..........here's where it all began.

The old one-room school house was the start of public education in America. This is a picture of a school house in Sacramento, CA. As a career teacher, I often think of the many challenges of public education today as compared to the old days. There have always been struggles with the task of educating the American people. We hail from many different cultural backgrounds and the value of an education vary greatly. The value of an education has always been in question. Without a doubt, knowledge is power. Knowledge of how our government was formed and how it operates, the social situations within our country and other countries, mathematics, science, communication and language skills, physical health, geography, and the arts, are all part of our lives each and every day. Public education attempts to cover these things in a most basic and in some cases, advanced offering of information. Education is an offering to the people of America. Many citizens question the effectiveness of our public education system - I am among them. Why all the questions? There are many variations in what citizens view as important. Politics and religion play a huge role in public education offerings and delivery to the students. Accountability has become the issue of our times in education. How do we obtain accountability? Yes, we test the socks off the kids! Just this morning, I looked over our testing calendar for the rest of the school year. The month of February had five tests given, March will have three, April will have six, and May will have twelve. Believe it or not, we do have a few days built into the calendar to teach! We have allowed ourselves to be put into the position of the system managing us rather that the opposite. The politicians, administrators, and citizens (to some degree), take the scores along with all the variables of race, etc. and tell the teachers what is necessary to teach. So, armed with that "expert" analysis, we the teachers, teach the students what is necessary to do well on the tests. I don't see this as valuable education. If a school has low scores, a group of "educators" decend upon the school to fix the problems. If the problems are not fixed, the teachers and sometimes, the principals will be removed and replaced with more competent individuals. So why is there such a problem? To begin with, who do we take our cue from in determining what is important for our kids to know? Do we listen to the administrators who have been out of the classroom for ten or more years? Do we listen to the politicians? Do we listen to the college professors? Do we listen to the business leaders? Should we require all students to learn the same things, or should we take into account the variables of personality, career interests, community needs, or parental suggestions? Do we believe that all children can learn if challenged? Do we believe that all children come into the school ready and willing to learn? Are there problems at home and within the family unit that leave the child defeated before education can begin? Do we take into account that many American homes simply don't stress the importance of education? When I grew up, education was highly valued by my parents. The thought of dropping out of high school never entered my mind as a result of my parents' guidance. The average percentage of graduation from high school in America is only 75%. How can that be in this great nation of knowledge and wealth? I will stand on my afore given reason of the value of an education. If something is valued, it will rate the necessary attention. Public education has many obstacles. Higher standards are not the answer. No Child Left Behind, in its present state, is not the answer. To put out the fire, you must attack it at its source. The American family must buy into the fact that education is important. When the value of knowledge is important, parents will encourage their children to learn and education will become a priority. Let's get back to the political part of education. It won't be popular for politicians to attack the apathetic American family unit; in fact, it would cost someone many votes in the next election. The answer is simple, attack the public education system - we're an easy target. I enjoy teaching and sharing knowledge with my students. Standards become harder to maintain every year. Being a teacher is more than a job. We fill many voids in the lives of our students, and from that come many personal rewards. To see a child succeed is an amazing feeling. I'm proud to be a teacher. I'm often frustrated with being a teacher. I know the public thinks little of my contributions; but, I have the satisfaction of seeing the thousands of successful members of our society that have become successful as a result of their public education. Seventy-five percent graduation rates are far from acceptable. Within that 75% are some outstanding people - people who will succeed, help our country maintain, and lead us. There is good in our education system. (This post is in retaliation for that short one yesterday.)