The Grand Banana Republic school system

Disruptive deadbeat “students” put teacher over the edge.

Stupid, undisciplined students are the norm in the GBR. What would I do if I were a teacher in say, a Chicago school (I think this is Chicago, but it could really be in any big city)? I definitely wouldn’t get worked up like this poor slob; I’d encourage the bad students to quit and join a gang where their life expectancy would be mercifully short, and where my teaching would be stress free. Good teachers are just a waste of time and money (and health) in an undisciplined environment. At least this guy goes out with a bang. Read article here (NJ.com)

Related: Check this horror school, in Newark, NJ. Here (NJ.com)

Related: El Paso, Texas. Here (Daily Mail).

Textbook wars

“Students are returning to school this week. But they’re not heading back to class — they’re walking straight into a war zone. Our kids have become cannon fodder for two rival ideologies battling to control America’s future. In one camp are conservative Christians and their champion, the Texas State Board of Education; in the other are politically radical multiculturalists and their de facto champion, President Barack Obama. The two competing visions couldn’t be more different. And the stakes couldn’t be higher. Unfortunately, whichever side wins — your kid ends up losing.” Here

“To make the list in California, books must be scrupulously stereotype free: No textbook can show African Americans playing sports, Asians using computers, or women taking care of children. Anyone who stays in textbook publishing long enough develops radar for what will and won’t get past the blanding process of both the conservative and liberal watchdogs.” Here.

Down with six-word stories, down with one word exams (I say)

…Yes, six word stories are cute for about five minutes, as are Tweets of all kinds, but how valuable (intellectually speaking) is the Oxford tradition of the one word exam? “…The exam was simple yet devilish, consisting of a single noun (“water,” for instance, or “bias”) that applicants had three hours somehow to spin into a coherent essay. An admissions requirement for All Souls College here, it was meant to test intellectual agility, but sometimes seemed to test only the ability to sound brilliant while saying not much of anything…” Here.

Update: Six words too much? One word not enough? How about four-word reviews…Review of a Nitty Gritty Dirt Band performance: “Conservative, but right on.”

Update: Yes, we were missing a five: now remedied. Five word speeches.

A teacher writes candidly…

On a controversial subject…quoting…”Until recently I taught at a predominantly black high school in a southeastern state. The mainstream press gives a hint of what conditions are like in black schools, but only a hint. Expressions journalists use like “chaotic” or “poor learning environment” or “lack of discipline” do not capture what really happens. There is nothing like the day-to-day experience of teaching black children and that is what I will try to convey…” Here.

Update: U.S. News and World Reports’  Marty Nemko gives his proposal for a solution: Closing the Achievement Gap.