Birth Control in Middle School

Wow. I am astonished at the fact that this middle school in Maine intends to distribute contraceptives. I do believe in distributing protection to minors but I feel STRONGLY that there are other issues involved when children ages 11-13 are in need of birth control. I have two thirteen year old sisters who live in different communities and they are as I was at their age; oblivious to that entire realm of life. I'm not saying they know nothing on the matter. In fact, one of the girls has a classmate who has professed to be bisexual already. This matter has made me think. It makes me wonder how she could know such a thing exists; it must be the media. This is where I feel parental control makes all the difference in the world.My parents no longer allow my little sister to have sleepovers with this girl; because they are parenting. They realized that just as allowing a little boy to spend the night at this age, they are only asking for trouble. I have no doubt my little sisters will be okay. I am concerned with the fact that different locations in the country are not working on the kinks in such a newly developing issue. Isn't there an age of consent in these states? I'm pretty sure such ages were established with a means of protection for children. I don't feel the schools are protecting their pupils by allowing such mischief. Shame on the schools and on the parents for allowing children to lose their innocence at a time they need to learn confidence in themselves.

Democratic Education for Dummies

"Schools in societies that are trying in various ways to be democracies such as the United States, Mexico, and Canada, are obliged to develop public citizens." -Walter C. Parker It's important to teach democracy in U.S. public schools because "schools educate citizenship: (Parker, p. 3). In a democracy, people govern. As Jefferson, believed at the beginning of the United States' founding, the people must be educated. Their education is imperative in continuing with the American way of life. The democratic principles that early Americans established require education of societal norms. These principles are to ensure the survival of a democratic society. In order to thrive as individuals, we must grow as a community. Walter Parker's "Teaching Against Idiocy" cites many examples of how important it is for the community to work in unison at the greater good of society. The greater good is for all people, not just the individual. In order for individuals to succeed they must put in effort and realize their role in the community. Parker blatantly states, "The idiot is one whose self-centeredness undermines his or her citizen identity." Parker is attempting to teach citizens that they must learn to preserve their freedoms. In a democracy where people govern themselves they must understand they will lose their established freedoms if they don't maintain the community. The community secures the desired conditions of its people. The American way of life is in jeopardy if U.S. citizens look only at their material possessions. American must understand that if only they succeed; the larger whole whom are repressed will make necessary changes to achieve their desired success, equality. When a community thrives, each individual will succeed. This is the democratic principle, for the people; it doesn't read for the person. Education itself is a step towards the success of democracy and a democratic society. However, it is an ideal and can fail if its maintenance is not kept up. Progress is taking place at its own pace as is always the case. To progress, new ideas must be understood and worked toward together. "United we stand, divided we fall." Previous ideas continually addressed are racism, ethnocentrism, and nationalistic variety. Whereby, improvements have been seen and continue to be made. This is a result of education. Education is a step at equalizing people. It is a step taken to unify students because they are the future, a team together. What now needs to be addressed is how democracy is being taken for granted by American "idiots" who don't realized the can lose their freedoms. Preservation of freedom is the main reason it is important to educate citizens of the United States. It is necessary for the social good, a democratic community. This culture's norms and social consciousness are preserved by the "essentials", a.k.a. qualities Americans come up with working toward a better way. Hard work at educating and understanding democracy is imperative to living together freely with justice and equality.

Another School Shooting

What a tragedy! Have you heard? In Cleveland, Ohio there was a school shooting at a high school. A 14 year old boy opened fire at teachers and classmates. It's scary to think that these places where students should feel safe can jeopardize their lives. I feel afraid, going into the profession but what scares me most is considering what it will be like to send my children. Obviously, we can't keep our children safe 24/7 but one place where it should be simple is in school buildings. With all the precautions taking place, there is still no guarantee.

"The free common school system is the most American thing about America." -Adlai Stevenson

Free common schools were established early in American history, as a means of ensuring the survival and stability of the newly formed nation. It was imperative to many, that people have equal opportunities in a newly forming nation. This was the ideal used to provide free schooling to American youths, advocates Horace Mann. Horace Mann wanted schools to be properly maintained and run efficiently. Many things contribute to the schools' systems. Sadly, many battles and struggles arose while setting up public school form. One battle was protecting the Irish from slander in text books. The end result was great. It provided a strong backbone of moral and social norms to ensure the "Americanization" of the citizens of the United States. Americanization takes place in public schools. This is why our public schools previously known as common schools are the most American thing about America. American identity and history can be studied and further understood by studying the schools, texts, educators, and curriculum. We learn about the good and bad parts of our system. So that we together can decide what's wrong with Americanization taking place inside our schools; then decide how to remedy problems found. Changes made are the stepping stones in our growth as a nation. As individuals in schools grow, so too does America continues to develop. These developments are necessary because, "nothing is distributed evenly across the United States." (Harold Hodgkinson) As education persists, the differences among Americans can, and will subside. We will remain individuals but we will exist as cultural equals, Americans. We are learning about the inequalities that exist and making progress at changing them. One such change that is taking place is multicultural education in the classroom. This is proof Americans have accepted a need for cultural assimilation. Schools are successfully assimilating students into young citizens. America is being made stronger by the opportunities provided by public schools.

Haiku

Job Security
Is what we all work for, right?
When will I find it?

This haiku explains what I feel education will do for me. It will put me in a place where I feel secure at work!

The Martian Education Association: A Profile of US Public Education

American schools are public or private and divided up as elementary or secondary based upon the child’s age. Eighty eight percent of the nation’s 55 million students attend public school while the other twelve percent attend private school. Not all public schools are created equal, though in theory they should be. Seventeen percent of public school students attend “schools of choice.” This means students can attend public schools chosen by their parents instead of their assigned neighborhood school. Three percent attend magnet schools which have specialized curricula set up to attract students of different ethnic backgrounds. About two percent attend charter schools which are publicly funded schools governed by a group under a contract which exempts them from certain government rules. The U.S. public education system has over 14,000 self-governing school systems. Of the biggest school districts, the top two percent enroll one third of all students. Educational policies are mainly set by state legislatures, State Boards of Education, or at the local level. The policies generally set by the state are: testing and graduation requirements, specific curriculum content, teacher preparation requirements, teacher certification & licensing requirements, promotion and retention policy, years of compulsory schooling, age requirements, length of school year, kindergarten as a requirement, and school district accountability & student performance. Policies usually set at the local level include: the specific curricula’s content, specific performance standards, student truancy & discipline, promotion & detainment of specific students, textbooks used, hiring of teachers, teacher salaries & job requirements, school schedule, attendance zones, class sizes, and grade configurations. Essential aspects vary from state to state but there are general similarities such as children must attend school for 9-13 years for 173 to 186 days a year. In addition to mathematics, reading, writing, science, etc., there is a multitude of service provided by public education. There are school nurses, counselors, psychologists, social workers, speech therapists, medical health care services, prekindergarten programs, extended before/after school daycare, and federal school lunch programs. The federal government only funds nine percent of education while the other ninety percent comes from state and local sources. The federal role in education has grown because of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) which took effect in 2002. The Act requires school districts meet performance goals on annual tests for all students grades 3-8 and once in high school. But the United States still has no national curriculum and no national exit exam. Some states have high school exit exams. Statistics can be quite misleading. It must be said that although more than half of all public school students are white, over half of the nation’s black and Latino students attend public schools where three quarters of the students are children of color. This is because more public school students attend schools in non-urban areas. Currently, four out of ten public school students are children of color and this number is projected to increase. Children of color are the majority in six states’ public school enrollments, a majority in two-thirds of the nation’s largest school districts, and over ninety percent of the nation’s largest districts enrollments. Low income families are those whose income is below the federal poverty level. Low income families make up over one third of public school students. Ten percent of public school students are ESL (English as a second language) students. Fourteen percent of students receive special education services because they’re disabled. In 2003-2004, three fourths of these students were educated in a regular classroom. NCLB mandates that districts are required to monitor achievement gaps amongst different groups of students. It also requires all English language learners and disabled students take the same subject areas tests and meet the same achievement goals of other students. Children begin attending school between the ages 5-8 and end school between ages 16-18 depending upon state and local regulations. Teachers are required to be licensed and certified according to state standards. NCLB requires all academic teachers demonstrate their high qualification by having a degree in their subject or meeting criteria of subject matter competence. Nearly half of public school educators have advanced degrees, while most have 10+ years experience. Many degrees held by middle & high school teachers are not in the subject they teach. Generally, low income minority high school students are taught by less experienced and out of field teachers. Public school teachers don’t match student population diversity; nine out of ten teachers are white, and close to eight of ten are female. The number of black educators has declined since 1971 while the number of male teachers has declined since 1961. The main reason for teacher shortages is the high turn around rate of teachers. Most new teachers can’t make the grade and either change schools or leave the profession. These rates are worse off in high poverty schools.

*** All the information here is from CEP's A Public Education Primer.

The Martian Education Association: A Profile of US Public Education

American schools are public or private and divided up as elementary or secondary based upon the child’s age. Eighty eight percent of the nation’s 55 million students attend public school while the other twelve percent attend private school. Not all public schools are created equal, though in theory they should be. Seventeen percent of public school students attend “schools of choice.” This means students can attend public schools chosen by their parents instead of their assigned neighborhood school. Three percent attend magnet schools which have specialized curricula set up to attract students of different ethnic backgrounds. About two percent attend charter schools which are publicly funded schools governed by a group under a contract which exempts them from certain government rules. The U.S. public education system has over 14,000 self-governing school systems. Of the biggest school districts, the top two percent enroll one third of all students. Educational policies are mainly set by state legislatures, State Boards of Education, or at the local level. The policies generally set by the state are: testing and graduation requirements, specific curriculum content, teacher preparation requirements, teacher certification & licensing requirements, promotion and retention policy, years of compulsory schooling, age requirements, length of school year, kindergarten as a requirement, and school district accountability & student performance. Policies usually set at the local level include: the specific curricula’s content, specific performance standards, student truancy & discipline, promotion & detainment of specific students, textbooks used, hiring of teachers, teacher salaries & job requirements, school schedule, attendance zones, class sizes, and grade configurations. Essential aspects vary from state to state but there are general similarities such as children must attend school for 9-13 years for 173 to 186 days a year. In addition to mathematics, reading, writing, science, etc., there is a multitude of service provided by public education. There are school nurses, counselors, psychologists, social workers, speech therapists, medical health care services, prekindergarten programs, extended before/after school daycare, and federal school lunch programs. The federal government only funds nine percent of education while the other ninety percent comes from state and local sources. The federal role in education has grown because of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) which took effect in 2002. The Act requires school districts meet performance goals on annual tests for all students grades 3-8 and once in high school. But the United States still has no national curriculum and no national exit exam. Some states have high school exit exams. Statistics can be quite misleading. It must be said that although more than half of all public school students are white, over half of the nation’s black and Latino students attend public schools where three quarters of the students are children of color. This is because more public school students attend schools in non-urban areas. Currently, four out of ten public school students are children of color and this number is projected to increase. Children of color are the majority in six states’ public school enrollments, a majority in two-thirds of the nation’s largest school districts, and over ninety percent of the nation’s largest districts enrollments. Low income families are those whose income is below the federal poverty level. Low income families make up over one third of public school students. Ten percent of public school students are ESL (English as a second language) students. Fourteen percent of students receive special education services because they’re disabled. In 2003-2004, three fourths of these students were educated in a regular classroom. NCLB mandates that districts are required to monitor achievement gaps amongst different groups of students. It also requires all English language learners and disabled students take the same subject areas tests and meet the same achievement goals of other students. Children begin attending school between the ages 5-8 and end school between ages 16-18 depending upon state and local regulations. Teachers are required to be licensed and certified according to state standards. NCLB requires all academic teachers demonstrate their high qualification by having a degree in their subject or meeting criteria of subject matter competence. Nearly half of public school educators have advanced degrees, while most have 10+ years experience. Many degrees held by middle & high school teachers are not in the subject they teach. Generally, low income minority high school students are taught by less experienced and out of field teachers. Public school teachers don’t match student population diversity; nine out of ten teachers are white, and close to eight of ten are female. The number of black educators has declined since 1971 while the number of male teachers has declined since 1961. The main reason for teacher shortages is the high turn around rate of teachers. Most new teachers can’t make the grade and either change schools or leave the profession. These rates are worse off in high poverty schools.




*** All the information here is from CEP's A Public Education Primer.