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It really doesn’t matter who is the Superintendent or if
there is an elected or state appointed school board. All people involved with
the St. Louis Public Schools from the SAB down to the parents of the students
all are to blame in the lack of educational success within the district. One
would think that with the beginning of the make or break school year for
accreditation that there would have been some planning done prior to the
opening of the 2008-2009 school. But again it is just more of the same. To much
emphasis is placed on the first day of school rather than the WHOLE school
year.
First the district is again looking for another
superintendent to take over and somehow revitalize the district to its glory
days from (approximately) 1870 to 1970. During this time beginning with William
Torrey Harris (Superintendent 1868-1880) the St. Louis Public Schools were the
model of public education in the United States. After 1970 we lost the
integrity of administrators, teachers, and education itself. When talking with
some retirees recently who all were graduates of a SLPS school as well as
teachers in the system for thirty some years they all commented how education
of students was not the main priority. These teachers and a couple of
administrators seen much more nepotism, frequent absenteeism, over ordering of
supplies (the extra would be taken home), and the best one social promotion of
students who were passed along because of their age than their knowledge than
when these teachers were in school.
Next just the plain lack of planning of as to what to do
with the students once they come into the schools. Yes attendance is important
but there are 175 more days after the first day. In one high school alone 40%
(the school’s enrollment is about 700) of the students did not have class
schedules on the first day of school. This makes it a little tough for teaching
and learning. It took most of the first week to get these students a schedule
and into class. The school (administrators and counselors) blames the parents
for not bringing their child up on “registration” days. What happened to having
your class schedule before you left for summer break the year before? Sure they
may need to be some adjustments if you failed a class but no schedules at all.
This is one school but I also heard other high schools had the same problem but
didn’t have 300 students sitting around waiting for their schedule.
Another problem is the lack of classes being offered on the
high school level. Thank you “Dr.” Craig Williams (Craig may not be spelled
correctly) who systematically cut out the Family and Consumer Sciences,
Industrial Technology classes, and many upper level classes within the core and
other subjects. Plus eliminating quite a number of teachers at the same time. I
will save the argument for later about why you need fine arts, industrial
technology, and physical education classes to educate the whole child for
later.
SLPS has a shortage of teachers to begin with as well as
classes that are offered to students. Some of which the student may not be
interested in. Not everyone will be a scientist, mathematician, writer, or
historian. Schools need the fine arts and industrial arts to show how the
“core” classes come together. Plus what about after high school? As I asked
before how many companies hire students with “advanced” test taking skills?
Instead the teachers and classes who that are left now 40 something students in
them. This is well over the legal limit as even required by the state (high
school classes 33 except for laboratory/hands on type classes that should be no
more than 25). The decision makers are already making it hard on themselves to
get accreditation with classes having over 40 students in them.
Then there is the plain in-fighting between the
administrators union and the teachers union. Both sides blame each other as to
why there isn’t any improvement in test scores, dropouts, and graduation rates.
One teacher even told me that the Principal said they didn’t need to belong to
the teachers union (AFT Local 420) because they are treated fairly and the
administration stands behind and supports the teachers. After I picked myself
up off the floor from laughing so hard I asked that teacher why is your
principal an officer in the administrators union? Both unions are to blame not
just one. Both are only interested in money, benefits and their job and could
care less about the student. And the Principal I speak of is more concerned
about his image “downtown” (the district office) than if actual teaching is
going on. Not to mention it is the teacher’s fault if a fight occurs, a student
has poor attendance, late to class, or is using the wrong hall pass of the
month color. AFT Local 420 say they are concerned about the students but also
support bad teachers who shouldn’t be in the classroom. Plus AFT Local 420
talks about meaningful professional but has yet to offer any professional
development for the teachers. When asked about this the Union Rep said it was
the responsibility of the administrators to provide professional development.
Here is an example of “I want the title but not the responsibility.”
Now for the parents of the students who consider SLPS a
babysitting service instead of a place of learning. However there are many parents
who are concerned about their child’s education and you can see that in their
child’s behavior. The other 20% of students are only there to finish the fight
that started over the weekend and in some cases even the parents get involved.
Other students are just there to socialize and some just don’t see the value of
education that is being provided to them (meaning from the teachers who do
care). Again thanks to a previous superintendent he did away with the
alternative schools that were specifically designed to deal with these
individuals. As I have said many times before without parental support teachers
(the ones who are trying to teach) cannot due their jobs.
If this is any indication as to how the school year will
play out SLPS will have a real hard time getting their accreditation. There are
some individual administrators and teachers trying to improve the school
district but they are in the minority. Even on the first day the teachers were
to go to Chavez Arena for a rah rah session. The district couldn’t even get
administrators and teachers to or from the opening session effectively. There
were even reports of teachers passing out from the combination of fumes from
the buses and the heat. And these will be the same people arguing that SLPS
should have full accreditation this year. Say good-bye to the St. Louis Public
Schools.
One last note Charter schools in the St. Louis Area are
still performing lower than the current SLPS schools. Again, just because you
might pay or go to a different school doesn’t necessarily mean it is better. In
either case the student still has to do the work in order to learn a skill.
Tony Snow
Jul 12, 2008 | 9:19 PM PST
Category:
News
Just finished reading in StlToday.com that Tony Snow lost his battle with colon cancer at age 53. For more on the story go to: http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/natio
n/story/B1F2664ED8E3EB16862574840067013F?OpenDocument
Something to think about…
Jun 13, 2008 | 7:22 PM PST
Category:
News
Have you ever noticed that Ameren is the only utility that has ongoing Public Relations campaigns? Even before the 2006 thunderstorms that knock out power for some up to eight weeks Ameren was running PSA’s about “Who would go out on a night like this?” Now they are running the PowerOn campaign not only on TV but also here on local websites (Fox, KMOV, and KSD). Is this all really necessary? I think for most of us we just want uninterrupted service during storms and heavy use.
Seems funny how we don’t hear or see any PSA’s from Laclede Gas, MSD, or form various water companies. For the most part we don’t hear anything until the news runs a story about them. Did you know that Laclede Gas has been changing all the copper lines to PVC? Plus did you know that Laclede moved the gas lines along Hwy 367 and now along I-64 at their expense and not the consumer. Also they moved all their gas reserves out of those big round tanks and into underground storage.
Now for MSD we mostly hear about them through the news. Water is the same only hear about a break or a boil order.
So does Ameren really need to spend money on this advertising campaign where I am sure it could be used to hire some workers to trim trees, to bury cable, or making sure its workers are monitoring important gauges?
Memorial Day
May 23, 2008 | 9:30 PM PST
Category:
News
Ahh Memorial Day the unofficial beginning of summer, pools open, bar-b-ques, and outdoor entertaining. Oh lets not forget about the sales at the stores and parades. But is this what Memorial Day is all about – parades, parties and store sales? As with many other holidays we seem to have lost the meaning of what the holiday actually represents.
Memorial Day actually started after the Civil War to mark the end of the war and to remember those who died during the war. The original Memorial Day observances were held in north. Observances in the south were called Confederate Memorial Days. The first Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5 in 1868 by an order from General John Logan, National Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. Memorial Day was first observed on May 30. The first state to recognize the holiday was New York in 1873 and by 1890 the rest of the northern states joined in. Memorial Day continued to be celebrated on May 30th until 1971 with the passage of the National Holiday Act where the observances were moved to the last Monday of the month of May.
Let us take time out of our busy lives to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice while defending the United States. While you are at the cemetery remembering loved ones place a red poppy on a soldier’s grave. Red poppies were first use on soldiers’ graves by Monia Michael after reading John McCrae’s poem In Flanders Fields. Remember Memorial Day is much more than the opening of swimming pools, parades, and bar-b-ques.
The artwork was done by a student (not one of mine) in Missouri for 2007 Youth Art Month. The artwork received the Governor’s Award.
Like do we speak bad? Ya know.
May 20, 2008 | 5:02 PM PST
Category:
News
From STLToday.com
May 19, 3:34 PM EDT
David McCullough urges BC grads to speak properly
NEWTON, Mass. (AP) -- Pulitzer Prize winning author David McCullough has a suggestion for what young people can do for their country.
"Please, please do what you can to cure the verbal virus that seems increasingly rampant among your generation," McCullough implored Boston College's class of 2008 at commencement ceremonies Monday.
He said he's particularly troubled by the "relentless, wearisome use of words" such as like, awesome and actually.
"Just imagine if in his inaugural address John F. Kennedy had said, 'Ask not what your country can, you know, do for you, but what you can, like, do for your country actually," he said.
Graduates apparently thought his speech was, like, awesome. They gave him a standing ovation.
© 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy.
Last Wednesday, May 14, I was able to have lunch with some of the retired teachers I use to teach with and this very subject came up. The Communication Arts Teachers were complaining in their last few years that they were having problems understanding some of the texting acronyms that were appearing in written paper, like you know.
However this problem starts with each generation as they form their own identity for that generation ya know. Like who can forget the Valley Girls “Oh My God!” You know everything had like before it like for surrrre, ya know. My favorite is still “Gag me with a pitchfork,” like that is so totally true. Also in the 80’s came our buddy Vern with “Ya know what I mean.” The saying is actually said faster YaknowwhatImean. Ya know. Like do I really need to explain?
Then there was the wide spread acceptance of beach speech that I mostly attribute to Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure in 1989. Then everything and everyone became a radical dude. Dude this, Dude that, like Dude ya know. Totally righteous!
Now I hear a combination of the 80’s and 90’s along with some new words like “fire” (the only one I can think of right but I know you know what I mean) Fire now means cool, awesome, radical, or in my school nails (don’t ask to long to explain). Still hear the “Oh MY GOD” and Dude quite a bit. Ya know what I mean?
Anyway AISI over time the English language has changed and continues to change. For example read the preamble of the Constitution of the United States. As the character Ben Gates says in the National Treasure movie: “No one talks like that anymore.” I am sure two hundred years from now when scholars and students look at how we currently write will they say the same thing? Like will the peeps understand how we used keyboards to communicate our messages of intelligence or lack there of. Like ya know? Well g2g so u can text message ur response to this blog. YaknowwhatImean.
We had an Earthquake?
Apr 18, 2008 | 12:57 PM PST
Category:
News
We had an earthquake? I was dreaming about being on a ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios!
Have a g o o d we ek end (shaking while typing).
Let's Have a Beer!
Apr 7, 2008 | 12:07 PM PST
Category:
News
Prohibition only drives drunkenness behind doors and into dark places, and does not cure or even diminish it.
Mark Twain
Prohibition has been called everything from a noble experiment to a stupendous blunder. Seventy-five years ago today, beer started flowing again, marking the beginning of the end for the alcohol ban.
America's long dry spell, which thrust words such as "bootlegger" and "bathtub gin" into our lexicon, didn't officially disappear until December 1933.
But April 7 was the date that Franklin D. Roosevelt, having recently won the White House with 57 percent of the popular vote, tweaked the law to allow for the sale of beer, creating a sudsy slope that led to full-scale repeal of the 14-year-old constitutional amendment.
Ok now Let’s have a beer.
Floyd
Irons sentenced to federal prison
By
David Hunn
ST.
LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
03/24/2008
ST. LOUIS -- Iconic high school basketball coach Floyd Irons
was sentenced this afternoon to 12 months in federal prison and
ordered to help pay back more than $653,000 in losses to banks.
Lets see Iron Floyd get out of this one. For years he was
breaking the eligibility rules to get the best players in the St. Louis Public
Schools. He falsified addresses in order to get the tallest kids with the most
talent. Having seen several of Vashon’s games all the players are the same
height. Where the other schools they played the players are tall but there are
notable differences in height. Then while Principal of Vashon there are
thousands of dollars of questionable spending and/or missing money. Then there
was the harassment of teachers to give his basketball players passing grades
(A’s & B’s) despite doing failing work. Irons argument is your denying my
players an opportunity to get a scholarship to play in college. Guess what only
about 10% of his players actually graduated from college. Many got in but
flunked out because they were just not prepared academically. Well Floyd maybe
you can coach while in prison.
When you break the rules and the law you will get caught it
is just a matter of time.
Professional?
Mar 18, 2008 | 5:01 PM PST
Category:
News
What is a “Professional?”
Is a professional someone who gets paid for providing a
product or a service? Is a professional someone who flips burgers, makes ice
cream cones, builds bridges, or designs multi-million dollar airplanes? Are “professional”
workers only those who wear a “white” collar (may also be known as a suit)?
What are the requirements for being a professional?
Then there is “acting professionally.” What is acting
“professionally?” Is this talking like a drunken sailor who is cussing (stereotype
I know because not all sailors act this way), an engineer who speaks a language
that you do not understand (using acronyms and buzz words within the trade), or
like a salesman who complements you about your ______ (fill in the blank like
house, hair, talent, decorations, etc) in order to make a sale?
Does appearance determine if you are a professional? Do
professionals have to wear jeans and a t-shirt during you next medical
examination? Wear nice pants and a tie to mow your lawn? Wear a uniform to
sweep a floor?
There are all types of professionals who get paid for what
they do. In many of my printing jobs my attire consisted of shorts and t-shirts
even when I would meet designers for a color check or a press proof. Only one
company did I have to wear a uniform because it made us look more
“professional.” As I ride around I would see different lawn care companies some
wearing a uniformed polo shirt while others would wear uniformed pants and
shirts.
As far as acting professionally depends on the situation I
am in. In some people jobs every other word is one of those colorful metaphors.
While in others I would be swamped with a language I couldn’t understand. They
spoke English just fine but the acronyms and buzz words were way over my head.
The point to all this is we use different languages in
different situations. Not different languages like Spanish, French, or German
then again you might depending on your job. I mean using a different vocabulary
when we talk with our friends where we use a wide variety of words including
those colorful metaphors. On the job we use another language that people with
in the profession would only really understand. When we talk to our spouses we
may use our work language as well as our friend language depending if we want
to make our spouse feel inferior or not.
Last question is there a difference between being professional
and being respectful. Usually the two go hand in hand but what if you are
meeting a group of people and you have to establish yourself as the one in
charge. I have no idea how military drill sergeants really act except what I
see in movies (art does imitate life) but I don’t think the first thing they
say is drop and give me twenty.
Lastly I know others have written blogs on this sort of
subject. Let’s think of it this way if this is a family blog would you speak to
your family members the same way you respond to various posts and those who
respond to that post?
Space Travel
Mar 18, 2008 | 10:46 AM PST
Category:
News
I have always been fascinated with space travel. Growing up
I was able to see Neil Armstrong walk on the moon and later Saturn missions
where the astronauts drive and even play golf on the moon. Every major news
network covered the missions at the time and everyone who had a TV or was near
a TV watched. I built models of the Gemini Capsule, the Lunar Module, a Saturn
V rocket, and the Space Shuttle.
With all the buzz around St. Louis about Robert Behnken, a
Pattonville alum, being the first St. Louisan to walk in space I ask:
If you had the opportunity to go into space would you go?
