This article reminds me of my high school. We had all of the same cliques the young lady from Vietnam talks about in her school in Loudon County (Virginia) - and even more! We had several different cliques of Indians, various Asian cliques (the smart Asian clique, the cool Asian clique, etc). It was fun to be friends with people who didn't fit any stereotypes - in fact, many of the stereotypes I learned after I left high school, because the reality of who people were was present and in my face every day. I still miss that experience, because the "real world" I live in now seems to be so much more segregated. Almost all of my friends are white, and most people I know tend to hang with "birds of a feather." It's a shame kids do it better than adults - although isn't that what Brown vs. Board of Ed asked them to do in the first place?

This article made me realize that it's a great time to be a teacher right now. The schools are expanding, and it's a chance to get into a good district and work with a diverse set of kids who will really change this country. Plus the pay's really not bad - I know, so many people complain about teacher's salary, but think about what most government workers make, and then add in the fact that teachers get at least 2 months off. It's really worth thinking about if you're willing to get your certification. If they're looking for advanced math teachers in Vietnam, I think a few of us might be able to go in and teach those classes. Heck, after taking this statistics class, I think I could probably teach some advanced math! And actually enjoy it.

"In Schools Across the U.S., the Melting Pot Overflows." (Dillon, S. New York Times, August 27th, 2006)

Well now I've seen everything...

The president of Iran has his own blog. Now howm'I supposed to compete with that to become a "Blog of Note"?


Mahmood Ahmadinejad's Blog

Dig it

"Bush signs vocational bill into law." (CNN, Aug. 14th, 2006)

Because really, saying that everyone should go to college and study Chaucer just isn't realistic. Do you know how much money plumbers and auto mechanics make? Not to mention that most people don't need a college degree for some really cool jobs in fashion, like being a buyer. An associates degree and some quality vocational training will do the trick. Hey, if Nicky Hilton can do it...

I like that these programs still have a focus on academics. Because some mid-higher level math skills do a body good.

Yeah, Ward 3

So Ward 3 candidates for council chair in DC are using school improvement as the best way to get to their predominately white voting district. A bunch of white people who send their kids to private school. Hmmm.

Yeah, it would be great if parents didn't have to contribute $1000 per kid to improve the salaries of the public school teachers and aides in this area, or pay almost $26,000 a year to send their kids to Sidwell Friends (also located in Ward 3). But they do.

What I don't understand is how the basic needs of the school seem so overlooked. Every school around here looks like a prison. I really want a camera, because I'd love to take some pictures and show you all just how decrepit the schools look around here. Basics, like decent facilities and enough teachers are a start. Then we can get fancy. But part of the reason 10,000 kids have fled to charter schools, which don't necessarily have that much stronger of an academic record, is because they're just plain nicer. They have a fresh coat of paint. They don't look so much like prisons. At DC Prep in Northeast, the walls are adorned with gallery-quality pictures of the teachers and students. It's a lovely effect.

People come up with these fancy plans, but really, if they could get back to basics, a little might go a long way.

"One Word Dwells on the Lips of Ward 3 Candidates: Schools." (Stewart, N. The Washington Post. Tuesday, Aug. 15th, 2006).

By the way, what's with that title? "Dwells"? Whatever, people. I can't stand journalists.

Slow and steady wins the race

Well, maybe not the Indy 500, but that sport's not for the intellectually minded anyway.

How should the Gates Foundation invest their money in education? Much of the talk surrounding the Warren Buffet gift to the foundation surrounded around health issues; the education issues appeared far less (at least after the gift; they received high profile in Business Week). So how will the Gates Foundation invest their money in American schools? How should they invest it?

Paul Hill suggests research and development will help uncover new ideas to improve our schools, which will be slow, but in the long run, effective. The school system suffers from political motivation (although given his description, I would say the problems demonstrate rather an organization eating itself to protect itself:

the delivery system is frozen by politics, and has all but a small proportion of its money committed to employees and mandated services. Insider groups tolerate small-scale experimentation but resist wide adoption of new ways of doing things, because these can cause job insecurity and upset deals that have been painfully hammered out among organized groups... Thus, in education, new ideas seldom get traction because the delivery system makes sure money and people donÂ’t flow to them.)

In any case, he says that education suffers from a "paucity of ideas." I hate to say it, but I agree. Generally, in my school of education, the same ol' same ol' politically correct, everyone's a victim, we're all entitled to more more more groupthink surfaces again and again. One of my classmates self-righteously proclaimed, "I'm not anyone's expert," when I asked what was the point of getting a doctorate if you couldn't be considered an expert at anything. Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you're not an expert, then why are you studying for a degree that in the eyes of most people in our society will make you one? Go live in the commune with your hippie friends and get outta my face (New York accent pulled out there).

We need people who are brave enough to stand up and say, "Listen to me - I've studied this a lot and I think I have an idea." I think people are afraid of saying they're an expert because a) it might hurt someone else's feelings; just like my 7th grade students all being in the honors class, we're ALL experts! Yay! Cookies for everyone!!! and b) you might, once in awhile, be wrong, and aren't experts never supposed to be wrong? And then YOUR feelings might get hurt. Boo-hoo.

A little courage never hurt anyone. Let's be not afraid to stand up and give our ideas - even if it takes years to prove what works, even if they seem too new or different. Even... hold on people... IF WE ARE WRONG. Yes, we, the EXPERTS. Are our schools working right now? No. I'm sorry, but they're not. Not when 10,000 children in DC public schools have fled to charter schools since 2001 in the District, and the student who remain are attending class in decrepit facilities. (see the article I quoted in my last entry.) You think you can learn when the air conditioning or heat are always cutting out, you're sharing space with rats, and the ceiling of your classroom is falling in? Less than ideal, I would say.

Really, how can it get worse?

"Money, Momentum, and the Gates Foundation." (Hill, P. T. Education Week. August 9th, 2006)

Changes in DC Board of Education

DC Chief Administrator Robert Bobb will run for president of the D.C. Board of Education.

Just FYI.

"D.C. Chief Bobb to Run for Education Post" (The Washington Post, Wed., August 9th, 2006)

Back from the Catskills

I had a lovely weekend away with N. and B. in the Catskills. Except for the annoying inconvenience (as opposed to those welcome types of inconvenience) of a flat tire, all was peaceful and relaxing. Now I'm back and have two more weeks of a decidedly hellish schedule before R. comes back from India to take over her half of the work week in my office. My mantra now is "two more weeks, two more weeks."

I have a midterm today. Which I did not study for. Ooops.