juga
Joined: 02/05/2007
Posts: 304

Recent Comments by juga
What makes me mad in Walker County is...
12/01/2008 11:20:48 AM
THIS IS PRICELESS!!

After being interviewed by the school administration, the
teaching prospect said, "Let me see if I've got this right:

"You want me to go into that room with all those kids,
correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of
abuse, monitor their
dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love
for learning.
"You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war
on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their
sense of self esteem and personal pride.
"You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship,
sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a
checkbook, and apply for a job. You want me to check their heads for
lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they
all pass the state exams.
"You want me to provide them with an equal education
regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with
their parents by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report
card.
"You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a
blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a
starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps. You want
me to do all this and then you tell me:

I CAN'T PRAY?"
What makes me mad in Walker County is...
11/25/2008 07:49:42 AM
VWN, first of all you are the one arguing about what I said about high standards and higher standards. Secondly, you can google all you want and find information to support your theory. Thirdly, we all know what assuming means; I am not an employee of Walker County.

Teachers did choose their profession and would not have if they didn't want to work with children. That doesn't make them any different than anyone else. Society has allowed the school system to raise the children and take the responsibility from the parents. There are some parents who do what they should,but there are many who do not. Schools now serve breakfast, lunch, after school care; parents spend very little time with their children. Someone is always ready to criticize a teacher, school, etc. when something goes wrong, but you don't find many times when something goes right, the public is out there telling them good job. Continue doing your google searches and making incorrect assumptions about my profession, and I will continue supporting who and what I choose and you do the same.
What makes me mad in Walker County is...
11/24/2008 11:24:37 PM
toosavoter, I don't know why you think this is so ridiculous. First of all, it is not our place to judge the morals of others. Secondly, I never said it was o.k to be immoral; I said teachers should not be held to a higher standard above all others. Teachers should be held to same standard as any other person in the students' lives.
What makes me mad in Walker County is...
11/24/2008 01:26:59 PM
VWN, I don't know how else to put this. Teachers are ones who go to school, get an education and certifiation to teach students. They are charged with teaching the curriculum approved by the state board of education. Teachers are role models for the students as well as many other individuals in the lives of our children. Your post isn't really clear in the fact that I am saying teachers shouldn't be held to a higher standard than anyone else and teachers shouldn't be held to a higher standard. To me that is saying the same thing and is not out of both sides of my mouth. I will say it again...

Teachers should have high standards,but not any higher than anyone else who touch the lives of our children. It is not fair to require teachers to be more than others just because they are teachers. Teachers are called teachers for the reason of bringing forth curriculum and standards to the classroom and provide our children an opportunity to become a successful citizen in the future. Teachers shouldn't be held any higher than a policeman, preacher, doctor,etc. P A R E N T S are called parents for a reason. Why aren't they the ones who are ultimately held to a higher standard? There is no greater role model(good or bad) a child has than his/her parents.
What makes me mad in Walker County is...
11/24/2008 08:10:31 AM
Flip, you are correct in saying that each school system is judged by the same criteria. The problem is that the percentages and outcome of that criteria is put into a formula and the result is the result. When a school has to use the scores of students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged in that formula, the results are not comparable. Just out of curiosity, I went to the website gppf.org and saw "report card". I would offer caution to the reliability of this site. You might want to check the validity of the research. One cannot just look at the column of AYP and determine a good school or not. As I looked at Chickamauga City and Trion City, I noticed the poverty level did not exceed 30% and most didn't exceed 25%; most of the schools, with the exception of Fairyland, exceeded 50% and some went as high as 76%. All of these components play a huge role in test scores. One area I noticed this site didn't inlcude was the SWD students into the formula and those scores are considered when determining AYP.
What makes me mad in Walker County is...
11/24/2008 07:47:49 AM
VWN, could you be more specific?
What makes me mad in Walker County is...
11/23/2008 07:44:16 PM
I haven't really read up on the firing of Floyd County's teachers, but if what they did involved students directly then I would think they should be suspended pending investigation. There is a difference in what our coaches did and being intimate with a student. Again, it is apples to oranges. No, I don't have a double standard and yes I do believe teachers should be held to a high standard,but again, not any higher than any other individual.
What makes me mad in Walker County is...
11/23/2008 07:47:40 AM
Flip, funny how you just ignored the facts given of Trion and GL. Funny how you went back to the year 2003, but didn't include the change of the formula to determine AYP. SWD students' test scores were not considered, but now they are. I am not sure what point you are trying to make about Mathis, but you will not find anyone more qualified for the job and you definitely won't find anyone with more intelligence and experience than Mathis.

If your numbers in your last post included all schools 1-12, did you include which indicator(s) determined the AYP status? Did you go back and research which grade's test scores deternined the AYP status? Since you know so much about AYP and the system, you would surely know that in the past years all grades were not tested and at one time 4th grade test scores were the scores targeted.
What makes me mad in Walker County is...
11/22/2008 06:37:37 PM
Flip, obviously you have all the statistics. I was not referring to rejects from GL or Trion that cause GR to go down. I am talking about the fact that regardless of where students live in Walker County, LaFayetter or Ridgeland have to take them if they are in district. Trion is by far an elite school and those that think that the system is above others is saddenly mistaken. They have fewer students in the classroom and some who want to believe they are in a private school go for the self glorification. If someone lives in the city of Trion and go to Trion, if they don't want them or if they want to get rid of them, it happens. GL on the otherhand is a little different. The cliental is a little different in Chickamauga because the area has more money in the community. Don't think for one minute that they don't recruit for sports and otherwise. I know firsthand. You are kidding yourself if you don't believe I know what I am talking about. I do. I am not going to copy statistics for you. If you want to know go to www. gadoe.org and look at data reporting. This conversation would have never started if the system had not been attacked and Melissa Mathis had not criticized. Obviously, you don't know all the components in the test data. Academically , Walker County is sound. Attendance is a problem. The system is on the rise and has been since Melissa Mathis has been in. She is dealing with what was handed to her.

Well, I will make it alot easier for you here it is. Notice the SWD(student with disabilities) which is educators lingo..... is a factor now because their test scores are in the formula. These students have IEP's and are academically challenged and could possibly be 3-7 years behind. Some could MI or other. This makes a huge difference in numbers. Am I blaming the students? NO, I am not. I believe they should be tested on the level they function based on IEP, however they are not. They are given the same test as other students. So here are you numbers you were asking for:

Walker County....2007- 626 students with 55.4% Graduation Rate with 80 SWD students
2008- 613 students with 58.6% Graduation Rate with 96 SWD students

Gordon Lee..... 2007 135 students with 88.1% Graduation Rate with O SWD students
2008- 119 students with 91.6% Graduation Rate with 0 SWD students

Trion........ 2007- 91 students with 96.7% Graduation Rate with 0 SWD students
2008- 90 students with 93.4% Graduation Rate with 0 SWD students

Before you try to say I am blaming SWD students I am not. I explained that earlier. Look at Trion who had a decrease of 1 student with a 3.3% decrease in GR. GL had an decrease of 16 students with only a 3.5% increase. Walker County had a decrease of 13 students with an increase of 3.2% increase in GR.

Do you see how numbers can be manipulated? Anyone can put out a percentage of Graduation Rate but do not include all the components. Walker County has more factors to figure in and still is right there within 3/10 of a difference.

Another point, two of the coaches who was arrested from WC is a special education teacher and does a fantastic job with those students. The SWD rate of graduation is on the rise thanks to guys like these who put the time into the classroom.
What makes me mad in Walker County is...
11/22/2008 10:18:00 AM
Flip, first of all I am not an employee of the Walker County school system. I feel teachers should be held accountable to the fullest extent. The problem is that when something goes wrong, it is the fact teachers aren't doing their job or the system is failing. When something goes right, it is because they have supportive parents and a good home life. Do you see the writing on the wall? As far as comparing Trion and Gordon Lee, I have to be honest, I had a really good laugh. First, if you are relying on statistics to tell you the truth, you might want to look further. Comparing these two schools to the two high schools in Walker County, is like comparing apples to oranges. These two schools have the freedom to dismiss students who don't make the grade or if the parents aren't of some elite few whereas, the high schools in WC do not have that right. f

Some of the parents are sending are sending the best they have; the problem is the some of the parents are being the best they should be and raising their children in a way a school system can't be held responsible.

I don't believe a teacher,etc should be put above all else and blame others. I believe it takes all components of a child's life to make success. I see the problem being is that when something goes wrong it is the teachers, etc fault; when something goes right, they don't get the credit. Also, you might want to refresh your statistics course since you are throwing out percentages of Trion and GL versus LaFayette. It is a numbers game.

VWN: The operative words in your post are years ago. Things have changed.