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Jeeze Louise. I could have written this letter. Shoulda!

LOL James,

I always use a pseudonym when writing an lte, and before I read your post the thought had actually occurred to me that "Ben Andrews" might be you.

A philosophical cousin perhaps?

Let's say we're Kissing Cousins ... and we'll say that to get a rise from the homophobic NeoCon.

... actually I came back to the N-R LTE Blog just to share this:

http://www.bahraintribune.com/ArticleDetail.asp

Seems we're getting closer than fiction to 1984

which leads to this:

http://www.amazon.com/America-2014-Orwellian-Dawn-Blair/dp/1571781757/sr=11-1/qid=1162551700/ref=sr_11_1/002-7774463-5360046

... also posted to inspire wrath, 'cause, you know, why not!

which - getting back in thread - leads to:

Think of all the opportunities for kids to wkrk at the Ministry of Truth.

Sieg heil.

Don't forget diciplinary expulsions and boot camp schools.

Or we can do like Virgina did and create a Workforce Readiness Certification. Possessing one basically it means one graduated with brains, not just a rubber stamped diploma.

Good letter. Can we get Ben on the school board? When I taught, we were required to assume EACH child was college bound, even the ones who told me they wanted to be a lawer (lawyer) or an engineer (when I asked what kind of engineer some said "someone who builds stuff") and answered exercises telling a country they would like to visit and they wrote Africa or Paris.

I agree that we should be realistic about each child's capabilities and talents.

I also think an ability to speak and understand English should be required before students are put into a classroom. I know how frustrating it is to teach non-English speaking students and can only imagine how difficult it is for the kids.

I am going to be nice to the board for a while. They have a tremendous job ahead trying to figure out what to do with the kids from Eastern, both short term and long term. What a tragedy.

Carol - I'm a little serious:

For Detention and ISS - kids should be sent to Eastern to work in demo and construction - literally picking up bricks.

I predict some will decide, "Hey construction's not too bad .. let me learn how to weld or finish concrete, etc."

... and some will decide, "Hey figuring out how to string that beam across that span looks cool, I wanna be an engineer."

Sure beats having them sit in Detention dreaming of ways to beat the system.

What a refreshing letter. This is the best ltte I've read in some time.

I agree this guy would make a great school board member. He actually has his focus on what it should be on: the success of the kids. Durn, whodathunkit?

As it is, I'll be voting for Garth next week.

I'm not willing to give the school board a pass because of the fire at Eastern. If I could read minds, I'd say that Grier is eating this stuff up because it puts him in a position of power. People are doing the unthinkable: turning to him for answers.

Perhaps, though, the school board will be too busy cleaning up this mess at Eastern, that they won't have time for their typical social engineering crap.

I've got some criticisms for these guys: first, there should have been sprinklers in those schools. second, what kind of idiots don't do backups of student records in this day and age? do they not realize what is at stake? third, they should have a contingency plan already in place for this type of event. in fact, by law they are supposed to have a disaster reponse plan already written. fourth, if they had built the schools they had promised to build with the money they took from bonds they might actually have places to put these kids. fifth, .....oh nevermind.

Maybe this EGHS crisis will be the albatross on Terry Grier that causes him to move on and bless another school system with his presence.

Nit,

Sprinklers in schools? I can understand the financial and possibly the actual physical difficulty of retrofitting older buildings, but can by no means excuse their not being required in newly constructed facilities.

Yet it plays to the pattern.

Government allows itself a pass on installing sprinkler systems in schools, seatbelts in school buses, and even properly implemented background checks on potential school employees.

Add to that the fact they allow many both municipal and state entities to not only self insure but to actually decide for themselves whether or not to assume liability for damage to life or property and you end up with a good insight into the nature of the beast.

What you've GOT to do to protect the public, we, while obstensibly the servants of that same public, are allowed to ignore.

I refer to it as "social cannibalism."

Neat term, jan.

Government entities don't need insurance, Jan. They've got US. :)

As far as the seatbelts on the bus, I was once told that they didnt' have them because it would be near impossible or too slow for the busdriver or rescuers to release them from their seatbelts in case of an accident. Hmmmmmm. Why can't I use the same excuse about child seats in MY car, then? (Not that I would. If there's one thing I am it's overly protective when it comes to my kids)

OK, reality check time. Everybody likes the letter, but does anyone have the slighest optimism than any system remotely like the one described above is possible? If you do, you're wrong.

Just think what would happen if someone seriously proposed ending at 10th grade denying driver's licenses to non-graduates. Just think for a minute.

If parents stepped up and actually became parents instead of friends, they could teach their children morals and responsibilities. Maybe then teachers could get back to teaching and educating the kids.

" .. someone seriously proposed ending at 10th grade [and] denying driver's licenses to non-graduates."

Brian - at the risk of being an ego-asshole, I proposed exactly that a few months ago in this very blog. My plan also included a few other things, similar to the letter, like a head-start type thing and a nearly-true year-round education.

NeoCon will remember because he laughed at me for "Adding a couple years to the public school system", at which point it was suggested he recount, this time useing fingers and toes.

... just busting on you Neo, 'cause, well, you earned it!

All it really takes is RESOLVE, plus a lot less negative "the government is intervening" rhetoric.

btw.

Why is No Child Left Behind - a program that most will agree doesn't really help anyone, get a free pass on the negative government intervenion rhetoric, while a great plan like my cousin Ben & I have developed will certainly be trounced as Government Intervenion?

Here's a guess: William Kristol (see my earlier rage at this powerful asshole for an explanation).

The model shows some promise. I would like to see a little more elaboration of items 3 and 4. Will the aptitude matrix divide the students into two groups: one which is to be more vocationally directed and the other given classes/courses for those who might be college bound?

Then, after successfully completing 10th grade, who would get what kind of diploma? I would think you are referring to the vocational/trade graduate as the one going to the approved apprenticeship where as the other group would stay on for the additional, traditional two year academic program. What would their 10th grade graduation certificate say on it? How rigid would the results be handled for the slower student who might want to attempt a shot at college rather than a trade?

I like the concept, I just want a clearer picture

JoeJoe:

In my model - there was no tesing for an aptitude matrix. That amy not be a bad idea, but I like the Girls Scout Try-It Plan. If you have an apptitude but hate it, why do it? If you love it, you have, less than optimum skills can be compensated for with ambition. If you love it, have an aptitude, develope discipline .. then the sky is the limit, unless you are an astronaut.

After 10 years of schooling - a H.S. diploma - just like today, which if nothing else proves you have the discipline and are capable of sitting through several 50 minute sessions of useful possibly, regardless where you passion lay.

My model then says 2 years of Try-It - Candy Stripers (do they still exist?), Real Military Duty, Building Something .. a lot of options, but get away from Mommy and Daddy and out in a supervised big world.

THEN learn a trade through an established apprenticeship, go to College, etc.

Just an FYI about the records...

The records being referred to are cumulative folders. It is largely "backed up." BUT some of the info in those folders is actual student work samples and those things can't be replaced.

FWIW, I've got several students I'd like to sign up for the learn to work program....the school work isn't important to them and there's no reason they should be given the opp to torture the students who do want to learn or why these non-academics shouldn't have the opp to learn a trade.

Hi, JEC. How is your year going? Haven't heard from you in a while.

I was telling someone that 2 years ago, we kept the cum folders for all 4 grades and of graduates for 3 years then sent grad records to county office to be put on microfesh. (sp?) Do they still do that or is data put on disks?

Call it what you will, this is a two-class system and will be received as such. The pragmatic argument that two classes already exist and that the production of such is already an effect of the educational system is dead on arrival precisely because the current system occludes division at every instance and is highly invested in that occlusion. Compared with the adjustments necessary for such a system to be installed, NCLB and the most radical voucher programs are the merest tinkering. That opponents to such a plan--and again, think what would happen if driver's licenses were denied to graduates, or if tracking of this magnitude were even proposed--would be able to motive the rhetoric of egalitarianism buttressed by a hugely inertial educational system makes this, in my opinion, a nice idea that will simply never happen.

I'm
OK with a "two-class system", Brian, as long as it's relatively fair.

Many blue collar workers still make a good living - $20 / hour and bene's ... that's not a bad model, but great factories have gone overseas so we can get stuff made for $0.31 / hour - all in the name of every-day low prices.

Even white collar jobs have run to India - including the stuff factory workers were to re-train for, like software tech support ...

What's left? Sales Jobs - which can be great, like Dan's or sucky like Retail.

What's left? Middle Managers - talk about a cut-throat job: those that can stab your cubical mate with the nicest smile get the next promotion.

What's left? Academia - only so much of that, but can be good work if you're lucky.

What's left? Lawyers & Finance - yea, they're value adding, I say sarcastically

What's left? EXEC. Now were talking. TRUE value adding, as long is it's your own pocket!

Brian, great use of big words..I'm impressed. Good points on the job market, JDR.

I think Brian said he's a Professor somewhere ...

I totally agree, JDR, and many "blue collar" jobs that pay well are obviously immune to globalization: you can't your toilet fixed, car repaired, or house built in India. But fair or not, the system proposed is unrealistic in contemporary America. John Edwards would have a field day with the two Americas theme. Bush would say it's leaving some children behind. In fact, I can't imagine any major politician endorsing it.

It's impossible, by the way, that I'm a professor: they're all leftists.

Let me put it another way: it's unrealistic to be realistic in the way that this plan is. If you look at AYP scores broken down by race, you'll see one reason why it is.