I Went to a Job Faire Today for Teachers

Last year about a thousand teachers in attendance, this year's attendance seemed to double that. Schools in California are ranked 47th in the nation in per student spending. Pretty poor for the nation's richest state! I read a report a few years ago stating that if California were a nation, it would have been the seventh wealthiest nation in the world! And we can't make our students a high enough priority to at least put them somewhere above average?! Much less at the top?

I think our state spends too much money trying to take care of every last need, to the point that now we can't balance our budget. While I have nothing against taking care of people, we have to make sure that welfare of the state is met in the process. We can't do everything that makes us feel good. We can't pay for everyone's college, including illegal immigrants, as I've heard suggested. We have to meet the needs, basic needs, of citizens first. Make sure we have a healthy budget, that income exceeds expenditures (creating income that won't frighten off business) so we can meet obligations. Then we look at what we can do to lend a hand, not just hand out to everyone.

I get the sense from time to time, that what used to be considered as privilege is now seen as entitlement. I see raising a generation of people with the sense of entitlement is very dangerous. People who feel entitled to something don't feel the need to work for anything, and they don't feel they should have to wait for anything. And I believe people who feel entitled to something are much more likely to take what they feel entitled to if it is not given to them.

Another sad thing about our state's budget... education is about 40% of the state's budget, the single largest expense in the state. Where does that money go, that this state is 47th in the nation on per student spending? How do we fix this? A lot of teachers are already having to look at other districts for work because they have received pink slips. Many districts in my area don't know what their funding will look like for next year until several months from now, at least.

At what cost do we gamble with the education of our children? How long will this state be blessed with the dedication and self sacrifice I have seen in the teachers who teach our children?

Homework; What Is It For?

Home work is such a highly debated subject. I have seen this issue from two sides of the argument, definitely not all sides.

As a parent I have bemoaned the fact that my children had homework as kindergartners, especially since we already read to them quite a bit. My wife and I have always encouraged our children to express themselves through words and drawing, or coloring, so the homework they brought from kindergarten just seemed redundant. It was not a big deal, just a nuisance. Our children are two years apart, had different 1st grade teachers, and had very different types of homework from their first grade teachers. As my children have grown older, homework definitely becomes more relevant to their learning.

In first grade my son had reading, some math and occasionally spelling or some other topic to work on. All of his work was required to be turned in. My daughter on the other hand, had everything from reading (with a log), to observing the changing of seasons, to spelling words, to math. Only occasionally was her work required to be turned in. There was a sheet to be signed by the parent stating all work was completed, and questions about what was learned, what was most fun, etc., though my daughter always had issues with homework that the teacher did not want to see. I can't say I blame her.

I believe strongly that home should always be made relevant to lessons in the classroom (which was the case with my daughter,) that homework should be used to reinforce skills taught in the classroom (questionable at times,) and should never allow the student to feel like they are being made to waste their time (my daughter usually felt like she was wasting her time - the teacher didn't want to see her work. Or at least didn't feel the need to see her work.)

My daughter had the same teacher again for second grade, which was fine with my daughter, and with my wife and me. Other than the homework, we feel that this teacher truly cares about her students, works hard to make them feel successful, and is good about communicating with parents.

Homework for in upper elementary, middle, and high school, years is increasingly important. The amount of homework varies greatly based on parent demand, teachers' philosophy, and district policy. In areas where competition for access to ivy league or top 10 universities is high, it seems homework is a major focus. I can only wonder how homework is viewed in schools where attendance, and the educational process are viewed as something of a nuisance, or worse. In schools where survival is more important than education, how do teachers reach parents and students?

Whatever the situation, I believe that communication between parents and teachers is essential for homework to be worthwhile. And homework needs to reinforce what is taught in the classroom. If that can incorporate something from the student's life, culture, interests, so much the better.

What do you think?

Parents' Perceptions of School

From experience I would think that most people's perceptions of schools and teachers will be affected by their memories of their own years in elementary school. From reading, conversations with adults of various ages, and my recollections, I have found that unhappy memories of the elementary years dissuade parents from trusting school staff members and they are less likely to participate in classrooms or on PTA, and are less likely to trust their child's teacher, much less seek out the help or cooperation of their child's teacher.