WP:Republican school board in N.C. backed by tea party abolishes integration policy

[December90]

So the Republican School board in NC is living by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They don't view minority children as inferior. What is the big fuss about?

[Kosher Ham]

^^^ The bigger fuss right now is that the kids will probably have school on Monday as a make up snow day.

[stevenaa]

I went to public school and was taught the work. I never had to have help from my parents on any regular basis, because the teachers were effective. My kids go to school and come home with homework assignments on material the teacher hasn't even fully covered. They're throwing too much at them instead of focusing on the basics. They're teaching statistics in 8th. grade which is a complete waste of time. There is no practical use for statistics unless you go into a field that uses it. That should come as an elective later on if needed for a desired career path. Use that time now to hammer home the basics that will be of great value no matter what you do. The system is a complete mess. I should not have to spend hours each nigth teaching my children what they should be learning in school. They're bright students and they put in the work and get A's. They have far better study habits then I ever did. They're just not getting effectively taught the material in the classrooms.

We would get taught something and do a worksheet. The teacher would walk around and help anyone who needed it to reinforce the lesson. That doesn't seem to happen now. The teachers parrot the information in one way, and if that isn't effective for some, they suffer. Kids don't like asking questions when they don't understand because the teacher just repeats the same exact information the exact same way instead of trying to frame it in a different manner. It's idiocy.

[AsburySkinsFan]

So the Republican School board in NC is living by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They don't view minority children as inferior. What is the big fuss about?

God that's ignorant. This has nothing to do with thinking or not that some children are inferior, it has everything to do with the schools that are inferior.

My guess is that when these new white schools get their arses handed to them on the basketball court and football field they'll want the desegregation again. See I can make ignorant and stupid comments too.

[Seabee1973]

^^^ The bigger fuss right now is that the kids will probably have school on Monday as a make up snow day.

That happened in Va awhile ago and only the white kids showed up to school

My eighth grade year in new mexico i lost a whole week of easter vacation as it was called back then plus an hour extra each day and that saturday.

[Kosher Ham]

stevenaa, Statistically, you would be wrong.

Just admit that your kids are smarter than you and it upsets you.

Or that your kids only have one way of processing information.

Don't get me wrong, I think most kids should have basic alphabet and word recognition by kindergarden, but unfortunately that is not always the case. That is the parents, I can't even blame the pre-schools.

[AsburySkinsFan]

I went to public school and was taught the work. I never had to have help from my parents on any regular basis, because the teachers were effective. My kids go to school and come home with homework assignments on material the teacher hasn't even fully covered. They're throwing too much at them instead of focusing on the basics. They're teaching statistics in 8th. grade which is a complete waste of time. There is no practical use for statistics unless you go into a field that uses it. That should come as an elective later on if needed for a desired career path. Use that time now to hammer home the basics that will be of great value no matter what you do. The system is a complete mess. I should not have to spend hours each nigth teaching my children what they should be learning in school. They're bright students and they put in the work and get A's. They have far better study habits then I ever did. They're just not getting effectively taught the material in the classrooms.

We would get taught something and do a worksheet. The teacher would walk around and help anyone who needed it to reinforce the lesson. That doesn't seem to happen now. The teachers parrot the information in one way, and if that isn't effective for some, they suffer. Kids don't like asking questions when they don't understand because the teacher just repeats the same exact information the exact same way instead of trying to frame it in a different manner. It's idiocy.

How much time have you spent in a class room recently? I ask this because you seem to present an opinion of what goes on in the classrooms, and as such I'm just curious as to how that opinion was reached.

[Major Harris]

school boards here are not affiliated with any political party...frankly, i think that's how it should be.

[AsburySkinsFan]

school boards here are not affiliated with any political party...frankly, i think that's how it should be.

Agreed, same here, heck our mayoral office is not even affiliated.

[Major Harris]

Agreed, same here, heck our mayoral office is not even affiliated.

so far in this thread, i've agreed with you and larry. what's next?

[AsburySkinsFan]

so far in this thread, i've agreed with you and larry. what's next?

.....quickly thumbing through other end times prophecies........

[TD_washingtonredskins]

I went to public school and was taught the work. I never had to have help from my parents on any regular basis, because the teachers were effective. My kids go to school and come home with homework assignments on material the teacher hasn't even fully covered. They're throwing too much at them instead of focusing on the basics. They're teaching statistics in 8th. grade which is a complete waste of time. There is no practical use for statistics unless you go into a field that uses it. That should come as an elective later on if needed for a desired career path. Use that time now to hammer home the basics that will be of great value no matter what you do. The system is a complete mess. I should not have to spend hours each nigth teaching my children what they should be learning in school. They're bright students and they put in the work and get A's. They have far better study habits then I ever did. They're just not getting effectively taught the material in the classrooms.

We would get taught something and do a worksheet. The teacher would walk around and help anyone who needed it to reinforce the lesson. That doesn't seem to happen now. The teachers parrot the information in one way, and if that isn't effective for some, they suffer. Kids don't like asking questions when they don't understand because the teacher just repeats the same exact information the exact same way instead of trying to frame it in a different manner. It's idiocy.

Great post...my kids aren't old enough to be in school yet, but this was my biggest concern watching my brother-in-law come up through the same school district I was in. I remember essentially learning and retaining 95% of what I needed to know by just paying attention in class. I'd take notes and have to review my notes before a test, but I never needed much help from my parents each night to explain what I learned that day. And, believe me, I didn't work very hard nor am I all that bright. I was about to get a 3.8 in a top school district just by paying attention.

I fear that you're correct in what's happening. I can't imagine that all kids are suddenly much slower than we were a generation ago. In fact, if my brother-in-law is any indication, they are much, much brighter with more open minds, access to so much more information, etc. I fear that the teachers aren't effectively teaching the material. Now, it may not even be their fault...it could be that the curriculum has changed and they are expected to cover WAY too much (as you allude to). Either way, I think there's a problem with middle school kids who aren't in the most competitive of situations are spending HOURS doing homework every night. I don't mean that to sound like I'm in favor of lazy standards, I just believe that most of learning should occur at school...it shouldn't be a place where they just go to collect their assignments and then work on their own every night.

---------- Post added January-14th-2011 at 11:05 AM ----------

One other (probably stupid) question...

Why isn't school funding controlled at the state or federal level? That way, you can pool ALL the money and disburse it evenly in order to avoid funding issues that are county-specific. It really doesn't make sense to me.

[CrabR]

just say no to busing

My wife was bused and she hated it it cost her an extra 30 mins in the morning and afternoon, She could walk to her elementary yet was bussed to one another one. This unfair to the kids

[stevenaa]

None. I have two kids in different grades at different schools esperiencing the same thing.

---------- Post added January-14th-2011 at 10:58 AM ----------

stevenaa, Statistically, you would be wrong.

Just admit that your kids are smarter than you and it upsets you.

Or that your kids only have one way of processing information.

Don't get me wrong, I think most kids should have basic alphabet and word recognition by kindergarden, but unfortunately that is not always the case. That is the parents, I can't even blame the pre-schools.

At least they think they are. Having three kids I know that they require information a little differently. Different learning styles is well studied and is doesn't seem they get the individual attention we got when I was in grade school. The class sizes are the same, so that isn't the issue. I think it's largely due to standardized testing and teachers more concerned with crammin what's on the tests as opposed to taking the necessary time to make sure the basics are well understood before moving on. It's more like a college classroom where the instructor moves along with little regard to students comprehension.

[boobiemiles]

I'll say it! The problem is that as soon as I say that having a large poor population being bused in brings down the scores of the school someone will equate me saying poor as meaning black, brown, green, yellow, etc.

And yes, a kid being on a bus for 1 hour to get to school and 1 hour to get home seems a little crazy to me. Esp. at the elementary school level.

Would you be against busing a student to a district an hour away, if that kid is a great athlete?

[CrabR]

Would you be against busing a student to a district an hour away, if that kid is a great athlete?

YES, and I know both my kids would not have wanted to go regardless.

busing is busing

[daveakl]

Would you be against busing a student to a district an hour away, if that kid is a great athlete?

Let me make my position clear. I am against forced busing. If the kid wants to go to a different high school then the one in his district AND there is room at the school AND he can make arrangements to get to and from there without having the bus divert from it's most efficient route then I am ok with a child going to a different school out of their district.

What I am against here in Wake is that each year they move students around based on income levels (not race/gender). The lines and school selections get redone every year to achieve this balance.

[Major Harris]

Why isn't school funding controlled at the state or federal level? That way, you can pool ALL the money and disburse it evenly in order to avoid funding issues that are county-specific. It really doesn't make sense to me.

let me tell you, pooling the money and dispersing it evenly creates county-specific problems. that's how they do it in wv. here in jefferson county, we get hosed because teachers make the same amount of money as someone in boone county. 35k puts you in the upper class in some wv counties. you can't afford to live in our county that way...so what we get is a training ground for our teachers to hop over to loudoun, fairfax, etc for fat pay raises, while our schools struggle to find highly qualified personnel because for a 30 minute commute, you can make 10, 15 , 20, more in salary.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

What I am against here in Wake is that each year they move students around based on income levels (not race/gender). The lines and school selections get redone every year to achieve this balance.

That's what I read when I first read the entire article. That's why, right off the bat, it bothered me that the headline seemed to try to draw you in thinking it was a racial story (in my opinion).

I don't see why any parent would be OK with his/her child(ren) potentially going to a different school every year or two. It would be very disruptive.

[boobiemiles]

What is that agenda?

You're against penalizing students in poorer areas by making them go to a nearby school, but you're fine penalizing students from a richer area by busing them to far-away schools? How is that fair? It levels the playing field I guess, but it doesn't fix anything. You still have the same number of kids going to crappy schools, you just shook it up some AND tacked on long bus rides for no reason.

I don't know how bad it is, but I know it's not necessary.

I'm not against this district attempting to bring all the schools to the same level. That would be ideal. But, I don't have an issue with eliminating the re-drawing of zone lines every year. This sounds like an idea that has spun pretty wildly out of control. The net gain is the same no matter which students go to which schools...so why factor in ridiculous bus routes?

You know honestly I don't see a problem with long bus rides. I know a lot of us have long commutes to our jobs. You do what you have to, to get the job done. I think all of use want our children to do whatever it takes to succeed, if done properly. Inconvienence is just a monetary discomfort. Besides it should provide some training for how the work force. Sometimes you have to go outside your comfort zone to achieve your aspirations. I think we all agree on that.

I know what you are saying about the rich kids going to poor districts, but I don't see that happening. I see it the other way around. To me the solutions is to take money from poor school systems, and build their infostructure. Give people jobs, built up the community. That should allow crime to decline over time. You can then turn around and re-invest resources back into the education systems, and maintain a certain standard of living so resources are not allocated to law enforcement, or other social issues. But in the mean time, give the kids from these neighborhoods the tools to achieve so they can come back and support a higher standard, and grow it expondetially. That way, in time, the system can support itself, and kids from richer districts will have the same eductaion as poorer areas.

As for the TEA PARTY. They had a neo conservative, Obama hating adgenda from the beginning. You have a movement started in NC that is suppose to mimic the Movement for Liberation against tyranny. Isn't that something? They have been toxic. They have been outlandish in there measures to show distain for a President that had two years to clean up some ones elses' mess, and navigate through crisis that threaten our way of life. Why? What is different about Obama? Non of his initative have been self serving or conveluted. However they call for different times, that reflect times when America was very different, and far from reaslizing social progress that many of us enjoy. Am I right? Or will we sit back and say, bullseyes, guns at town hall meetings, and Presidents portayed as Hitler was convential for all the presidents the proceeded Obama?

[TD_washingtonredskins]

let me tell you, pooling the money and dispersing it evenly creates county-specific problems. that's how they do it in wv. here in jefferson county, we get hosed because teachers make the same amount of money as someone in boone county. 35k puts you in the upper class in some wv counties. you can't afford to live in our county that way...so what we get is a training ground for our teachers to hop over to loudoun, fairfax, etc for fat pay raises, while our schools struggle to find highly qualified personnel because for a 30 minute commute, you can make 10, 15 , 20, more in salary.

Oh OK...I didn't think about that aspect of it.

[AsburySkinsFan]

just say no to busing

My wife was bused and she hated it it cost her an extra 30 mins in the morning and afternoon, She could walk to her elementary yet was bussed to one another one. This unfair to the kids

Then fund all schools in an area equally...that's fair, but it doesn't happen.

[Predicto]

school boards here are not affiliated with any political party...frankly, i think that's how it should be.

I wish we had that here. The school board in San Francisco is politicized all to hell.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

All good points Boobie...still though, I think it's a reach to say that we should be using this major inconvenience as a life lesson for young children. There are so many other aspects of life where those lessons are better taught (attending sports/music lessons/practicing hard/pushing yourself in extracurricular activities) that I don't believe we have to tell a 3rd grader that he has to sit on a bus for 45 minutes to and from school in order to "earn" his education. It's just my opinion.

Also, if you're being put in a new school every year or two, how do you develop those close friendships and sense of school pride. I know those are softer issues, but they are still major aspects of those 12 or so years of our lives. I'm lucky enough to still be very close to a handful of guys I went to school with from K-12...I see them and their families all the time. You lose that entirely if you're going to school with different kids every couple of years. I also like the idea of schools representing a community, and that is lost if you're attending a school that is 5 towns away from where you live.

Anyway, I think we'll just disagree about the merits of busing kids all around the county...though, I do acknowledge some of the benefits you pointed out.

[Boss_Hogg]

My cousin teaches (I should say taught) in Wake County in some of those "best and most diverse" schools in the poorest neighborhoods. He is 6'6" and 255 lbs. He feared for his life and got death threats everyday. He doesn't work in Wake County anymore. Like that couple getting accosted down in FL, someone has to make these ethnic groups accountable for their behavior. This is a poorly done article by someone who is out of touch with what is going on in Wake County, NC.

How should we make these ethnic groups accountable?