56 and Growing



The summer school math class that had 52 kids now has a roster of 56, with 48 showing up.  The AP in charge thought nothing of adding a few more kids to the group.  I kind of see her point.  Once the class hit 40 it would be hard to teach anyway, so what is a kid or 16 more.

These are the neediest kids in the building, kids that have attention problems and no ability to sit quietly and learn.  They need lots of individual help and they need to be in an environment that will encourage learning, not an environment full of distractions.

The teacher will be told to differentiate.  She will be told to call homes.  She will be held accountable for their failure.  She is in a no win situation.  I wish she didn't need the job and could walk away.  I am going to buy a lotto ticket and, if I win, I am writing her a check for the balance of her summer school money on the condition she leaves.  No one should work under these conditions.  No kids should be expected to attend classes like this.

Hey Mr. Education Mayor, if you can't see anything wrong with this scenario you need mental help!

Summer School



It is so hard to concentrate on anything during this heat wave. I am a responsible adult and have to force myself out of the air conditioning.   I am sitting in front of the television, air conditioner on high, thinking about those poor kids in summer school, particularly about my friend's class of  52 students.   Summer school classes have no cap.   These kids either are extremely limited (an average fifth grader could pass this course), did absolutely nothing, or did not attend class during the year. I wonder if anyone has any expectations of their learning now. Maybe they are lucky enough to have an air conditioned classroom, maybe not. And, without a home cooling system, studying will be non existent.  It doesn't exist under the best conditions.

 I recently read an op Ed piece in Newsday calling for year round school. I can't see what it would accomplish. It is just too damn hot to sit and concentrate. Bloomberg, who needs a room air conditioner installed in his car sees no need to supply kids with the same. Summer is time for recharging. Kids will not miss anything by being away from school for two months.   It might even do them some good.

Better Than The Beach



I just finished calling several of the parents of my algebra kids to tell them to get busy on their credit recovery.  I don't believe in this nonsense but since it is being done, I want my kids to use to.  One parent thanked me for calling but then went on to tell me how she has heard her son, talking to friends, about how he wants to go to summer school and how he plans on failing a few subjects to make this possible.  They all think summer school is going to be fun.  They expect to go on trips and to hang out with their friends.  His mom can't convince him otherwise, and she is tough.  He has no cell phone, only one pair of sneakers and basically gets only the necessities of life until his grades improve.

Here is a parent we can't blame.  I refuse to take responsibility for his failure.  This time the system is at fault.  We are so worried about statistics we've created a carefree summer environment that kids want to attend.  The whole thing sucks! I'm glad I am going to be gone before my paycheck and livelihood depends on kids with attitudes like this.

This Can't Be

I just heard summer school is on a week's intersession in some places in the city. Isn't that great! The kids that learned little or nothing all year can now do the same in five weeks with just one small difference--many will make up the credit they lost.

Oh how wonderful it is to have a mayor who has made education his priority.

(Please, someone, anyone, write and tell me that I heard wrong.)

Let's Play Pretend

Let's pretend that we want to help the students of NYC by offering them summer school to repeat courses they failed.

Let's put 40 kids (or more) in the class and make sure many have behavior problems. Let's also excuse excessive absence. Don't worry even though the majority of them got under 40 on the regents they took in June. Cut summer school to 4 days instead of 5. (This cuts down on Friday cuts and improves attendance.)

Now, ask the teacher why his regents results were so poor. Ask the teacher what can be done to improve them. I know he will have some answers.

Now, will you listen and do something about it?