| Monday
June 12, 2006 There was considerable
mail over the weekend, some important.
A California High School
Student reports:
Dr. Pournelle,
This is an update on the inner workings of the
California school system. Unfortunately, not much has changed from last
year, but I found out more regarding the educational bureaucracy and about
various administrative policies that seem to cause more harm than good.
Overall, the classes are better, in that they are less
dumbed-down than they were last year. This is partly because most of my
classes were AP or Honors classes, and would probably apply to schools
across the country. If you know someone whose child is bored, I would
recommend that they take AP or Honors classes next year. The downside is an
increased homework load, but for many students (including myself), the
homework is worth having three weeks after AP testing in which to relax.
Another reason for the increased rigor of the classes,
at least at my school, is the number of dropouts. Many of those students who
think school is a waste of time leave somewhere in their sophomore year, and
by junior year, the average interest of the students has been pushed up.
Interestingly, the counselors at my school lie about the number of dropouts,
and I know they are lying because a) several teachers agree that the number
was definitely more than 3 last year, b) I speak Spanish and have heard
immigrants talking to each other about friends who have dropped, and c) the
freshman class is almost a thousand each year, while the graduating class is
always close to 500 students. Believe me, those kids aren’t all transferring
to other schools.
On a somewhat more positive note, my school is both
unusually good and unusually bad, so the dropout rate is probably much
higher than normal. We are next to a “magnet” middle school that funnels its
students into my school, and our AP test results are downright enviable. But
the students in the easiest, most dumbed-down classes are influenced to an
unusual extent by a sort of “ghetto” culture that emphasizes sports and
being tough over being smart. I don’t know any solution to it, although it
has become a major problem – guys slapping girls on their behinds, swearing,
much use of the N-word amongst black friends, and worst of all, smart
African-American students who want to be in classes with their friends but
who get shortchanged thereby. I know of one girl who wants to be a lawyer
and might be smart enough to get into a good college, but she is in classes
that don’t prepare her well, and by Junior year it will be hard for her to
switch her class level because she won’t be used to the (much) harder
workload.
Perhaps the worst thing about the way classes are set
up is how they are named. Why should a student switch to a tougher class
when his current classes are already “College Preparatory?” (No kidding.)
Here is how my school works: the classes start out as College Preparatory
(the easiest), CT (the full word tells what middle school the student comes
from, so I won’t include it), then GATE. As the students change from
sophomores to upperclassmen, many of the students who feel that high school
was a waste of time drop out or get arrested. The classes become harder and
the names are switched to College Preparatory (still easiest), Honors (which
makes you work and think) and then AP Classes. A few classes are still
considered GATE, and are somewhere between CP and Honors classes in
toughness. In my opinion, a D in an AP course beats an A in a CP course,
especially if the D student passes the exam with a 3 or higher. This is
because many CP classes require very little homework – show up, do the
classwork, don’t sass (or swear at, or yell at) the teacher, do whatever
ten-minute assignment she or he gives you, and you have at least a B. I’m
still confused as to how colleges sort out “good” students from “bad” –
guess and pray, maybe. Perhaps the classes are called College Preparatory to
trick colleges into accepting just average students?
The class schedules each year change, so that a
teacher who has a curriculum all worked out for his sophomore CT students
may find himself teaching freshmen or junior CP classes. He then has to come
up with a new lesson plan. The year after that, the administration might
very well switch him around again. There is always some minor infighting
among the teachers, because a teacher who has been around a long time and
who is used to teaching Honors or AP classes is not very likely to want to
change back to CP. Can’t blame ‘em, myself – I was there when three CP
students rode their bikes into a classroom, harassed those in the class
briefly, and left. They weren’t caught or punished, although they hung
around that day and the next day, and could have been castigated if anybody
had wanted to do so.
(For the record, it is entirely possible to yell at a
teacher or to swear at him and not be punished. Oh, you’ll be warned – that
was very bad, Johnny, so don’t do it again. After you’ve done it several
times you might be punished with detention or trash pickup, but I’ve only
heard of someone getting suspended for it once. No, I haven’t done it, but
I’ve heard about it, from people I know and trust.)
The education level among school employees may also be
in decline. I’m not so sure about this one, but it would explain the grammar
and spelling errors in school fliers and handouts. Our restrooms are now
labeled “Girl’s” and “Boy’s” instead of sticking the apostrophe at the end
the way it’s supposed to be for a plural possessive. The school library has
been handing out fliers saying “Get your Work Permits.” The morning
announcements, made up of reminders sent in by teachers, are read
word-for-word and have caused great amusement in the classrooms when a
teacher writes something really weird like “The Golf Club will be meeting at
lunch today at lunch in room 9. Don’t forget to bring your lunch.” (Or even
“Don’t forget to bring the Golf Club will be meeting at lunch . . .” as
though they forgot what they meant to say and then didn’t erase their
mistake.)
The CAHSEE, or California High School Exit Exam, does
seem to be helping to counteract some of the dumbing-down in our schools.
Why parents keep protesting, I’m not sure – although it is entirely possible
that our local newspersons seek protesters out deliberately. The exam seems
to be most difficult for non-English speakers, usually Hmong and Laos
speakers who are here legally and Spanish-speakers who aren’t so much, and
for truly abysmal students.
Something few people know because the media won’t tell
us: four-fifths of those who don’t pass the Exit Exam could not graduate if
they did pass. They have failed too many classes, have been absent too much,
or are in the Special Ed programs and would only receive a certificate of
completion anyway. (Incidentally, why the powers-that-be want Special Ed and
English Learner students to take the exam at all is beyond me.) And the exam
itself is not unduly difficult; one only needs a 56% on the English part to
pass, and a 60-something percent on the math. (Which of the following is a
parabola? Three are lines, the other curves in a U-shape. Hmm. . . )
The only major downside I see to this and similar
standardized tests is the pressure to help the students perform better. If a
student receives a “Below Basic” score on the standardized tests, he or she
is supposed to be put into remedial classes. This will play hob with class
schedules, starting as early as next year. I suppose my district could free
up space by eliminating our BASIC programming class – three cheers for a
friend of mine who is trying to show the district that BASIC is obsolete –
but, as two different teachers have told me, logic won’t work with the
school district.
The education bureaucracy is the last, and biggest,
problem. Anyone who tries to challenge a class will see this inaction.
(Typo? You decide.) Take an attempt to challenge English, for example. This
was done by a somewhat hypothetical student who has written 400,000 words in
his lifetime, has good grades, and reads two to three books a week, some of
them unremarkable, some of them Walden Two, Heart of Darkness, a textbook
(just for fun, he says), Dune, and everything Arthur Conan Doyle ever wrote.
This fellow started the challenge process in January, received a phone call
confirming that he would be able to take the test as soon as it was written
– nobody having challenged English before – and has heard nothing since,
despite several attempts on his part to contact those responsible. He even
says that he emailed suggestions of works in the public domain – Shakespeare
and Kipling and some other writers I hadn’t heard of. Nothing.
For the record, he didn’t much care for my
paraphrasing of a quote I saw on your site: “Never attribute to malice that
which can be adequately explained by incompetence.” He said something I
won’t repeat here. But you get the picture. I still don’t know what he plans
to do about it, as he already took the AP test he would have had to take at
the end of his senior year of English. Suggestions, anyone?
That just about sums up the school year. I apologize
for the length, although I tried to be as succinct as possible, given the
sheer volume of subject matter.
Susan
California Public School Student
P.S. I don’t know how it is elsewhere, but in my
school, regulations > teacher ability. The unions ensure that it is hard to
fire teachers who bother the administration by bending the rules. I know of
one teacher who was using teaching methods not officially sanctioned. They
caught him because his students’ test scores were higher than they * should
* have been for English learners. Then they told him to stop, or else. Yes,
the teacher unions protect teachers who would be better off elsewhere. But
they also act as a shield. I’m not sure this was very relevant to the
discussion in Mail, but it’s my 2.71828 cents.
We recall your report last year. Thank you. I
expect there will be discussion.
==========
Harry Erwin's Letter From
England:
Gitmo suicide stories in Europe <http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2221381,00.html>
<http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,542-2221467,00.html>
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/5070514.stm>
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5068992.stm>
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/guantanamo/story/0,,1795445,00.html>
<http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article799452.ece>
Israel and Hamas <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5070428.stm>
8 dead when Israeli artillery shells picnickers.
<http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2221379,00.html>
London police stories <http://www.guardian.co.uk/menezes/story/0,,1795456,00.html>
<http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2221770,00.html>
<http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/article799468.ece>
Ann Coulter in the Observer <http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,1794552,00.html>
Food hygiene in the UK <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5064398.stm>
<http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article799599.ece>
Low taxes in Ireland may play a role in their economic growth <http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,6-2221280,00.html>
-- Harry Erwin, PhD,
Program Leader, MSc Information Systems Security, University of Sunderland.
<http://scat-he-g4.sunderland.ac.uk/~harryerw>
Weblog at: <http://scat-he-g4.sunderland.ac.uk/~harryerw/blog/index.php>
============
Continuing an important subject on dealing
with the government:
Subject: Silence When Questioned
Sir,
Of course that's the correct answer. If you are a
suspect, you are never, ever better off speaking to the authorities. Caveat,
that should read, "never, ever better off speaking to the authorities
unrepresented." Which means the same thing, because your representative will
tell you to not speak to the authorities.
I've done lots and lots of criminal defense work. I
can think of no cases where an answer other than silence would have been
helpful.
If you have something that needs to be said, tell your
lawyer, HE can tell the authorities. Non-attribution works so much better
when it is enforceable.
So, what do you do if you are "just a witness"? If
time is not of the essence, get legal advice anyway. This isn't for those
who see an accident, or a crime, from the window of their house, but for
those who are "involved". You work in an office where hinkey stuff is
happening? Get a lawyer, then tell your story. Your son has a broken arm,
and they "just want to clear things up?" Get a lawyer.
This will sometimes prevent the guilty from being
convicted. But, if YOU are the one looking for the best answer, the best
answer for YOU, individually, is silence. Maybe a different answer from
societies' standpoint.
bryan
Alas for the Republic
=========
Dr. Pournelle:
Regarding Mr. Simkins'
letter:
" . . . but that they never were pushers and so don't
push their students. I can always tell those students from charter schools
and home schooled students by their approach to the exhibits and their
questions."
Charles Simkins
<snip>
It seems to me that it would be easy to determine,
from the letters you post, a great deal about the (actual, not merely
credentialed) education levels of your correspondents. Most of the clearly
written, accurately reasoned letters come from people who are hard-science
people.
In my experience reading your columns and website, it
seems that people with education majors tend to be the worst at conveying
information and at making a reasonable argument for their case. Alas for
these times!
jomath
===========
Subject: mass migration, the
collapse of the Roman Empire, and modern day Europe
Dr. Pournelle,
I thought perhaps this might interest you...
"Britain and Europe face being overrun by mass
migration from the Third World within 30 years, a senior Royal Navy
strategist claimed yesterday.
"His prognosis is that Western civilisation faces a
threat on a par with the collapse of the Roman Empire after the 5th century
invasion of Rome by the Goths, the East Germanic tribe."
"Admiral Parry is head of the Ministry of Defence unit
tasked with identifying future threats to Britain's security."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?
in_article_id=390230&in_page_id=1770
Note: The Daily Mail is a notoriously right-wing
British tabloid.
Paul.
==========
Derbyshire: Apologizing for Iraq.
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZmYxNjgz
MjFkMTQ3MDE1ZTIyYzFlNDc3ZWFlZjY4NzI=
-- Roland Dobbins
Had we gone in to build monuments and left, that
would have worked. But the chances of that were slim, which is why I didn't
want us in there in the first place.
Now we are there. I have great respect for the Derb,
and he is always worth reading. We correspond sometimes. And I am as
perplexed as he about what we must do now.
Alas. I told them all so. And their answer was to
send the egregious Frum to tell us that we were no longer part of the
Conservative movement; to insult Stephen Tonsor; and in general to trash
those who thought we would regret this war.
So it goes.
=============
Jerry
Fred is up again. This time, "Returning to the United
States at long intervals is like watching a flower wilt in time-lapse
photography."
And check out the Marxist-like poster he photographed
in the train station in Maryland.
http://www.fredoneverything.net/Athens.shtml
Ed
There's little to say..
===========
The 'Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations' vs.
Geno's Steaks.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?
type=domesticNews&storyid=2006-06-12T222917Z
_01_N12312679_RTRUKOC_0_US-LIFE-ENGLISH
.xml&src=rss&rpc=22
-- Roland Dobbins
=============
Has anyone else seen this?
I’d be very curious to know if this particular news
item has been confirmed by any authorities.
Has anyone else raised this issue?
http://americanthinker.com/comments.php?comments_id=5350
The Palestinians killed their own children
About that Gaza tragedy…
Who could not be moved by the picture of a little girl
hysterically crying near her father’s body; killed in an explosion, along
with others, as the family was enjoying a picnic on the Gaza beach? Now she
will forever mourn as it turns out the deadly rockets came from Hamas <http://www.israpundit.com/2006/?p=1436from>
not the evil Israelis. Israpundit explains: An Israel Defense Forces
intelligence officer has confirmed that the explosion that killed eight
Palestinians on Friday, was caused by a stockpile of Hamas explosives.
“Shortly after we stopped defensive firing at Hamas
rocket launch pads which were deployed behind Palestinian human shields,
members of Hamas scrambled to fire more rockets at our positions,” said Col.
M. “We have eyes on every meter of Gaza, from the sky, from the ground and
from the sea. One of their rocket tripods collapsed inadvertently setting
off an explosion of a stockpile of Qassam rockets. The Palestinians killed
their own children. And this was not the first time.”
Darrell
===========
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