Monday, November 21, 2005

Absence-minded



Bay View High School leaders take to the streets to stop students from playing hooky
When I saw this story, I thought a lot of things based on what I read...so lets get to it:

But educators here and across the country say making aggressive efforts to get kids into school has become a necessary and common part of teaching students, especially with the pressures to meet the mandates of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Under the measure, schools stand to lose federal funding if students don't meet certain learning benchmarks.

Even though No Child Left Behind is filled with flaws, the overall effect is success. Schools are forced to do whatever it takes to get kids to learn. Should administrators have to bribe kids to come to school, or chase them around the neighborhood, no, but since things are the way they are, teachers and administrators in inner cities have to work extra hard to not be punished from No Child Left Behind.

He said that it is the bus system - which sometimes drops the students off just minutes before the 8:35 a.m. bell - that makes the students late, not the stores.

MPS decided to save money by cutting a whole bus route and move high schools starting time from 730 to 835. This was supposed to save money. Well, kids are even later than ever, attendance rates are lower than ever, and in some cases it is not the kids fault. This is another case of people being short sighted and having no clue how their decisions are going to affect others....of course, this is a standard in MPS. Now we just have to "deal with it"

Around Bay View High School, where daily attendance averaged 75% each day last year

I couldn't believe it was that high...and that is the problem. I am informed and understand reality. This might be the area of society that the most people are ignorant. 99% of you have no idea what happens inside an inner city public school. When you read stuff like this, you are shocked and dumbfounded. What would happen if some news TV show did a hidden camera investigation and showed you what really happens...

Final point...Whose fault is it that kids don't come to school? Should be blame the teachers, the administrators, the school board?

There is a lawyer going after a school district in Florida, saying they don't give black kids a proper education....thats right, only the black kids. I guess this lawyer would blame everyone but the kids and parents for the fact that 20% of MPS kids are absent EVERYDAY.

Once again, why don't we put the blame where it belongs, and try and get someone to preach some personal responsibility.

7 comments:

Mike M said...

I'm only speaking from personal experience, but for as much as I hated going to high school at 7:25, it was a good thing.

I'm no psychologist, but from my own experience, whenever I wake up earlier in the morning, regardless of the ammount of sleep, earlier it is, the more awake and better performing I am in whatever... It's no surprise to me that when this school changed it's start time to 8:35, tardiness increased and overall performance went down.

Just one of those things that makes you go "hmm" =)

Anonymous said...

Scorpion Says---
With all the cutbacks due to reduced funding thrown at MPS and big city school systems it might be wise to fine parents for each unexcused absence after a set number,say,three. Than MPS PARENTS/GUARDIANS can be just like choice,charter,and parochial school parents-except theirs will be a monetary fine contribution,instead of the time,talent and treasure contribution expected in these private schools.EXAMPLE:Bay View high school with 200 truant-parent fines at-say-$20.00 each- gets a nice amount of money for the school to educate the kids who come to school daily.The twenty might be too low a fine. Parents need to get their kids to school,this might be the kick in the ass that is necessary.

The Game said...

Scorpion...we can not expect anything from these people...don't you know it is the liberal way to give everything to everyone...well, we can see that when you give everything to everyone and they don't have any ownership or pride in anything...you don't care about anything.

Anonymous said...

As an added problem, it is pushing students onto what are normally commuter busses. Its causing overcrowding and tightened nerves amongst even the most laid back bus commuters.

The Game said...

yes, another problem the idiots on the school board failed to see:

http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/nov05/372120.asp

Anonymous said...

Scorpion Says---
What is wrong with students getting to school on their own-such as walking to school.There is a quality school in walking distance of every MPS student's home,integrating schools is no longer a valid concern as all MPS schools are diverse and integrated.
The only students needing to be given a ride to school are handicapped kids,or those with special needs.Millions of dollars could be saved for educating kids instead of giving them a bus ride every day.Parents would be minutes away from getting their kids to school or checking their progress.
Kids could even sleep until the last minute,get up to breakfast left by or with parents,and still get to school in a short period of time.This is the way we did school
every day,grade school,junior high
school,and high school.Of course,we
had to allow more time to WALK to high school-it was farther away.

The Game said...

MPS spends somewhere around 55 millions dollars on giving kids bus tickets for the public bus. Scorpion is 100% correct...why do we have to give everyone everything...why is there no personal responsibility anymore? It always hurts in the end (when you have to buy everyone everthing). People learn how to be helpless...

WE are not doing them a favor by giving them everything, this liberal thought process is putting a 100% money back guarantee that these kids will have a life filled with failure and sadness