Comments on: Superintendent Recommends Tabling Master Plan Until May

By: TOO COOL

TOO COOL — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 15:05:35 +0000

It is easy to complain and much harder to provide solutions. I hope real debate does take root.

By: GBK Gwyneth

GBK Gwyneth — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 19:22:58 +0000

Not only are you deaf to it, the administration seems to be as well. When a teacher has poor classroom management skills and cannot maintain an environment that is conducive to learning, that is a problem that needs to be addressed by the schools. The issues my child faced last year went much deeper than what can be chalked up to “growing up”, and I’m sure the counselor at FAVE (so grateful for her presence and guidance), who saw my daughter often, would agree with me on that. Thankfully this year at FAVE has almost made up for the challenges of last year.

By: At Home in Decatur

At Home in Decatur — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:48:30 +0000

I’m still happy when I hear a buzz at the homes where my children stay. Maybe not a cut-throat razor blade helicopter rotor, but a nice warm, fuzzy bee buzz. After some of the stories I’ve heard in recent years of basically nice well-trained Decatur kids doing some incredibly stupid things, some with permanent consequences, I think a little ceiling-level hovering, a distant buzz, a long, long tether, is in order until those frontal lobes finish developing. (See National Geographic brain images.) You can always decrease the buzz over time if kids prove themselves ready but once they’ve made made a huge mistake with life consequences, you cannot turn back the clock.

There’s such a thing as too much Tiger Mom, too much helicoptering, not enough ordinary childhood bumps, bruises, and healing. But I also think that the term “helicoptering” or “teens need to be more independent” is used defensively by folks who just don’t want to deal issues brought up by parents. A long-term experienced middle school staffer recently told me that she observes many more problems with parents distancing themselves too much from their children once they become preteens and teens rather than vice versa. You are still your child’s one best advocate, supporter, disciplinarian, guide, and comfort.

By: At Home in Decatur

At Home in Decatur — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:10:34 +0000

SLTs are an underutilized way to share constructive suggestions and information and have been successful in a few projects over 5 year period of our first charter, e.g. the Clairemont Math Academy, Decatur 101, RMS school improvement plan input, RMS gifted plan. Other SLTs should chime in with good examples. But SLTs need to be used more often and more automatically. SLT members have had to push awfully hard to get as far as they have. A book is coming out soon that highlights our system and other area charter systems. There’s good examples and models for how charter systems can use SLTs productively to build teacher and parent engagement, buy-in, and school improvement.

By: Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 14:50:14 +0000

M3: +1
Namaste! Please. Some of the nattering nabobs of negativism fixated on bashing our schools, which by any reasonable measures are outperforming all of our intown Atlanta peers, and most of the state of Georgia (admittedly a lowish bar), need to breathe. Yes, we have some issues. Generally all first world problems. Can we please approach this with a positive attitude? Our school officials are not out to get us. And have generally proven themselves competent (or better) over a long period of time. How about we keep an eye on them, yes, but give them support and only CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, and otherwise let them do their jobs?