Here we are, just 2 days away from Red Flag for Education Day. I've been remiss of late but have sent notes to some organizations that I hope will help us out.
Let me remind you several aspects of Red Flag Day. First of all, its purpose was to remind President Obama and the governors of some states in an easy but big way of our priorties regarding education. As such, we wiould prominently wear red to indicate support for education. Then we would choose one or more aspects of today's education system that we consider a problem and our chosen solution to that problem. We would then write the problem on a flag or ribbon and the solution on the other, wear it for the day and then send it to the President and your governor. I would expect that there will be a great variety of how each of you interprets what your flags/ribbons look like and what they say. That's okay. The purpose is just to get their attention and have them realize it's a priority.
Some of you have asked for a review of issues. Below are some examples of what you could say:
Education Funding - Increase across the board funding is needed
Teacher Tenure - Strengthen (or Weaken) (Please check to be sure you know the most current law as
many states have recently weakened the tenure law, in many cases to the point that it is essentially gone.)
Class Size - Increased funding for education for class size
Teacher Quality - Increase teacher salaries to encourage the best to teach
Quality Education - Encourage creativity and critical thinking in children (deemphasize tests)
School Meals - Insure that meals served are healthy
Merit Pay for Teachers - (Choose to encourage or cancel - your pick but back up with why you chose it)
Technology in the Classroom - Provide funding for teacher in-service in technology
Virtual Education - (pro or con with caveats)
These are some of the choices. You should each have your own. For myself, I am going to send a letter (white paper, red ink) with the flag attached to it. I will briefly explain and I will add to what my flags mean.
With this post, I am done with my blog on a semi-regular basis. I will leave my blog open for important changes that may come along and to receive any comments any of you may have. Thank you for making this journey with me.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Helping Your Child Get the Most out of High School
High School is a busy time for students and the parents trying to help their children. The two biggest success factors are showing an interest in what the child is doing and being positive about school. You should continue to attend parent-teacher conferences, help with homework and provide a good example. Your child should be able to watch how you handle problems and concerns to learn how to handle problems themselves and whether or not you make the best choices will be instrumental in determining if they make the best choices. They should know you care, that you're watching how they do with all of life's challenges.
High school is where you need to be sure your child is getting ready for a career. That may mean you are helping them learn how to save for college or post-secondary education. It may mean you are filling out financial aid forms. It will mean discussions on the best way to prepare for the challenges to come. You need to start by looking at courses that will help in high school and it is the responsibility of you and your child to be sure that they get as much as they can while they are in school. In some cases, the school provides vocational education classes. In some cases, there is a nearby vocational education program that the school utilizes. Many schools offerr advanced placement classes that are much more rigorous than typical classes but MAY be accepted by some colleges for credit (usually requiring an advanced placement exam that does have minor cost.) Some classes may be offered by virtual schools with in school supervision and costs sometimes picked up by your local districts. Counselors are available to help you find your way through the maze of options and you and your child should make use of their help.
What you need to be very sure of is that your children are setting their sights on a career that they like, that will have jobs available when they are fully prepared and that will offer salaries high enough to make a living and pay off their education debts easily. If you choose a private college, tread very carefully to be sure that the career you are studying for pays enough for you to repay the loans and be sure the school is accredited in the area you seek to study. Also, check to see what their graduation rate is and what their placement rate is. Finally, check to see if there are other faciliities that can provide the same education more cheaply. It has been shown time and again that state universities are generally a more reasonable option than the best private universities in most situations.
The next post will begin to discuss the red flag for education details.
High school is where you need to be sure your child is getting ready for a career. That may mean you are helping them learn how to save for college or post-secondary education. It may mean you are filling out financial aid forms. It will mean discussions on the best way to prepare for the challenges to come. You need to start by looking at courses that will help in high school and it is the responsibility of you and your child to be sure that they get as much as they can while they are in school. In some cases, the school provides vocational education classes. In some cases, there is a nearby vocational education program that the school utilizes. Many schools offerr advanced placement classes that are much more rigorous than typical classes but MAY be accepted by some colleges for credit (usually requiring an advanced placement exam that does have minor cost.) Some classes may be offered by virtual schools with in school supervision and costs sometimes picked up by your local districts. Counselors are available to help you find your way through the maze of options and you and your child should make use of their help.
What you need to be very sure of is that your children are setting their sights on a career that they like, that will have jobs available when they are fully prepared and that will offer salaries high enough to make a living and pay off their education debts easily. If you choose a private college, tread very carefully to be sure that the career you are studying for pays enough for you to repay the loans and be sure the school is accredited in the area you seek to study. Also, check to see what their graduation rate is and what their placement rate is. Finally, check to see if there are other faciliities that can provide the same education more cheaply. It has been shown time and again that state universities are generally a more reasonable option than the best private universities in most situations.
The next post will begin to discuss the red flag for education details.
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