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SeafordParent
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Posted: Sun Sep 14th, 2008 01:43 pm |
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| nobody here cares what you think CR...it was kinda nice when you weren't around...
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Playing the Game
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Posted: Sun Sep 14th, 2008 01:32 am |
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| I guess the state lottery is fixed too.
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SeafordParent
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Posted: Sat Sep 13th, 2008 08:04 pm |
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Actually, Tech can't cherry pick anymore. A few years ago, the DOE ruled that they weren't allowed to accept students based on the application, it's all by lottery now.
and actually it is a fixed lottery set to factor out certain indicators to eliminate students, namely number of discipline referrals (usually just 1) and gpa (2.5 or 2.75 I was told)! so again, they get what they want while changing their tech programs to tailor to smarter kids, let us not forget that.
when you don't think youll have a chance to get in you don't try sometimes
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gladtogetaway
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Posted: Sat Sep 13th, 2008 03:27 am |
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SeafordParent wrote: Playing the Game wrote: Actually they were voted among the top high schools in America. Sorry about your sour grapes because your son couldn't cut it and get in. Something about attendance and grades wasn't it?
its not sour grapes, once again half this county know they discriminate to make themselves look good. been doing so for a few years now.
why is polytech not a blue ribbon school? Cause they got the kids there that belong there! why are not delcastle, hodgson and howard blue ribbon? cause they got the kids there that belong there! that's not slight against average kids, but at least they are getting the education they want to have. this explains why very few sussex county schools outside Delmar (because it is small) can rate so high on standards, they have kids that should be at tech learning the trades they want to learn that they arent getting at their home school.
one of my son's own friends wanted to learn automotive tech and cant unless he makes it out of high school now and starts fresh with kids from other tech schools that will already have years of knowledge on him, all because he too couldnt go to tech cause he didnt meet their "high standards"!
ou only get into to tech if you have good grades, no discipline problems or are an athlete they can cherry pick. though at least not all of their sports teams are that good so they fail there 
Actually, Tech can't cherry pick anymore. A few years ago, the DOE ruled that they weren't allowed to accept students based on the application, it's all by lottery now.
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SeafordParent
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Posted: Sat Sep 13th, 2008 02:53 am |
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Playing the Game wrote: Actually they were voted among the top high schools in America. Sorry about your sour grapes because your son couldn't cut it and get in. Something about attendance and grades wasn't it?
its not sour grapes, once again half this county know they discriminate to make themselves look good. been doing so for a few years now.
why is polytech not a blue ribbon school? Cause they got the kids there that belong there! why are not delcastle, hodgson and howard blue ribbon? cause they got the kids there that belong there! that's not slight against average kids, but at least they are getting the education they want to have. this explains why very few sussex county schools outside Delmar (because it is small) can rate so high on standards, they have kids that should be at tech learning the trades they want to learn that they arent getting at their home school.
one of my son's own friends wanted to learn automotive tech and cant unless he makes it out of high school now and starts fresh with kids from other tech schools that will already have years of knowledge on him, all because he too couldnt go to tech cause he didnt meet their "high standards"!
ou only get into to tech if you have good grades, no discipline problems or are an athlete they can cherry pick. though at least not all of their sports teams are that good so they fail there
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gladtogetaway
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Posted: Fri Sep 12th, 2008 02:18 am |
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Well, Davis is a former band director. Didn't he teach band at Seaford Middle? I bet the program has probly been dying off because Davis wanted the program run by his rules and not let the director have any creativity or freedom to do what he wanted. I heard that he always said that he couldn't support the band program because it would show favoritism towards the band since he was a band person.... so he's made it even more evident to ignore that program and concentrate on other areas so as not to show favoritism. How ignorant is that... you have to show some support otherwise your teachers are dead in the water!! Being a music teacher in that school has got to be a nightmare, esp. when you have a band director as a principal. Maybe Davis should've taken that position when it came open over the summer!!!
Agreed. As a person who was active in the music department, Davis made things nearly impossible. Mr. Wharton (the band director in question here) recieved no help from the administration from day one because his ideas about how things should run differed from that of Mr. Davis. Davis was constantly sticking his nose in, prying into everything and making things harder in the music department (both band and chorus). Rather than being an advocate for a department that he was once a member of, he works against it. I honestly pity the two new people there this year. I know I never want to teach music at Seaford High School. Good teachers are chased away.
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whocaresanymore
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Posted: Fri Sep 12th, 2008 02:04 am |
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SeafordParent wrote: oh well i dont know if that was a real loss. sad thing is the band program has been going downhill for a long time at the high school which i personally hate seeing. another arts program lost.
Well, Davis is a former band director. Didn't he teach band at Seaford Middle? I bet the program has probly been dying off because Davis wanted the program run by his rules and not let the director have any creativity or freedom to do what he wanted. I heard that he always said that he couldn't support the band program because it would show favoritism towards the band since he was a band person.... so he's made it even more evident to ignore that program and concentrate on other areas so as not to show favoritism. How ignorant is that... you have to show some support otherwise your teachers are dead in the water!! Being a music teacher in that school has got to be a nightmare, esp. when you have a band director as a principal. Maybe Davis should've taken that position when it came open over the summer!!!
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Playing the Game
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Posted: Fri Sep 12th, 2008 01:20 am |
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| Actually they were voted among the top high schools in America. Sorry about your sour grapes because your son couldn't cut it and get in. Something about attendance and grades wasn't it?
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SeafordParent
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Posted: Fri Sep 12th, 2008 12:09 am |
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i have to laugh. I just saw on WBOC that susex tech got a blue ribbon award because at least half its economically disadvantaged kids passed state tests.
you know getting half of like 50 students isnt that much of a challenge!!!
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SeafordParent
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Posted: Thu Sep 11th, 2008 11:05 pm |
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| oh well i dont know if that was a real loss. sad thing is the band program has been going downhill for a long time at the high school which i personally hate seeing. another arts program lost.
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whocaresanymore
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Posted: Thu Sep 11th, 2008 11:30 am |
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| I forget now, but he was in the fine arts wing... possibly the band director?
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SeafordParent
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Posted: Wed Sep 10th, 2008 11:43 pm |
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whocaresanymore wrote: I know that a tenured teacher this past year was booted for no good reason
who???
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whocaresanymore
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Posted: Tue Sep 9th, 2008 10:20 pm |
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Don't need to, my wife is a fulltime teacher and I'm a substitute. She's lost her position every year for the last 5 years due to educational funding budget cuts. In her case as in many other teachers the DSTP scores had nothing to due with it, seniority was the only factor. Newly hired teacher versus one who has been in the district longer, guess who gets bumped.
Of course the finger gets pointed at teachers, just as parents point the finger at teachers and schools for all their childrens problems, and issues in their lives. So what else is new.
Tenured teachers aren't going to get booted just because their students scored poorly on the DSTP.
______________________________________________________________
Ok then, so you are a person from the inside. I know that a tenured teacher this past year was booted for no good reason, and this was at the high school and it's not one of the headlining names on the board here.
But yes, teachers dont' get near enough credit and substitutes like yourself don't get nearly as much as you should. It's hard enough to go in and teach a class on a normal day, but to be a sub, it's like being in hell and then some.
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Bluesman
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Posted: Tue Sep 9th, 2008 02:00 pm |
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whocaresanymore wrote: Tell that to the teachers when their jobs are on the line!! When the results come back, the finger ultimately gets pointed at the teachers.
And these "tests" that the teachers are put through.. yeah, doesn't help when they get observed on a biased scale. Certain teachers are liked more than others. Some can get away with anything and others have the "you didn't dot this i or cross that t" pulled on them.
Don't need to, my wife is a fulltime teacher and I'm a substitute. She's lost her position every year for the last 5 years due to educational funding budget cuts. In her case as in many other teachers the DSTP scores had nothing to due with it, seniority was the only factor. Newly hired teacher versus one who has been in the district longer, guess who gets bumped.
Of course the finger gets pointed at teachers, just as parents point the finger at teachers and schools for all their childrens problems, and issues in their lives. So what else is new.
Tenured teachers aren't going to get booted just because their students scored poorly on the DSTP.
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whocaresanymore
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Posted: Tue Sep 9th, 2008 03:10 am |
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The DSTP wasn't/isn't intended to be a measure "to be sure teachers are doing their jobs" it is a sham to try and privatize public education. Teachers are required to participate in a certain number of workshops and are observed in their classrooms annually which is to "test" (if you will) a teachers capability to get the subject matter across to their students.
Tell that to the teachers when their jobs are on the line!! When the results come back, the finger ultimately gets pointed at the teachers.
And these "tests" that the teachers are put through.. yeah, doesn't help when they get observed on a biased scale. Certain teachers are liked more than others. Some can get away with anything and others have the "you didn't dot this i or cross that t" pulled on them.
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Bluesman
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Posted: Mon Sep 8th, 2008 10:01 pm |
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gladtogetaway wrote: I think SHS (and the Seaford School District in general) has lost sight of what education is supposed to be. As a Seaford graduate and having two parents who graduated from Seaford High, it's plain to me the changes through the years.
High school education should cover a broad spectrum. Yes, english, math, science, and social studies are important. I'm sure we can agree on that point, but what about the arts? Ignoring the idea that the arts offer culture and expand a student's horizons, lets look at cold hard facts. According to MENC, students involved in music programs score higher on the SATs, have higher GPAs, and have fewer behvaioral problems that other students. Now before you come back and say that the students who study music are generally those who are smarter and have wealthier parents who are able to afford instruments and music lessons, the study was done with a group of at risk, low income kids.
If you go through yearbooks from the 1970s, you see Seaford at its peak. Page after page shows clubs and activities of all sorts. The band and chorus are both five times as large as they are today and the academic clubs all have high memberships.
So... what changed?
There are so many factors that contribute to the decline of Seaford. Let's start with the DSTP (a worthy place to start). I am not wholly against standardized testing as it can be an accurate way to be sure teachers are doing their jobs. However, the DSTP is given so much weight and score that teachers teach students how to do well on the test, not how to actually read or write well. I was fortunate enough to do well on the test through my early years in elementary and middle school and therefore was placed in advanced classes. However, I know of kids who were very bright and did well in elementary school who did poorly on the test and were sentenced to spend the rest of their education in the "slow class." Later on in middle school, I joined the academic challenge program. Though I was learning things at a much higher level than my peers, my DSTP scores dropped. Why? Because I no longer was being taught the test. I was being taught how to read and write well.
The second (and probably largest) factor is the increasing amoung of budget issues. The money the school district recieves is constantly being misdirected, leaving some departments strapped and others rolling in it. Not to bash athletics (I realize they are important, especially given the rising problem of obseity) but explain to me why our sports teams can get new uniforms and new equipment when they still have functional (if worn) equipment but the science department has some textbooks from the 1980's? Then there is the energy issue. I so loved it when they asked us to learn while sitting in a darkened room with no heat. Very productive, yes? And of course, lets not forget about the teachers. They're all underpaid (I'll say that even for the worst teachers. As much crap as the teachers have to put up with, they deserve more than the pittance they recieve). Why are the administrators constantly recieving pay raises for doing nothing when the teachers get nothing? As it is, we can't keep good teachers because they get paid nothing and have to put up with a lot.
I'm beginning to wonder if it is too late for Seaford to be saved. At the very least, it would take an intervention of massive proportions to get the high school back to where it should be.
It's not just Seaford it is nationwide, although each of our communities is very important.
The DSTP wasn't/isn't intended to be a measure "to be sure teachers are doing their jobs" it is a sham to try and privatize public education. Teachers are required to participate in a certain number of workshops and are observed in their classrooms annually which is to "test" (if you will) a teachers capability to get the subject matter across to their students.
The test score numbers are to make it appear that all students are getting a quality education (when in reality all that has been done is lowering the bar for acheivement scholastically).
The No Child Left Behind Act is commonly referred to by educators as the All Children Left Behind Act, and there aren't to many who care for the standardized testing either, but they know and are forced to play the game.
Federal funding provided for each state is based upon the test scores, then it is further broken down into district levels. Test scores are have even been manipulated to bloster the appearance of higher overall test scores so a district receives more funding.
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Another Seaford Parent
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Posted: Mon Sep 8th, 2008 02:18 pm |
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| With the state test, I have one child that studies hard but does not do well on test at all. Except spelling test. She gets A's every week on those but when it come to anything she does not do well on test. So when it's time for the state test, the school makes suck a big deal about it that she feels pressured to do well and she ends up getting scored below average so they want her to attend summer school, but to look at her report card all year long, she averaged B's in every subject. It's just heart breaking to see your child try so hard and do well except for the state test. And I see where Delmar went to uniforms. They look nice. Is Seaford still debating that? That would be a plus for Seaford to do.
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Another Seaford Parent
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Posted: Mon Sep 8th, 2008 01:55 pm |
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| Sorry she waits till her students graduate and then keeps "very" close relations with them.
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SeafordParent
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Posted: Sat Sep 6th, 2008 02:11 am |
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Miss Manners wrote: Well score one for the admins (administrators). I heard from another parent today that they are well aware of what goes on in this forum, and they are not happy about it. (never end a sentence with a preposition) This kinda (of) explains why my teacher friend hasnt (hasn't) talked much about work so far this year. Well like I said before, "If you dont (don't) want people complaining, then give us a reason not to(never end a sentence with a preposition). youre You're obviously not doing a good enough job!
A child's first teacher is a parent.
oh very funny miss manners. do us a favor, go sleep with one of your students so you can resign too like your husband and we can be rid of you too!
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gladtogetaway
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Posted: Fri Sep 5th, 2008 05:57 pm |
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I think SHS (and the Seaford School District in general) has lost sight of what education is supposed to be. As a Seaford graduate and having two parents who graduated from Seaford High, it's plain to me the changes through the years.
High school education should cover a broad spectrum. Yes, english, math, science, and social studies are important. I'm sure we can agree on that point, but what about the arts? Ignoring the idea that the arts offer culture and expand a student's horizons, lets look at cold hard facts. According to MENC, students involved in music programs score higher on the SATs, have higher GPAs, and have fewer behvaioral problems that other students. Now before you come back and say that the students who study music are generally those who are smarter and have wealthier parents who are able to afford instruments and music lessons, the study was done with a group of at risk, low income kids.
If you go through yearbooks from the 1970s, you see Seaford at its peak. Page after page shows clubs and activities of all sorts. The band and chorus are both five times as large as they are today and the academic clubs all have high memberships.
So... what changed?
There are so many factors that contribute to the decline of Seaford. Let's start with the DSTP (a worthy place to start). I am not wholly against standardized testing as it can be an accurate way to be sure teachers are doing their jobs. However, the DSTP is given so much weight and score that teachers teach students how to do well on the test, not how to actually read or write well. I was fortunate enough to do well on the test through my early years in elementary and middle school and therefore was placed in advanced classes. However, I know of kids who were very bright and did well in elementary school who did poorly on the test and were sentenced to spend the rest of their education in the "slow class." Later on in middle school, I joined the academic challenge program. Though I was learning things at a much higher level than my peers, my DSTP scores dropped. Why? Because I no longer was being taught the test. I was being taught how to read and write well.
The second (and probably largest) factor is the increasing amoung of budget issues. The money the school district recieves is constantly being misdirected, leaving some departments strapped and others rolling in it. Not to bash athletics (I realize they are important, especially given the rising problem of obseity) but explain to me why our sports teams can get new uniforms and new equipment when they still have functional (if worn) equipment but the science department has some textbooks from the 1980's? Then there is the energy issue. I so loved it when they asked us to learn while sitting in a darkened room with no heat. Very productive, yes? And of course, lets not forget about the teachers. They're all underpaid (I'll say that even for the worst teachers. As much crap as the teachers have to put up with, they deserve more than the pittance they recieve). Why are the administrators constantly recieving pay raises for doing nothing when the teachers get nothing? As it is, we can't keep good teachers because they get paid nothing and have to put up with a lot.
I'm beginning to wonder if it is too late for Seaford to be saved. At the very least, it would take an intervention of massive proportions to get the high school back to where it should be.
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whocaresanymore
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Posted: Fri Sep 5th, 2008 04:12 am |
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Hey there Miss Manners... First off, I'll admit, I'm very formally educated. Secondly, my grammar is not as good as I would like, but when writing formal documents, I do have people proofread for me. I get your point that the first teacher is the parent... Before you go and start a grammatical war with us all, let's hit up some basic things.
1. Parents teaching their children about respecting other people, the places they go to and things they interact with on a daily basis.
2. How to act when in public.
3. How the 7 seven words you can't say on TV shouldn't be said in the classroom either.
4. What safe sex is and how/why students can/should wait to explore.
5. How to accept responsibility for your own actions.
6. The job of the Police is to protect people and that they are not out to get certain students.
7. That the parents are in charge. NO kid should ever be the boss of a house with a parent living in it.
8. School is important. Getting good grades is important. That way when they grow up, the kids can leave and be successful and not be stuck on 3rd and North.
9. Making sure that the kids have a clear communitcating voice that is easily understood by the rest of society.
10. Make sure that the students learn a value of a job and the real meaning of money.
11. That life is not like a video game. There is no restart/reset/re-spawn/do-over button and people can come back to life.
Can we address these things? I think that you could have the worst grammar in the world, but be the best person in the world. To tell you the truth, I know that's right. If parents do what parents are supposed to do, the teachers will be able to teach the students about correct grammar!!!! Right now, all the teachers around the Seaford area do is damage control. There's some learning, but mostly it's just glorified babysitting. Especially for the kids that are in trouble with the law and it's part of their conditions set forth by the judge that they be in school. But that comes back to parents doing their job at home. If they raise their children right (most do), the kids should stay on the good side of the law(don't get me wrong, there are kids out there that no matter what, they'll always be on the wrong side, no matter how much the parents do).
So thank you for the grammar corrections, but I think we need some life learning corrections first.
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Miss Manners
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Posted: Fri Sep 5th, 2008 01:49 am |
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Well score one for the admins (administrators). I heard from another parent today that they are well aware of what goes on in this forum, and they are not happy about it. (never end a sentence with a preposition) This kinda (of) explains why my teacher friend hasnt (hasn't) talked much about work so far this year. Well like I said before, "If you dont (don't) want people complaining, then give us a reason not to(never end a sentence with a preposition). youre You're obviously not doing a good enough job!
A child's first teacher is a parent.
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Miss Manners
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Posted: Fri Sep 5th, 2008 01:38 am |
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What I think is a downfall in education is the standardized test. Yes, it's nice to have something to determine how school districts are doing, but at what cost to these kids. Kids get so paranoid, burned out, or frustrated by these tests that they dont' (don't)care! I've seen that once state tests are over, (add comma) the behavior in the classrooms goes crazy, because the teachers relax because they've taught what they had to teach for the test that year. (Run on sentence)
The kids suffer. In MD if they don't pass their state tests they don't graduate. What happened to passing your classes and (graduating). (Incorrect punctuation- needs a question mark) Kids that aren't great test takers are killed every year because of the anxiety. Too much emphasis is spent on these tests. The specialty teachers get the brunt of the kids' (Possesive noun) emotions and that's not fair to them. And (never start a sentence with the word-and)with districts that dont' (don't)support their arts (SHS), the kids have no outlet. Seaford has arts, but I heard a rumor that there were like (incorrect verb tense)3 kids at the band camp? How are they supposed to be in parades and such?
Please spend time reading with your children, grandchildren, or anyone else that would thrive on some attention.
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whocaresanymore
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Posted: Wed Sep 3rd, 2008 10:33 pm |
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SeafordParent wrote: well score one for the admins. i heard from another parent today that they are well aware of what goes on in this forum and they are not happy about it. this kinda explains why my teacher friend hasnt talked much about work so far this year. well like i said before you dont want people complaining then give us a reason not to. youre not doing a good enough job obviously!
It's an open public forum... let them create an account and sign on here and correct us!!!
Besides, tell your teacher friend that they can come on here and post freely. The school district can't do anything!! This is a public board that welcomes both good and bad comments. The district can emphasize the importance of keeping quiet, but they can't stop anyone from speaking their mind. And I'm no lawyer, but I'm sure they can't dismiss anyone for their Constitutional Right to Free Speech... I'd like to see that one go to court. So I agree with Seafordparent... Admin, if you're upset with the board, tough, you're the ones who make it what it is!!!
Last edited on Thu Sep 4th, 2008 11:23 am by whocaresanymore
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SeafordParent
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Posted: Wed Sep 3rd, 2008 08:45 pm |
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| well score one for the admins. i heard from another parent today that they are well aware of what goes on in this forum and they are not happy about it. this kinda explains why my teacher friend hasnt talked much about work so far this year. well like i said before you dont want people complaining then give us a reason not to. youre not doing a good enough job obviously!
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whocaresanymore
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Posted: Wed Sep 3rd, 2008 01:27 am |
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PeterGriffin wrote: I have to agree regarding testing. In my 25+ years of teaching, we had variations on state tests. I have to say the incarnations of the DSTP over my final years have done nothing but ruin teaching. Teachers shouldn't be forced to worry about tests, nor should students. Students HATE tests  so why base their educational success on them??? NY and VA have tests but they are not standardized, they are based on subject, and even those put pressure on teachers to make sure students know everything for them.
Education needs to go back to what it was in my day, all about the 3 Rs, science, social studies and lots of arts and the expressions of each. I agree with one of seafordparent's points, when schools were at levels, we had success! It should be that way again. I think a lot of hippie/liberal bullsh!t (pardon my French) ideas have messed up education over time.
As it says in Ockham's Razor, the simplest solution is usual the the correct one!
Yeah, that's about it!!
I think Seaford needs to look at how they run their district. I don't wanna bring up IR and districts like it, but they've got their act together. The kids still get the education for the tests, but they also have decent ARTS programs!!! I don't just put that on the teachers, because Seaford has had its share of good ARTS teachers and the admin screwed them around and they left.
I do agree that a change needs to happen. Look at how things are now, if students are sub-par on their state test scores, they are pulled from their elective classes in order to give them remedial help!!! Ok, let's just suck the life out of the poor kids.. It's not bad enough they get hit over the head in their normal class, but now we'll take them out of the electives and hit them over the head more... No wonder there are so many discipline problems, the kids are acting out because they have their creative outlets taken away!!!
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PeterGriffin
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Posted: Tue Sep 2nd, 2008 11:01 pm |
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I have to agree regarding testing. In my 25+ years of teaching, we had variations on state tests. I have to say the incarnations of the DSTP over my final years have done nothing but ruin teaching. Teachers shouldn't be forced to worry about tests, nor should students. Students HATE tests so why base their educational success on them??? NY and VA have tests but they are not standardized, they are based on subject, and even those put pressure on teachers to make sure students know everything for them.
Education needs to go back to what it was in my day, all about the 3 Rs, science, social studies and lots of arts and the expressions of each. I agree with one of seafordparent's points, when schools were at levels, we had success! It should be that way again. I think a lot of hippie/liberal bullsh!t (pardon my French) ideas have messed up education over time.
As it says in Ockham's Razor, the simplest solution is usual the the correct one!
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Bluesman
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Posted: Tue Sep 2nd, 2008 12:43 pm |
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| I know the waters have been tested in DE and MA about a student failing the "standardized testing" even though they passed and met all the other reuirements to graduate. In both cases I know about the students won and were allowed to graduate.
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whocaresanymore
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Posted: Tue Sep 2nd, 2008 12:28 am |
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What I think is a downfall in education is the standardized test. Yes, it's nice to have something to determine how school districts are doing, but at what cost to these kids. Kids get so paranoid, burned out, or frustrated by these tests that they dont' care! I've seen that once state tests are over the behavior in the classrooms goes crazy, because the teachers relax because they've taught what they had to teach for the test that year.
The kids suffer. In MD if they don't pass their state tests they don't graduate. What happened to passing your classes and that gets you out. Kids that aren't great test takers are killed every year because of the anxiety. Too much emphasis is spent on these tests. The specialty teachers get the brunt of the kids emotions and that's not fair to them. And with districts that dont' support their arts (SHS), the kids have no outlet. Seaford has arts, but I heard a rumor that there were like 3 kids at the band camp? How are they supposed to be in parades and such?
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Bluesman
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Posted: Mon Sep 1st, 2008 01:05 pm |
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even7 wrote: Bluesman wrote: Even 7 you are misinformed. The DSTP is very similar to every other state that has been mandated to do standarized testing under the NCLB Act. . In Massachusesttes it is called MCAS, Connecticut is CCAS, New Hampshire is NHTP.
Students have been able to legally drop out of school since I went 40 years ago once they reached the age of 16.
As to why they drop out is not the governments business and would be in violation of the 4th Amendment. As for not licensing anyone who is under the age of 18 because they drop out of school is ludicrous.
Your 40% drop out rate for students in the state of Delaware is not even close to correct.
BTW: Delaware ranked 21 st in comparision to other states in the national standardized testing in 2006.
And where did you get your findings and statistics from, sir? Are the tests from the other states exactly like what we offer here in Delaware? Are they made with the same standards? I have heard the DSTP is harder. Is this true? And if it is harder, than why are we ranked at only 21?? We should be in the top 5 or 10! Either way, the kids in Finland are still kicking our butts in Math & Science. We need to prepare our students for the Global world. Back when I was in school, 40 yrs ago, the USA ranked number ONE. Now out of 27 countries, we rank 24. Something has to give. Something has to be done.
As for revoking licenses, that is just a suggestion, sir. I am opened to any others that are out there. IF we are so passionate about education in our communities, then we need to do something about it. NOT talk about it. DO.
My wife and I both teaching in other states MA, and NH and administering "standardized testing" prior to moving to Delaware. My sister in law teaches in CT, and another sister in law teaches in NJ.
The US was never number one in education even 40 years ago (when I graduated also) Japan has always been one of the highest ranking countries for education. The standardized testing doesn't make students strive, it lowered the bar for achievement for our students in this country. It's a shell game, make the standard lower so it looks like everyone is getting educated.
Parents need to get involved that's what needs to happen. Until that happens nothing will change.
Last edited on Mon Sep 1st, 2008 01:07 pm by Bluesman
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SeafordParent
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Posted: Mon Sep 1st, 2008 12:28 am |
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3dogday wrote: I think you might want to start "higher" than the administration. The superintendent is actually very intelligent and not a "showboat" like other superintendents in the county. Seaford never has any financial scandals like upstate or Tech.
I have friends that were at the beginning of the year teachers' meeting and they said that the board president insulted an elementary school and the cafeteria staff. He's the same guy that they say insulted another elementary school the year before!
Another board member only rarely comes and there's another that doesn't even read the material they are sent every week!
But instead of throwing stones - do something to create positivity. Mentor a student, offer your talents in the arts or as a guest speaker or reader. Become part of the solution.
oh we have financial scandals, you just dont hear about them...and they still go on. they save all the money on energy, where does it go? they do buy expensive replacement lights and bulk up higher end administrative salaries plus pay that money to send admins to new orleans and orlando and las vegas for conferences, but teachers get no money for conferences or professional development or reimbursements
and we have board members that dont show. check our boards priority goals every year, it seems that they always want to improve attendance to meetings every year as goal. the last couple of board presidents here have been windbags. lot of talk not a lot of do.
i put my time in when my kids went there too but its been all downhill very sharply since then let me tell you
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whocaresanymore
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Posted: Sun Aug 31st, 2008 04:03 pm |
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3dogday wrote: I think you might want to start "higher" than the administration. The superintendent is actually very intelligent and not a "showboat" like other superintendents in the county. Seaford never has any financial scandals like upstate or Tech.
I have friends that were at the beginning of the year teachers' meeting and they said that the board president insulted an elementary school and the cafeteria staff. He's the same guy that they say insulted another elementary school the year before!
Another board member only rarely comes and there's another that doesn't even read the material they are sent every week!
But instead of throwing stones - do something to create positivity. Mentor a student, offer your talents in the arts or as a guest speaker or reader. Become part of the solution. Starting higher than the school admin doesn't work, you get told to "climb the ladder" so to speak. Oh yeah, just because you don't hear that there are financial scandals.. dont' think there might be some!!! Look at what happened at the end of the year, a teacher got in trouble, and it was def. something the press would've had a field day with, but not even the teachers knew what happened. Why are there $250,000 stadium lights in the football stadium, but no band show, field hockey, soccer, or decent football team that are worth using them!!! As for the board president insulting an elementary school and cafeteria staff... that's for the principals to deal with!! And if there's board members who don't show and take part in their job, GET RID OF THEM!!!! it's that simple! As for throwing stones... I've put my time in with the Seaford district like alot of others that post here. I gave them ideas, volunteered, etc, and what happened, no one appreciated what was done, there was more turmoil created than what there was in the first place and the kids didn't give a hoot that people were there trying to help them. I'm not wasting anymore of my time with that district because of the games by admin, and crap that you get from unappreciative kids. There are other places on the shore that will appreciate what I can do for them!!! The Seaford district is set up on negatives. Ask the kids about the morning announcements!!!! I've heard that good old Davis takes all the credit for winning sports teams and accomplishments and when a team loses, they're forgotten about, even if it was a close game or match. It's nice to hear ALL the results of the prior days events, win lose or draw.
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3dogday
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Posted: Sun Aug 31st, 2008 12:32 am |
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I think you might want to start "higher" than the administration. The superintendent is actually very intelligent and not a "showboat" like other superintendents in the county. Seaford never has any financial scandals like upstate or Tech.
I have friends that were at the beginning of the year teachers' meeting and they said that the board president insulted an elementary school and the cafeteria staff. He's the same guy that they say insulted another elementary school the year before!
Another board member only rarely comes and there's another that doesn't even read the material they are sent every week!
But instead of throwing stones - do something to create positivity. Mentor a student, offer your talents in the arts or as a guest speaker or reader. Become part of the solution.
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whocaresanymore
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Posted: Tue Aug 26th, 2008 01:24 pm |
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So today starts the next chapter in the Seaford Saga...
Let's hear the stories of promises from the Admin, and then the breaking of those same promises from the Admin!!!
Not to mention, anything else that would be worthy of WBOC or a WMDT broadcast that the district will put a lid on!!
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whocaresanymore
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Posted: Sat Aug 23rd, 2008 04:19 am |
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SeafordParent wrote: IR gets it done cause they have dynamic admins. i have to hear how wonderful they are at my work all the time from the parents who send their kids to those schools.
and tech gets it done cause they cherry pick all the good kids. and they can get rid of problem kids easier as i have always said.
It's a shame you have to hear about how other schools don't have these problems. Tech is Tech... I'm not even gonna touch that. But wouldn't you think that if districts such as IR and ST are above and beyond, that some of the other districts would be knockin on the door sayin "Hey, we like what you're doing, can you let us in on the secret?"
First things first, they probly don't have principals that try to be the kids buddies! And try to do the "Soulja Boy" at pep rallies... Heard that was a sight to see!!
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SeafordParent
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Posted: Sat Aug 23rd, 2008 12:36 am |
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IR gets it done cause they have dynamic admins. i have to hear how wonderful they are at my work all the time from the parents who send their kids to those schools.
and tech gets it done cause they cherry pick all the good kids. and they can get rid of problem kids easier as i have always said.
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whocaresanymore
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Posted: Fri Aug 22nd, 2008 09:41 pm |
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“One problem with the system of the ratings is that it’s less challenging for an elementary school to earn commendable or superior status than it is for a high school, simply because of the number of cells,” said Seaford Superintendent Dr. Russell Knorr. “When you get to the high school all of those cells are usually filled. That usually makes it more challenging for a high school unless it’s a school district which doesn’t have as many students on free and reduced meals as Seaford, Laurel and Woodbridge have.”
I just had to laugh at this from another topic... EXCUSES EXCUSES EXCUSES!!!!!!
The kids are more apt to do things, learn things and want to succeed in the lower grades. It's when they get to the middle school and high school and their bodies start to change and the neighborhood "businesses" start to take them over. If the parents do their job and bring up their kids the right way (making sure they are at school, doing homework, getting decent grades, etc) the students will ultimately pass the tests. Is there blame on teachers? Ultimately, yes. Is it deserved, not for all of them. Some do a fantastic job while others just get by. But in the end, stats come out and teachers get singled out. In defense of the teachers however, if the kids are shut off from learning, you can be the best teacher in the world and it would do you no good.... I think Dr. Knorr "businessman of the year" is just starting to catch some heat from people and that's the best EXCUSE he has... because his high school is getting shown up by the elementary schools and middle school...
If you have time, go look at the other districts in all of Sussex county. It's not just a free and reduced lunch issue in the western part of the county, it's the entire county, but IR seems to be getting it done. People can say it's the demographics of the county, but at the same time, the county is pretty much the same... you have higher, middle and lower class, the kids all go to school and take the same standardized tests. It's everyone working together to get the desired results. So Dr. Knorr, go hide in your "energy star award-winning" office and hope that the new football coach can win you some games, not like you've been to any of them anyhow!!!
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whocaresanymore
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Posted: Fri Aug 22nd, 2008 12:42 pm |
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Well, with Seaford, they need to clean house from the top down... start with the bigger paychecks across the street from the high school that don't do anything... then work your way over to the admin of the high school.
Don't start with the teachers... if you clear out all the teachers, the same manipulators are still there and you have teachers that will ultimately not think and act for themselves. Intimidation is a big factor for some administrators.. that you either do it my way or we'll find ways to make you leave.
If you keep clearing out the teachers every year though, at least you're giving all the new college grads a chance to see what the real teachin world is like... But I see Seaford as the "get your foot in the door" job for the new grads... because no one else wants to come work there!! They know how bad it is...
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SeafordParent
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Posted: Fri Aug 22nd, 2008 02:33 am |
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| might not have to do anything. if they keep failing doesnt a change occur? bluesman, where are you? is it not true that if a school cannot meet its requirements that eventually they clean house? though id hate to see some of the good people lose their job because of others.
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whocaresanymore
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Posted: Thu Aug 21st, 2008 05:20 am |
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Playing the Game wrote: 12 step programs are for individuals with weakness. I gues that covers it.
So whats your solution?
How would you fix the problems?
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Playing the Game
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Posted: Thu Aug 21st, 2008 03:16 am |
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| 12 step programs are for individuals with weakness. I gues that covers it.
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SeafordParent
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Posted: Wed Aug 20th, 2008 10:06 pm |
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i have been sayin this stuff in here for years. amen! nice to know someone else thinks like me. we need that principal from that movie about those kids in new jersey. that would save this place right about now. bring them into the auditorium on day 1 invite the wasted youth to the stage and send them on their way. now i dont think chaining doors are necessary but that tough approach every day would work nice with this population no matter what color they are. its not the color it is the attitude that is the problem around here these days.
whocaresanymore wrote:
Playing the Game wrote: Why does the union need to b involved? Can't teachers think and act on their own with parents in Seaford?
I've already stated somewhat of an answer to this earlier, but I've thought about this some.. so here it goes..
Why doesn't the union need to be involved!!!! The teachers of the Seaford School District CAN think and act on their own. The teachers/teams/departments have their discipline ladders and they use them. It's when you get to the main office that the ladder is missing rungs. There are students that do unthinkable acts in school, some should be hauled off in police cars and charged as adults and locked up for a few years, but the admin will just slap them on the wrists and turn them back over to the teachers.
There are teachers that send students out for being disruptive and I believe that somewhere it states that once a student is sent out for disrupting class, they don't go back... well, the boys at the high school just send them back to class from what I know... that's not helping the class or teacher, because now you have a student who is ultimately upset (sad or angry) going back into the classroom to face the teacher that just caused them trouble (or not!!).
The teachers have their ducks in a row. Their ladders are in place. The idea of saturday school is ok in my mind, but do any of them show up? Not many from the teachers I've talked to. They say the parents tell the kids it's ok NOT to go to Saturday school, and that they don't have to go for what they did... then consequently the kids get OSS and they just treat it like an extended weekend. When I was in high school there was a small room with NO windows and the door was shut... you had your work brought to you and you got a bagged lunch. You didn't leave the room unless it was for the bathroom and even then, that was monitored, you were escorted and you didn't see anyone else.
It's sad to say but I believe that there are parents educating their kids on how to find the loopholes in the system. God forbid a teachers language slips and a cuss word (not the big ones) comes out. The kids are basically running to the office (in high school) to turn the teacher in. But yet, you go out in the hallways and hear every obscene word in the book being used in ways you never thought imaginable, by the kids that ran to the office and turned in the teacher for slipping and saying something not even close to what the kids say!!!
Teachers in this society are underappreciated. The Seaford teachers try to do their best, but it's the kids that don't care. Many kids fail the state test because they don't want to be in school.. they shut off in the building.. for some it's just an open air drug market, others, it's a chance to hook up with someone.. don't get me wrong, there are good students too, but they are highly overshadowed by the bad.
The first days of school should meet students with the State/Seaford police standing at every entrance and each officer should have a drug dog. Why wait until the drugs in the building become a problem.. nail the problem students right off the bat!!!! Day 1, Johnny had cocaine in his jeans... BANG!! dog takes him down, police take him out and he's expelled... no if's, and's or but's about it.. I think that would send a message pretty quick that the district isn't gonna take any crap about it.
All in all, the union needs to get involved so that the teachers have a safe workplace, equal opportunities, and the chance to have these teachers be treated like teachers.
I will also say this, the administration needs to treat all the departments the same. I know for a fact that certain departments were treated unfairly due to the backgrounds of the administration. This would be why you have a few departments with totally new faces. The administrators place is within the building, but let the teachers be the ones to take the programs where they need to go. If certain administrators want to be back in the classroom, take the paycut and do it, and then maybe they will see what's really happening.
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whocaresanymore
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Posted: Wed Aug 20th, 2008 04:34 am |
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Playing the Game wrote: Is a discipline ladder like a 12 step program for teachers and administrators? In the real world we call it the open door policy, or don't let the door hit you in the butt on the way out.
The discipline ladder is the steps that the teachers/administrators take when dealing with students..
It normally starts with a phone call, then detention, office referral, after so many referrals ISS, if you skip ISS then you have OSS, after so many OSS you go on behavior contracts, etc, all the way up to expulsions...
So it's more of a 12 step program for students. The teachers do a pretty good job of their end of it, it's the higher, more definitive end of the ladder that doesn't get taken care of.
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Playing the Game
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Posted: Wed Aug 20th, 2008 01:33 am |
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| Is a discipline ladder like a 12 step program for teachers and administrators? In the real world we call it the open door policy, or don't let the door hit you in the butt on the way out.
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whocaresanymore
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Posted: Tue Aug 19th, 2008 03:55 pm |
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