I had an interesting conversation with one of my close friends, who lives here in Philadelphia, who will like to remain anonymous, has decided to transfer her daughters (one is in 3rd grade and the other 5th grade) from the public school system and put them in a private school. I won’t name the school, but she described it as it “getting worst by the minute.” She mentioned that the classroom size has increased for both her daughters’ classes within the last 2 years, she feels the homework that is assigned are challenging enough and she describe the teachers’ attitudes towards the curriculum as “nonchalant.”
During our conversation, she brought up the idea of working two jobs (she is a single mother) and creating some other options in order to make additional income. “I have to get them in a school that will provide a good education, so they can learn something.” This didn’t strike as a surprise. With all of the issues surrounding Philadelphia public schools, my friend probably isn’t the only parent with this thought. It hurts my heart that so many people look at the Philadelphia public school system as a “lost.” My close friend and I received our education through the public school system and are pleased with the education that we received. But times have changed and expectations for public schools have changed. With all the news circulating the public school system, it seems if the fall of public schools is expected.
I recommend for single parents who are lookint to transfer their children to another school, to take look into resources in assisting them with their educational decisions. A great website link to browse is http://singleparents.about.com/od/yourchildseducation/Your_Child_s_Education.htm. It provides resources specifically for single parents and their childrens' education.
I recommend for single parents who are lookint to transfer their children to another school, to take look into resources in assisting them with their educational decisions. A great website link to browse is http://singleparents.about.com/od/yourchildseducation/Your_Child_s_Education.htm. It provides resources specifically for single parents and their childrens' education.
5 comments:
I think the saddest statement in this blog is "the teachers attitude toward the curriculum is 'nonchalant.'" I can remember teachers that inspired me as I was growing up, and the difference one good teacher could make. Maybe if the teachers cared just a little bit more, the schools would shine brighter, even if the school district doesn't.
I agree with Kim and I think a good way of winning back the schools is to find an answer to the question, "What could make a good teacher choose to stay in a bad school?"
Even "good" teachers don't usually last long in public school systems like Philly's because they burn out quickly. They aren't given adequate materials, support from the administration, enough pay to keep them there, etc... and they usually have to teach a class full of more students than they can handle. It's really a viscous cycle, I think, with no easy solution.
I appreciate all of the comments and good ideas displayed in each one. This conversation I had with my close friend made me realize if the issues involving the public schools aren't resolved, our children are really going to suffer. This will only (and honestly it has) begin a snowball of societal problems with our youth.
Can we really blame teachers when the whole system is broken? Like Suzanne pointed out they are not given the tools they need. How do you improve the system?
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