Here is a laundry list of who I've told this to and how that has worked out:
Told a local public school dyslexia grassroots organizer. She agreed but had to get back to what she working on this moment. For now it's just a thought for her.
Told a strong public school supporter who is also a local journalist- she thought it was probably right but she didn't jump on it by any means, said she wont be writing about this sort of thing for awhile.
Told the head of my daughters school, a very smart man, he basically agreed but didn't really seem to believe it was going to change things for him or his private school very much.
Told my child advocate, I think very highly of them by the way. She flat out disagreed. I thought she might be more astute than that. It would seem that these relationships that they have built with the public schools might be more important that this to them.
They will be writing IEP's with less trained Charter schools in the future and finding it harder to get what their clients really need. I suppose only more financially capable families hire them in the first place so perhaps their lives wont be changing much in the next few years. Still I wish she hadn't been so quick to dismiss me.
Made a comment on my local IDA FB page- zero takers
Made a comment on my own FB page- 2 takers, 1 I've already mentioned and a 2nd who is one of the smartest women I know. That was a plus.
Made comment on a few comments sections around the web. I doubt anyone besides me actually reads the comments in those sort of sections since they are so often written by crazy lunatics with anger issues. Probably just get lumped into that category.
Made a comment on a local progressive FB page- 1 stranger picked up on it, no conversation since I answered his question.
Told a local teacher friend- she agreed but that was the end of it, then she told me about the hideous amount of work she is under and how the population she teaches is basically going to end up in prison or pregnant at 15.
Told another local public school teacher friend with a powerful husband- she agreed, that's all, she's busy.
Called a political junkie I know who completely and utterly understood and agreed immediately. He pointed out that these days reporters have very little incentive to get to the bottom of anything at all. I have called him back to ask him to elaborate more on this but haven't heard from him yet. We have a sort of complicated relationship which might be part of the problem.
Emailed a reporter- on vacation
Called my favorite senator- I think the aid was typing as I was talking, don't think that's going anywhere, she was probably placing an online order for snow boots or something.
Told a person I know socially who is also a school psychologist. She said she had taken a law class in college where the professor claimed that in the next 20 years there would not be public school as we know it now. Strangely interesting.
Made a snide remark on a local politician's FB page- probably not the best idea on my part but if it will at least start a conversation that would be good.
Told my mom, she wants me to visualize this all working out positively. When I tried all I could think of was Rocky Road ice cream. Will try again.
On my next to tell list:
A person who knows me well has a well known reporter for a husband. He's been sort of jerky to me in the past but at least my friend can vouch for my character and he might look into it. If he does a report it may actually reach the ears of someone who will start doing something.
I got the name of one of the Big Dogs with the teachers union. What I was told is that the head of the Union is getting ready to retire in the next year and isn't going to want to do anything much. Number 2 person is not considered trustworthy, number 3 person is a greeny. I'm calling Greeny this next week.
So there we have it. What I've done with my theory.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Thursday, August 29, 2013
More Teacher's Union third grade reading guarantee thoughts
So I have thrown my concept; that the real first purpose of this third grade guarantee is to dismantle the power of the public school teachers union (which I learned yesterday is the most powerful union in the state of Ohio) at some folks, different folks, smart folks, people who somehow have a foothold in the educational community.
Not everyone is buying my thoughts. One person I really respect didn't buy it at all.
Yet I still believe it. So I want to further defend my theory.
Here are the states which have a third grade reading guarantee law in place
AZ AR TN OH CT DC NC OK MD MO GA IA DE CA and FL (since 2002 for FL) per this website
http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/01/03/47/10347.pdf
I'll get back to this in a moment.
I am still pouring over the way the one here in Ohio is written (it's senate bill 316 by the way) available here:
http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText129/129_SB_316_EN_N.html
So let's see what I've got so far to back up my claim that the whole real point of this is to dismantle the teacher's union.
(It used to be the steel workers union was the largest strongest union in Ohio but if you've been to Cleveland lately then you know that isn't the case anymore and hasn't been for a long time).
First, teachers who are determined to be "ineffective' based on test results will be required to pay for training at their own expense. (No one good is going to want to have to deal with that now are they? Those folks will most likely move on to better districts rather than have that hassle, hence a downward spiral in the quality of educators making what I'm about to say next go even faster).
Second, I just learned by reading the above mentioned website (the law link) that the state is going to reserve the right to close any school they deem to be in academic emergency (and turn it into what the law calls a community school description 3314 of the revised code) I need to look this up, are they going to turn the school into a charter school? That's my thought but I still need to investigate it. 3302.03
It's looking like a lot of the state education money here is going to be going to funding charter schools and other alternatives to public schools (again no union folks working in those now don't you know).
Union power to protect workers rights is out the window if the teacher, based on student test scores is deemed ineffective. The law supersedes any bargaining agreement. That right there is a huge warning flag that this law is up to no good at all.
A third party is going to be hired to make these sort of subjective judgment calls. That's another warning flag. Who is doing the hiring and who are they hiring. How are the folks they are hiring qualified more than people already working for the Ohio Department of Education? I'm pretty sure the party making that judgment call are going to have the same agenda of closing down the schools and dismantling the union as quickly as possible as the folks who passed this law.
The teachers are sitting ducks and this is an utter setup.
Now go back to the top where I listed the states that already have this in place. This isn't a new model, this is a model that's been passed in other states already. No politician had to reinvent the wheel here, just take the model, pass the law and apply force.
I want to write more but I have to go be a bus driver for kids to get to school.
Not everyone is buying my thoughts. One person I really respect didn't buy it at all.
Yet I still believe it. So I want to further defend my theory.
Here are the states which have a third grade reading guarantee law in place
AZ AR TN OH CT DC NC OK MD MO GA IA DE CA and FL (since 2002 for FL) per this website
http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/01/03/47/10347.pdf
I'll get back to this in a moment.
I am still pouring over the way the one here in Ohio is written (it's senate bill 316 by the way) available here:
http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText129/129_SB_316_EN_N.html
So let's see what I've got so far to back up my claim that the whole real point of this is to dismantle the teacher's union.
(It used to be the steel workers union was the largest strongest union in Ohio but if you've been to Cleveland lately then you know that isn't the case anymore and hasn't been for a long time).
First, teachers who are determined to be "ineffective' based on test results will be required to pay for training at their own expense. (No one good is going to want to have to deal with that now are they? Those folks will most likely move on to better districts rather than have that hassle, hence a downward spiral in the quality of educators making what I'm about to say next go even faster).
Second, I just learned by reading the above mentioned website (the law link) that the state is going to reserve the right to close any school they deem to be in academic emergency (and turn it into what the law calls a community school description 3314 of the revised code) I need to look this up, are they going to turn the school into a charter school? That's my thought but I still need to investigate it. 3302.03
It's looking like a lot of the state education money here is going to be going to funding charter schools and other alternatives to public schools (again no union folks working in those now don't you know).
Union power to protect workers rights is out the window if the teacher, based on student test scores is deemed ineffective. The law supersedes any bargaining agreement. That right there is a huge warning flag that this law is up to no good at all.
A third party is going to be hired to make these sort of subjective judgment calls. That's another warning flag. Who is doing the hiring and who are they hiring. How are the folks they are hiring qualified more than people already working for the Ohio Department of Education? I'm pretty sure the party making that judgment call are going to have the same agenda of closing down the schools and dismantling the union as quickly as possible as the folks who passed this law.
The teachers are sitting ducks and this is an utter setup.
Now go back to the top where I listed the states that already have this in place. This isn't a new model, this is a model that's been passed in other states already. No politician had to reinvent the wheel here, just take the model, pass the law and apply force.
I want to write more but I have to go be a bus driver for kids to get to school.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Third Grade Reading Guarantee and the real reason for it
So why, why why why...........
Then, it dawned on me.
The whole point of the Third Grade Reading Guarantee is to dismantle the teacher's union in Ohio.
It isn't about reading at all. It's about the fact that this union is a powerful political enemy of our current governor.
Look at the law; it supersedes the teachers bargaining agreement. They have no union protection with this law. (Remember charter schools don't have unions).
Additionally, if they are named "ineffective" they are going to have to train at their own expense.
Let me say that again, teachers in public schools are going to have to pay to train if their students cant pass a test. As if that Master's degree wasn't enough.
Teachers, especially in poorer areas have now been set up to fail. How insidious.
The African American community is already leaving the public school in droves. The Charter schools and online schools are taking more kids all the time. There is very little accountability there to the taxpayers. Still Charter schools are subject to this law but really it wont hurt those teachers much now will it?
Still the student population leaving the public schools (the numbers are down) that's only the first blow.
The second (larger) blow is they just lost union protection with this law. It's in there. The power play. Nicely hidden but it's in there. Read the law and you'll find it.
Back to the reading/testing piece:
I can assure you that plenty of Catholic school kids with dyslexia are getting through school barely able to read and in some cases not able to read at all. That's not widely known unless you are a parent in a Catholic school and you can see that there are families struggling with the way reading is taught or should I say not taught. If Catholic schools were subjected to the testing everyone would be able to see this. But they aren't. Completely exempt from any of this. Same with private schools.
So really the target of all of this has been the public teacher union.
Then, it dawned on me.
The whole point of the Third Grade Reading Guarantee is to dismantle the teacher's union in Ohio.
It isn't about reading at all. It's about the fact that this union is a powerful political enemy of our current governor.
Look at the law; it supersedes the teachers bargaining agreement. They have no union protection with this law. (Remember charter schools don't have unions).
Additionally, if they are named "ineffective" they are going to have to train at their own expense.
Let me say that again, teachers in public schools are going to have to pay to train if their students cant pass a test. As if that Master's degree wasn't enough.
Teachers, especially in poorer areas have now been set up to fail. How insidious.
The African American community is already leaving the public school in droves. The Charter schools and online schools are taking more kids all the time. There is very little accountability there to the taxpayers. Still Charter schools are subject to this law but really it wont hurt those teachers much now will it?
Still the student population leaving the public schools (the numbers are down) that's only the first blow.
The second (larger) blow is they just lost union protection with this law. It's in there. The power play. Nicely hidden but it's in there. Read the law and you'll find it.
Back to the reading/testing piece:
I can assure you that plenty of Catholic school kids with dyslexia are getting through school barely able to read and in some cases not able to read at all. That's not widely known unless you are a parent in a Catholic school and you can see that there are families struggling with the way reading is taught or should I say not taught. If Catholic schools were subjected to the testing everyone would be able to see this. But they aren't. Completely exempt from any of this. Same with private schools.
So really the target of all of this has been the public teacher union.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
School district report cards
Recently the newspaper published report cards for school districts around the state.
As I expected the district, in an urban area, where I live did not fare well at all. There are many reasons for this which I will get into later.
Thinking about it lead to a variety of thoughts which I will most likely address in future posts but the first points to come into my mind went something like this:
If the reason for these grades is to show which districts are doing a good job of educating children then why, as a society aren't we also looking at the following:
Charter Schools
Catholic Schools
Private Schools
Homeschooled Children
Any other education options that I may have left out.
If the point is an examination of the quality of education then where is the examination of education in it's other forms?
One could argue that the public districts are scrutinized because they rely on public money (tax dollars) but Charter schools also rely on public money. Many Catholic schools take tax money in various ways (for instance, those Catholic schools taking vouchers for tuition for children in districts that have been declared in emergency status). Homeschooled children are often given materials which are provided for free by public dollars and take advantage of things like homeschool gym which is provided by local community recreation centers.
I cant address this with schools which are completely private right this moment but if we as a society are truly concerned about the quality of education then no entity claiming to educate children should be exempt from such a report card.
Additionally, a true sampling of how well a district is doing educating children should take into account a statistical model where a sampling of children from each district based on a fair socio economic basis. For example 5 impoverished children in the district, 5 not as impoverished and 5 better off families.
This would be to take the impact of socio economic status out of the equation.
I cant see this ever happening but if it could it would provide a more accurate reading of how well the districts educators are actually doing in their jobs.
What if, what if......
As I expected the district, in an urban area, where I live did not fare well at all. There are many reasons for this which I will get into later.
Thinking about it lead to a variety of thoughts which I will most likely address in future posts but the first points to come into my mind went something like this:
If the reason for these grades is to show which districts are doing a good job of educating children then why, as a society aren't we also looking at the following:
Charter Schools
Catholic Schools
Private Schools
Homeschooled Children
Any other education options that I may have left out.
If the point is an examination of the quality of education then where is the examination of education in it's other forms?
One could argue that the public districts are scrutinized because they rely on public money (tax dollars) but Charter schools also rely on public money. Many Catholic schools take tax money in various ways (for instance, those Catholic schools taking vouchers for tuition for children in districts that have been declared in emergency status). Homeschooled children are often given materials which are provided for free by public dollars and take advantage of things like homeschool gym which is provided by local community recreation centers.
I cant address this with schools which are completely private right this moment but if we as a society are truly concerned about the quality of education then no entity claiming to educate children should be exempt from such a report card.
Additionally, a true sampling of how well a district is doing educating children should take into account a statistical model where a sampling of children from each district based on a fair socio economic basis. For example 5 impoverished children in the district, 5 not as impoverished and 5 better off families.
This would be to take the impact of socio economic status out of the equation.
I cant see this ever happening but if it could it would provide a more accurate reading of how well the districts educators are actually doing in their jobs.
What if, what if......
Friday, August 23, 2013
Some things I believe
Here, in no particular order are things I believe in relation to dyslexia and the subject of education in general:
1 out of 5 children has dyslexia to varying degrees (20% of the population). I personally believe it could be an even higher number than this widely quoted one.
For the 2008-2009 school year Ohio (my state) had a high school dropout rate of almost 24%. More than most states in the country. Strangely here again is a statistic that looks a lot like the 1 out of 5 people with dyslexia.
Low income children are especially vulnerable to not being identified or re-mediated for dyslexia and therefore are more likely to drop out of high school and/or go through life with less literacy than they should have.
No Child Left Behind was based on false information by the state of Texas. It was detrimental to teachers because it stripped them of the freedom to make decisions based on the children who were present in their classrooms. The end result was a backsliding of education throughout the country.
Common Core is a well thought out concept that re-allows teachers to do their jobs. I'm sure it has flaws but it reverses some of the worst aspects of No Child Left Behind. I fully expect Common Core to be fought by varying politicians and whole states which I believe will, sadly, not allow it to have the full effect it should have. While I don't think it's reasonable for the federal government be too detailed in their overall governing of education (education should be a more state focused concern in my opinion) I think that the continuous fight for control by the Republican party is going to waste a lot of time, energy and money.
32% of the inmates in the prison population have a learning difference.
Ohio has a major problem educating children with dyslexia because Reading Recovery (and LLI) are owned by The Ohio State University which refuses to acknowledge that these are not programs which work for dyslexic children. Many dollars are spent promoting these methods to teachers around the state and there is very little support of any other programs in the public (or Catholic) schools. I saw firsthand how Reading Recovery did nothing for my own child when we read together nightly so I strongly believe this.
I believe there has been an increase in overall illiteracy in the past 20-30 years. At this point I have very little to back this up but I expect that this will start to become more widely understood in the future.
A teacher who started in the 70's wrote that she saw textbooks increasingly watered down every 5 years. I believe this. I believe this is one of the places where capitalism gets in the way of education.
I personally believe one of the reasons a Catholic School education ends up being more academically sound is because the Catholic Church has historically taken on the burden of education without being too subjected to the influences of whatever is "hot" in educational politics at the moment. Their "old school" methods may not be as much fun but the end result is that a Catholic School education is a solid education. The flaw in Catholic education is that it cannot often meet special needs (and many schools don't even want to try). Most Catholic schools do not understand dyslexia or have any idea about how to remediate it within their walls. This is an area I believe the Catholic school needs to address since 1 out of 5 people (including their student population) has dyslexia. (By the way I'm not Catholic so I'm not personally promoting the Catholic school system, only observing it as a parent).
Although the district I live in has a very intense and active group of parents who whole heartedly support public schooling, I believe in a society such as ours where money speaks in too loud of a voice the districts with the most money and parents with influence will continue to be the more economically powerful districts with the "better" pubic schools.
A few years ago a judge declared the whole system in my state to be unconstitutional and I do agree with that. It all got swept under the carpet though and never was addressed to my knowledge. There is simply too much money in property values in "better" districts and to redesign the way tax money gets distributed on a statewide level (to make it fair in other words). This would upset the whole apple cart. It is an interesting thing to think about though. What if, what if?
1 out of 5 children has dyslexia to varying degrees (20% of the population). I personally believe it could be an even higher number than this widely quoted one.
For the 2008-2009 school year Ohio (my state) had a high school dropout rate of almost 24%. More than most states in the country. Strangely here again is a statistic that looks a lot like the 1 out of 5 people with dyslexia.
Low income children are especially vulnerable to not being identified or re-mediated for dyslexia and therefore are more likely to drop out of high school and/or go through life with less literacy than they should have.
No Child Left Behind was based on false information by the state of Texas. It was detrimental to teachers because it stripped them of the freedom to make decisions based on the children who were present in their classrooms. The end result was a backsliding of education throughout the country.
Common Core is a well thought out concept that re-allows teachers to do their jobs. I'm sure it has flaws but it reverses some of the worst aspects of No Child Left Behind. I fully expect Common Core to be fought by varying politicians and whole states which I believe will, sadly, not allow it to have the full effect it should have. While I don't think it's reasonable for the federal government be too detailed in their overall governing of education (education should be a more state focused concern in my opinion) I think that the continuous fight for control by the Republican party is going to waste a lot of time, energy and money.
32% of the inmates in the prison population have a learning difference.
Ohio has a major problem educating children with dyslexia because Reading Recovery (and LLI) are owned by The Ohio State University which refuses to acknowledge that these are not programs which work for dyslexic children. Many dollars are spent promoting these methods to teachers around the state and there is very little support of any other programs in the public (or Catholic) schools. I saw firsthand how Reading Recovery did nothing for my own child when we read together nightly so I strongly believe this.
I believe there has been an increase in overall illiteracy in the past 20-30 years. At this point I have very little to back this up but I expect that this will start to become more widely understood in the future.
A teacher who started in the 70's wrote that she saw textbooks increasingly watered down every 5 years. I believe this. I believe this is one of the places where capitalism gets in the way of education.
I personally believe one of the reasons a Catholic School education ends up being more academically sound is because the Catholic Church has historically taken on the burden of education without being too subjected to the influences of whatever is "hot" in educational politics at the moment. Their "old school" methods may not be as much fun but the end result is that a Catholic School education is a solid education. The flaw in Catholic education is that it cannot often meet special needs (and many schools don't even want to try). Most Catholic schools do not understand dyslexia or have any idea about how to remediate it within their walls. This is an area I believe the Catholic school needs to address since 1 out of 5 people (including their student population) has dyslexia. (By the way I'm not Catholic so I'm not personally promoting the Catholic school system, only observing it as a parent).
Although the district I live in has a very intense and active group of parents who whole heartedly support public schooling, I believe in a society such as ours where money speaks in too loud of a voice the districts with the most money and parents with influence will continue to be the more economically powerful districts with the "better" pubic schools.
A few years ago a judge declared the whole system in my state to be unconstitutional and I do agree with that. It all got swept under the carpet though and never was addressed to my knowledge. There is simply too much money in property values in "better" districts and to redesign the way tax money gets distributed on a statewide level (to make it fair in other words). This would upset the whole apple cart. It is an interesting thing to think about though. What if, what if?
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
The place where low literacy leads to
So today I was waiting on my children as they were being tutored and a question popped into my head:
What happens to a country when literacy rates decrease?
I can make some pretty bold assumptions about what happens. I'm not so sure this isn't being seen right now where there is still overall strong literacy but Generation Y was mostly taught using "whole language" and really, I think we are now paying the price for this. I bet a teacher who taught for a long time could address this subject quite well.
Another question is, does anyone study the question of what happens when literacy decreases overall?
I wasn't able to find a lot on the internet so far. I believe there are folks out there who know about the history of literacy but it doesn't seem to be anything anyone is looking at much at this point. Sort of an ivory tower type of thing for the moment.
One possibility of decreased literacy would be a population with more vulnerable minds overall, people who could be more easily swayed by television advertizing, things they see other people doing and saying in the mass media and dangerously narrow religious viewpoints.
Still, just because one can read, has a college degree, goes to the local library and so on, this doesn't in and of itself make a person more intelligent or more able to screen things out that lack value. But not being able to read seem to be very large obstacle to gaining perspective.
Ideas are well expressed with the written word.
Take films for example. Ideas that ring true on paper don't translate well into films as proven by fantastic books that are made into mediocre films (this happens more often than not). I don't think it's a lack of quality in the film industry, I think it's hard to contain what the written word can do in a film. Somehow film is limited in it's ability to get the nuances of the written word across to the audience. Much of the message of a book is lost in a film in most cases. A good story line translates into a good film because film depends on story but the subtleties are lost if the dialogue doesn't somehow explain them.
If we were to let go of reading as a priority in learning it is difficult to imagine the overall advancement of society. More complex thoughts would certainly be more difficult to get across to the public. Concepts would have to be "in a nutshell", almost always.
I wonder if the mind possibly wanders less when it is engaged in reading than in listening? Certainly books on tape are an excellent way to get information across but I wonder if people retain as well generally speaking, what they heard in a book on tape? Possibly it depends on the person and the situation.
It is also hard to imagine many gains being made in society when vulnerable people can be easily swayed by mistruths, manipulation and lack of information.
I should probably reveal here that I basically detest television. I went for awhile without even owning one and the only time I ever missed it was when I heard tornado sirens (still, there was radio).
My family likes television, but myself personally, I could live without it quite happily. I hate the noise, I think television news is practically useless and most of all I look down on commericals and television advertising. Snobbery? I hope not.
I grew up with television, the shows undoubtably shaped my childhood experience and my experience as a girl growing up in society in the 1970's and 80's but I'd like to think I wasn't completely brainwashed by it. Obviously it wasn't as sophisticated as it is now. Also, I have since learned that the time I was turning into a teenager my demographic was the least targeted by television, I see that as a blessing now.
It astonishes me that one can have so many channels of television and still there is nothing at all to watch but junk. I mean nothing at all of value to watch out of hundreds of channels. Doesn't that say something?
To me it seems that these days we can choose our poision as far as information goes. Internet articles are so abundant our whole society has turned into the Tower of Babble. It's difficult to know which news sources to trust. Everyone is talking at once all the time and it's hard to weed through to find the nuggets of helpful truth. Occasionally I feel like I've found something good but then usually, well most often I'm disappointed.
So this was just a question, what happens when literacy decreases and, well, I don't know but it looks like I'm going to be finding out.
What happens to a country when literacy rates decrease?
I can make some pretty bold assumptions about what happens. I'm not so sure this isn't being seen right now where there is still overall strong literacy but Generation Y was mostly taught using "whole language" and really, I think we are now paying the price for this. I bet a teacher who taught for a long time could address this subject quite well.
Another question is, does anyone study the question of what happens when literacy decreases overall?
I wasn't able to find a lot on the internet so far. I believe there are folks out there who know about the history of literacy but it doesn't seem to be anything anyone is looking at much at this point. Sort of an ivory tower type of thing for the moment.
One possibility of decreased literacy would be a population with more vulnerable minds overall, people who could be more easily swayed by television advertizing, things they see other people doing and saying in the mass media and dangerously narrow religious viewpoints.
Still, just because one can read, has a college degree, goes to the local library and so on, this doesn't in and of itself make a person more intelligent or more able to screen things out that lack value. But not being able to read seem to be very large obstacle to gaining perspective.
Ideas are well expressed with the written word.
Take films for example. Ideas that ring true on paper don't translate well into films as proven by fantastic books that are made into mediocre films (this happens more often than not). I don't think it's a lack of quality in the film industry, I think it's hard to contain what the written word can do in a film. Somehow film is limited in it's ability to get the nuances of the written word across to the audience. Much of the message of a book is lost in a film in most cases. A good story line translates into a good film because film depends on story but the subtleties are lost if the dialogue doesn't somehow explain them.
If we were to let go of reading as a priority in learning it is difficult to imagine the overall advancement of society. More complex thoughts would certainly be more difficult to get across to the public. Concepts would have to be "in a nutshell", almost always.
I wonder if the mind possibly wanders less when it is engaged in reading than in listening? Certainly books on tape are an excellent way to get information across but I wonder if people retain as well generally speaking, what they heard in a book on tape? Possibly it depends on the person and the situation.
It is also hard to imagine many gains being made in society when vulnerable people can be easily swayed by mistruths, manipulation and lack of information.
I should probably reveal here that I basically detest television. I went for awhile without even owning one and the only time I ever missed it was when I heard tornado sirens (still, there was radio).
My family likes television, but myself personally, I could live without it quite happily. I hate the noise, I think television news is practically useless and most of all I look down on commericals and television advertising. Snobbery? I hope not.
I grew up with television, the shows undoubtably shaped my childhood experience and my experience as a girl growing up in society in the 1970's and 80's but I'd like to think I wasn't completely brainwashed by it. Obviously it wasn't as sophisticated as it is now. Also, I have since learned that the time I was turning into a teenager my demographic was the least targeted by television, I see that as a blessing now.
It astonishes me that one can have so many channels of television and still there is nothing at all to watch but junk. I mean nothing at all of value to watch out of hundreds of channels. Doesn't that say something?
To me it seems that these days we can choose our poision as far as information goes. Internet articles are so abundant our whole society has turned into the Tower of Babble. It's difficult to know which news sources to trust. Everyone is talking at once all the time and it's hard to weed through to find the nuggets of helpful truth. Occasionally I feel like I've found something good but then usually, well most often I'm disappointed.
So this was just a question, what happens when literacy decreases and, well, I don't know but it looks like I'm going to be finding out.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Classism, money and education
I was amused the other day reading my husband's Alumni magazine from the college we both attended.
First let me say that in my part of the country it's a big deal to associate yourself with the teams, sports and university one attended. It's a common way people in this area refer to themselves, as an alumni or a fan. I've had a unique life so it doesn't all work like that for me personally but let me get into that at another date.
What was funny to me was that there was a whole front page article about working on the graduation rate as if everyone was just now noticing that for many years that hasn't been what it should have been.
Or perhaps, more truthfully, suddenly at a larger level (like say, a federal level) folks realized that getting into college in the first place isn't the same as graduating.
Also there was a spot where the retiring president says the term "non-traditional student" is outdated. Wow, never thought I'd hear those words from the head of a university where the main campus was almost guaranteed to frown on those "non-traditional students" in terms of no accommodations at all for adult students.
Apparently the game is changing in the university world.
Further, there is a spotlight in the alumni magazine on how on the regional campus most students are grown adults who have lead full lives and just want to complete a degree to better their career options.
It's hard not to be cynical and want to shove all this right back into the faces of the people who for so long have done everything they could to make their state funded university exclusive and elusive.
This particular place has a distinct reputation for having the most hierarchical of inner workings. The military hierarchy has nothing on this place, don't even bother trying for anything solid employment wise there if you aren't already a PhD. Almost everyone else working there is a lowly nothing and better remember their place.
As a continuation of the hierarchy that permeates the place there is also a distinct attitude of disregard for undergraduate students overall. Hardly a selling point for parents, and yet, every year there is plenty of enrollment.
Still, in our society the high cost (and for the most part continuing to rise) is what keeps a college degree reserved for the people who can pay for it (or, let's be honest here, whose parents can pay for it).
College degrees are still seen as a ticket into the middle class. I'm not sure that is deserved but it is what it is for the time being.
The college degree in this country is still mostly unattainable for people who haven't been assured that there will be money for college (from the homefront when they need it). There are some urban myths about how there is so much free money for poor and minorities but for those of us with feet firmly planted in reality know this isn't the truth and probably wont be. Ever.
But now, just now, in 2013, there is a sudden lament that not everyone can afford to finish college once they start and, now, just now, there is this thought that somehow that's not as okay as it used to be.
Percentages like a 30% dropout rate are thrown around, whereas before there was this thought that somehow it was the fault of the person who didn't stick-to-it (typical blame the victim thinking). Why didn't they work two jobs. Didn't they want to take out more loans for school? What's wrong with them? That sort of line of ridiculous questioning.
As proven by Barbara Ehrenreich in her (now classic) book Nickel and Dimed On (Not) Getting By In America a person of lower monetary means can barely live these days let alone add educational costs to the list of things they already are barely able to pay for.
The way I'm understanding it the way universities are responding to their lack of graduation rates for some (those 30%) right this moment has a lot to do with the fact that the Obama administration has finally threatened to pull the funding filled baby bottle out of the mouth of the universities.
Finally, at last, some accountability to the taxpaying public. It's long overdue.
How does this relate to dyslexia?
Well this sort of classism is just more of the same that goes on in the world of dyslexic children.
The lucky children whose parents are informed, aware, empowered and financially able to have their learning difference accommodated are most likely going to end up finding their way in the big world. They are going to get the teaching methodology or the tutoring they need. They are going to have parents who hire a child advocate, sue the school district if need be and work like dogs to get their kids what they need in this world of "Whole Language" teaching methods and "Oh, they'll grow out of it".
But most dyslexic children, talented or not, are simply not going to get what they need. The statistic for children with learning differences who end up dropping out of high school is astonishing. The statistic for learning differences in the prison system is also pathetically high.
So here we are back to how classism and money effect education. In the world of dyslexia, in the world of college opportunities, and in our country in general.
Our system of needing money to finance an appropriate education, all the way through college level is simply failing the majority of the population of the country. And it's only going to continue, despite any threats from the federal government to the universities.
It's not the actual laws that are or aren't in place, it's the attitude of the public that is wrong.
Classism is wrong the same way racism was always wrong. Wrong the same way sexism was always wrong, Wrong the same way slavery should have never planted it's foothold in this country in the first place. Wrong the same way every aspect of Native American existence was stomped on repeatedly was so horrendously wrong.
Now, in 2013, we, the general population, can see the wrongness of those subjects. In retrospect that is.
Yet, classism is still here with us, alive and well. And classism, money and education are deeply linked.
There can be no solid social mobility possibilities in a country where greater educational attainment is so challenging. So that great American myth is, well, just a myth.
If we as a country continue to allow this money oriented elitist attitude surround education there is going to be hell to pay in the future and frankly I don't want that. Let's start changing now.
Otherwise, I predict the overall outcome will not be good for any of us or our future generations.
First let me say that in my part of the country it's a big deal to associate yourself with the teams, sports and university one attended. It's a common way people in this area refer to themselves, as an alumni or a fan. I've had a unique life so it doesn't all work like that for me personally but let me get into that at another date.
What was funny to me was that there was a whole front page article about working on the graduation rate as if everyone was just now noticing that for many years that hasn't been what it should have been.
Or perhaps, more truthfully, suddenly at a larger level (like say, a federal level) folks realized that getting into college in the first place isn't the same as graduating.
Also there was a spot where the retiring president says the term "non-traditional student" is outdated. Wow, never thought I'd hear those words from the head of a university where the main campus was almost guaranteed to frown on those "non-traditional students" in terms of no accommodations at all for adult students.
Apparently the game is changing in the university world.
Further, there is a spotlight in the alumni magazine on how on the regional campus most students are grown adults who have lead full lives and just want to complete a degree to better their career options.
It's hard not to be cynical and want to shove all this right back into the faces of the people who for so long have done everything they could to make their state funded university exclusive and elusive.
This particular place has a distinct reputation for having the most hierarchical of inner workings. The military hierarchy has nothing on this place, don't even bother trying for anything solid employment wise there if you aren't already a PhD. Almost everyone else working there is a lowly nothing and better remember their place.
As a continuation of the hierarchy that permeates the place there is also a distinct attitude of disregard for undergraduate students overall. Hardly a selling point for parents, and yet, every year there is plenty of enrollment.
Still, in our society the high cost (and for the most part continuing to rise) is what keeps a college degree reserved for the people who can pay for it (or, let's be honest here, whose parents can pay for it).
College degrees are still seen as a ticket into the middle class. I'm not sure that is deserved but it is what it is for the time being.
The college degree in this country is still mostly unattainable for people who haven't been assured that there will be money for college (from the homefront when they need it). There are some urban myths about how there is so much free money for poor and minorities but for those of us with feet firmly planted in reality know this isn't the truth and probably wont be. Ever.
But now, just now, in 2013, there is a sudden lament that not everyone can afford to finish college once they start and, now, just now, there is this thought that somehow that's not as okay as it used to be.
Percentages like a 30% dropout rate are thrown around, whereas before there was this thought that somehow it was the fault of the person who didn't stick-to-it (typical blame the victim thinking). Why didn't they work two jobs. Didn't they want to take out more loans for school? What's wrong with them? That sort of line of ridiculous questioning.
As proven by Barbara Ehrenreich in her (now classic) book Nickel and Dimed On (Not) Getting By In America a person of lower monetary means can barely live these days let alone add educational costs to the list of things they already are barely able to pay for.
The way I'm understanding it the way universities are responding to their lack of graduation rates for some (those 30%) right this moment has a lot to do with the fact that the Obama administration has finally threatened to pull the funding filled baby bottle out of the mouth of the universities.
Finally, at last, some accountability to the taxpaying public. It's long overdue.
How does this relate to dyslexia?
Well this sort of classism is just more of the same that goes on in the world of dyslexic children.
The lucky children whose parents are informed, aware, empowered and financially able to have their learning difference accommodated are most likely going to end up finding their way in the big world. They are going to get the teaching methodology or the tutoring they need. They are going to have parents who hire a child advocate, sue the school district if need be and work like dogs to get their kids what they need in this world of "Whole Language" teaching methods and "Oh, they'll grow out of it".
But most dyslexic children, talented or not, are simply not going to get what they need. The statistic for children with learning differences who end up dropping out of high school is astonishing. The statistic for learning differences in the prison system is also pathetically high.
So here we are back to how classism and money effect education. In the world of dyslexia, in the world of college opportunities, and in our country in general.
Our system of needing money to finance an appropriate education, all the way through college level is simply failing the majority of the population of the country. And it's only going to continue, despite any threats from the federal government to the universities.
It's not the actual laws that are or aren't in place, it's the attitude of the public that is wrong.
Classism is wrong the same way racism was always wrong. Wrong the same way sexism was always wrong, Wrong the same way slavery should have never planted it's foothold in this country in the first place. Wrong the same way every aspect of Native American existence was stomped on repeatedly was so horrendously wrong.
Now, in 2013, we, the general population, can see the wrongness of those subjects. In retrospect that is.
Yet, classism is still here with us, alive and well. And classism, money and education are deeply linked.
There can be no solid social mobility possibilities in a country where greater educational attainment is so challenging. So that great American myth is, well, just a myth.
If we as a country continue to allow this money oriented elitist attitude surround education there is going to be hell to pay in the future and frankly I don't want that. Let's start changing now.
Otherwise, I predict the overall outcome will not be good for any of us or our future generations.
Monday, August 12, 2013
The Dyslexia Community
My family was fortunate to spend the past weekend at a nearby Amusement Park which is known for thrilling rides, family fun and well, for being so over the top expensive that really I cant stand to think about how much it all cost.
The young folks all had a great time and I had a great time watching them have a great time. So in that way it was clearly worth it, but it bothers me that every aspect of these parks are priced as high as possible.
Still, I saw an interesting way to handle this. I've seen this before only this time I actually noticed it. There are often groups, usually church groups, wearing the same tee shirts and clearly looking fantastically happy to be having a fun day of amusement, and why not, it's a place for family fun.
It is prohibitively expensive to take a family to one of these places, yet if a group such as one of these goes together as a "youth group experience" then it's much easier for more people to afford it.
They might, for example, take a church bus, pack their own sub sandwiches to be eaten as a group in a picnic area at a specific time thereby avoiding the $10.00 cheeseburger and disgusting frozen French fries I ended up having.
The group might also have fundraisers, like a bake sale or car wash to help finance the trip. It makes a lot of sense to operate this way and I applaud these groups for their effectiveness. They set a goal and reached it. Everyone had a good time and the personal expense to each individual family was greatly limited by the effort of a community of people working together.
So this good example lead me into new idea territory with dyslexia.
I've tried to get a group together in my district, like so many suburban districts have, yet there have been no takers. Although I know people in my district who have dyslexic children, and those children are not getting what they need to learn to read, truthfully my district doesn't have the same overall knowledge or socio-economic power that the suburban districts which are starting to see some (small at this point) changes being made have. The parents in my district may also not have the same expectations that a typical suburban parent has.
Yet, I know a lot of people around this area with dyslexic children. Many of us have the same concerns, our expectations of what school should be providing to our children and the paths that we have taken. I think that perhaps I need to go back and revisit this, to try again to build a community or plug into one that isn't district specific.
The young folks all had a great time and I had a great time watching them have a great time. So in that way it was clearly worth it, but it bothers me that every aspect of these parks are priced as high as possible.
Still, I saw an interesting way to handle this. I've seen this before only this time I actually noticed it. There are often groups, usually church groups, wearing the same tee shirts and clearly looking fantastically happy to be having a fun day of amusement, and why not, it's a place for family fun.
It is prohibitively expensive to take a family to one of these places, yet if a group such as one of these goes together as a "youth group experience" then it's much easier for more people to afford it.
They might, for example, take a church bus, pack their own sub sandwiches to be eaten as a group in a picnic area at a specific time thereby avoiding the $10.00 cheeseburger and disgusting frozen French fries I ended up having.
The group might also have fundraisers, like a bake sale or car wash to help finance the trip. It makes a lot of sense to operate this way and I applaud these groups for their effectiveness. They set a goal and reached it. Everyone had a good time and the personal expense to each individual family was greatly limited by the effort of a community of people working together.
So this good example lead me into new idea territory with dyslexia.
I've tried to get a group together in my district, like so many suburban districts have, yet there have been no takers. Although I know people in my district who have dyslexic children, and those children are not getting what they need to learn to read, truthfully my district doesn't have the same overall knowledge or socio-economic power that the suburban districts which are starting to see some (small at this point) changes being made have. The parents in my district may also not have the same expectations that a typical suburban parent has.
Yet, I know a lot of people around this area with dyslexic children. Many of us have the same concerns, our expectations of what school should be providing to our children and the paths that we have taken. I think that perhaps I need to go back and revisit this, to try again to build a community or plug into one that isn't district specific.
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