Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, August 7, 1995 TAG: 9508070021
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JAMES A. HANCOCK JR.
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
If the statement, "The doors to principals' offices would be removed from their hinges," is taken literally, it's self-defeating. As a figure of speech, it's commendable. But removal of doors doesn't ensure access to the principal.
By its very nature, a classroom isn't a democracy. What limits are implicit in the term, "democratic decision-making"? Does this give students the privilege of (or responsibility for) deciding what topics should be covered in the course, whether or not tests are to be given, the amount of homework to be assigned and the basis of grading? This idea is related to another recommendation.
The conglomerate of proposals listed in year-round schools needs special attention. The idea of admitting students on their birthday, on the face of it, is trouble. With no cut-off date, a student could begin school in late May. Adjusting to a new student in any grade is a task. With new students entering kindergarten or first grade so irregularly, it poses an unnecessary burden on students and the teacher. If a student enters kindergarten on May 15, is that student promoted to first grade for the next school year?
The year-round school is already successfully operating In Buena Vista. That school system has attracted national attention because of its four quarters-per-year scheduling. Operating on a stringent budget, but with astute management, the system has offered students an opportunity for an expanded quality education that includes courses that carry both high-school and college credit.
The proposal that students schedule which days they would attend is a proposal for completely disruptive classes. It's kin to the systems of modular scheduling that proved to be completely unsatisfactory at Maury High School in Norfolk and Norfolk Catholic High School.
All of the thoughtful criticisms of American education that I have read attach most importance to two factors:
Increasing teachers' responsibilities that don't involve pedagogy.
The necessity of parental involvement in their children's education.
I commend the idea of providing encouragement for parents to meet with teachers by using school buses. Why not also offer child-care services for parents attending? The homework hot line supplements this connection. It's also useful for a student who either missed a class or forgot or misunderstood the assignment.
Inviting retirees to tutor students capitalizes on a very valuable community resource. This is true for retired professionals as well as retired teachers. It's especially valuable for a student to find a retiree who may have experienced similar trouble with the subject, and subsequently overcame it.
Three things can contribute immensely to a better education program:
Recruit into teaching graduates who have a firm background in the subject they are asked to teach, and restrict their assignments to those fields.
Pay teachers commensurate with their qualifications and with the earnings they could expect in commercial employment.
And most important, let them teach with a minimum of rigid administrative requirements.
We should not only raise expectations of students, but hold firm to the academic requirements for extracurricular eligibility, promotion and graduation.
James A. Hancock Jr., of Buchanan, is a retired teacher.
by CNB