Arkansas Blog

"By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Love, joy, and peace,
SkyPilot

I'm almost ashamed to begin the discourse regarding an earlier topic given Sky's happy thoughts being projected. I'm at Big Brother's mercy during the workday (as it should be since I'm working), but there was a thread I glommed onto that was ranting against the LRSD (AGAIN). If you don't want your child to go there, then don't. There are plenty of outstanding options though. As a parent of a child within the LRSD, I would put any of my child's teachers/classes up against any private school (or public for that matter) within Pulaski County, likely even the state. Fulbright, Pulaski Heights, Forest Park, Jefferson, Central to name a few are top notch and I beg anyone to differ. I know the resulting posts are going to diatribe about these schools coming from the more affluent areas of Little Rock; however, I would argue that it's the parents' involvement in their childrens' education in the public school system that merits the schools' ability to consistently produce very bright scholars. What you pay for in private school, I guess, is viewed as an "investment" therefore you pay more attention to what goes on. I believe that every child is an investment and if you treat it as such, they will succeed regardless of the environment.

I know some private school teachers that are not the sharpest tack in the box. Certainly, the same can be said for public schools; however, it is ridiculous endeavors such as ESTEM that hurt the LRSD. All parents should expect the best from the district they are in, but for a "charter school" that should be focused at truly improving disadvantaged youth to take advantage of the best and brightest only hurts the system more. I am offended by the mentality that if you don't like it, leave. If you don't like it, fix it. Put your money where your mouth is, folks. And, if you don't have a child currently in the LRSD, STFU.

Apologies to the rest of the state, I hope my previous comment doesn't hijack the night. I just read the comments, got aggravated, and decided (for once) to actually post on a current thread as opposed to going back to something no one is going to read. (Not that my commentary is worth reading, but it is worth stating my opinion to me--especially since I have an investment in the topic.)

Sam, your opinion is quite justified, no need to apologize in my eyes. We are facing the decision of where our child's going to go ourselves. Fellows of ours who are also expecting are looking for places to move outside of the city, but I can't imagine giving up the convenience and joy of being a townie for any sort of perceived benefit of moving to another district.

There are concerns, sure, but in my view the best way to fix the problem is from the inside, and the best incentive to fix it is having a vested interest in it.

On a completely different note... whatcha plan to do with that Thanksgiving turkey? Bluename will take you to Eat Arkansas. Comments solicited....

NO prob Sam, and no need to apologize! "Open Line" usually means what it says, but you can rest assured that Strange or Large or the recent incantations of LiberalWhackJob9999999 will intercede to post a bunch of meaningless bullshit...just to stir up.
..............word over the weekend for us to TRY once again to not feed the trolls..............

Here's my "changing the subject" - the pedophile preacher in NWA post reminds that it's almost time for the Aaahhhh, yes - annual "Stealing Christmas Whinefest" by the usual suspects. Deliver us.........
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When a woman wears a leather dress,
A man's heart beats quicker,
And his throat gets dry,
He goes weak in the knees,
And he begins to think irrationally.
Ever wonder why?

Because she smells like a new truck .

Why is America' s fattest city never concerned about health issues?

"It doesn't come up," said David Felinton, 5-foot-9 and 233 pounds, as he walked toward City Hall one recent morning. "We've got a lot of economic challenges here in Huntington. That's usually the focus."

Nearly half the adults in metropolitan Huntington are obese - an astounding percentage, far bigger than the national average in a country with a well-known weight problem.

The economy needs to pick up "so people can afford to get healthy," said Ronnie Adkins, 67, a retired policeman, as he sat one recent morning on the smoking porch of the Jolly Pirate Donuts shop on U.S. 60.

Doughnut shops don't help either, of course. But breakfast pastry shops aren't the most common outlets for fatty food. Pizza joints are. They are seemingly on every block in some parts of the city. The Huntington phone book lists more pizza places (nearly 200) than the entire state of West Virginia has gyms and health clubs (149).

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SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, RIGHT?

" WASHINGTON - At least one in four U.S. veterans of the 1991 Gulf War suffers from a multi-symptom illness caused by exposure to toxic chemicals during the conflict, a congressionally mandated report being released Monday found.

For much of the past 17 years, government officials have maintained that these veterans -- more than 175,000 out of about 697,000 deployed -- are merely suffering the effects of wartime stress, even as more have come forward recently with severe ailments. . . "

It's less than one week after Veterans Day.

Click for full story

Raven (Inktome), we missed you this year.

It never ceases to amaze me. The LRSD gets a deplorable rating. Two of the three city high schools are on the list. Hall has been on the list for five years. Central has been on the list for three years and a number of you were singing its virtues only a few months ago when I challenged he quality of education provided by that school in particular and the LRSD in general. You people simply fall into your predictable enabling routine that simply ensures that this failure will continue and grow. The net result is a deteriorating school system that has no chance of surviving.

You imply that the private schools really aren't any better yet the people who have the means overwhelmingly choose private schools. People make real sacrifices to send their kids to private schools for the most obvious reasons and yet this goes over you like water on a duck's back. What is wrong with you people? Where is your common sense?

The public schools are a joke. The people who have the money know it and make their preferences known by running to the private schools. Those who can't afford private schools do everything humanly possible to get their kids in charter schools. Your reaction to this----you do everything possible to sabotage those schools. You really deserve what you get. The rich----mostly white---will get a decent education for their children and the rest will get the stale crumbs.

LOL, CiCi, ...so true.

Aaaaah, CiCi. You make my heart go pitter patter. :)

Schools. Private. Public. Put the public schools on the same playing field that private schools play on:
Give public schools the

1). right to refuse entrance to any child without any appeal

2). right not to have special education or to have special education teachers

3). right to not have a state-approved scholastic program

4). right to dismiss students for any reason with caring about Wood vs Stricklin

5). right to not have to use certified teachers/instructors

6). right to require passing grades in religion

7). right to raise tuition whenever wanted or needed

8). right to determine own days of attendance, price of meals, cafeteria, etc.

Danged if there wouldn't be a big difference in these public schools. But......they are just that......Public Schools.

strangelove, I can't speak for anyone else here -- but before this year, I really had no vested interest in the LRSD. Officially I still don't, but if I want my daughter to have a great education I can either pay twice for it or make sure my money counts the first time around. How do I figure that? We ALL pay for public education. And considering how far I will go to search out a good deal, I really have no desire to pay extra just so my kid can go to a private school and further deplete the school system of good clay for the wheel.

But it's not a matter of just watching and waiting. It's paying attention. It's voting in school board elections (and knowing who the heck you're voting for). It's becoming active in the school and in the community. It's watching when the word "reform" is used and making sure that "reform" is about the kids and not about lining someone's pocketbook. It's about common sense and clarity, and making sure our kids are getting a real education and not just learning enough to pass the next round of tests. it's about making sure that the programs we benefitted from when we were in school -- like band, foreign language, athletics and other "extracurriculars" are available for our progeny and not cut as unnecessary expenses.

Most of all, it's paying attention and not putting our heads in the sand when it's decision time. And decision time isn't just the Legislative session or the start of a school year.

I'll be the first to admit that I could be wrong... but I'd rather rise with a swell of optimism than let pessimism pull me down into thinking that all is doom and gloom.

Want to improve public schools? It's way bigger than any one school or the LRSD. It's a national problem. It's called NCLB. Hopefully the new administration can start dismantling some NCLB policies.

Oh, come on! The problems of the public schools has been going on since the early 70s and getting worse each year. This has nothing to do with who is President or who controls Congress. I saw the LRSD deteriorate and it had nothing to do with the national level. It belong right here at home. We are responsible for our schools not the feds. We stood by and watched them go under pretending that nothing was happening because we didn't want to be called names.

Oh, come on! The problems of the public schools have been going on since the early 70s and getting worse each year. This has nothing to do with who is President or who controls Congress. I saw the LRSD deteriorate and it had nothing to do with the national level. It belong right here at home. We are responsible for our schools not the feds. We stood by and watched them go under pretending that nothing was happening because we didn't want to be called names.

Oh, come on! The problems of the public schools have been going on since the early 70s and getting worse each year. This has nothing to do with who is President or who controls Congress. I saw the LRSD deteriorate and it had nothing to do with the national level. It belongs right here at home. We are responsible for our schools not the feds. We stood by and watched them go under pretending that nothing was happening because we didn't want to be called names.

I wish there was a way to know what percent of the people who send their children to private schools voted for McCain. I hear the same reasons for not voting for Obama as I have heard for some time as reasons for not sending one's children to public schools, i.e., "I'm not a racist, but.........

Ya know, I'm a product of those LRSD schools... yeah, just my last four years (at Horace Mann and at Parkview). I was blessed with a variety of courses to choose from, programs to participate in, and a very well rounded educational experience. And I may be looking at the edge of "old fartdom" but all of my school years have been since the '70s. To me, the experience wasn't all that bad... but your mileage may vary.

Of course, I also remember what a lot of us Patriots were thankful for back in the early '90s... that we weren't students at Central or Hall. But that probably had a lot more to do with school pride than standards.

There you go again. If someone sends their kids to private school they are racists. Do you see the games that you play? If poor black people had the means of going to private school they would. Are they racists? They want what every decent parent wants----a good education for their children. Enabling the continuation of a failed public school system dooms all of those children who have no other choice. They will fail in life and you who enabled the continuation of a failed public school system will bear some of the responsibility.

I have an advantage on you because I was part of the LRSD in the 50s. I have a base to compare the LRSD with what it is today. The differences in terms of quality of education and public safety are stark. Parent were very active in the schools and teachers did not put up with any problems from students. Of course, they didn't have many problems with students. The worst problem they had to deal with then were students chewing gum in class. That was the 'bigee'. If you got out of line and stayed there they would kick you out of school permanently. Again, that was a rarity.

For the second time in a bloggers-life, I have to agree with much of what Strange has said (3 times ;>) Ultimately, the ONLY "consumer" of the public schools is the students - the absolute LAST (if EVER) place anyone looks for either accountability OR feedback. IF I were running a school, the first thing I'd do is have a Mission Statement about education. Our local school's starts off with "Provide a controlled environment..." That's the mission statement of a prison.

The second thing I'd do is conduct "bring them back" sessions (and remote connections/internet/etc.) to query my "consumers" about their experiences there in learning, and PAY ATTENTION to what they have to say.

The third thing I'd do is conduct annual group process sessions around "______________ School would be better if ________________?" for faculty/staff, parents and other patrons, and STUDENTS. We did that in our school several years ago. Even tho' we had board & admin permission to do this, and used trained facilitators well-known in the community, amazing innovative and wonderful results, and produced a professional report on the outcomes to the board, admin/staff and patrons, it was TOTALLY IGNORED. THAT made it clear how much "public" (or any other) input/feedback meant to the entrenched admin establishment. If you show up for many of these small/rural school board meetings, you are treated like a space invader - in spite of lip-service they DO NOT WANT YOU THERE.

The (rural) public schools I'm familiar with, having raised 2 kids here, are about 2 things:
[ ] cowtowing to the Religious Wrong, and
[ ] conformity.

Our overall education system in AR is a low-achieving joke where the best/motivated students do just fine, and eveyone else sucks wind - JUST the way the parents want it. Otherwise, for example, locals would eventually vote for Obama - CANNOT have that (critical thinking)!!! Watchword: conformity. We don't have the second-to West Virginia number of uneducated people for nuttin'.

The community college system, which has moved away from technical/"trade" job prep, to advanced high school/college feeder (the latter of which it SUCKS at) at a huge cost. HS grads of 30 years ago were about par with these joke CC grads now.

MOST of our public schools fail to educate, as do most in the US - falling further and further behind the rest of the world, just like with most every other social metric. We have EXACTLY the kind of "education" that "the people" want!!! Simply look at the HS graduation rates if you doubt it...
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All I'm trying to say to you is that Asian kids in places like China and Japan, as examples, are going to eat our lunch. Their schools are far superior to ours. They don't have to deal with the PC nonsense that we do. They end up producing so many more engineers and scientist that we do. What is there to argue about?

Just for you Cato but, I realize it's late.

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Not to change the subject, but this *is* the open line...

The Guardian is reporting that Hillary is accepting the position as Secretary of State.

blue name

Good. I'm glad that Mrs. clinton has accepted. It's good to know that the way to become a secretary of state is to be the first lady. I'm sure that experience is very relevant to implementing foreign policy. Aren't we glad that she married bill. If she hadn't we would have never known who she was.

Bush signs deal to leave Iraq by 2011. No Conditions. Combat troops to leave by 2009.

"All US forces will leave by 2011, Baghdad cabinet agrees
. Combat troops to quit most provinces next year
. U-turn by leading Shia cleric paves way for deal

The US and Iraq will formally commit to a pact that withdraws all American forces from the country within three years, and pulls all combat troops out of most provinces by mid-2009, the Iraqi cabinet announced yesterday. The deal for the first time prescribes a timeline for an American departure from Iraq, which the US president-elect, Barack Obama, had foreshadowed as top of his foreign policy agenda when he takes office on January 20.

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Negative Ned Strangeloves the name, spreading gloom is my game. Outside of Jesus and his neon kingdom, can ya say anything good about anything?

The problem with Fort Baptist schools is that the administration has grown to the size of Texas, sucking up all the money and spitting out thousands of "gotta look busy to get a paycheck" rules and regulations until no one can teach nothing. Secondly, in these times like never before, parents have to be involved with their kids schools on a weekly basis. No more can you depend on schools to babysit and civilize your kids. Not to upset strangelove, but it does take a village to raise a child these days. Our public schools have some fantastic teachers that pay no attention to the clock....they stay until the job is done.

Our kids have had a few dopey advisers, but very few sorry teachers. No Child Left Behind was implemented but for the most part not funded. The end result is tons more tests, tons more work for the teachers, tons more rules for the kids with no reward for anyone. Cities like Fort Smith who get tons of immigrants never test well. Giving more and more schools public black marks helps no one either. Why not such a system for our Congress? What about No Citizen Left Behind? Let's start grading them bastids and see how they fair.

If your kid is doing poorly in school, it's your job to get your butt up there and find out why.

I don't know much about the LRSD, but I've certainly noticed that schools don't work anymore and it didn't start with NCLB, but that didn't help any either - only made it worse. I think any of us can see it's a mess - much like our economical structure is a mess - but once a structure has been altered again and again and is all grotesque and gangly with the foundation hardly recognizable anymore, it's impossible to know where to begin to repair it yet again. I got a good education in public school - but that was eons ago - homes were different, teachers were professional, kids sort of respected authority - and we didn't have video games, mp3's, working moms, etc. It was just easier.

Today classes are huge, kids are unruly, teachers are often those who couldn't do anything else and they don't like kids and aren't invested in their success. Those few special teachers who do care and who do work very hard are sucked dry by uncooperative angry parents and low budgets that don't even allow for necessary supplies at times. We've experimented with so many plans, kept parts and moved to the next experiment that when I did some substitute teaching a couple of years ago, I was shocked at what I found. It's almost like the big three auto-makers and you have to wonder if it wouldn't be a blessing if all our schools disappeared tomorrow and we had to import a system into this country from a more successful country and let someone else educate our kids for a while, banning ALL special interest groups from interfering with the curriculum.

They say "what goes around comes around", and I think we are headed back to the fifties where our economy is concerned and painful as it may be, maybe we will be smarter next time. Maybe we need to do the same with our schools.

Dang it. Born too early. Click on Cato.