Thank you, Mr. Ayers

The dominant neoliberal metaphor of the rich and powerful posits schools as businesses, teachers as workers, students as products and commodities. It also leads to thinking that school closings and privatizing the public space are natural events; relentless, standardized test-and-punish regimes are sensible; and zero tolerance is a reasonable proxy for justice. This is what the true-believers call “reform.”  -Bill Ayers

Bill Ayers may have led a controversial life, but his article in the Huffington Post is an abrupt dose of reality.  His Straight-to-the-point article blends metaphors on education to identify where our "reform" is taking us.  Such as when he refers school to a straight-jacket.  It is true, the public ought to be concerned about where education of the future is headed.  At this point, "reform" has pushed educators to create robots rather than independent thinkers and citizens.  Policymakers have turned Wisdom into test-taking abilities.  Education is not and cannot be a cookie-cutter business.  There are too many varying factors disallowing the ability to assess on a flat scale.  Such factors are native language, background knowledge and experience, culture, values, children read to/not read to, preschool and kindergarten experience, student mobility rates, neglect, abuse, and the list goes on.

The continued privatization of schools widens the gap between economic statuses.  Rather than creating a country of unity, which the United States is founded upon, privatization forges a wedge between citizens.  The privatization of schools is teaching children to look down on those in an unfair disadvantage.  This is the beginning of a split, crumbling society rather than a unity celebrating the ability for humans to create a community.  As Ayers suggests, "In schools we need...reconstruction of society around basic principles of equality and justice and recognition."

Ayers suggests educators shift their daily being.  "Educators who are today truly oriented...capable of controlling and transforming their own lives; citizens and residents who can participate actively in public life; people who can open their eyes and awaken themselves and others as they think and act ethically in a complex and ever-changing world. This kind of teaching encourages students to develop initiative and imagination, the capacity to name and constantly interrogate the world, the wisdom to identify the obstacles to their full humanity and to the humanity of others, and the courage to act on whatever the known demands."  This is an inspiring concept.  To teach, we must be what we teach. 

Educator Involvement in Policy Making

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-merrow/what-do-teachers-want_b_859979.html

Ms. Moore continues: "By every means we currently have for measuring teacher performance, I am considered an excellent teacher; yet, when it comes time to decide what should be taught and how my students' learning should be measured, I have little or no say. This is also true for teachers as a group."

True.  My school just went through a voting for our administration.  Teachers know good administrators and good administrators know good teachers.  So why is it that our vote does not count, yet a team of non-educational adults carry all the weight?  Teachers requested the Local School Council meet before or after school hours, allowing teachers to attend (they had been meeting during school hours).  The request was denied.  When teachers did voice their opinions on their choice for a new administrator, they were accused of harassment.  Fortunate, the staff was resilient.  The staff continued to push for their input to be taken into account.  Teachers are are in fact on the front lines.  A change in administration means at least 1-2 years of transition while the new administrator gets to know his/her staff and community.  By then, opportunity for growth could have occurred.  But the LSC did not see this.  They were blinded by power.  After 8 months they finally offered teachers 2 minutes each to say their piece.  Over 25 teachers spoke.  Afterward, they were told the vote would be postponed once again. 

The ideal that educators' professional experience and knowledge is undermined has moved from the local setting to the national.  Changes, such as No Child Left Behind, included little educator input the first time around.  The revamping of NCLB holds more weight in the opinions of politicians rather than the educational professionals.  Politicians fill the the water with muddy information.  Society will benefit from listening to educator input; those who are on the front lines and experience NCLB daily.  Do not place us in a box, but allow the flexibility to do our job, without constant hovering.  With current NCLB, as stated in the article, innovation has been brushed under the rug.  Teachers are being forced to teach strategically, some even with scripts.  The children are suffering.

Year Round Schools



Is the grass greener on the other side?  With year round schools, students still get the allotted summer vacation, but spread throughout the year.  Year round schools prevent significant knowledge loss that often occurs over the summer months.  They also reduce amount time spent reviewing prior year's information.  It seems these breaks throughout the year prevent burnout by both students and educators. 

But what do parents say?  Is it harder to find sitters during the random weeks off throughout the year?  What if a family has students in multiple tracks on vacation at different times throughout the year?  For the teachers who take the offer to continue working during their allotted breaks, are they compensated? What are they doing?  Can students come to the school  for classes or activities during their breaks? 

I wonder, if, since the breaks occur during colder months rather than the heat of spring & summer, when crime rates increases, if this would have an over-all impact in reducing crime? These are all questions which I will research.  In  the mean time, if you have experience or opinions about year round schools, I would like to hear other points of view.

UPDATE:
I did some research and found a pattern amongst the articles; currently there may be some, but not statistically enough, results that students perform academically better.  However, improvement in student/teacher attendance and student confidence has improved.  On the other hand, administrator burn-out is being observed.

The link below is research that I chose because it defines the different types of year-round schools as well as explains the historical concepts. 

http://www.cehd.umn.edu/CAREI/Reports/docs/Year-round.pdf