- I wonder what kind of an experience some of those people had when they were in school? They might say that school was different when they went there, and they turned out just fine. If so, I'd ask them to consider whether they turned out fine because of or in spite of their experience. I wonder if some are so rancorous because there experience wasn't that great?
- I wonder how long it has been since they were inside a classroom? Have they spent any time seeing what's going on?
The last question leads me to the common conundrum about people. If you ask them how schools are doing, they often tell you what terrible things are happening. However, if you ask them if they like their child's teacher, they often love that person and think s/he's doing well.
Would the current climate change if we could galvanize people to volunteer and help out the schools in their communities (especially those who don't have kids or whose kids are grown)? In my opinion, it might, and everyone would win.
- Schools (incl. administration, custodians, counselors, etc.) would have more help (maybe need a little less money)
- Students would have more help and might be able to receive more one-on-one help/attention
- Students would have more exposure to the adults in their community and adults would have more exposure to the kids in their community
- Teachers would have more help with their classroom and with their prep work
- Volunteers would feel good about helping and could see the issues, commitment, and hard work from all parties
It's always easier to complain when you are not too close to an issue. I don't know how to go about galvanizing a large group of people, but I want to take this idea into my room and see if it makes a difference there.
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