This morning's Detroit News has three stories beginning on the front page that are sure to give me an ulcer.
First are the Governor's proposed education cuts in the per pupil funding for local schools with a shift to higher education funding. So let me ask you this? If I am not doing an excellent job of educating my youngsters, how the hell are they going to get into college, let alone succeed? How about this for a shift? Let's take away that total dollar amount from corrections and spend it on education. Seems like that is a better bang for the buck.
And speaking of education, the MEAP scores also have a story inside the paper. Anyone of you look at the writing scores? State-wide writing scores for seventh graders are at 47.8%. And I wonder why so many bloggers and commenters cannot put a proper sentence together and spell the words right. What good is it to have high scores in math and reading if you cannot put into writing what you know?
Moving right along, another headline talks about another movie production locating elsewhere. Way to go Governor. Glad to see you are bringing so much business to Michigan.
Maybe this was the April Fool's edition of the paper and the real paper will come later this afternoon?
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
A Documentary Worth Seeing
I have an affinity for documentary films. While realizing that often they can be one-sided, they are still damned interesting in the presentation of their subject matter.
The latest one I have viewed is 'Waiting for 'Superman'". If you have not seen it, I highly recommend it. If you live here in Michigan, watch it and think about the Governor's proposed budget cuts to education. Ask yourself where are the budget cuts in the corrections system.
A very interesting fact in the movie is that it would be cheaper to send a child through thirteen years of private school than it would be keep an inmate in jail for four years.
The documentary also points out the flaws with teacher tenure, one of my biggest peeves going way back to my high school years. In all fairness, tenure is not just a problem with non-performing teachers, but unions of all kinds protect non-performing workers. Remember that in one of my former lives I was a union president and saw it up-close.
No successful civilization can prosper without a sound education. But if we continue to decline in what we teach and demand from our students, we will have more and more of them roaming the streets in gangs and eventually ending up in prison. Is that where we want our tax dollars to go?
I cried for the children in the movie who have to enter lotteries to get out of their local school and into one that offers them a chance at a better future and standard of living.
Watch the documentary.
The latest one I have viewed is 'Waiting for 'Superman'". If you have not seen it, I highly recommend it. If you live here in Michigan, watch it and think about the Governor's proposed budget cuts to education. Ask yourself where are the budget cuts in the corrections system.
A very interesting fact in the movie is that it would be cheaper to send a child through thirteen years of private school than it would be keep an inmate in jail for four years.
The documentary also points out the flaws with teacher tenure, one of my biggest peeves going way back to my high school years. In all fairness, tenure is not just a problem with non-performing teachers, but unions of all kinds protect non-performing workers. Remember that in one of my former lives I was a union president and saw it up-close.
No successful civilization can prosper without a sound education. But if we continue to decline in what we teach and demand from our students, we will have more and more of them roaming the streets in gangs and eventually ending up in prison. Is that where we want our tax dollars to go?
I cried for the children in the movie who have to enter lotteries to get out of their local school and into one that offers them a chance at a better future and standard of living.
Watch the documentary.
Giving Thanks to Those Who Help
We all hear about folks who live their lives with the cards they are dealt and make the best of bad situations. Everyone has a story to tell.
There is nothing dramatic about my story. I was fortunate enough to be born with an IQ well above average. Unfortunately, my family did not have the money to invest in that IQ. Fortunately, there were folks out there who were willing to put up money to allow me to get a higher education.
Graduating from high school in 1964, I had a scholarship to Wayne State University. It covered all my tuition ($312 per year if you can believe it) with a little left over for books. A part-time job at the JL Hudson Company downtown got me through the university with a Bachelor's Degree in Medical Technology from the School of Medicine. I was the first college graduate among all of my many cousins.
Without that scholarship, I am sure that I would have been relegated to some low-paying nine-to-five job. My brain probably would have atrophied from non-use. Let's face it. Not much is available without some advanced degree or training after high school.
I enjoyed my work in the laboratory at Detroit General, but after leaving to have my children and be a stay-at-home mom, I knew I did not want to return to a hospital to work. Once my children were in school, I went back to get my MBA in Finance and ultimately ended up at West Bloomfield Town Hall for my second career.
Several years ago, when it came time to update my trust documents, I decided that I wanted to set up a scholarship fund at Wayne for future deserving students. I put in a bequest in the trust doc and notified them of my decision.
But, after retiring and thinking about it, I decided that I wanted to start funding the scholarship now, versus waiting until I was dead. I think it would give me pleasure to see someone benefit from it before I go.
Yesterday, I received another letter from the University thanking me for the gift. Well, I should be the one thanking them. Without that original scholarship in 1964, I probably would not be sitting here writing this blog. I would never have gone to college without that money. And I would not have a trust document to update. So, a BIG thank you to Wayne State.
If you are a Wayne graduate and are interested in giving money, here is the website information: http://giving.wayne.edu/planned/bequest.php
There is nothing dramatic about my story. I was fortunate enough to be born with an IQ well above average. Unfortunately, my family did not have the money to invest in that IQ. Fortunately, there were folks out there who were willing to put up money to allow me to get a higher education.
Graduating from high school in 1964, I had a scholarship to Wayne State University. It covered all my tuition ($312 per year if you can believe it) with a little left over for books. A part-time job at the JL Hudson Company downtown got me through the university with a Bachelor's Degree in Medical Technology from the School of Medicine. I was the first college graduate among all of my many cousins.
Without that scholarship, I am sure that I would have been relegated to some low-paying nine-to-five job. My brain probably would have atrophied from non-use. Let's face it. Not much is available without some advanced degree or training after high school.
I enjoyed my work in the laboratory at Detroit General, but after leaving to have my children and be a stay-at-home mom, I knew I did not want to return to a hospital to work. Once my children were in school, I went back to get my MBA in Finance and ultimately ended up at West Bloomfield Town Hall for my second career.
Several years ago, when it came time to update my trust documents, I decided that I wanted to set up a scholarship fund at Wayne for future deserving students. I put in a bequest in the trust doc and notified them of my decision.
But, after retiring and thinking about it, I decided that I wanted to start funding the scholarship now, versus waiting until I was dead. I think it would give me pleasure to see someone benefit from it before I go.
Yesterday, I received another letter from the University thanking me for the gift. Well, I should be the one thanking them. Without that original scholarship in 1964, I probably would not be sitting here writing this blog. I would never have gone to college without that money. And I would not have a trust document to update. So, a BIG thank you to Wayne State.
If you are a Wayne graduate and are interested in giving money, here is the website information: http://giving.wayne.edu/planned/bequest.php
The Old Alma Mater
Wayne State University was in the headlines today for not graduating enough minority students. Actually, I find it interesting that we still track graduation rates by race. But that is not the point of this blog today. Rather, it is about graduates actually performing as though they went to college.
Just recently someone said to me that if a certain person graduated from the University of Michigan with not one, but two, degrees, then they were very disappointed in the university. They said the standards must have really declined to allow that to happen as the woman was a complete 'ditz'.
This is nothing new. I am sure each of us knows someone that we cannot believe actually made it through college. Of course, we must also remember that not everyone is an A or even a B student. You can graduate with Cs and spend many years doing it. When my youngest was at Wayne, he commented once that he did not know how some students even got admitted.
When I was teaching at Detroit General (Receiving) Hospital, we used to have multiple choice and essay exams for our medical technology students. I taught clinical enzymology and I wanted to make sure that students could actually explain to me what test results really meant. One of my students wrote so poorly that it took three of us to decifer what she was saying. She was only one of several students over the years who had trouble passing the English essay that Wayne required for graduation. It was not long before the lab staff decided to switch to all multiple choice exams. From what I see on many blogs, command of the English language, in terms of writing at least, is deplorable.
Way back when I started college in 1964, I was told by my counselor that only 25% of my entering class would graduate. We had 40 students that year. Four years later, only 13 of us graduated with our BS degrees in Medical Technology. After several more years it seemed the University decided the curriculum was too difficult and they changed the program to make it easier. Wow, now we can graduate more students and send them off into the work force. Think about that next time you have to have lab work done.
Just recently someone said to me that if a certain person graduated from the University of Michigan with not one, but two, degrees, then they were very disappointed in the university. They said the standards must have really declined to allow that to happen as the woman was a complete 'ditz'.
This is nothing new. I am sure each of us knows someone that we cannot believe actually made it through college. Of course, we must also remember that not everyone is an A or even a B student. You can graduate with Cs and spend many years doing it. When my youngest was at Wayne, he commented once that he did not know how some students even got admitted.
When I was teaching at Detroit General (Receiving) Hospital, we used to have multiple choice and essay exams for our medical technology students. I taught clinical enzymology and I wanted to make sure that students could actually explain to me what test results really meant. One of my students wrote so poorly that it took three of us to decifer what she was saying. She was only one of several students over the years who had trouble passing the English essay that Wayne required for graduation. It was not long before the lab staff decided to switch to all multiple choice exams. From what I see on many blogs, command of the English language, in terms of writing at least, is deplorable.
Way back when I started college in 1964, I was told by my counselor that only 25% of my entering class would graduate. We had 40 students that year. Four years later, only 13 of us graduated with our BS degrees in Medical Technology. After several more years it seemed the University decided the curriculum was too difficult and they changed the program to make it easier. Wow, now we can graduate more students and send them off into the work force. Think about that next time you have to have lab work done.
The Public Sector
Seems like a week does not go by without a letter to the editor or a story about how teachers, firefighters, police and all government employees should lose wages and benefits because someone in the private sector has lost theirs. The contention is that these people are all over-paid and some suggest they have 'cushy' jobs. Which makes me wonder why the letter writers did not opt for the public sector.
We all make career choices. We all make choices about furthering our education. Teachers and professional employees do not enter the work force at eighteen years of age fresh out of high school (as did many people I knew in the neighborhood I grew up in). Many leave college with mountains of debt and four or five years of lost wages, to boot.
A report last year from Charles Ballard at Michigan State University was dissed by many people when it came out. Now, a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics comes to the same conclusion as Professor Ballard:
BLS Reports on Employer Costs for Employee Compensation
On March 10, 2010, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) issued its report: Employer Costs for Employee Compensation – December 2009. According to the BLS, at the end of 2009, employers in private industry paid employees total compensation averaging $27.42 per hour worked, consisting of $19.41 in wages and salaries (71% of the total) and $8.00 in benefits (29% of the total). By comparison, the total compensation costs for state and local government employees averaged $39.60 per hour, consisting of $26.11 in wages and salaries (66%) and $13.49 in benefits (34%).
However, the report warns that the compensation costs of state and local governments should not be directly compared with the costs in private industry due to differences in the occupational structures between the sectors. The report notes that professional and administrative support occupations account for two-thirds of the state and local government workforce, compared with one-half of the workforce in private industry.
Moreover, if average compensation costs for the “management, professional, and related” occupational group (which includes teachers) are compared, total compensation is similar for private industry and state and local governments, as shown in the following table:
December 2009
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation – December 2009. Data compiled by Gabriel Roeder Smith from Tables 4 and 9.
The BLS report is available at: http://op.bna.com/dlrcases.nsf/r?Open=lswr-83elqz
We all make career choices. We all make choices about furthering our education. Teachers and professional employees do not enter the work force at eighteen years of age fresh out of high school (as did many people I knew in the neighborhood I grew up in). Many leave college with mountains of debt and four or five years of lost wages, to boot.
A report last year from Charles Ballard at Michigan State University was dissed by many people when it came out. Now, a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics comes to the same conclusion as Professor Ballard:
BLS Reports on Employer Costs for Employee Compensation
On March 10, 2010, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) issued its report: Employer Costs for Employee Compensation – December 2009. According to the BLS, at the end of 2009, employers in private industry paid employees total compensation averaging $27.42 per hour worked, consisting of $19.41 in wages and salaries (71% of the total) and $8.00 in benefits (29% of the total). By comparison, the total compensation costs for state and local government employees averaged $39.60 per hour, consisting of $26.11 in wages and salaries (66%) and $13.49 in benefits (34%).
However, the report warns that the compensation costs of state and local governments should not be directly compared with the costs in private industry due to differences in the occupational structures between the sectors. The report notes that professional and administrative support occupations account for two-thirds of the state and local government workforce, compared with one-half of the workforce in private industry.
Moreover, if average compensation costs for the “management, professional, and related” occupational group (which includes teachers) are compared, total compensation is similar for private industry and state and local governments, as shown in the following table:
Employer Costs per Hour Worked
Management, Professional & Related Occupational GroupDecember 2009
Private Industry State & Local Governments
Avg. $/hour % Total Avg. $/hour % Total
Wages & salary $34.12 71% $32.96 68%
Benefits $14.07 29% $15.19 32%
Total Compensation $48.19 100% $48.15 100%
The BLS report is available at: http://op.bna.com/dlrcases.nsf/r?Open=lswr-83elqz
Teaching Johnny to Read - or Not
Education seems to be all over the news this week. The Detroit School Board won a decision in court to prevent the Emergency Financial Manager from doing pretty much anything. Here is a man who has uncovered millions of dollars wasted in the system and the school board wants to put a stop to any changes for the betterment of education.
Earlier this week, students at Warren Lincoln High School (my alma mater) protested the firing of their Principal. Apparently, while the students and parents support him, the school board wanted him gone. And the school board and administration will not discuss the matter. Shouldn't this be public information? I also heard through sources that the Warren Police threatened to arrest students who did not leave the high school property. Gee. I thought that was public property. If the students were respectful, what was the problem?
Though I have known many school officials over the years, I do not personally know any of the members of either of these school boards. They may all be experts in the field of education. My experience with elected officials also tells me that they may all know 'zip' when it comes to education. One always hopes that the school administrators are qualified individuals and are more interested in the students' welfare than their own personal motives, certainly the case with Mr. Bobb in Detroit, but sometimes they are at odds with the wishes of the community they serve.
Moving from the local to the state level, we have pending legislation to encourage teachers to retire by changing benefits. While I have personally known teachers who should have retired long before I (or even my children) ended up in their classroom, some of these old-timers are the best.
I thank my lucky stars every day for Gertrude Bassett, my fifth and sixth grade teacher, who told me I could be anything I wanted if I worked as hard as I could. She, along with other fine teachers I had, made a huge difference in my life, leading to that fully-paid four-year scholarship to college. By the time I got to her classroom, she was a grandmother. Good thing they weren't booting out the experienced educators in favor of new, cheaper models when I was in school.
Earlier this week, students at Warren Lincoln High School (my alma mater) protested the firing of their Principal. Apparently, while the students and parents support him, the school board wanted him gone. And the school board and administration will not discuss the matter. Shouldn't this be public information? I also heard through sources that the Warren Police threatened to arrest students who did not leave the high school property. Gee. I thought that was public property. If the students were respectful, what was the problem?
Though I have known many school officials over the years, I do not personally know any of the members of either of these school boards. They may all be experts in the field of education. My experience with elected officials also tells me that they may all know 'zip' when it comes to education. One always hopes that the school administrators are qualified individuals and are more interested in the students' welfare than their own personal motives, certainly the case with Mr. Bobb in Detroit, but sometimes they are at odds with the wishes of the community they serve.
Moving from the local to the state level, we have pending legislation to encourage teachers to retire by changing benefits. While I have personally known teachers who should have retired long before I (or even my children) ended up in their classroom, some of these old-timers are the best.
I thank my lucky stars every day for Gertrude Bassett, my fifth and sixth grade teacher, who told me I could be anything I wanted if I worked as hard as I could. She, along with other fine teachers I had, made a huge difference in my life, leading to that fully-paid four-year scholarship to college. By the time I got to her classroom, she was a grandmother. Good thing they weren't booting out the experienced educators in favor of new, cheaper models when I was in school.
Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader?
I received an email this morning directing me to a survey being conducted by my community. I clicked on the link and read the first question. They wanted to know what I liked most about the community. Among the choices was 'schoools.'
No, I did not spell a word wrong. That is exactly how it appears on the survey. Schools spelled s-c-h-o-o-o-l-s. Do you think someone should have proof-read this first? What an embarassment that this is out there for everyone to see.
A recent article in the Detroit News pointed out the grammar difficulties of the Detroit School Board's President. The article is most interesting to me because my alma mater, Wayne State University, dropped the English Proficiency requirement in 2007. I still remember taking the exam in 1968. I wrote about quarks. If you follow the link, you discover that not much was known about them in 1968, so it was more about making something sound coherent, if not factually true.
I had a student in the early 70's who could not write at all. She had taken the exam at Wayne and could not pass it. Her essay answers to test questions in my lab were totally unreadable. A year or so later, we switched to all multiple choice exams.
I imagine that the inablity to write well will become worse as we rely on tweeting, emails, and blogs to communicate. Who cares about spelling, punctuation, syntax, etc., if you get my general message?
To view the entire survey click here.
No, I did not spell a word wrong. That is exactly how it appears on the survey. Schools spelled s-c-h-o-o-o-l-s. Do you think someone should have proof-read this first? What an embarassment that this is out there for everyone to see.
A recent article in the Detroit News pointed out the grammar difficulties of the Detroit School Board's President. The article is most interesting to me because my alma mater, Wayne State University, dropped the English Proficiency requirement in 2007. I still remember taking the exam in 1968. I wrote about quarks. If you follow the link, you discover that not much was known about them in 1968, so it was more about making something sound coherent, if not factually true.
I had a student in the early 70's who could not write at all. She had taken the exam at Wayne and could not pass it. Her essay answers to test questions in my lab were totally unreadable. A year or so later, we switched to all multiple choice exams.
I imagine that the inablity to write well will become worse as we rely on tweeting, emails, and blogs to communicate. Who cares about spelling, punctuation, syntax, etc., if you get my general message?
To view the entire survey click here.
Eats, Shoots, and Leaves
If you have not read the above titled book "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves", you will not know that it refers to a definition of a panda. Obviously, the punctuation is wrong. No commas needed.
Yesterday, while reading the newspaper online, I came across a sentence with 44 words and 6 commas. There was no list in the sentence, just a bunch of commas separating phrases and making it difficult to read and understand. One comma did not even belong there.
I thought that copy editors were supposed to correct these mistakes in sentence construction. A large part of the GMAT exam for graduate business school acceptance is a series of questions involving grammar and construction. Any copy editor worth his salt (old school for 'salary') should have rewritten the sentence into two wholly understandable sentences with NO commas.
Lately it seems that everybody feels the need to place commas wherever and whenever they please in a sentence. With a seeming inability to spell and write among our younger generation, I wonder what do English teachers actually teach nowadays?
For an online story about this, check this out: Click here.
Yesterday, while reading the newspaper online, I came across a sentence with 44 words and 6 commas. There was no list in the sentence, just a bunch of commas separating phrases and making it difficult to read and understand. One comma did not even belong there.
I thought that copy editors were supposed to correct these mistakes in sentence construction. A large part of the GMAT exam for graduate business school acceptance is a series of questions involving grammar and construction. Any copy editor worth his salt (old school for 'salary') should have rewritten the sentence into two wholly understandable sentences with NO commas.
Lately it seems that everybody feels the need to place commas wherever and whenever they please in a sentence. With a seeming inability to spell and write among our younger generation, I wonder what do English teachers actually teach nowadays?
For an online story about this, check this out: Click here.
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