses and support of the whining and moaning get all the attention.
At the end of the day however, nobody cares anymore. The taxpayers are now demanding results and no longer want to hear excuses.
If that is unpalatable, then those who cannot cope or keep their professionalism out front, can leave teaching/administration.
For every teacher/administrator that threaten to leave the business, there are many times that number of hungry and willing to do the job and do it well.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Threatening a teacher is not a legitimate reason for visiting on parent/teachers night, kiddo.

Hint: parents are not in charge of public education.

nah, brutaltroll, you are not in charge here

you walk into our schools with a chip on your shoulder, you will leave with it knocked off

support your schools and teachers, and do you children a favor, hmmm?

A chip, yes. With a legitimate concern/complaint yes by all means.
As long as the schools take our taxpayer dollars, that money comes with strings attached.

 

[JakeStarkey]

School boards do take sides: the side of public education and the welfare of children's education.

So, yes, when parents get out of hand, they are dealt with as a public hazard.

Brutal Troll, you are talking nonsense, and you know it. If you walked into our schools, you would have toed the line. period. I was the school board president, not a teacher, and I backed the superintendent and his policies. His first policy was to back the teachers, particularly against parents, like you, who had not a clue about education. Our students went to LSU, A&M, USC, Stanford, and Duke. I am not in the least concerned that you have any idea about what good educational administration or good pedagogy requires. You don't.

My family members and I own a chain of businesses across the lower south, we are very successful, and we all recognize trolls like you in a heartbeat. We discharge them immediately when they act out.

So beat your mouth off all you want here. For you, it is enjoyable, like masturbation, but also is just as sterile.

Look, you have experience in the area of public education. That's fine. You decided to serve on a school board. Beautiful. What is frightening is your "back up" commentary.
That is WRONG. School boards are supposed to be neutral. These bodies are supposed to represent the taxpayers on issues regarding the public schools. School board members would be unethical should they as you had done, which was to take sides.
And why did you find it necessary to post your resume? What you do for a living is irrelevant to the subject matter of the thread.

 

[JakeStarkey]

All of those are true reasons but the most relevant one is the religious far right unhappiness with evolution and critical thinking.

Lol, I had one teacher, such as yourself, terminated from employment just last year. Fact is, the "our schools" quite frankly just isn't how it works. Perhaps some study into the rapid increase of children being home schooled would be in order for you, and some preparations made into a more "stable" field of employment wouldn't hurt either.

From what I understand, the recent increase in home schooling is due to religious objections, not educational reasons. This is due, in part, to the rise of fundamentalism in the US objecting to things like evolution.

"Fact is, the 'our schools' quite frankly just isn't how it works." If you're a product of public schools, I agree. Your grammar is atrocious. Just kidding!

You have to remember that public schools do more than just educate. They culturalize and socialize, turning individuals into citizens and members of our communities, both local and national. That's extremely valuable.

And as a former teacher and principal of private schools, I can tell you first-hand that they can be better AND worse than public schools. It more depends on funding, local culture, quality of parenting, and quality of instruction. Private schools do not have a lock on any of that.

Perhaps you should do a little more research. Parents remove their kids from the public schools for many reasons. Religion being just one.
These reasons include: ridiculous bus schedules, poor discipline, poor test scores, low teacher performance expectations, substandard curriculum, unresponsive school administrators.

 

[JakeStarkey]

And all three have told you, if you asked, that they try to teach critical thinking. Ask them.

The far religious right gets pissy that public schools teach critical thinking, which, in fact, undermines church and parental teachings. So the private school or home school their children. The children, who write well to the 2nd level of analysis, freak when they get to college and encounter critical thinking. Once they get through that heart break, they do fairly well.

In what state are kids taught critical thinking skills? Please tell me where this educational utopia exists!
I maintain that critical thinking is suppressed in favor of learning "the test".
Standardized testing has ruined public education.
I have three friends that teach. One is a private school teacher. There is no teaching the test in that school( 95% of graduates attend college). The other two are public school teachers. They will tell me they are not supposed to "teach the test". But they ALL tell me that is precisely what they teach.

 

[JakeStarkey]

The parents, in our school district, participate but do not run the school district or make administrative and disciplinary decisions.

Those districts that demand and hold parents accountable succeed, and those who cater to whiners and the dregs do not succeed.

You are expressing the same rhetoric that gives the general public the perception that educators look to blame every one else for the problems that exist.
Quite frankly, the taxpayers have grown tired of the excuses and the constant demands for more in tax dollars to "fix" the problems.

how many threads do you seen on USMB blaming teachers for everything under the sun ?

Compare that to how many threads are started by teachers that blame students or parents?

I'll be waiting for your answer.

PS it's attitudes like yours that makes many teachers want to quit

That is not my concern. As matter of fact, I don't care about other threads.
I believe the number of good people involved with public education far outnumber the drones and dregs.
The point is, whining and moaning among the few and then the excuses and support of the whining and moaning get all the attention.
At the end of the day however, nobody cares anymore. The taxpayers are now demanding results and no longer want to hear excuses.
If that is unpalatable, then those who cannot cope or keep their professionalism out front, can leave teaching/administration.
For every teacher/administrator that threaten to leave the business, there are many times that number of hungry and willing to do the job and do it well.

 

[thereisnospoon]

School boards do take sides: the side of public education and the welfare of children's education.

So, yes, when parents get out of hand, they are dealt with as a public hazard.

Brutal Troll, you are talking nonsense, and you know it. If you walked into our schools, you would have toed the line. period. I was the school board president, not a teacher, and I backed the superintendent and his policies. His first policy was to back the teachers, particularly against parents, like you, who had not a clue about education. Our students went to LSU, A&M, USC, Stanford, and Duke. I am not in the least concerned that you have any idea about what good educational administration or good pedagogy requires. You don't.

My family members and I own a chain of businesses across the lower south, we are very successful, and we all recognize trolls like you in a heartbeat. We discharge them immediately when they act out.

So beat your mouth off all you want here. For you, it is enjoyable, like masturbation, but also is just as sterile.

Look, you have experience in the area of public education. That's fine. You decided to serve on a school board. Beautiful. What is frightening is your "back up" commentary.
That is WRONG. School boards are supposed to be neutral. These bodies are supposed to represent the taxpayers on issues regarding the public schools. School board members would be unethical should they as you had done, which was to take sides.
And why did you find it necessary to post your resume? What you do for a living is irrelevant to the subject matter of the thread.

I think you are attempting to convey your message as if it were a perfect world.
Too often the relationship between school boards and the taxpayers is adversarial.

 

[thereisnospoon]

And all three have told you, if you asked, that they try to teach critical thinking. Ask them.

The far religious right gets pissy that public schools teach critical thinking, which, in fact, undermines church and parental teachings. So the private school or home school their children. The children, who write well to the 2nd level of analysis, freak when they get to college and encounter critical thinking. Once they get through that heart break, they do fairly well.

In what state are kids taught critical thinking skills? Please tell me where this educational utopia exists!
I maintain that critical thinking is suppressed in favor of learning "the test".
Standardized testing has ruined public education.
I have three friends that teach. One is a private school teacher. There is no teaching the test in that school( 95% of graduates attend college). The other two are public school teachers. They will tell me they are not supposed to "teach the test". But they ALL tell me that is precisely what they teach.

They would like to teach in terms of critical thinking. It is not permitted. They have no reason to make up a story like that. The bottom line is making sure the kids are prepared for testing. Reason...Test scores is where officials look when it comes to funding in the next year's budget. Test scores are what people look for when choosing a neighborhood in which to buy a home. Test scores are what are reported in the news. Test scores are the one item school board members and school administrators get to crow about. Test scores are what this state uses when rating schools with descriptors such as "School of Excellence". "Outstanding" or "Merit".

 

[JakeStarkey]

Thank you, thereisnospoon, for bringing rationality to the discussion.

Of course problems exist in school boards and with tax payer groups and with parents good and bad.

To suggest somehow, though, that school boards are out to screw over parents and taxpayer groups, ipso facto, is simply not true. In my school board, that was not the case. My business was the one of the largest taxpayers in the counties of five adjoining school districts, and we never moved for lower rates and supported the two hikes while I was president.

I know how hard we worked, how hard our teachers worked, and how hard several bad parents made it for everybody. Still, the school districts turned out superior students for a number of years. They still do well today. They are among the few in our region.

 

[JakeStarkey]

I can't speak for those schools, only for ours. Our teachers were encouraged, coached, etc, on critical thinking and how to teach it. All of us were better for it.

My pastor was concerned that having students think for themselves and clearly would somehow undermine his daughter's faith. I told him that if the church and the family were doing the job they should in our communities, no one would have any worry about faith matters.

And all three have told you, if you asked, that they try to teach critical thinking. Ask them.

In what state are kids taught critical thinking skills? Please tell me where this educational utopia exists!
I maintain that critical thinking is suppressed in favor of learning "the test".
Standardized testing has ruined public education.
I have three friends that teach. One is a private school teacher. There is no teaching the test in that school( 95% of graduates attend college). The other two are public school teachers. They will tell me they are not supposed to "teach the test". But they ALL tell me that is precisely what they teach.

They would like to teach in terms of critical thinking. It is not permitted. They have no reason to make up a story like that. The bottom line is making sure the kids are prepared for testing. Reason...Test scores is where officials look when it comes to funding in the next year's budget. Test scores are what people look for when choosing a neighborhood in which to buy a home. Test scores are what are reported in the news. Test scores are the one item school board members and school administrators get to crow about. Test scores are what this state uses when rating schools with descriptors such as "School of Excellence". "Outstanding" or "Merit".

 

[thereisnospoon]

The parents, in our school district, participate but do not run the school district or make administrative and disciplinary decisions.

Those districts that demand and hold parents accountable succeed, and those who cater to whiners and the dregs do not succeed.

how many threads do you seen on USMB blaming teachers for everything under the sun ?

Compare that to how many threads are started by teachers that blame students or parents?

I'll be waiting for your answer.

PS it's attitudes like yours that makes many teachers want to quit

That is not my concern. As matter of fact, I don't care about other threads.
I believe the number of good people involved with public education far outnumber the drones and dregs.
The point is, whining and moaning among the few and then the excuses and support of the whining and moaning get all the attention.
At the end of the day however, nobody cares anymore. The taxpayers are now demanding results and no longer want to hear excuses.
If that is unpalatable, then those who cannot cope or keep their professionalism out front, can leave teaching/administration.
For every teacher/administrator that threaten to leave the business, there are many times that number of hungry and willing to do the job and do it well.

I did not state the parents "ran" the schools. I stated they get the last say with their votes.
Big difference.
Taxpayers are either turning over school boards, when permitted vote down school budgets or if necessary, vote with their feet.
The latter is happening here. People are moving out of the nearby city due to high taxes, dissatisfaction with the way the schools are being operated or they are just fed up with the constant bickering and unprofessionalism of the school board.