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SIR MAX & FRIENDS eNEWS Sir Max & Friends is an e-newsletter that is delivered free to your e-mail box on the first Friday of the month. Below is our most recent issue. To subscribe, please contact Sir Max. SIR MAX and FRIENDS eNEWS Sir Max is a proud supporter of two forums, which are domestic violence prevention and education reform. This special edition of SIR MAX and FRIENDS focuses on education and education reform. Know a friend who needs a positive attitude adjustment? Tell them to get their free subscription to SIR MAX and FRIENDS eNews! sirrmax@aol.com IN THIS ISSUE... American Schools Need Reform In the last issue of Sir Max and Friends eNews, it was mentioned that Sir Max supports two forums, one of which is education reform. Newly-elected President Bush has stressed in press conferences that education is first on his to list to improve. The problems with our educational system are not just for our government to fix. It is time we, as Americans, accept part of the responsibility that we are robbing our children of a good education. The book of reference used for this article, of which I truly support in its author's campaign to make a change in education, is "American Schools: The $100 Billion Challenge," by Professor Dwight W. Allen, Eminent Professor of Educational Reform, and William H. Cosby Jr. Currently, this book is available only in ebook format through Barnes and Noble, and cannot be downloaded to print at this time. However, Time Warner, the publisher of the ebook, is working on arrangements to format as a downloadable, printable book. It is a "must read" book, whether you are a teacher, college professor, or parent regardless of opinions on the public school system, or whether or not your child or children attend public schools. A problem is clearly evident with our public school systems, which is demonstratable through increased enrollments in private schools, as well as the increased number of charter shools that are opening, not to mention the fact that more and more parents are opting to home-school their children. What is education reform? According to Professor Allen, our schools are obsolete by any standards for today's technological world. Our schools were built on the needs of western civilization. Professor Allen stresses that we are no longer are a western civilization - we are now a world civilization. Education reform will be a slow process, because it involves changes, and many people do not want to face the challenge of changes, even if it is in the best interest of everyone. A few of the problems that are mentioned in this book that affect our current school system are: * Finding the right balance for local, state and national
control of schools. When I first heard about this book I was interested as a parent, then I asked myself what can I do to help so I contacted Dwight and I offer to help by writing this article to let others know how serious this problem is and what we can do to help. Dot Com leadership is needed desperately. and any dot com leader that involves technological training is vital to this project. Another way dot com leaders can help is by creating a National Experimental School Administration otherwise known as N.E.S.A- a system that can have a laboratory to test and evaluate educational reform an become a clearinghouse for our knowledge about educational practices. N.E.S.A. schools would become a frontier for educational change. Here are other ways Dot Com Companies can help implement school reform: * Provide systematic discounts to teachers for goods and services. We are the richest nation in the world, but yet we have a failing school system. It is easy to point out all the problems and point the finger as to who is at fault, but it continues to get us no where. This ebook, which is extremely controversial and has most definitely raised eyebrows, stresses topics on what teachers should be paid, and how all homes should be equipped with computers and internet access. It also lists the following 18 ways to improve the start of school reform: 1. Regular in service training on the internet for all teachers. Compensate every teacher that spends two hours a week on the internet, upgrading their knowledge of his/her subject, teaching methods and new research. 2 . Allow master teachers become mentors for each teacher in training and for beginning teachers. 3. Increase pay to attract and hold a share of the brightest college and university graduates as master teachers. 4. Provide teaching assistants and other staff support for teachers. 5. Create challenge grants for teachers. 6. Require six years of pre-service training for teachers, and increase pay per year for six years of university teacher training. 7. Require a one-year internship for teachers after professional training. 8. Increase pay per teacher to support one year internships for 100,000 teachers in training each year. 9 . Provide higher salaries for more teacher educators. 10. Support development of teacher training materials, which would result in a rich curriculum of the internet pre-service and in-service teacher education modules. 11. Increase current technology labs in all schools, including the purchase, maintance and replacement of equipment. Supply all schools with multimedia technology including computers connected to the Internet with a funding for systematic replacement on a five year cycle. 12. Provide every school child in America with either a lap top computer that can be used at home and at school, or a home computer that is connected to the internet, with a replacement every three years. 13. Provide a computer at home for every teacher that is connected to the internet, and is replaced every three years. 14. Encourage continuous curriculum development for subjects with Internet support. 15. Require year-round schooling. 16. Require extended-day schools. 17. Provide alternative schools for all levels of education. School choice will provide parents more voice in the education of their children. 18. Create a program called Teacher Online Staff Development (TOLS), which would be a for building opportunities for quality control assessment and validation without creating a massive bureaucracy. Again, this listing is a collaboration of ways to implement school reform, all of which were mentioned in this ebook. However, a very important factor that is missing is the cost for each part listed above in order for this reform to be successful, which is listed in the book in depth. As a parent of two children, I have many viewpoints on the subject of education reform. Both of my children either attended Christian schools or parochial schools, and now my youngest child is attending a charter school, which I was reluctant about at first, but I like the structure, and so does my son. My oldest child is 21, and what I found out through his school years is that it is not like it was when I was in school. My first question regarding this is, "Where are these children's parents?" My second question is, "Why is there so much politics in schools?" I do realize that parents today are busy now more than ever, and I can relate to that, but I have never regretted all the field trips (well, maybe some days!) and volunteering my time at school. Still today, you will only see a certain main group of parents in the schools. Politics needs to stay out of schools and school sports. I have seen so many young kids have a low self-esteem effective with being told, "you can't make it, you didn't try hard enough," or "maybe next time." I've also seen instances where a kid that was good enough to make a team, but was overlooked because another kid's parents gave their life's saving to the school and their child was placed on the team. A year ago, I knew that a local school here used to have crossing guards. When I didn't see them anymore, I asked a teacher why, and her reply was that they didn't have anyone that was responsible to do that. Now isn't that a slap in the face for our children. Obviously, they didn't have any teachers that were responsible enough to teach them. In another instance, I was told by a first-year teacher that my son could not learn anything and that he would have to leave the school because she didn't know what to do for him, and the principal agreed. The problems were not behavior issues, and no other options were given to us, but being the person that I am, I did not accept that and I took my child out of the school, and he is doing fine today. Briefly, the following is a listing of a few articles I've seen in my local newspapers: 1. School system employs a toy as a learning tool (Play Station-2) and it is now considered a educational component. 2. Governor gets high marks for emphasis on education; issues being addressed are school funding, school building/construction and repairs, and economic development. 3. Public schools lack of special teachers to be investigated; not enough qualified special education teachers are available. "American Schools: The $100 Billion Challenge" is definitely a controversial piece, and has undoubtedly raised eyebrows of most readers, but is a "wake-up" call to many of us who sit back and let things happen in which we don't approve or support. It is definitely possible to continue on and on regarding the issues facing our schools today. Instead of pointing a finger, though, please, let's work together to solve these issues. It will be a hard and slow process, but rewards will be even greater. We all were put on this earth for a purpose. Take the time to take a good look within yourself to see what you can do to help this project and our children's futures.
Editor's Note: All opinions featured in this article are the opinion of the ebook's authors or of the writer. Anyone wanting to reply to the concept of this article behind "American Schools: The $100 Billion Challenge" may send e-mail to the authors at allen-cosby@mindspring.com, or to the writer of this article at sirrmax@aol.com. Pam's note: I would like to thank Dwight and Bill for the honor and opportunity to write this article. EDITOR'S NOTE: The section that follows is written by two outstanding young gentlemen. Sir Max would like to thank each one of them for taking the time and interest to be a part of this article, and reflect on issues that are addressed in "American Schools: The $100 Billion Challenge." Reflections on Them All: Private, Public,
and Charter Schools In today's school world, there are so many choices. Every camp claims to have the best programs for educating our children. As a student, I attended private schools from K-7, regular public school for middle school, and finally I attended a technical magnet high school. Each one of these experiences has left a mark on my academic psyche. First, my private school experience was very good. The class
sizes were very small, at 15-20 students per class. Also, I keenly
remember the fact the all of my classmates, including myself,
had a heavy dose of parent involvement. My mother worked in the
school's library. Positive parents and guardians who show a strong
school presence can impact the behavior of their students. From
my experience, I would chance to bet that the parent involvement
in private schools is slightly higher than other types of schooling.
Overall Second, the public middle school I attended was well-organized. There was a nice breakfast and lunch program. The private school did not provide breakfast or lunch, but the parent/guardian involvement was significantly less at the public school. There were more fights between students, more suspensions and less patience displayed by the teachers in general. In the public school, there were more resources than the private school. However, the access to certain programs seemed to be hidden or riddled with red tape. Overall Rating: B+ Finally, my high school experience was excellent. I attended
a magnet technical vocational secondary school that catered to
the needs of all students. The school offered college prep, business,
data processing, auto mechanics, drafting, electronics, airplane
mechanics, cabinet making, welding, culinary arts, cosmetology,
and plumbing as major areas of study. In addition, the students
came from all parts of the city so diversity was the norm. Our
school was always interesting, fun, and filled with learning.
As a teacher, I have had the unique and distinct pleasure of teaching in a public school, as well as a charter school. Both of my teaching experiences have been very enriching and rewarding. However, there are small differences that can change the entire dynamic of a school environment. First, the public school system I taught in was well-funded,
and teachers were treated like gold. The principals were very
professional and ran the school like a Fortune 500 company. I
was a district permanent substitute so I had an opportunity to
compare schools within the district. Although they The public school also had an aggressive professional development program for teachers and assistants. The teachers had a union, adequate personal and sick days, and sufficient planning time throughout the week. Finally, the pay was agreeable enough not to become an issue. Teaching in a charter school can be a teacher's dream come true. I enjoy the flexibility, freedom and creativeness. At the public school, I was handed a large binder and was told what to teach. The charter school allowed me to create my own program of instruction, so long as it addresses state standards. Although the school is well-funded, there were some monies that we could not receive until we were in our position for a year. For me, I enjoy being a part of something from the beginning. The charter school allows more people to be involved in the decisions about the school than what I saw in my public school experience. Finally, the students are really learning, and they enjoy school much that we had to create a policy so that the students would go home after school. The areas that my charter school needs to focus on for improvement include teacher's pay (much lower than our district), breakfast and lunch program (we have no program), and transportation (there is none). We have been forced to compete with the public schools with less funding, and we are still greatly improving the school lives of students who could not read before attending our school. I strongly support all forms and formats of education, because I believe that there is something to be gained for every student between the school systems. I would be willing to teach in any school system. From the Eyes of a Home-Schooled Student I was a home-schooled child, and had the unique opportunity to have been educated at home since kindergarten. Over all, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Although there are a few things that I wish that I could have changed about my education, I have found many more benefits from home-schooling. Perhaps the biggest advantage of my being home-schooled is that I was able to cultivate a working relationship with my family. Many families miss this when the kids go to school out of the home. My brother and I have grown especially close, since we were only one year apart. These relationships are the ones that will last a lifetime and be the most meaningful. Another advantage of being home educated is that I was able to receive more personalized training from my teacher. She was able to cater to my learning style. The only regret I have is the missed opportunity to play high school sports. I did not totally miss sports though, for I played hockey and wrestling in recreational leagues and also took seven years of martial arts. At this point in my life, I can see a positive result even in this, because I have received a jumpstart on my career. I was able to work with a contractor for 5 years during which time I was able to gain valuable skills. This would not have been possible if I would have been heavily involved in sports or a lot of other extra curricular activities. I am very grateful to my parents for the sacrifices they made to give my education. The New School Prayer Now I sit me down in school Amen. --Student Author Unknown Most Important Lesson During my second month of graduate school, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. "Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello." I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy. --Author Unknown SIR MAX and FRIENDS eNEWS is edited by: Like our e-News & e-Updates? Forward it to your friends. They can subscribe for FREE by emailing: sirrmax@aol.com Visit Sir Max's web site for more information! http://www.sirrmax.com To subscribe or unsubscribe to SIR MAX and FRIENDS, send e-mail
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