It has occurred to me that America has a bit of a crisis going on, one that is often paid little to no real attention. What is this crisis? Education, or the lack thereof.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/05/31/philadelphia.charter.schools/index.html
That article speaks of how charter schools are fought tooth and nail by some students and teachers, and of how some charter schools have had dramatic increases in performance within a few very short years.
Now, I am not saying every poor school should become a charter school, I’m truly not. What I am saying is that we should look at good examples, and find a way to apply those principles to our public schools.
One of the issues, I believe, is the lack of discipline in public schools. I’m not talking about pulling out a paddle, folks. I’m talking about mental discipline. This discipline isn’t just lacking in the students, it’s lacking in the parents AND in the teachers. There are too many safety nets for students and teachers who truly don’t deserve such nets.
In a Charter/Private school, when you talk back to the teacher you are reprimanded. IF you continue to have a poor attitude, you are kicked out. Education is important, and this must be drilled into our students’ heads. It must also be drilled into the minds of the parents.
Right now there is a terrifying lack of discipline in most public schools. Students know that they will graduate eventually, because schools can’t just kick them out. Parents expect the schools to bend over backwards for ridiculous requests. They also expect it to be done with a minimal amount of effort from the parents.
Teachers realize that with their unions and their seniorities, they are relatively safe from being fired. This allows shoddy teaching to continue.
This must stop.
Teachers MUST be evaluated yearly to determine their effectiveness. Any students they have issues teaching should be reported by them to their administrators, and efforts taken to bring the student up to speed. A teacher should not be held responsible for students that flat out do not want to learn, but they SHOULD be judged based on the performance of those that are doing their best to learn under that teacher.
Communities, young and old, must be willing to support the schools in their areas whether they have children attending or not. Students must be taught that only through decent education can they do anything better than burger flipping their entire lives. We must Inspire. We must Encourage.
And most of all, we must NOT fail.
