Getting organized (financially) for back to school

July 30th, 2010

Photo: evelynishere

I’m excited that Ainslie and I will both be writing Back to School-themed posts; I’ll be giving the parent’s perspective, while Ainslie provides the teacher’s POV.

Our first topic is getting organized. I can’t help but think of financial organization first.

Next weekend, our community is having a Back to School celebration, and I will be picking up as much as possible at that event. I love that I live somewhere that provides this opportunity.

I would ask teachers to remember, particularly these days, that even the little things are big purchases for many of us right now. This has always been an issue for me (single, working parent with a deadbeat ex).

I really appreciated that at the end of the last school year, my youngest daughter’s elementary school informed us of the cost of the 5th Grade camping trip, and when it would be due in the coming school year. It allowed me to work it into my budget, instead of only having about a month to come up with $185. Not an easy task for me.

Summertime has been particularly financially challenging since my child care costs quadruple. Just as I’m finally starting to get that under control, I remembered that I’d have to pay their membership fees for the new school year’s after-school care, that I’m expected to pay for yearbooks and pictures and PTA memberships during registration; and of course, the new notebooks, pencils, papers…it all adds up rather quickly! I can’t even think about new school clothes.

So my advice to parents would be to start financially organizing. First, make a list of all the expenses you know are going to be coming up and exactly how much each costs. Don’t forget the fees for extra-curricular activities (i.e. rental equipment and uniforms), field trips(including money for souvenirs/food), class trips, dances (and clothing for dances), yearbooks, pictures, and so forth in addition to basic supplies like notebooks, papers and pencils. It may be a good idea to call the school and inquire about the itinerary of events for the class level, along with the cost of each of these fees. Second, list the due date next to all the fees. This way you’ll know realistically how much you will need each month, and can budget accordingly. By systemically setting aside the funds ahead of time, you will hopefully be able to cover all the school year expenses. If not, you will have ample time to figure out alternative solutions.

My advice to teachers is to have a very basic, simple list of what your students absolutely need to have, and then mark everything else “optional.” Struggling families will appreciate your thoughtfulness!

April McCaffery is a single mom to two daughters, going into 5th and 8th grade.

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Obama Addresses Education Reform in Speech Today

July 29th, 2010

Today President Barack Obama made a speech to the National Urban League, where he forcefully defended his educational reform initiatives. These programs, particularly  Race to the Top, have been criticized by many civil rights groups (including The Urban League) who believe that the competition involved for the grant money makes it difficult for the schools most in need to get funds. Education advocates, including some teachers unions, complain the programs set unfair standards for teachers.

Obama eloquently rebutted these criticisms. He explained that his programs reward states for making progress on raising standards, improving teacher quality, establishing data systems, and turning around low-performing schools, thus helping the schools most in need. Obama stated that he is is trying to encourage states to work together to adopt higher, more uniform academic standards, which he believes will help improve under-performing schools, as well. He sharply criticized the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, which he said rewarded states for lowering standards, and claimed that Race to the Top is already reversing the negative effects of No Child Left Behind.

Obama went on to explain that Race to the Top would help states develop richer assessments that do a better job of gauging what students know so that teachers can improve instruction, instead of “teaching to the test.” He said the goal of reform isn’t to fire or admonish teachers, but to create a culture of accountability. He said that amongst the changes he wanted to see implemented were higher pay, better training and additional resources to help teachers succeed. “Surely we can agree that even as we applaud teachers for their hard work, we need to make sure they’re delivering results in the classroom. If they’re not, let’s work with them to help them be more effective. And if that fails, let’s find the right teacher for that classroom.”

Image Credit: http://manhattaninfidel.com/__oneclick_uploads/2010/01/president-obama.jpg

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Christi Grab is the author of The Unexpected Circumnavigation: Unusual Boat, Unusual People Part 1 – San Diego to Australia. She is currently working on book two of the series.

Posted in Christi Grab, Education Policy | 1 Comment »

Round 2 Race to the Top Finalists: 18 States & D.C.

July 29th, 2010

Race to the Top is a historic federal project to investment in education reform, with $4.35 billion available to support states in their comprehensive educational reform. Funds are being disbursed in rounds. Round one and round two involved competitions amongst the states for grants based on their comprehensive plans to reform their schools and the statewide support for those plans. Reform plans include items such as adopting rigorous standards, elevating the teaching profession to reward excellence, turning around low-performing schools, and building better data systems to inform reform, among many others.

The round two competition is currently in progress. Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia applied for the second round, which has over $3 billion available for grants to the winners. Yesterday,  U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the nineteen finalists: Arizona, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Carolina.

“Peer reviewers identified these nineteen finalists as having the boldest plans, but every state that applied will benefit from this process of collaboratively creating a comprehensive education reform agenda,” Duncan said in a prepared speech “From educators to parents and political leaders to journalists — there is a growing sense that a quiet revolution is underway in our homes and schools, classrooms, and communities. This quiet revolution is driven by motivated parents who want better educational options for their children. It’s being driven by great educators and administrators who are challenging the defeatism and inertia that has trapped generations of children in second-rate schools.”

The finalists will travel to Washington to present their plans to the peer reviewers who scored their applications. After the state’s presentations and an extended question-and-answer period, the peer reviewers will finalize their scores and comments. The winners will be announced in September.

Delaware and Tennessee won $600 million in the first round of funding.

Christi Grab is the author of the book The Unexpected Circumnavigation: Unusual Boat, Unusual People Part 1 – San Diego to Australia. and is currently working on Part 2 of the series.

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Would you want your child to become a teacher?

July 28th, 2010

I have 2 kids and will soon have a third. I was talking to another friend of mine about what we want our kids to become when they grow up. In India, Engineer, Doctor, or lawyer are popular choices. Now it has shifted to computers, coding, etc. In my previous post, The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, I talked about my family background and the abundance of teachers. Teachers are, for the most part, respected. I remember getting up when the teacher entered the class to wish them and thanking him/her when he/she left.

Fast forward, 20 years later (I think its 20, if its more, I don’t want to think about it!), I am very happy to find myself back in Education and affecting change. As my friend and I were talking, I began to wonder if I’d like my children to become teachers.

I was very surprised to find myself really thinking hard about it! Perhaps because I know too much? This should have been an easy answer.

Pros:

  • It is an extremely satisfying job. At the end of the day, when you see a student succeed and move past their limit, it is a proud moment.
  • You only have to work 9 months out of a year.
  • It is fun to interact with children.

Cons:

  • With the current resource and budget cuts, it is harder for a teacher to do their jobs.
  • The pay is not good.
  • Even though it seems you have work only 9 months out of a year, a teacher’s work never ends. You’re always working on the next lesson plan, grading, etc.
  • Lack of professional development and the ability to move things forward. Due to resource cut backs, professional development has been another area that has been hit.
  • There is a lot of stress. As a teacher, one has to balance a lot of expectations.

I am sure there are more pros that I can think of right now. It seems like the negatives outweigh the positives for a teacher. If, purely based on my very rudimentary analysis, one were to arrive at a conclusion, it would be that as a parent, we would not like our kids to become a teacher. I have a lot of friends that are educators, my family is in Education. Why is it though that on paper the prospects for the job are dismal?

I look forward to our #PTChat tomorrow at 9 p.m. EST and hope to add more Pros.

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Image Credit: http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/2008/11/16-22/teacher.jpg

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Posted in Aparna Vashisht, Parent Perspectives | 2 Comments »

I care too much to get involved

July 26th, 2010

I was able to participate in a recent #ptchat, and while I was glad of that, I also felt bad because I felt most of my tweets were so negative. I didn’t mean them to be, but I was overcome with frustration.  Sometimes I think I care too much.

I went into last school year with much enthusiasm. My first couple of experiences with my then-3rd grader’s teacher seemed really positive, and I was elated. I really thought it was going to be a good year.

Those hopes were shattered all too soon. From bad parent-teacher conferences to homework hell to dealing with my middle-schooler’s roller coaster of emotions, I was exhausted before the school year was out.

I’m not a very patient person as it is, and all of my reserves have to be saved for parenting my children. I simply have none left to be patient with a teacher that I think is focusing on the wrong things, or offering suggestions that are simply not feasible for my family.

Photo: Evil Erin

Someone commented on one of my posts (via FaceBook) that I should consider homeschooling. Even that suggestion frustrated me. First of all, as a single parent and sole income-provider, I do not have the time to become a full-time unpaid teacher. Second of all, I don’t think that I’m really asking that much out of our public school system.

I’m asking for my children to be educated. I don’t care about standardized tests, I don’t care about grades. I care that my girls can read a news article and think critically about it. I care that they know how to balance a checkbook, and understand interest rates and home loans. I care that they think about history as it relates to our world today. I care that they think about government as it relates to our world today. I care that they have the educational requirements to actually go out there and have the career of their dreams.

Over the past school year, I’ve learned to let go of some of what I consider interfering minutia that interferes with their overall educational development. I created some distance from the 4th grade teacher that I felt had done a disservice to my child. I stayed away from the middle school as much as possible because not once have I felt treated with any sense of respect or even common courtesy there.

And my daughters appreciated that. They understood that if Mommy opened her mouth, some not-so-nice things might come out. They understood that look that I get when I feel personally offended by some thoughtless remarks. They knew that it was out of their best interests that I stay far, far away.

Because I have a good relationship with some of the administrative staff at my younger daughter’s elementary school, I was able to put together a thoughtful (if long-winded) email where I expressed my concerns about this particular teacher. They basically told me that they knew this already, but they couldn’t do much about it as she has quite a lot of tenure. However, I did notice that she’s been switched this year from teaching 4th grade to teaching kindergarten. I hope that’s a better fit – for her sake, as well as her students’.

So I will speak up when I feel like I will be heard. Otherwise, it’s just noise, and potentially damaging. In those cases, it’s best if I remain as passive as possible.

April McCaffery is a single mother of two daughters, going into 5th and 8th grade.

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