A Teacher Grows Disillusioned After a ‘Fail’ Becomes a ‘Pass’
Several weeks into his first year of teaching math at the High School of Arts and Technology in Manhattan, Austin Lampros received a copy of the school’s grading policy. He took particular note of the stipulation that a student who attended class even once during a semester, who did absolutely nothing else, was to be given 45 points on the 100-point scale, just 20 short of a passing mark.
Mr. Lampros’s introduction to the high school’s academic standards proved a fitting preamble to a disastrous year. It reached its low point in late June, when Arts and Technology’s principal, Anne Geiger, overruled Mr. Lampros and passed a senior whom he had failed in a required math course.
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She had not even shown up to take the final exam. She did, however, attend the senior prom.
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“It’s almost as if you stick to your morals and your ethics, you’ll end up without a job,” Mr. Lampros said in an interview. “I don’t think every school is like that. But in my case, it was.”
Here’s why. You’ll notice it’s not about the students.
They also describe a principal worried that the 2006 graduation rate of 72.5 percent would fall closer to 50 or 60 percent unless teachers came up with ways to pass more students.
What does the mother of such a slacker student think? Do you even need to ask?
Samantha Fernandez, Indira’s mother, spoke on her behalf. “My daughter earned everything she got,” she said. Of Mr. Lampros, she said, “He needs to grow up and be a man.”
What a fool for thinking he’s supposed to do the right thing!
#23 – details, details 😉
#19…tallwookie…another *detail* you missed. All of the new studies show that the group that has benifitted the most from AA is ***women***. All women of all races are the primary recievers of AA in our society.
Performance is what these people are already being judged on. If the students and the schools total scores aren’t at the level expected or mandated then Principle’s and teachers alike bite it.
It’s probably to late to change education back to a knowledge based system. The only thing left to do is just scrap it all and start over. Go back to a core group of studies(math, history, science, english), add on a couple art’s classes, basic gym(kids don’t shower at school anymore, and aren’t required to participate) and ditch the bullshit. Add a couple language courses so we aren’t so damn stupid anymore.
Schools have always been the chief institution of brainwashing, it used to be conservative and now it’s liberal. Just teach, forget the politics, because if American kids don’t start learning again, the political system they will live under won’t care about conservative or liberal….
The way things are going, they might want to teach them which way is Mecca for prayer time.
History should start
#9:
What’s the purpose of school? To learn things. What’s the purpose of tests? To see how well you learned. If you haven’t bothered to study, it’s your fault your “self esteem” is low. Grades aren’t punishments to “tear them down”, but inducements to “build people up.”
The primary recipients of affirmative action are wealthy and middle class blacks.
#35 – read #37’s comment.
PS: ok fine, but why dont you go check and see what RACE these WOMEN come from, I’ll bet one beeeleon dollas that they’re not primarily caucasian. Also… Mecca? are you serious? you want kids to know where a meteorite is enshrined? what kind of useless fucking garbage is that? thats almost as useful (but not quite) as knowing how to order pork chops in Islamabad. Pull on some beards for me while you’re there *wink*
16, 19,
This post had nothing todo with race or affirmative action until you brought it up, in poor taste IMNSHO. This is about the failure of no child left behind legislation. You may bring race on as a different issue that is somewhat related, but it is not the same issue at all.
I am not an ultraconservative but when we in society and the microcosm of schools started enabling and allowing the ultraliberals to have their way we became AT FAULT in this whole ridiculous situation referred to as today’s education. There have always been useless parents and their close to the tree apples but the difference is not they and their liberal spokespeople are running the show.
This is almost funny until you realize that it is not a joke. Which politically correct child pampering idiot came up with rules like this?? Let’s be honest: the basic instinct of most people is to be lazy and take the easy road. If there is absolutely no chance of failing, what is the incentive to study? Only seriously naive people belief that the majority of teenagers would be eager to study because it is “good for them” (which it is of course).
oops in #40 I meant to say “now they and their liberal…….” I suppose I should still get a 100% for spelling eh because I tried! No really I don’t mean to sound harsh but it is time for the anticipated backlash to all this bleeding heart liberal hogwash that has dominated the schools. And I don’t mean swing totally the other way but find a sensible reasonable and educational middle ground. Get a grip on it. This is going to include, I am afraid, going after the laws that protect the poor behavior of SPED kids because once those laws started protecting those kids the spill over effect was a done deal. It is time for dysfunctional kids and their parents to realize that functional kids and their parents have rights too and that includes the right to have their grades mean something and the right to be in a school where they do not have to tolerate an abusive student who hides behind his “I have ADHD” statements.
#40, This has nothing to do with being liberal.
No Child Left Behind, which is Bush’s program, penalizes schools financially who have crummy students and/or useless parents.
In Florida, the smart children and useful parents do whatever it takes to get their kids into the magnet schools. And guess what, useful parents come in all colors and all political backgrounds.
In our magnet school, the principal has no problem throwing students out who don’t perform, either socially or academically. They go to the “neighborhood school”. We also get the best teachers (no 24 sick days, that’s for sure)
The principal at this high school is probably doing what it takes to keep her funding. Why should next year’s students suffer a funding cut, because of this student? And of course, the principal gets teachers who need a lot to time off. No Child Left Behind is a program that simply requires gaming and these principals know how to game it.
I am #40. I stand by my liberal assessment although I do acknowledge that everyone is entitled to their opinion, including #43. Track back to when the laws started changing including the SPED laws and you will easily be able to follow the trend. Clearly, alternative schools are a good solution and where they are established they offer healthy educational alternatives for many students. As we all know, however, quality education must be for all and thus I back up again to let’s all stop hiding behind the whining about no child left behind and that we can’t do something about dysfunctional students because no child left behind is simply a reaction to the very liberal nonaccountability that has occurred in public education at the taxpayers expense particularly with our very expensive special education programs and is also about the public not being willing to stand up and say enough is enough. Except in Wisconsin I believe we have seen an example of the public saying enough is enough when Hainstock (killed his principal who by the way was also a very capable principal in just your everyday public school) was found guilty and given life sentence! yeah! And guess what among all the other silly liberal comments that got made was also “He has ADHD!” Well for heaven sakes why would we hold him accountable then?
#43
> In our magnet school, the principal has no problem
> throwing students out who don’t perform, either
> socially or academically
That is exactly what is needed at all schools and why private schools have such an advantage over public schools. At private schools, by definition, your attendance is a privilege not a right. The “neighborhood” schools unfortunately do not have the ability to simply throw out students that are misfits. The problem is that we are using our neighborhood schools as the catch-all for all types and that is a mistake. What we need is a couple of different types of catch-all schools: a strict discipline boarding school for social and academic problems, a school/psychological medical facility for those with real medical disorders. Instead we are punishing the typical student by not allowing public administrators to weed out those that are causing a problem for others.