Wednesday, June 22, 2011

The Business of Children

To my readers: This week I have a guest blog interview who had written a fictional novel. However, it is based on factual events from her experiences as a teacher. Her name is Chloe Jon Paul and the book is " The Business of Children." As always, the opinions shared by the guest blogger are her own and not necessarily shared by me. Having said that, she does make some excellent points that parents can benefit from!

Questions:
1. What is the #1 issue facing schools today?
The #1 issue, I feel, is all the bureaucratic nonsense that nail teachers to the wall – not allowing them to be creative. The pressure put on teachers to “teach to the test” is what caused me to take an early retirement. In conjunction with that is the lack of administrative support when there is a problem with a student. Lack of teacher respect, bullying, and other issues compound the problem.

2. What can be done to resolve that issue?
I strongly believe that teachers have to continue their fight with teacher union activism, sending a clear message that they deserve better.

3. Should kids that need extra help be mainstreamed into regular classrooms?
No, I think it does more harm than good. While they are out of their regular class, they are missing the kind of instruction they really need. When they enter the regular classroom, everyone knows why they are there. I believe that regular classroom teachers can collaborate with special needs teachers to combine classes on a regular basis for some special instruction. I used to do this all the time and worked marvelously well.

4. How does that affect a. their learning in the classroom and b. the learning of other kids in the classroom?
I don’t think that much real learning does take place. Behavior problems do disrupt other kids and resentment on their part builds up.

5. There are a lot people who feel it is now better to put kids into private schools, what is your opinion? Can public schools still do the job well?
If one can afford to place one’s child in private school, then – yes, it would be better. Home schooling has increased significantly in the last few years. My own daughter home-schooled both her boys. Now, at age 14 and 16, they are both in college.
In the city where I live, home schooling is very big because the public school system here leaves much to be desired.

6. If parents could do one thing to help their kids succeed in school, what would that be?
Ah! If only people would heed my words! They must be willing to do what I did when my 2 children were growing up.

So, in a nutshell, here it is:
-One TV, record player, telephone in the house – nothing ever in their rooms!
-Dinner together every night with conversation about their day.
-Earning TV time by signing up for chores. Eventually, I allowed them to trade their TV time credits into cash.
-Making sure that they read quality books and show interest in the world around them by engaging in some kind of volunteer work.
*** I must have done something right because both my children are successful adults. They both have Master’s degrees and do interesting work in their respective fields.

7. Based on your experience, what is the a. most negative change you have seen in schools and b. the most positive change you have seen over the years?
The most negative change, as far as I’m concerned, is the emphasis put on assessment tests. Frankly, I can’t say that I’ve seen positive change.

8. How are the rookie teachers today different that when you began your career?
I think rookie teachers are savvier and they have the ability to network with other teachers worldwide through the many groups on the Internet – something we didn’t have years ago. They have instant access to oodles of information that took hours to research years ago.

9. Why did you write this book?
I wrote the book back in the early 90’s when I took a leave of absence from my teaching position. I wrote it because I felt it would be therapeutic for me to record some of my experiences but I didn’t want it to be a memoir. I had just finished a very bad year at the school where I was assigned and I seriously considered quitting altogether. Fortunately, I decided on a leave of absence without pay and went to stay with a dear friend in Maine where I had done the best teaching of my entire career. I actually trashed the book after I finished writing it, figuring that it had helped relieve some of the tension. My friend, however, retrieved it saying, “You are NOT throwing this away!” So I shelved it and went on to other writing projects which resulted in 2 other published works – non-fiction: What Happens Next? A Family Guide to Nursing Home Visits…and More

Entering the Age of Elegance: A Rite of Passage & Practical Guide for the Modern Maturing Woman
10. Why did you choose to write it in fiction?
I had always wanted to write fiction and I figured that the experiences I had had through the years, especially as a union activist, could lend credibility to the story. The characters are not real people that I ever knew or worked with although some of their characteristics could be considered a composite of several different people I encountered in my 35 years of teaching. Some people have asked if I’m Vera or Deidre and I must admit that there is probably a little of me in both of them. JJ
When writing fiction, an author must really get inside that character’s skin – think, talk, and act like they would. This is especially challenging when the character is male and you’re a female author. Some of the language at times may be a bit coarse. I don’t use that kind of language personally but I know that some friends will read the book and exclaim,” Chloe wrote that?!?
Most people aren’t going to sit down to read a heavy document explaining the ills of education but a novel that portrays those very ills can be a real eye-opener!

*******

About the Author:
Chloe Jon Paul, M.Ed., is a retired educator and writer of several published articles and a previous book entitled "What Happens Next: A Family Guide to Nursing Home Visits" and More... State representative for the National Family Caregivers Association's caregiver community action network 2006-2008; Advisory board member: MD, Healthcare Commission and the Interagency Commission for Aging Services: Maryland Dept. of Aging; Hospice and homeless shelter volunteer.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Goshen College Controversy Is Parenting Failure


Last week a firestorm erupted over the fact that a small Mennonite college, Goshen College in Indiana, decided to no longer play the National Anthem at sports events. At first I was outraged. Then I backed off and thought about the fact that they have every right to make that decision. Now after mulling it over for a few days, I have something to say about it today, on Flag Day.

After doing research, I discovered the following facts:
  • Mennonites believe in peace and the fact sheet on the college states "...playing the national anthem has not been among Goshen College's practices because of our Christ-centered core value of compassionate peacemaking seeming to be in conflict with the anthem's militaristic language."
  • Also some members of the religion, although this is not an official church position, say that to sing a hymn of allegience like that is to display more loyalty to country than to God.
  • Historically they did not ever play the anthem until 2010 when they chose to lift the 116 year old ban on playing the anthem. They agreed to allow an instrumental version of the song to be played.
  • Mennonites historically came to this country seeking religious freedom from the persecution that they received in their homelands.

So what are we looking at here? Their ancestors came to this country seeking a chance to practice their religion in peace. Finding that freedom in the new country, they were content to let others fight for their right to maintain that freedom against enemies that would deny freedoms to all of us. Okay, I get that. The Amish, Quakers, and others are peaceloving people who refuse to take up arms. I can respect that.

What troubles me is the lack of gratitude on the part of this college for the country that provides their ability to practice their religion without interference. This is the same country whose brave men and women died on battlefields, mothers wept at the loss of a child, fathers saw their lineage end as their sons died, children lost parents, and the world lost many brilliant future leaders so we all could remain free. This is the same country that has been a refuge for the oppressed for more than 200 years.

In my heart, I love God, family, and country. But sometimes that order gets all blurred together--days like Dec 7, 1941 and Sept 11, 2001. So while I understand their priorities, I am saddened by the fact that they feel no sense of loyalty to the country that has paid the price of their freedom in blood.

Parents of Goshen, wake up! I don't care what your church leaders say--this is the United States of America. She has stood for your freedom and protected it since your people first stepped foot on her beautiful shores. She deserves some measure of your appreciation and loyalty. It is time to teach your children about the greatness of our land and our history. Yes, it is run by flawed individuals who make mistakes. However, we can change that at the ballot box. Bottomline, is that we have lived with our freedoms intact for a long time now--less than 10% of the people in the history of this planet can boast of living with the freedoms we cherish. Teach that to your kids.

If the first verse of the national anthem is offensive to you, perhaps the last verse will be more acceptable:

O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation.
Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the Heav’n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust;”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Yes, I defend your right to live as you choose, but I am saddened and somewhat angry that you at Goshen College have no appreciation for why you can live as you choose.