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‘Parent Tribal Memory’ Category

  1. Taking Education To Court

    January 23, 2014 by Tunya

    There are two kinds of courts for seeking justice.

    We have the law courts — with lawyers, huge expenses, victims/perpetrators — and eventually some judgment with remedies prescribed (maybe). 

    And then there is the “court of public opinion”  — with media, movies, good guys & bad guys — and public opinion mobilization that might actually influence reforms.

    In the first category, the legal, one of the most profound court cases in education was Brown vs Board of Education (1954) that outlawed school segregation by race. It has had long-lasting benefits to civil society.  Another case with anticipated long-term benefits was the Rick Moore case (2013) http://www.bccpac.bc.ca/news-blog/disappointment-after-landmark-win-learning-disabled-students, which established the right of a dyslexic child to special services. It took 15 years for this case to weave through the courts but eventually, the Supreme Court of Canada declared that “Adequate special education is not a dispensable luxury . . . it is the ramp that provides access to the statutory commitment to education made to all children . . . ”

    However, a year later, the father is dispirited, cynical and dubious that responsiveness will improve for other learning disabled students.  Yet we are told that as many as one in five people are dyslexic to some degree. School systems and training outfits pay little attention.  Obviously, the clients’ needs are not being heeded.  So, whom does the public education system serve?  That’s the Big Question.

    In the “court of public opinion”, much has been happening worldwide.  Petitions and campaigns do help raise consciousness.  Many movies have been produced that slam education systems for abandonment of intended purposes — Waiting for Superman, The Lottery, etc.

    In 1987 I proposed a MOCK TRIAL to a Future of Freedom Conference in California.  I was able to only get as far as producing a brochure but got no uptake from others to advance the idea. Below are some pieces and quotes from the brochure:

    PUBLIC EDUCATION ON TRIAL  “School has become the planned process which tools man for a planned world, the principal tool to trap man in man’s trap.  It is supposed to shape each man to an adequate level for playing a part in this world game. Inexorably we cultivate, treat, produce, and school the world out of existence. Ivan Illich, 1971.

    – On a small secret island, SANOS, live several hundred who hived-off because they saw a totalitarian doom descending on them.  They resolved to be the “last man” — guardians of the human spirit. One day, they receive a desperate message from the bigger world — “Help us to reverse our self-destruction . . . losing the power of intellectual effort to even keep doublethink straight . . .

    – Bringing to SANOS some of these petitioners,  after 3 days of court proceedings, it is determined that:

    – The public school system is the source of the self-sabotage and the remedy is to dismantle the infrastructure.  These are the “crimes to humanity” deemed to have been perpetrated — erosion of the family — dumbed-down public — killing the joy of learning — atrophy of democracy — growth of dogmatism — habituation to “experts” — dependence on the state with few choices or exits — individualism curtailed — economic sluggishness — voluntarism mocked  — extinguishing introspection.

    [NOW, in 2014, reading just a few excerpts from the brochure, I am surprised how prophetic were my speculations. 26 years ago we were NOT so subjugated as we are now.  Today, suspicions and anxieties are being expressed regarding the 21st Century Learning “transformations” being imposed on schools in the Western World.  My fervent hope is that a movie could be made along the lines of this mock trial to hammer home some of the real misgivings regarding these imposed changes.  Changes which not only alter curriculum but also make serious intrusions into worldview, mind, brain and emotions. ]

    Category Education Reform, Obstacles, Parent Tribal Memory | Tags: | No Comments

  2. Teachers Who Are Parents Enjoy More Access to Rights

    January 22, 2014 by Tunya

    Ever wonder why Parent Rights are not written down anywhere — not at the school or the school board?  Parents do have rights — see http://genuine-education-reform-today.org/2010/04/06/parent-rights-and-their-childrens-education/

    It’s much more convenient for a smooth-running system not to have assertive consumers. 

    But teachers, who are themselves parents, know these rights well and in a public school system many services are scarce and rationed.  Teacher/parents (T/Ps) know how to work the system on behalf of their own children.  T/Ps, being thus satisfied, do not generally see how unfair this is for parents who do not have the inside advantages.

    1      Teacher/parents know the language, the words, to use.

    2      T/Ps know how to navigate the system:  who to see, what to say, what to ask for.

    3      T/Ps know how to interpret assessments, scores and evaluations and know where their child really stands in grade level and expectations.

    4      If the student is behind in reading, for example, the T/P can make up the deficiency at home or hire a tutor for precisely what is needed.

    5      T/Ps are at an income level where buying extra tutoring is no problem.

    6       If the T/P’s child might be special needs a psychosocial assessment is readily arranged —  contrast with the often two-year waiting period for other parents.

    7      Once such an assessment is made, an IEP (Individual Education Program) is negotiated between school and parent, and here again the T/P is advantaged because of knowledge of the maximum that can be available.

    8      Once the IEP is in place, extra funding and resources are made available.

    9      If a T/P sees there is a poor fit between their child and a teacher it is relatively easy to switch teachers as again, the “insider” language is a bonus — knowing how to explain why the child would be better off in an “unthreatening” way that does not reflect on the other teacher helps.

    10   T/Ps feel keenly the urgency of child growth and development — he’s a child only once coming this way — and press their case with adeptness and urgency which in other parents would be seen as “pushy” or “helicopter parenting”.

    11   T/Ps are knowledgeable about the legalities of malpractice and can use this as background allusion to further press their case if needed.

    12   T/Ps are conscious of the safeguards that should be in place in cases of bullying, adoption of new untested programs or psychological invasions of privacy and know how to insist on safeguards or know how to exit from questionable practices.

    13  T/Ps know full well what is a healthy and productive learning experience and if all efforts fail know how to ride out a crisis and provide make-up solutions or antidotes at home. 

    14  T/Ps know that they are the client in a school situation when their child is at issue and know the routes, angles and procedures to follow if they meet with resistance instead of responsiveness and are not easily discouraged from pursuing their rights and entitlements.

    15   T/Ps fully know parent rights in education and just don’t want them written down for other parents to know. 

     

    Category Education Reform, Parent Tribal Memory | Tags: | No Comments

  3. BK Rev: Credentialed to Destroy . . . Education as Weapon

    January 21, 2014 by Tunya

    Credentialed to Destroy:  How and Why Educstion Became a Weapon, Robin Eubanks

    my review in Amazon.com & Amazon.ca

    We Must Comprehend The Title’s Meaning

    It’s much easier to describe, “licensed to kill”, than it is to explain this title — Credentialed to Destroy.  But, there is a story that explains both title and general theme of the book.

    Here is the story:  A Math PhD was hired as an administrator and there was relief and belief that with this person at the helm, math scores would go up.  They didn’t.  The school board failed to take into account the specialization.  The dissertation was on Equity Pedagogy — declaring traditional mathematics to be a form of social oppression.  The “expert” was intent on moving the coursework “away” from the transmission of math knowledge, skills, and practices.

    Critical Theory and Equity Studies are common in teacher training and it is not uncommon to integrate these concepts with a school subject as math or literacy.   Often these graduates bring a tacit agenda with them when hired into the school system and will often gravitate to “social justice” or “social responsibility” themes in curriculum committees or school practice.

    This story comes from pg 34 of the book “Credentialed to Destroy: How and Why Education Became a Weapon by Robin Eubanks.  The book takes on the “intended transformation” of public schools through Common Core Initiatives or other 21st Century Learning efforts.  The PhD story explains the title — credentialed to destroy.  The incremental dumbing-down in schools these past decades is charted and researched in this book.

    The author is a lawyer.  She carefully builds her case and brings forth persuasive exhibits.

    Chapter 1 names key thought leaders of 200 years  — Marx, Dewey, Vygotsky, etc. — who have envisioned education as a political weapon and tool to bring forth a collectivist worldview.

    Chapter 2 takes on the reading wars and explains the intention not to teach reading and why.

    Chapter 3 deals with math and science wars and how the analytical thinker is a threat to constructing a new worldview.

    Chapter 4 deals with “competency” as a term and a notion that is to be embedded in the narratives and curriculum and meant to push aside our insistence on skills (3Rs) and knowledge.

    Social engineering of a sophisticated nature is to be used to change minds, beliefs and feelings.  Social emotional learning  (SEL) is to become a measurable “competency”.   To what end? Why, to develop “citizens” who will be in sync with 21st Century global needs! Creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration are the 4 Cs to emphasize. 

    Eubanks sees  these contrived “transformations” as seriously jeopardizing prosperity. She has researched these education initiatives far and wide and searched UN documents and many sources.  I can say right now that in British Columbia this “transformation” is well on it’s way, without real public understanding, with educators amateurishly cutting-and-pasting from international documents, and with core competencies becoming a fixture.

    Eubanks suggests no solutions or approaches but carefully builds our awareness.  Will we be in time to prevent wholesale serfdom and self-subversion?  Exit and Escape may be the only alternative.

     

    Category Book Reviews, Parent Tribal Memory | Tags: | No Comments

  4. Parent Meetings With School Officials

    January 20, 2014 by Tunya

    A meeting with school officials can be daunting — all these related meanings with different twists convey the absolute TERROR some parents may feel — intimidating, unnerving, scary, overwhelming, demoralizing.  You get the picture.  Parents can be dumbfounded, regardless of their composure in other settings in their capable lives.  There are far too many instances where parents are made to feel INADEQUATE, and this won’t help.  If your dealings on behalf of your child have come to a point where “THE MEETING” is scheduled, here are some pointers:

    FIRST:             Make sure any meeting is convenient to you.  You can ask for more convenient times.  Especially, if you need to bring a lawyer.

    SECOND:        You should NEVER go to a meeting by yourself.  Take someone with you, and not just for comfort, but also as witness.  Sometimes these events are the beginning of a longer journey.  A priest, a lawyer, just about anyone will do (a neighbor), even if they don’t speak.

    THIRD:            Take in a Tape Recorder and turn it on immediately at the start.  Say that the meeting will be taped in case you need it later.  You can place the tape in a sealed envelope and keep it with you.  You may need it for court purposes or for a meeting in Executive session with the School Board.

    FOURTH:        You, as parent have the RIGHT and DUTY to monitor your child’s HEALTH, EDUCATION AND HAPPINESS.  That’s one reason we have Report Cards.  But, also, you are always monitoring your child’s physical and mental health.  You do this because you’re living with your child and know his or her day and night behaviors, feelings and fears. Your concerns, beyond the academic, should be shared.

    FIFTH:      Malpractice court action is a possibility.  If your child is suffering HARM — that school behaviors are causing FEARS, PHOBIAS OR NIGHTMARES — and you can get medical verification in support, you can sue.  Officials need to know this is an extreme, but available, path parents can follow.

    SIXTH:     Do not hesitate to withdraw the child from the school if you see it in the best interests of the child — a mental health break may be indicated.  Home education by correspondence courses or other means discovered using the Internet or local support groups could provide the tools and peace of mind for a home-based program.

    [My comment:  Parents must realize that, by law, in the end result, THEY ARE responsible for their child’s education.  Only in totalitarian nations does the state dictate.  Please see this list of Parent Rights, codified after studying good practice about this matter         http://genuine-education-reform-today.org/?s=parent+rights ]

    Category Education Reform, Obstacles, Parent Tribal Memory | Tags: | No Comments

  5. New Teaching Programs Fill a NICHE, A Need

    January 19, 2014 by Tunya

     

    While Teach For Canada (TFC) is still in it’s infancy it is definitely well-meaning. The idea of Teach For All projects is now active in 32 countries around the world. Three main principles inform this movement — 1) overcoming education inequities, 2) improving disadvantaged schools, and 3) advancing teaching excellence.

    What’s to dislike about that? It should appeal to all well-meaning folks, regardless of political stripe. The TFAustralia project was officially launched in late 2008 by the then Federal Education Minister, Julia Gillard MP (Labor).

    Parents, in particular, are EXTREMELY anxious to get their children educated in their lifetimes. They are not easily put-off by promises of improvements over the long-haul. Increasingly, parents and public see choice as the only strategy to bring about satisfactory education in a young person’s lifetime.

    In the UK a Report by the Sutton Group unleashed scathing headlines that parents were “cheating” when they found ways to enrol their kids in their preferred schools or who used tutoring services to supplement or remediate schooling. The title of the report — “Parent Power? Using money and information to boost children’s chances of educational success”. Why shouldn’t parents do all they can to help in social mobility? Keep them off the dole (welfare)?

    Again, I’m going to applaud the Australian Coalition politicians who have launched a Review of the education system to determine public opinion. They, at least, seem to care about parents.

    I find the comments of the new Minister of Education, Christopher Pyne, so refreshing.

    *** “Those who are critical of the review and question the sincerity of the government’s motives might be forgetting that incoming governments not only have a right to review their predecessor’s policies, they have a duty to do so, to ensure policies are still relevant, needed, cost-effective and meet voters’ expectations, as variously expressed in the most recent and decisive election.

    *** “we need a national curriculum, we must ensure it genuinely meets students’ needs, matches parents’ expectations and drives education quality.

    *** “This nation’s curriculum policy must not be captured by any fad, by any vested interest group, or by those pursuing political or narrow agendas.”

    This is tomorrow’s news from the Minister — they are ahead of us in more ways than one!http://www.smh.com.au/comment/politics-have-no-place-in-curriculum-review-christopher-pyne-20140119-312p8.html?rand=1390161192866

    Our politicians in Canada would be petrified to have to listen to “parents’ expectations”. Besides, the BLOB won’t let our provinces have education Reviews. They’ve got the politicians wrapped up as pretzels.

    Category Education Reform, Obstacles, Parent Tribal Memory | Tags: | No Comments

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