Student FEAR: What Situations Do You Know?

What do you think today's students are afraid of?

Do you know of any situations, in which fear significantly changed someone's life?

Or do you know of any situations in which conquering fear made a person stronger?

History of U.S. Schools: History of Double Standards?

After our Monday class discussion, I was interested in finding published evidence of a two-tiered educational system in the United States.  Certainly,  I didn’t doubt it existed, but I wanted to see if anyone wrote about it.

The journal, Anthropology & Education Quarterly, published an entire issue on White Privilege and Schooling in 2008.  Although I was unable to locate the entire journal on the databases, the introductory article does not skirt the issue of a more elite system of schooling, along with one for those who are not privileged.  Douglas Foley says that the class privileges of Whites puts additional psychological pressure on non-Whites in U.S. schools.  Though Civil Rights has removed the largest chasms in the education system, he refers to lingering achievement gaps and a war between cultures.  Depictions of the minorities and the impoverished “underestimate complex race class and gender articulations…that essentialize historically oppressed nonwhite cultural identity groups” (225). *

Afterwards, out of curiosity I started rooting around for some statistical evidence of a two-tiered education in the U.S.  I thought it might be easier to find a correlation between household income and student attendance at either private or public school than to find evidence of two levels of superior and inferior education in the public schools.

First I tried the U.S. Census.  It had scads of numbers and lots of information about enrollment and age, years of education and race, and many other variables.  However, I couldn’t find a simple correlation of household income and attendance at public or private school.   Rather than numbers about income and school attendance,   I did find information about income and dropout rates.  The information was from 2003 however.  Students from households with an income of $20,000 or under were more than three times more likely to drop out than students coming from homes with an income of $50,000 or more.  The dropout rates were 6.1%, 4.0%, and 1.8% respectively for the following household income groups:   of $20,000 or under, $21,000-$49,00, and    $50,000 or more (p. 8).**

The closest match for my search about household income and private versus public school was a government Factsheet from Australia.  Australia is not America, but they are both English-speaking countries of Anglo origin, so there is perhaps a better relationship than comparing schools in China or Russia.  So taken with a grain of salt, here are the results from Australia.  It’s more likely that middle and lower socioeconomic enroll in the public schools (42%).  Of the poorer students, only 27% enroll in private Catholic schools and  23% in non-Catholic private schools.   Catholics are more likely to enroll in private Catholic schools, which is no surprise.  It’s less likely for wealthier families to enroll in the public schools (21%).  High income families are likely to enroll in private Catholic schools (34%), and even more likely to enroll in non-Catholic private schools (47%).   

So although the school system is overseas, in Australia there is an unofficial dual school system, with the “have’s” predominantly attending private school and the “have not’s” primarily attending public school (p. 1).†

Given more time and without other pressing matters, I’d have liked to pursue this further.  Certainly, it’s evident that there are two tiers between wealthy districts and poor districts.  It would be interesting to see if the double tiered system still exists within districts too.  Are certain types of kids steered in a certain direction.  Common sense says they probably are, but empirical evidence would be needed before the situation could be effectively confronted and rectified.

*Foley, Douglas. "Introduction to Theme Issue: White Privilege and Schooling."
     Anthropology & Education Quarterly 39.3 (2008): 225-226. Education
     Research Complete. Web. 11 July 2011.  <http://0-web.ebscohost.com.library.

 jcu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=0f51085f-41fb-4a37-81d7-    39ca3d512c03%40sessionmgr11&vid=15&hid=19>.

**United States. U.S. Census. "Population Characteristics: Dropout Rates."
     School Enrollment—Social and Economic Characteristics of Students:
     October 2003. By Hyon B. Shin. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government, May 2005.
     8. U.S. Census Bureau. Web. 11 July 2011. <http://www.census.gov/prod/
     2005pubs/p20-554.pdf>.

†Byrne, P. "Parents Income and Attendance at Public and Private Schools."
     Austrailian Education Union. Fact Sheet #12 ed. AEU Federal, Apr. 2004.
     Web. 11 July 2011. <http://www.aeufederal.org.au/Publications/Factsheets/
     factsheet12.pdf>.

Experts' Bullying Advice

 

In an education journal, I came across a bullying article that was an interview between Jennie Young of the NEA’s Health Information Network and David A. Levine and Martin Fleming.  Levine leads In Care of Students, and Fleming is the leader of ForKidSake.

Levine says that bullying occurs when emotional needs are not satisfied. The famous psychologist William Glasser enumerated these needs as “belonging, personal power, personal freedom, and fun” (32).  These unmet needs often cause students to seek power over others.

Both interviewees say that schools should plainly identify consequences for bullying and stick with them, not putting up with aggression.  Victims and by-standers need to be empowered, in part by teaching students life skills for getting through difficult times.

Levine and Fleming say that adults should not consider bullying just a normal part of life and should not handle a bullying situation in a way that makes it worse.  The adult should avoid saying that the victim has tattled and instead say that the conflict mediation is the bully’s fault.  They gave this example for speaking to the bully.  The brackets are mine.   “Say ‘I will bring [the victim] Sam in now. [Bully,] You have initiated this intervention’” (32). 

Fleming and Levine stress creating a safe environment in a school, teaching the students to report bullying, and teaching them that no one has the right to hurt another person in body or in emotions.  

The article concludes with many resources, most of which are available through the National Education Association.

Fleming, Martin, and David Levine. "Bullying Is on the Rise, but Intervention
     Helps Potential Victims and Perpetrators." NEA Today 20.5 (2002): 32.
     Print.

Ohio Graduation Test: the Stakes Certainly Are High!

Last week, the Reuters news service reported that 178 employees  of the Atlanta Schools (mainly teachers and principals) were under investigation for cheating on standardized tests, going back to 2001!  One of the things the staff did was erase answers, like Kennan mentioned in class last week.  What a difficult, pressure-filled thing this high stakes testing is!    

For our district’s OGT testing, we had three teachers per room so that there would always be at least two teachers, never any teacher alone.  The booklets are collected in a Tupperware tub and taken by administration  before students are dismissed from the room.  There would be no chance for teachers to do an erasure party.  In addition, before testing week, teachers were given  information sheets about the requirements of testing and about acting with integrity.  We had to sign and turn in papers, saying we’d read all the information.  It’s all very formal.  It’s clear that there are severe consequences for inappropriate testing behavior—perhaps even seeing one’s teaching credentials in jeopardy.

No doubt that the cheating is wrong, but what is it that could drive people to do such things?  Right now teacher pay is not based on test results, but if our governor and so many others have their way, it will be.  Think of the temptation to cheat then! Either way, it points to the pressure schools and educators feel.  The article even says, “‘A culture of fear, intimidation and retaliation existed in Atlanta Public Schools, which created a conspiracy of silence,’ the state report concluded” (qtd. in Beasley 1).  

If teachers in my district are anything like normal—and there’s no reason to think we aren’t--none of us wants to teach to the test.  We long for the olden days when we had department structure but could teach in the best, most creative ways according to our consciences. 

However now we must teach “how to take the test” because the test has quirks.  Sure, we care about our district’s results, but we also care very much about our kids being shaken by a test, for which they may have the skills or information but lack the “how to” to understand the way the questions are asked.  Does the OGT really test information by capable young citizens/ graduation skills/ survival skills? Or does it test a student’s ability to answer OGT-style questions, as well as a student’s ability to remain motivated through  almost 13 hours of standardized testing in one week?

There’s a specific format expected for the written response answers.  Like in “The Three Bears,” the short and extended response answers have to be “juuuust right.”  A disinterested kid, who gives an incomplete answer, loses points, but so does a high-achieving, go-getter kid who tries to be too thorough and writes too much!

There other quirks too, but I don’t want to be pursued by the state of Ohio for saying too much online.  There are copies of past tests available for anyone’s perusal at: http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?Page=3&TopicRelationID=1070&Content=107293  .

Schools’ standardized test results are published in the newspaper and online.  In Ohio, the scoring system is complex; people outside education don’t understand it.  They just look at a number or a label and judge the district. Kids are given several opportunities for re-taking the test and are offered free tutoring, but a district’s statistics are based on the sophomores’ first try.  A number doesn’t tell how many hours were spent helping kids or how hard people tried or what was going on in the kid’s life on test day. Levies fail on the basis of the test results and jobs are lost.  Fewer teachers means larger classes, so teachers and kids both lose.    

Here’s an example of the intricacies of the scoring system in Ohio. Certain subgroups of  at-risk students are counted in Ohio’s tally, which is reasonable.  But what most people don’t realize is that one, single student who is in multiple subgroups gets counted multiple times!  If  a student is handicapped, is a minority, and is impoverished, his or her failing test score counts three times, like he or she is three people, even though it’s one student.  Our district, very near here, is integrated and includes nearly half the families living under the poverty line.  Right away, we’re at a huge statistical disadvantage compared to a district that has few minorities or has wealthier families or  both.  But nothing in the newspaper explains all this.  Your district just get labeled “Excellent,” “ Effective,” or basically You Suck—Just Try to Pass Your Next Levy. 

(And since Ohio chopped millions out of our district’s funding over just two years instead of phasing it out over more than half a decade, like they’d promised, levies are important.  Young teachers, close friends, lost their jobs last spring because Ohio put our carefully-planned budget into sudden crisis.)

Meanwhile, in Atlanta, the District Attorney of Fulton County says, “‘Once the review is completed, we will make an announcement at that time,’… without elaborating on what, if any, charges might be on the table” (qtd. in Beasley 1).  Whatever happens, it’s going to be painful.  

High stakes testing?  Pain, pressure, fear, and now corruption too.

Beasley, David. "Prosecutors to Review Widespread Cheating in Atlanta Schools."
     Reuters US. Reuters, 6 July 2011. Web. 9 July 2011.  <http://www.reuters.com/

     article/2011/07/06/us-atlanta-schools-cheating-idUSTRE7657EP20110706>.

Let's Teach at Stephen's Ideal School!

I want to teach at a school like Stephen describes!    

I suspect that’s where we’d all like to teach.  In class on Thursday, Stephen talked about a school where people could explore when they’re ready, and (like Freire says in Ch. 9 of the Foundations book) problem-solve,  and not fail.  It sounds wonderful.

It reminds me of a Montessori school, in which students explore and discover.  A Montessori school rents part of a wing of our church.  On Sunday mornings when we walk through the unoccupied wing to get to a meeting room at the end of the hall, the adults are sincerely envious of all the really cool play/learning stations for the children.  Couldn’t someone build something like this where grown-ups and kids beyond the primary grades could learn through play and discovery?  (Please? I want to play!)

I don’t know if any of you ever had the chance to experience the hands-on section of the Inventor's Hall of Fame, which had been in Akron.  It was like a giant science Montessori school for both youth and adults, where people could play with principles of science, like light, sound, magnetism, gravity, etc. It was so much fun!  I hope it's still similar now that it's moved to North Canton. Playing with science was a fascinating and exciting adventure.  Isn’t that what learning should be like?  (That’s why I can’t understand why our school always scores lowest on the Science OGT.  Science fits that problem-solving model better than any field.)

If schools could be full of readiness and exploration, then no child would ever be left behind—in a real sense—instead of the maddening aspects of NCLB that impose massive testing and massive pressure.

Like everything else, it all boils down to money, doesn’t it?  If people are rich enough to have private tutoring, they can have the opportunity to explore when they’re ready and discover; their education can unfold before their very eyes.

When I talked about failure lists and bending over backwards to try to help kids and give them encouragement and every opportunity, I was talking about life in a school system that’s the product of an economic reality.  If your family isn’t rich enough, then you attend public school, which aims toward the middle majority of the bell-shaped curve.  A’s are earned by some who are eager, determined, or advanced.   F’s are earned by those who can’t or won’t do the work. 

(Can’t or won’t.  I  just had an insight into the distinction--that I never give up on those who find the work hard.  But in the case of those who stonewall and refuse to do the work, sometimes I can convince them to crawl back from the edge, but not always.   Those few kids that end up on my failure list are the ones who, like in Saar's model, exercise free will as an agent and choose to resist past the end of the semester.  Those who reject my help usually have very serious issues in their lives; I usually can't make a dent in these giant problems, but I want to help wherever I can.  However in the end, after my coaxing and urging, the student, like a sports figure, is still a free agent.)

The reality is that in public school, classes need to be run in a similar fashion.  Imagine if the kids in 1^st period took an end-of-unit test and the grade was permanent, but students in 2^nd period were allowed to take and re-take and re-take versions of the test until they were ready and had learned it all.  Parents of the 1^st period kids would be up an arms, rightfully so.  I’ve always felt it was better to let students keep striving until they’ve learned it all, but there are limitations in a school system. I have to grade the way the system dictates and also prepare the students for high stakes testing.  But I’d rather teach at a school like Stephen envisioned.

Part of the Inventor's Hall of Fame activity seems to have morphed into a camp.  Here is some parent/camper feedback from the Camp Invention website:

•  “Finally something he enjoys more than video games!”
•  “My daughter really felt a sense of pride in her accomplishments at Camp Invention.”
•  “He told me each night that it was hard to go to sleep because he was excited about the next day.”
•  “Their science vocabulary has exploded!  From the day when we heard about the laws of physics to yesterday’s molecule rearrangements, they were fully engaged. Thank you.”
• “You know why I love going to this camp so much?  Because if you make a mistake, they say, ‘that’s okay,’ and let you fix it.”  

Doesn’t it sound fun?  Isn’t that the way you’d like to teach?

"Camp Invention Home." Camp Invention: A Program of Invent Now.      Invent Now, Inc., 2011. Web. 9 July 2011. <http://www.invent.org/      camp/default.aspx>.

Freire, Paolo. "The Banking Concept of Education." Educational Foundations: An
     Anthology of Critical Readings. Ed. Bruce A. Marlowe and Alan S.
     Canestrari. 2nd ed. Los Angeles: Sage, 2010. 91-103. Print.

Saar, M. "Understanding Genealogy: History, Power, and the Self." Journal of the
     Philosophy of History 2.3 (2008): 295-314. Print.

Ebonics

This post is similar to a comment I posted on Rashad’s blog.  When I saw the chapter on Ebonics coming up, I felt trepidation.  What if I was teaching wrong?  I had read many years ago that Ebonics, like any other language, follows its own consistent rules, so I respected it as a dialect of English.  But still… what if I was teaching wrong? 

To my tremendous relief, the chapter and our discussion agreed with the plan of action I had decided on.  I rarely correct any verbal remarks from any kid, unless they’re factual, information mistakes.   (I don’t want the class walking away thinking that Shakespeare wrote The Odyssey because a student said so and went unchallenged.)  The surest way to stop a kid from ever participating again is to nitpick about one or more grammar points in his or her comment.  I know I’d never raise my hand again if I were humiliated.

But as Stephen said in class, written work is different.  There’s time to go back, look at it, and correct it.  And as Toya said, she realizes there are times when it’s important to use standard English to play by the rules for her own advancement.  As I see it, essays, research papers, OGT tests, applications, and resumes should be standard English; however, for something like a journal entry or a blog, there should be freedom of expression.

Toya also mentioned using different language in different places.  I referred to that in my comment on Rashad’s blog as well.  But we were actually preceded by Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, fifty years ago.  Scout, the main character, asks the African-American housekeeper/nanny why she talks one way at Scout’s house and another way at the Black church.  Calpurnia says that sometimes it nurtures relationships to speak a certain way in one place or another and that it’s not necessary to “put on airs.”  That’s true for all of us!

Delpit, Lisa. "What Should Teachers Do?  Ebonics and Culturally
     Responsive Instruction."   Educational Foundations: An Anthology 
     of Critical Readings. Ed. Bruce A. Marlowe and Alan S. Canestrari.
     2nd ed. Los Angeles: Sage, 2010.  35-43. Print.

Alienation & Bullying: What have you seen?

"Whatever doesn't kill you makes you strong."  Is that the truth about bullying?  Is it just a normal part of youth, which serves to toughen kids up?

Or is the truth that it's a dangerous disease that can cripple kids emotionally or drive them to return to school with guns to hunt down their abusers?

Reading about the alienation in school experienced by the Pennsylvania Germans, the Irish Catholics, the African Americans, and the Native Americans led me to consider alienation in schools today.    

Do you know of a situation in which a person felt like an outcast?  Do you know of an experience in which a person was bullied?  Of course, teachers should intervene if they see it, but young people are adept at what I call "stealth bullying," carrying it out under the radar.  And if the bullying is not detected by adults, what stops kids from seeking help from authorities?

But what about the bully him- or herself?  How often was the bully abused by someone else first?

What experiences do you know of, or what thoughts to you have?