[Vision2020] School District Math
J Ford
privatejf32 at hotmail.com
Wed May 30 20:09:06 PDT 2007
And just how many MSD School Board Meetings have you gone to to voice your
opinion? There's a meeting next month....gonna be there?
J :]
>From: "Mike Deleve" <coolerfixer at adelphia.net>
>To: <vision2020 at moscow.com>, "Sue Hovey" <suehovey at moscow.com>
>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] School District Math
>Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 11:26:47 -0700
>
>Quoting my U.S. Government teacher, Sue Hovey, "My disagreement is with
>those who would stratify the high school population into the college bound
>and the non college bound and lock step them through any program."
>
>So my question is, why do we lockstep them through a college bound only
>program? No choice for the non-college bound. Trust me on this. The non
>college bound will not feel slighted by the addition of choices to help
>them
>with their long-term life goals. I feel I was cheated when I moved to
>Moscow. My previous school had a virtual apothecary of voc. ed classes to
>choose from. I knew long before high school that I had no interest in
>college. MSD's lack of voc ed hindered my career choices. If I had to do it
>over again, I would have moved to California and lived with my Grandmother
>and gone to school there. I would be far better off now. Gerry Weitz?I
>agree
>wholeheartedly with him on the subject of voc. ed. but not his tactics
>whatsoever. I have had discussions with many people over the years about
>the MSD's lack of voc ed, and the opinion that the MSD is off track is by
>far in the majority. There may be many fine teachers in the system (and
>Mrs.
>Hovey, you were one of them) but I truly believe that the MAJORITY of high
>school students are underserved if not unserved. I apologize if the tone of
>this is too aggressive, but this is a VERY sore subject with me.
>
>Mike
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Sue Hovey" <suehovey at moscow.com>
>To: "Saundra Lund" <sslund at roadrunner.com>; <vision2020 at moscow.com>;
>"'Donovan Arnold'" <donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com>
>Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 11:00 AM
>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] School District Math
>
>
> > But I don't disagree with you. Those classes should be offered for
> > everyone. My disagreement is with those who would stratify the high
> > school
> > population into the college bound and the non college bound and lock
>step
> > them through any program. I apologize if I didn't make myself clear.
>And
> > as for keyboarding skills, it seems to me they need to be taught in
> > elementary school. It used to be argued that elementary student motor
> > skills weren't developed enough for keyboarding, but I think from
>looking
> > at
> > the fine motor skills of young people, that's probably a crock...
> >
> > Sue
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Saundra Lund" <sslund at roadrunner.com>
> > To: "'Sue Hovey'" <suehovey at moscow.com>; <vision2020 at moscow.com>;
> > "'Donovan
> > Arnold'" <donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com>
> > Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 10:28 AM
> > Subject: RE: [Vision2020] School District Math
> >
> >
> >> Hi Sue & Other Visionaries:
> >>
> >> Well, I hesitate to toss my opinions into the mix. First, Donovan & I
> >> might
> >> both keel over from the shock of publicly almost agreeing with each
>other
> >> ;-)
> >>
> >> Second, and perhaps most importantly, I'm not particularly
>well-informed
> >> about some of these things, and I don't have the answers.
> >>
> >> OTOH, by tossing my opinions out there, I might get an education
>through
> >> the
> >> feedback :-)
> >>
> >> I'm not happy with Dr. Weitz's & his GMA buddies' lawsuit. I think it
> >> was
> >> a
> >> destructive & divisive thing for them to do, and I would like to think
> >> that
> >> there was some better way for Dr. Weitz to accomplish his purpose,
> >> whatever
> >> it was. However, I'm not privy to what other, if any, attempts he may
>or
> >> may not have made prior to filing suit.
> >>
> >> That said, I am *incredibly* disappointed with the school district.
> >> There
> >> is no excuse, IMHO, for having such an incredibly anemic pro-tech (or
> >> whatever the current word is for what used to be vo-tech) ed program
> >> :-(((
> >> It's absolutely unconscionable, IMHO.
> >>
> >> I've told these two anecdotes before, but for those who weren't here
>back
> >> then . . .
> >>
> >> First, when my daughter was at MJHS, we were told that if we wanted her
> >> to
> >> formally learn keyboarding (the modern equivalent to the typing I
>learned
> >> back in the Dark Ages), she *had* to take it at the junior high because
> >> it
> >> wasn't offered at the high school. To me, that is one of the biggest
> >> loads
> >> of you-know-what -- I don't care what the excuse is, telling kids they
> >> have
> >> to take keyboarding before tenth grade or not at all is a huge
>disservice
> >> to
> >> our students in this day & age.
> >>
> >> Second, I was one of those disgusting highly motivated, high achieving
> >> students who participated in lots of extracurricular activities back in
> >> the
> >> Dark Ages and who couldn't wait to get through high school and move
>onto
> >> college. I went to summer school (another important thing this
>district
> >> is
> >> lacking, IMHO) every summer so I could take more electives and graduate
> >> early. Which I did.
> >>
> >> HOWEVER, the vo-tech training I took is what enabled me to progress
> >> through
> >> higher education -- the skill I learned put me above minimum wage and
> >> opened
> >> lots of opportunities for me to be able to work while going to college.
> >> Because my father didn't support my planned course of education, he
> >> withheld
> >> my college funds. Since I'd not applied for financial aid or
> >> scholarships
> >> because I thought it better to leave those for young adults who
>wouldn't
> >> be
> >> able to go to school without them, I wouldn't have been able to
>*afford*
> >> to
> >> go to college were it not for the skills I got from vo-tech.
> >>
> >> I think it's a HUGE mistake to think that the pro-tech education this
> >> district is sorely lacking would only be of benefit to non-college
>bound
> >> students. Regardless of the actual stats of district college-bound
> >> students
> >> vs non-college-bound students, it's inexcusable, IMHO, that our
>district
> >> doesn't offer a real pro-tech program to *all* it's high school
>students.
> >> I
> >> don't know how we got to this point, but it's wrong, Wrong, WRONG.
> >>
> >> So, while I strongly disagree with Dr. Weitz's course of action, I also
> >> strongly support his efforts to get this district into the 21st century
> >> with
> >> pro-tech education for *all* our high school students . . . and I
> >> strongly
> >> disagree with the district's refusal to make progress in this area.
> >>
> >> Oh, and as an aside to Donovan, while I'm not qualified to discuss the
> >> nutritional status of our school breakfasts & lunches, I will say I'm
>not
> >> happy with them. Try being the parent of a vegetarian student, and no,
> >> my
> >> daughter isn't the only vegetarian at the high school! In our family,
>we
> >> (well, maybe not my husband) used to really Friday nights as Pizza
> >> nights,
> >> but since that's reportedly just about the *only* vegetarian choice at
> >> lunch, the bloom is *definitely* off that rose for my daughter after
> >> eating
> >> it day in & day out for just about two years now.
> >>
> >>
> >> JMHO,
> >> Saundra Lund
> >> Moscow, ID
> >>
> >> The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to
>do
> >> nothing.
> >> - Edmund Burke
> >>
> >> ***** Original material contained herein is Copyright 2007 through life
> >> plus
> >> 70 years, Saundra Lund. Do not copy, forward, excerpt, or reproduce
> >> outside
> >> the Vision 2020 forum without the express written permission of the
> >> author.*****
> >>
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com
> >> [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
> >> On Behalf Of Sue Hovey
> >> Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 9:19 AM
> >> To: vision2020 at moscow.com; Donovan Arnold
> >> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] School District Math
> >>
> >> Donovan makes a comparison one hears only too often today regarding
> >> the
> >> levy and its purpose. That's the pull between vocational and other
> >> education. His figure of 80% non college bound and 20% college bound
>is
> >> skewed for a number of reasons, but it isn't my purpose to mess with
>it.
> >> I
> >> would simply ask:
> >>
> >> What part of an academic education should those not college bound
> >> forego? A good grounding in math? So many vocational-technical
>careers
> >> are
> >> based in mathematic principals. Being a good writer--one who uses
> >> literary
> >> conventions (spelling, punctuation, grammar) correctly, in order to
> >> communicate effectively in an increasingly interactive world? An
> >> introduction to good literature and the mental stimulation it provides?
> >> A
> >> sound knowledge of basic scientific principles, and the theories on
>which
> >> they are based? A knowledge of the history, not only of our country,
>but
> >> the history and cultural underpinnings of current nations and the
> >> governments which preceeded them? Foreign language? Art? Music? Are
> >> not
> >> all these offerings equally important and vital to the proper education
> >> of
> >> all our students, regardless of the career paths they choose, sometimes
> >> after heading down one path only to find they really want to be
>somewhere
> >> else?
> >>
> >> It concerns me when people begin to make significant distinctions
> >> among
> >> students and their intellectual needs, based on educational plans that
> >> could
> >> tie them to lifetime career paths they may later find did not prepare
> >> them
> >> for the life they really want to lead. The best education for students
> >> is
> >> one that gives them ample preparation to sieze the opportunities which
> >> appeal to them in their 20s and 30s and not be limited by the choices
> >> they
> >> made, or even worse, those that were made for them, when they were 15
>or
> >> 16.
> >>
> >>
> >> Sue Hovey
> >>
> >> ----- Original Message -----
> >> From: Donovan Arnold <mailto:donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com>
> >> To: Glenn Schwaller <mailto:vpschwaller at gmail.com> ;
> >> vision2020 at moscow.com
> >> Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2007 9:36 PM
> >> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] School District Math
> >>
> >> Dr. Weitz is not only correct about the lawsuit because it is
> >> stealing from the public, but he is also correct in bring attention to
> >> the
> >> notion that the School District doesn't want to spend money and
>resources
> >> on
> >> the 80% of students that will not be college graduates and will be
> >> working
> >> a
> >> vocational job. Is it fair to spend 80% of the pie on 20% of the kids?
>I
> >> think not. MSD is practicing discrimination.
> >>
> >> Best,
> >>
> >> Donovan
> >>
> >> PS. The poor nutritional value of school lunches are another example
> >> of poor decisions being made by the public school system to prepare
> >> children
> >> for a quality life.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> No virus found in this incoming message.
> >> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> >> Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.8.3/824 - Release Date:
>5/29/2007
> >> 1:01 PM
> >>
> >>
> >
> > =======================================================
> > List services made available by First Step Internet,
> > serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> > http://www.fsr.net
> > mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> > =======================================================
> >
>
>
>=======================================================
> List services made available by First Step Internet,
> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> http://www.fsr.net
> mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>=======================================================
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