Comments on: We Have The Numbers (And We’re Voting Yes) http://www.toddseal.com/rodin/2006/02/we-have-the-numbers-and-were-voting-yes/ Challenge The Status Quo Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:11:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Matthew Brown http://www.toddseal.com/rodin/2006/02/we-have-the-numbers-and-were-voting-yes/comment-page-1/#comment-84 Matthew Brown Sat, 11 Feb 2006 19:52:00 +0000 http://www.toddseal.com/teaching/?p=15#comment-84 This is precisely the issues that obscures public discussion of education. Everyone who has finished high school has over a decade of experience in a school, and therefore presumes to know something about schools in general. It is also part of the reason why proponents of vouchers are barking up the wrong tree: In the marketplace, people no more compare schools than they compare doctors. The information to make an informed decision about where to send a child to school is woefully lacking. This is precisely the issues that obscures public discussion of education. Everyone who has finished high school has over a decade of experience in a school, and therefore presumes to know something about schools in general. It is also part of the reason why proponents of vouchers are barking up the wrong tree: In the marketplace, people no more compare schools than they compare doctors. The information to make an informed decision about where to send a child to school is woefully lacking.

]]> By: Shelly http://www.toddseal.com/rodin/2006/02/we-have-the-numbers-and-were-voting-yes/comment-page-1/#comment-83 Shelly Fri, 10 Feb 2006 02:46:00 +0000 http://www.toddseal.com/teaching/?p=15#comment-83 I think any discussion of parents and school expectations needs to start with them understanding all the handcuffs and chains that we as teachers have to wear because of the massive amounts of legislation that eats into every school day and virtually every school activity. I'd venture to guess that most parents are not aware of exactly how much of our teaching time is taken up with state-mandated testing and teaching state-mandated curriculum at the time that the state tells us to teach it (and sometimes even _how_ the state tells us to teach it). When parents really understand how much of school time is spent not educating but getting kids able to fill in the bubbles on the test correctly, perhaps we can move to a discussion of what their attitude toward education does to their child's performance.<br /> <br /> Hah... good luck. I think any discussion of parents and school expectations needs to start with them understanding all the handcuffs and chains that we as teachers have to wear because of the massive amounts of legislation that eats into every school day and virtually every school activity. I’d venture to guess that most parents are not aware of exactly how much of our teaching time is taken up with state-mandated testing and teaching state-mandated curriculum at the time that the state tells us to teach it (and sometimes even _how_ the state tells us to teach it). When parents really understand how much of school time is spent not educating but getting kids able to fill in the bubbles on the test correctly, perhaps we can move to a discussion of what their attitude toward education does to their child’s performance.

Hah… good luck.

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