Low Achieving Schools

The public schools in the Bay Area that are low achieving schools are poorly funded. They are limited to spending because of the debt the schools are in or the budget cuts that were occurring. Our schools in the Bay Area aren’t as poor as in the schools mentioned in Savage Inequalities, but money can still make a big difference in education. Properly funding schools will give the students equipment and books they need to learn in class. In the book the author mentioned students not doing anything in their science class because they didn’t have proper equipment to do their activities with. Teachers shouldn’t have to make their own equipment or use their own money to buy materials.

            Schools in the Bay Area that are mostly populated with minorities are also low achieving schools. These students tend to fail their classes and be put in remedial classes or drop out. The schools are also surrounded by neighborhoods that are dangerous to the students and they attract students to join gangs or sell drugs. This relates to the book Savage Inequalities because the schools Jonathan Kozol visited that had mostly black students were in the same situation. They weren’t learning from their classes so they dropped out and dedicated their time and money to the streets. The schools that Jonathan Kozol visited had drop rates as high as sixty percent.

Comparing high school teachers in Hayward to teachers in Savage Inequalities are quite similar. Some high school teachers in Hayward didn’t really teach the class, it was more of a daycare for students. In the book there were teachers that just sat at their desk all day while their students also do their own thing. I can see why these students had to learn on their own or why they dropped out. Both Hayward schools and the schools in the book can’t afford to keep or attract young teachers so they are forced to deal with all the teachers they already have. 

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Teachers are unequally distributed among low funded public schools. A principal from Chicago stated, “Teachers are being dumped from high school jobs because of low enrollment. But if they’ve got tenure they cannot be fired so we get them here.” These teachers are now basically permanent substitutes for the schools. This is not fair only to the teachers, but also the students. They’re getting taken away from their students because of students not going to school and high drop out rates. Teachers should be given choices and priorities; they should also not be treated like this. 

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           Teachers and staff need to realize this new generation has many different ways of learning. It’s important that the teachers listen to what the students have to say so they can help each other and have more ways of learning. I’ve experienced teachers not listening to students and they kept on going with their lesson plan. It’s the teacher’s job to inspire the students and motivate them to go on to college and get a really nice paying job after graduating. Students have decisions to make during their school career and teachers must guide them towards what is best for them.

            If nothing changes in our educational system and this keeps continuing students will start to rebel like Jeff Bliss. He stood up to his teacher and told her that he wasn’t learning anything from how she was teaching the class. Students should be able to come to class prepared and ready to learn in class. If there are teachers like that they need to be replaced immediately because they’re only there for the paycheck and not the students. These students are important and are our future and education is the most powerful weapon they have right now.

            Schools with low-test scores tend to get shut down or turned into charter schools. I remember my high school having an assembly about test scores and it motivated everyone to do better. It felt like we were competing against other schools, but we were also trying to get higher test scores so we can keep our staff and principal. At the end of the year we got the results back and we did better than our rival high school. It shows that a little motivation and change can do a lot for the school and students.

             

Bring on the learning revolution

I agree with Ken Robinson when he talked about education needing to be transformed. I found it interesting when he explained how people over the age of 25 wear watches and the people under 25 usually don't because it's only a one functioning gadget. I don't wear a watch and I agree with his daughter because time is everywhere. He brings up passion and when you're doing something you love it'll feel like time doesn't matter anymore and you'll just keep on doing it. Our education and students learning should be like that they shouldn't be just waiting for class to end. Everyone should think that learning or studying will help them in the future.

Reeling in Research

Eugene Leus

English 1A

9/3/13

Reeling in Research

            The Passion project and the “Writing Assignment: Rule of Three” I wrote in class intersect in many ways. In the assignment I wrote about how teachers should keep their class always active and interested in the subject. The students in The Passion Project explain how teachers should keep their passion as a teacher because they’re the only ones who can inspire the students to do great. The article I found explains what values and attitudes teachers should have when teaching the class. “The teacher candidates should accept the profession unconditionally, and practice it with love and passion.” This article also explained why teachers should keep and use their passion when teaching the students because they can also inspire them. If the teacher doesn’t have passion to teach anymore then they shouldn’t be there anymore because you need to have passion to teach these students and to guide them with their future. “The impact of the teachers on the students and education programs is known to be much higher than any other aspect.” Teachers guide students and prepare them for their future. They shouldn’t only be working for a paycheck, but also should be working for these students so they’ll be ready when they enter the real world.