” but that did not stop me from pursuing my own self directed agenda. ”

All by itsself, it is a target rich environment…….

Schools and districts that have improved view bad parenting as an obstacle to be gone around, over, under or through, but not a roadblock to learning. They simply adopt the attitude: We know what the goal is and it is our job to make sure it happens for each child. We cannot afford to lose a single child. Indeed, it embodies the definition of excellence: To do whatever is needed to fulfill the job’s responsibilities.

The educational system has mastered putting forth the curriculum. Good teachers go far beyond that to providing the conditions needed for each child to learn. Too many administrators simply create more obstacles: one stupid example: Local high school principal pulls students out of class for an assembly to teach them how to shake hands with the Superintendent.

I have far more complaints with the local system’s administrative decisions than with the teachers. For instance, all the millions of dollars spent on professional development in the last ten years have resulted in no change in student outcomes at the district level. How about spending that money to develop a video instructional library? We already know whom the excellent teachers are. (One administrator was going to give them lapel pins until higher up buried the idea). Use our technology and professional development dollars to film the teacher with the best skills at teaching multiplication of threes and fours. Then provide that tape online for study by a teacher who has less successful results. I strongly feel teachers and administrators who are not being successful would love to see how it can be done better. Then they will adapt that to their classroom or office. The return for ther dollar spent would beat the current return on professional development dollars. It would also make staff development days far more productive.

Blaming the parents/kids simply allows the aducational system to say: “Oh, woe is us. There just isn’t anything else we can do. We are working as hard as we can.” It is a cop-out to justify not making real change.

As far as kids go, every kid showing up for the first day of kindergarten wants to be something - a fireman, a nurse, a doctor, a teacher, a mom or a dad. In this district, 12 years later, 30% are dropouts. They came wanting to learn, the system turned them into dropouts.

If it had not been proven by other districts that they can change, can reform, and can improve, then maybe it could be blamed on the parents or kids. But schools and school districts have shown marked improvement without finding new parents, new kids or new demographics. It can be done, just not locally at this point.

And I disagree with the concept of the government the only entity endowed with the skills and knowledge to educate our children.

The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution forbids that which is nor specifically enumerated to the federal government.

But, even an indepth study of that document reveals no such enumeration.