Calling All Educators

They are the kinds of things that should send every educator screaming through their state capitols whacking every politician with a pointer or a yardstick. Day after day, school boards in this country take action on something -- anything, it doesn't matter to board members -- that has little to do with what is in the best interest of educating children. Whether it is right-wing or left-wing ideologues trying to put their stamps on the curriculum or politicians fighting for control of the out-of-control, the kids and education keep getting lost.

Two examples:

In Texas, that state's school board voted to change the social studies curriculum because some members felt the current one portrayed conservatives in too negative a light. The board members want a curriculum "stressing the superiority of American capitalism, questioning the Founding Fathers’ commitment to a purely secular government and presenting Republican political philosophies in a more positive light," according to an article in The New York Times.

In Detroit, a judge recently upheld an injunction blocking that city's emergency financial manager, Robert Bobb, from initiating a downsizing that would have closed 29 schools by the summer as part of a new academic plan. The Detroit Public School board, led by a president who cannot write a coherent sentence, is battling Bobb over control of the system. Bobb, the board says, does not have the authority to create an academic plan. The governor of Michigan appointed Bobb in the hope that he could fix Detroit's troubled school system, which faces major financial and educational issues.

The Detroit school board may be right in battling Bobb, who may have overstepped his bounds by acting unilateral of the board. But while the board and Bobb battle over who can create an academic plan, the students slide further into the educational abyss.

The same with Texas. While politicians impose their philosophies on the curriculum, students fall further and further behind. Textbooks should present the facts and educators should be allowed to teach students the skills they need to engage in critical thinking and problem solving. Rewriting a textbook to make conservatives, and in particular Ronald Reagan, look better does not accomplish those goals.

Children who suffer a poor academic year or have one bad teacher have a chance to rebound later in their academic careers. But children who have several poor academic years or two bad teachers in a row are far less likely to rebound.

That is lost on the politicians. They fight over things that have little to do with learning and teaching. What make matters worse is the teachers and true educators often sit on the sidelines.

Texas and Detroit are not the only examples. Years ago in New York City, the then schools chancellor, Joe Fernandez, battled a fractured school board over efforts to strengthen the curriculum. The battle became so intense that Fernandez called one of the board members a "political whore."

Seems too many of those are on school boards around the country.

Teens, Sex and the Destruction of America

This country is in a world of trouble. The signs are all around us. And little of it has to do with threats from the outside. It's internal. Everyday. Everywhere.

Consider this:

Mississsippi: A young lesbian woman seeks permission to wear a tuxedo and take her companion to the high school prom. The school district denies her requests, then cancels the prom after the American Civil Liberties Union in Mississippi sues on behalf of the young woman. The American Humanist Association, whose mission is to promote "good without God," offers to donate $20,000 to finance an alternative prom. The Mississippi ACLU rejects the offer because Southern Baptist might be offended by a donation from an atheist group.

Virgina: A man walks around his home nude and is seen from the sidewalk by passers-by. He is accused of indecent exposure because prosecutors said he intended to be seen. The man is convicted in district court, but wins on appeal. He racked up thousands of dollars in legal bills.

Wisconsin: Teachers are warned by a prosecutor that if they discuss the proper use of contraceptives during sex education classes they face "possible criminal liability," although a new state law allows such lessons.

America: Among teenagers who aged out of foster care, only half were employed by their mid-20s; six in 10 men had been convicted of a crime; three in four women with children of their own were receiving some form of public assistance, and only 6 in 100 former foster care kids had completed a community college degree.

It makes you wonder.

Who is educating the educators?

I wrote this some time ago on my Facebook page, and I decided to repost it here. I was struck by the story of the Detroit school board president who can't write a sentence.

It is amazing the lengths to which people will go in protecting or justifying the inadequacies of those they admire. I could not help but think that as I read about Otis Mathis, the president of the Detroit Public Schools Board.

I recognize that one does not have to be the most learned person in a room to be the most successful. I even realize that my reaction is visceral, based solely on the limited information I read in the March 4, 2010, Detroit News. However, as a former newspaper reporter and editor, and a current adult basic education teacher, I cannot help but view Mr. Mathis’s poor writing skills as a travesty unleashed on the children of Detroit.

According to the Detroit News article, Mr. Mathis is currently leading a fight to wrest control of the Detroit Public Schools system from Robert Bobb, the emergency financial manager. Mr. Bobb was appointed because of numerous problems within DPS, which runs one of the lowest achieving, big city school districts in the nation.

Now, Mr. Mathis might be the nicest guy in the world. Reading the Detroit News article, one does get the impression that he is a well-liked and influential member of the board and community, someone many people find effective. Mr. Mathis readily admits his literary limitations, and he does give the impression that he recognizes the issue, which is indeed admirable – just not admirable enough. DPS is already reeling from reports of its lowest scores ever on national standardized tests; an inability to get text books into classes in a timely manner; a general erosion of standards, and a decimation of its student body.

Does it also have to suffer this?

“If you saw Sunday's Free Press that shown Robert Bobb the emergency financial manager for Detroit Public Schools, move Mark Twain to Boynton which have three times the number seats then students and was one of the reason's he gave for closing school to many empty seats.”

I think, and pray, not.

Interestingly, few people seem bothered that the man who is seeking control of the school system lacks many of the skills demanded of the city’s students. Apparently some people sight Mr. Mathis’ likeableness and professional success as a sign of his importance to city students. Seeing such a successful person as Mr. Mathis, with all of his educational limitations, they say, gives students hope for their own futures.

I beg to differ.

“Your lack of skills is not a hindrance to success if you know the right people, can schmooze and maintain calm among buffoonery,” is not the message Detroit’s educators should be sending to students.

At what point will the people rise up and shout out: “Enough!”

Mr. Mathis might be right in his battle for control of DPS. He might even preface every discussion with students by urging them to steer clear of the educational pitfalls he suffered, pitfalls that led to his posting a 1.8 grade point average in high school (it was once reported as 0.98) and taking 15 years to get his degree from Wayne State University. (He finally got his degree when Wayne State dropped the requirement that all graduates pass an English proficiency test.)

But even if he does, it is not enough. Too many students in this nation are moved from grade to grade without the necessary skills. They are led to believe that professionalism and diligence are unnecessary. And each time Mr. Mathis sends out a poorly edited email, he further erodes what little bit of confidence people may have in the city’s schools system.

Requiem for Farmer Floyd

When I was growing up in Detroit, there was a little boy on our block whom we called Farmer Floyd because he liked to wear overalls. It was our little joke: The urban farmer.

A few years ago, when visiting Detroit and driving by my former high school, I noticed that one of the two other schools that shared the complex with Central had been razed. I wondered: What if Central took that land and turned it into a greenhouse, allowing its science students to experiment with growing flowers, vegetables and other plants in different environments? Or maybe creating hybrids? Depending on what was grown, the school could market the products to help pay for books, computers and other classroom equipment. And Farmer Floyd wouldn't be a joke from the 1960s.

My friends thought I had consumed way too many shots of Jameson Irish Whiskey.

That's because at the time they, nor I, had heard of John Hantz, a former executive at American Express Financial Services. Hantz is trying to take over 40 acres at the Michigan State Fairgrounds in Detroit to create an urban farm. Under Hantz's plan, the farm would not resemble the agriculutral behemoths of the Midwest, although he does someday invision a 1,000 acre tract. Instead, it would be a technological wonder, experimenting with such growing techniques as areoponics -- growing things in air.

According to an April 6 article by Laura Berman in The Detroit News, Hantz would start by growing a variety of lettuce and apples, and possibly Christmas trees. Using areoponics, he would be able to grow crops year round. To some people, particularly those who view argiculture as counter to the urban experience, Hantz's plan might sound absurd. But is it really?

Michigan has a wonderful agricultural tradition. The state is in the top three -- behind Washington and New York -- in growing apples. Bing cherries are a major crop. MSU experimented with Christmas trees in hopes of developing one with a longer shelf life after being cut. So why not experiment with growing food products on vacant land in Detroit? It would be a much nicer sight than empty, weed filled lots.

Working with other cities in the area with large swaths of vacant land, as well as the states numerous universities, Detroit could create the agricultural equivalent of the research triangle. An entire generation of miniority students could be turned on to agricultural research. The city could even go further and develop early-stage programs introducing students to animal husbandry and veterinarian medicine.

Doing so would mean taking "vocational" training to a new level. It also might make Farmer Floyd proud.