Comments on Middle School, day by day from a teacher's point of view: Yesterday I attended the first Michigan Joint Educ...

You are so right. All students deserve equity in e...

2008-07-30T16:41:00.000-05:00

You are so right. All students deserve equity in education, not based on the community's resources or their parents ability or willingnesss to contribute. Public education should represent equity, across the board!

Inequity in public education is one thing that rea...

2008-07-30T12:06:00.000-05:00

Inequity in public education is one thing that really frustrates me. Our state is currently facing huge cuts in education - this most likely will not effect districts that have a lot in reserves or those districts where parents can step in to cover the funding gap. It will effect my district and my students. We have not recovered from the last time the state was in trouble and I doubt we will recover this time.

My students deserve to be in a classroom that does not leak and one in which they have the same access to technology accoutrements as the "rich" districts.

Hi:It's unfortunate that your post was taken as a ...

2008-07-03T09:28:00.000-05:00

Hi:
It's unfortunate that your post was taken as a criticism of Holt, rather than a criticism of the way in which public education is currently funded. It is frustrating to listen to our "leaders" proclaim that the education of the country's youth is their highest priority, and then behave so consistently to the contrary. Don't even get me started on the costs of post-secondary education. The financial burdens being placed on young people who pursue a college degree is nothing short of criminal. Nothing is going to change until we put people in office who truly value our youth as something more than cannon fodder and act upon those beliefs.
Now, here is my perspective on working in old facility with inadequate state funding: I have attended annual MCTM conferences at Holt, and DACTM conferences at Lamphere High School which is similarly impressive, and I too have experienced facility envy. Like you, I teach at a small, rural middle school. The local economy is ag-based, but many in the community worked at the auto factories in the Detroit and Toledo areas, and are now trying to live on greatly reduced incomes because of wage reductions or factory closures. The school district has also lost families from the community due to home foreclosure. In spite of this, two years ago the community rallied around the schools and passed a millage which allowed the district to repair, update, and slap a new coat of paint on the buildings. They also passed a technology millage which has allowed us to make updates in that area. I don't know what would have happened if the millages hadn't passed. I'm not sure how much longer the schools could have stayed open if the buildings couldn't be repaired. We live in a state which has taken some hard economic hits, not only because of the declining auto industry, but also because we are a "blue" state in a "red" dominated administration.
One consolation, albeit a small one, that you can take is that you are in a district that has had to make due and be resourceful, and you are used to it. Many larger districts that have become accustomed to having deep pockets are scrambling to stay afloat financially. Howell High School, built for $70 million, closed in June 2008 (after one year) because there was no money to run the school. The current economic situation is one that every district in the state is going to have to ride out. Your district may weather it better than other districts in Michigan, because you are used to tightening your belt. Similarly, economists are predicting that Michigan will weather a recession better than many other states, because so much fat has already been trimmed. Like I said, it's a small consolation, but it's something.
One last note...I read your blog regularly and appreciate your positive comments about your students. It's so easy to lapse into only using blogs to vent about the negative aspects of teaching.

Cossondra,I'm a Holt High School graduate and you ...

2008-06-28T15:21:00.000-05:00

Cossondra,

I'm a Holt High School graduate and you can read my response to your blog here:

http://asfreemanblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/in-defense.html

Cossondra,I'm a fellow TLNer and came upon your bl...

2008-06-28T13:15:00.000-05:00

Cossondra,
I'm a fellow TLNer and came upon your blog. School equity issues like the facility differences you discuss aren't popular things to address with candor, but should be at the forefront of our discussions about improving our schools. I teach in a very rural school in Alabama. Our former building, a poorly maintained 100 yr. old dilapidated structure, became the culture and attitude of the faculty and school over time. Now, we have a new building. It's not the cadillac you visited, but it's a place in which the entire community takes pride. Many changes have been taking place in our school (new leadership, great professional growth, etc.), but no change has been more effective than the facility. Because of the other changes at our school and the visitors that seem to stream in to see us, we still keep our facility "company ready" after four years. Our facility, in both cases, illustrated our attitude and goals. I don't know if all of this would have started changing without a fresh beginning in a modern facility.

Maybe a good old-fashioned spring cleaning and remodeling of a not-so-old facility can promote a community to see their school in the same light as the school you visited. But I agree, it's terribly important and impacts our attitude about teaching and learning more than we might like to admit!

Jennifer Barnett
Fayetteville High School
Alabama
http://fhswolvesden.wikispaces.com