Steve Gets Another One Right

3 05 2007

Steve Olson writes about school and America and . . . oh, just click over . . . it’s worth it.

Nance

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3 responses to “Steve Gets Another One Right”

3 05 2007
JJ (20:26:09) :

Maybe then we should add him to my “Panel of Steves” for “Snook’s Unschooling Power of Story Quiz Show” on Think TV? :)

p.s. Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grade is on right now in fact; it’s really grown on Young Son.
He actually ran to get reference materials out last week!

3 05 2007
Steve Olson (22:05:04) :

Nance,

Thanks for the link. You rock!

4 05 2007
JJ (10:35:58) :

School as a psychologically damaging environment:

Teacher charged with threatening to kill

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. –
(AP) — A Jacksonville middle school teacher was arrested after his mental health counselor reported a threat he made against a top school system official, authorities said.

Beth Wombough told the Duval County Sheriff’s Office that Thomas Henry Payne, 52, said if he was fired, he would kill a particular director for Duval County public schools, a report said. She said he was worried about losing his job at Darnell-Cookman Middle School because of absences.

Wombough asked Payne to recant his statement, according to the arrest report. When he refused, she had him sign a waiver so she could inform the sheriff’s office about the threat.

Payne told police that he lost his temper in the session but did not recall making any threats, the sheriff’s office reported.

The school district declined to comment on Payne’s case, but the school’s principal, Kelly Coker-Daniel, sent a letter home to parents.

”Although the alleged incident did not occur on our campus or involve any of our students, we must take steps to ensure that we maintain an effective learning environment at Darnell-Cookman Middle School,” Coker-Daniel wrote.

Payne was charged with corruption by threat against a public servant. He was released from jail on a surety bond.

Steps to make the learning environment effective, she said? (whipping my head back and forth) Where, when? Looks to me like it’s driving people crazy (and by the way, did anybody figure out what situation was causing his absences in the first place, and try to act “effectively” rather than escalating the bad “environment” into firing?)

Students don’t want to be there.
Teachers don’t want to be there.

So what’s not working in schools (everywhere) is the bribery, coercion and behavior modification?
No surprise then, that the expert solution is better compulsion and manipulation, invest our national treasure in more carrots and sticks! — the teachers and kids of America are a pesky breed of surly mules to be driven to market any way we can get them there. Otherwise, institutions can’t make money on them!

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