Schools in a Crisis

A buzz from Oprah ~ (you should be able to view it here.)

Tuesday (April 11th), Oprah started a segment on this subject of public schools in a crisis. She has teamed up with Time Magazine (here's a link for that blip). Time Magazine (and I have not read the magazine article, but I did watch both Oprah shows because I was curious) headlines Drop-out Nation which features Central Indiana's Shelbyville High School, but Indiana says they have grabbed the attention of the media because it is trying to do something about it's problem ( a huge drop-out rate)...and I say good for them.

There was one school featured today that had rooms made for 38 seats and there were 50 students in most classrooms (in Los Angeles). The school is built for 1,500 students and there are 5,000 in enrollment.

~~~(What I was wondering was, why isn't that a fire hazard? – and what is happening to the money going to the schools?).

There were schools in the District of Columbia where the ceilings were falling down, the bathrooms were unusable,

~~~(Again, where are the City, County and State Code Marshals? And who is accountable for how the money is being spent? Doesn't someone know how to use a phone? Or write a ton of letters? How did this get this way?)

and, of course, gates and bars, and prison looking atmospheres are showing openly for some students to attend everyday.

She mentioned, too, that the education many of the children in our public schools are receiving is not measuring up to the standards that are needed to succeed in college. She also mentioned lack of parental involvement. Her guests included Bill and Melinda Gates and Kevin James, an ex-pro-basketball player who took over three schools himself (and they are doing well.)

Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, say they are making an effort to help. Some articles don't agree with their ideas. Mr. Gates seems to have some good ideas, though. One was that all schools don't have to be exactly alike. He created one school himself where there are no books! It's called High Tech High.

There are those who are not happy with the way ‘they report’ that Gates is thinking. I don’t know. Not everyone needs college, do they?….did Einstein? Okay, so everyone is not Einstein, but still!....We are not cookie molds.

The Gates’, and Oprah, and Mr. James all talk as if they want America to be better educated. What’s wrong with that? But, I’m sure some people will see some kind of agenda somewhere other than the one projected …because that's usually the way things go now and then, isn't it?

I know there are people who aren't a fan of Oprah's. I remain thinking that, she may be all about ratings, as someone in her business does need ratings to continue on with what they do, and I think she is trying to do something good, from her way of viewing things.

Here’s another thing I wonder about; did anyone ever think that there is an education out there for them even if the public school does not provide one? Oh, here’s one …Amblesideonline!

Who would-a-thunk that someone could go online and find an education all for themselves if they really, really want it!? And free!! (I use it and I love it!) Even if someone doesn’t own a computer, computers are available for free at the public libraries.

And if a person doesn’t want to print out material from a website, there are books available in the libraries that you can actually read on your own! Amazing isn't it? To think that one could figure something out by reading and thinking all by themselves? But, I suppose to bring that up is to bring up the fact that some libraries aren’t up-to-date with the public school books? And another thing is that when the kids can't read, they are usually hiding that fact from everyone because they are embarrassed. Why wouldn't EVERYONE want to help someone who can't read well if they want help?

All the guests were on target when they said that parents needed to get involved. What has happened, as I see it, is that many parents have separated themselves from the job and responsibility of their child’s education. They have handed the keys to their children’s future over to the government. It was never meant to be this way.

On Achieve.org you can click on your state and see how it stacks up.

I realize some of my comments might be cheeky, but it seems to me that not all the equation is complete. Somewhere, there is something else missing. The direction home?