Public School

In the Beginning

Many of us ask the question, "what's wrong with our public school system?" That question has been debated for decades. Why are so many high school students dropping out? Why do they often leave with an education that affords them little future opportunity? Whose fault is it?

Is it the government, the school boards and districts, teachers, parents or all of the above? Most importantly, what can be done to change it?

Several hundred years ago, most children were educated at home by parents. In the 1900's, the idea of a public school system and one curriculum for all began.

As the years passed, it became obvious that not everyone learned the same and therefore individual differences needed to be considered.

As society's views changed, so did the public school system. During the 1970's in North America, the trend began to turn back to inclusion of all students regardless of abilities. This is basically where we still are today.

Who's to Blame

With every new school year, there is renewed optimism. We send our children off to school and hope that they will get a good education. This is not always the case. Who should we blame?

From government's, down to school boards and districts, to principals, to teachers and parents. At every level, we share the responsibility to make our public schools more effective and productive.

Our children need to learn in a safe and encouraging environment. Government's need to spend more money responsibly. They need to ensure that schools are safe and that children have the books they need. Teachers need to have the resources and training they need to properly teach our children.

Class sizes need to be reasonable and special needs students must have the aides and tools they need. The needs of gifted students need to be considered as well.

Teachers need help to make sure the bulk of their time is spent teaching and not disciplining and parenting.

School boards and districts need not be a mere extension of government. Their main focus needs to be coordinating and supporting teachers and students. Not budget cutting and closing schools.

They should be fighting for teachers and insisting the government provide more resources to the schools.

School principals need to do a better job as liaison between teachers - students - parents.

Parents should feel free to approach the principals with issues they have without being nervous that their child will be adversely affected.

Parents need to make sure that they instil the importance of education and desire to learn in their children. They need to teach respect and responsibility. This would make every child's school experience better.

They can make a difference by encouraging their children to read and by reading to them. Sharing a love of books is an excellent way to help prepare children for school.

In The News

The recent revelation that teachers and administrators in some states have been toying with test scores leaves many parents wondering “are test scores so poor that they need to “fix” them?”

If the answer is yes, what does that say about our public school system? Parents used to have to teach their children that cheating was wrong and that it helped no one. Now it seems that we must teach that lesson to the very people we trusted with our students.

Since this particular issue is about state testing, it begs the question “do state expectations of students differ that much from what teachers expect and therefore teach?”

In other words, are teachers dumbing down the curriculum to get the result they need? Is “No Child Left Behind” to blame?

Are teachers and administrators so focused on making the grade themselves and ensuring financing that they disregard how their actions will affect their students?

What's happening in the public school classroom? Are there too many children with learning and behavioural issues without the help they need within the classroom? What does this mean for them? What about gifted children? What is it like in these classes for them?

Education Secretary Arne Duncan recently said he was “stunned” by these cheating revelations and that it was “unacceptable”

As parents, we must ask a lot of questions and demand answers. Simply firing the individuals involved is not enough. That in and of itself does not fix the issue.

We must demand more from our teachers and our schools. Parents have a role to play in these issues. We need to be more involved.

A Fork in the Road

Our public school system is facing a critical fork in the road. If we continue on the same path our children will be learning less in classrooms that are stressful.

High schools will continue to be plagued by drugs, violence, and high drop out rates. Teachers will continue to leave their profession due to lack of resources and support.

Governments will continue to throw money at problems without actually fixing anything. Society as a whole fails under this scenario.

As corny as it may sound, our children are indeed our future. If they do not receive an excellent education, what will their future hold?

What are some things we need to do? Accountability is a good thing but not if it means lowering the bar so that students learn less.

Classes need to be smaller. Teachers need support and training. We need to examine the idea of inclusion and see where the needs of children are being met and where they aren’t.

Principals and teachers need to be more approachable. Parents should not fear repercussions because they go in to discuss issues that happen at school.

Governments need to spend more money responsibly. Stop giving grants or throwing money at schools without knowing what actually happens to that money.

Insist on higher standards. Parents must understand that they are responsible for their own children. Teachers are not our children’s parents.

In many cases, we expect too much of teachers given the circumstances they face every day. Often, there are more then 30 students in a classroom. Some of them are not prepared to learn, and others have little interest in what the teacher is saying.

Merely listing the problems isn’t enough. We must take our children’s education more seriously. We need to hold governments, schools, teachers and parents responsible. Stop passing the buck.

At every level, we can make a difference if we stop assuming there is nothing we can do and start insisting something must be done!

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