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A bit of background, I'm from southern California, and graduated in 2000. I forget sometimes that Texas poor isn't really the same as SoCal poor. And I forget that schools have changed dramatically over the past 12 years.
So my BF and I went to a party this past weekend and I got to talking to one of the attendees. He recently got a teaching job in [Branch Davidian Compound city] ISD. He's teaching middle school, so 7-8th. The school itself used to be a magnet school, but because of redistricting it no longer is.
As a result of redistricting the school took in mostly very poor (insert minority) students. I said, "So, I've been in classes that were more minority, and my family isn't exactly wealthy?"
Apparently there are at least 3 8th graders that are 16-17. He goes on to tell me that a significant portion of his students either can't read at all, or are significantly below their grade level. Part of the problem is, he says, teachers don't really have time to do much other than teach the test. So the kids, generally, know what to do to pass the test, but not much else. The parents also just don't care. The kids tell the teacher that their parents are too high or drunk to care. He broke up an altercation between a couple kids and one of the girls (not more than 12) said to him not to punch her in the stomach because she might be pregnant.
He tries to talk to them about careers and jobs. They will have to read and write for that. The kids say they'll just get jobs they don't have to do that, like mechanic or hairdresser (their examples not his or mine). He and other teachers cannot teach real world skills and knowledge. They don't have the time.
They can't even give a reading assignment, per the school board, longer than 2 pages.
Matters of class and race aside, I don't understand how it's gotten to this point. Granted, I'm not knowledgeable with Texas society and rules, but things like this baffle me.
I don't understand how a child or a person can get to a certain age without knowing how to read or anything. Growing up, even if my parents had been neglectful, I still would have learned how to read because of school.
This insane emphasis on test score in order for the schools to get funding. How is it right that one school gets a 60 million dollar stadium, and another gets nothing?
So my BF and I went to a party this past weekend and I got to talking to one of the attendees. He recently got a teaching job in [Branch Davidian Compound city] ISD. He's teaching middle school, so 7-8th. The school itself used to be a magnet school, but because of redistricting it no longer is.
As a result of redistricting the school took in mostly very poor (insert minority) students. I said, "So, I've been in classes that were more minority, and my family isn't exactly wealthy?"
Apparently there are at least 3 8th graders that are 16-17. He goes on to tell me that a significant portion of his students either can't read at all, or are significantly below their grade level. Part of the problem is, he says, teachers don't really have time to do much other than teach the test. So the kids, generally, know what to do to pass the test, but not much else. The parents also just don't care. The kids tell the teacher that their parents are too high or drunk to care. He broke up an altercation between a couple kids and one of the girls (not more than 12) said to him not to punch her in the stomach because she might be pregnant.
He tries to talk to them about careers and jobs. They will have to read and write for that. The kids say they'll just get jobs they don't have to do that, like mechanic or hairdresser (their examples not his or mine). He and other teachers cannot teach real world skills and knowledge. They don't have the time.
They can't even give a reading assignment, per the school board, longer than 2 pages.
Matters of class and race aside, I don't understand how it's gotten to this point. Granted, I'm not knowledgeable with Texas society and rules, but things like this baffle me.
I don't understand how a child or a person can get to a certain age without knowing how to read or anything. Growing up, even if my parents had been neglectful, I still would have learned how to read because of school.
This insane emphasis on test score in order for the schools to get funding. How is it right that one school gets a 60 million dollar stadium, and another gets nothing?
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