Churches, Moon Risings, and any other musings
Edited by Dec 10, 2006 10:20 pm
So, I'm interested how the Moon rising thing went after Diamonds B-Day party. What was it and what not?
Let a brother know...
(271 previous messages)
- Nov 17, 2007 2:20 pm (#272 of 277)
I also want to say that my point isn't to stop trying to get the parents involved. At this point, I don't know what they are doing to get the parents more involved.
Thats what my ideas are all about though, how to get parents more involved. I think that its entirely the solution but It seems like we aren't getting many results from the course of action that we've been going with. Which seems to consist largely of a bunch of people in charge saying that they can't be expected to do it without the help of parents. I'm not saying that they don't do anything to encourage parents, I'm saying that I don't think that they're doing enough and that they aren't doing the right things to encourage them, which would be the things that bring parents through the door.
It also does no good to encourage people who are incapable of doing what they are being asked to do. So we also need to find a way to help make people capable. These kids that are in the school systems are the ones that we should be targeting now. They are the ones that will know how to deal with their kids if they are taught how to before they have them. Too many people have kids and they have no clue how to productively raise them. They are ignorant about children and being a parent.
If we as a society want to stop having so many problems we need to look for realistic solutions to our problems.
There are things that aren't being taught in school that should be. The things that the schools assume parents are going to teach there kids. They need to be added somehow. Kids need to be targeted at an early age to keep them from developing the problems that start when they get older. It seems like right now they wait for warning signs of certain behaviors and then they tell the parents. They should be working to stop these from happening in the first place.
Kids should graduate school with the ability to understand how other peoples minds and feelings work and also they should know what there kids need to grow up healthy mentally, physically and emotionally. The problems that exist aren't because kids don't know math and English, although that does add to the problem, its because nothing is being done to prevent the problems in the first place.
Everything seems to rely on what people learn and don't learn.
- Nov 17, 2007 3:38 pm (#273 of 277)
Flinttalk.com
Topic: FLINT SCHOOL CLOSING! Citizen information exchange.
- Nov 17, 2007 4:54 pm (#274 of 277)
I don't have time to read the link right now (I'm typing up case files and assessments-BLAH) but I'll come back and read it a bit later.
Jesse, please know that I was not offended even a little bit. We're totally cool as far as I'm concerned! :) I'm actually really hard to offend like that. I knew you were not talking about me, but even parents who know they aren't doing the things they should be doing (actually, ESPECIALLY the parents who aren't meeting standards of parenting) probably will take offense. I don't even take offense at the other mothers at my boys' school. It's just not my way. Getting upset about it doesn't help anyone. We all do what we have to do. :) I'm much more likely to get riled on someone else's behalf, to be honest. Heh.
I really have to get back to homework (I can't wait for the break at the end of this semester) but you guys might be interested in a documentary I rented a couple months ago. It's called The Boys of Barakka (or it might be 'Barraka'). It's about a program they set up for certain inner-city youth and how it played out. It's not a program that you would want to implement specifically, but I think it gives amazingly real insight into the lives of the people involved.
- Nov 24, 2007 1:16 pm (#275 of 277)
My main motivation in all of this is the kids. I sympathize with some of the parents, because there are good parents trying to do the right thing, but this is a poverty stricken city in many ways and there are simply a bunch of parents who, regardless of the reason why, aren't doing the right thing. At this point, I'm motivated by what we can do to help the kids who don't have someone at home who will help them (sometimes in almost ANY way other than the basest luxury of having a roof over their heads---heck, sometimes not even that). Where I'm from, those kids are legion, sadly, and many parents, for whatever reason (that's secondary to the kids themselves for me--it sounds mean, but I honestly don't care if those types of parents are offended), are not making things better or easier for them. That is the bottom line. So marketing programs for the parents is like spitting into the wind.
A great example is the meeting that the school board holds every month. These meetings are open to the public; in fact the parents are encouraged to show up and learn more about what they can do to help or simply listen to what's going on. These meetings are SPECIFICALLY for parents. There are thousands and thousands of children in the districts that this meeting is intended for, yet there are usually less than 75 people at the meeting, and many of those are entire families that show up together. Some are obviously working parents that do care but simply cannot make it, but less than 75 parents representing a city this large is discouraging.
So for whatever reason, marketing this stuff solely toward the parents is not working. No one is excluding them, but it's clear that the assumption that many parents aren't going to help change the situation for the better is grounded in reality, and needs to be addressed as such.
In this particular city, graduating and getting almost ANY job is a feat, BTW. No exaggeration. There are so many things stacked against the inner city kids here that it's amazing when some of them actually achieve positive goals. Growing up poor in a bad neighborhood with parents who barely care is bad enough without throwing in the reality of the terrible schooling some of these kids are getting. It's simply appaling that children have to try to live and thrive in some of these situations.
Anyway, very interesting discussion. :)
Luvbug - Nov 25, 2007 4:02 am (#276 of 277)
I didn't read through all of the post concerning special needs classes cause im very tired at the moment but I wanted to write a bit about what I thought, if I rewrite something that someone else has stated I apologize I don't mean to state it again. I do however want to read all the opinions when Im not this sleepy. Anywho...I worked out in Almont Schools as a janitor last year and found that they had there Special needs children in classes with all the other children, what they did there is they had a classroom set up aside with special needs teachers that the children could be sent to in the chances that they may disrupt the class if they started to not be able to focus on the work they were sent there until they could get themselves back on track, anyway i witnessed watching the other children interacting with the special needs children and it amazed me that they were patient and kind to them and very understanding of the situations they were put into, helping when needed and such things. Anyway I thought it was a great oppertunity for children to learn that all people are not the same and that even though they may be different they are equal. They deserve the same experiences and as I witnessed enjoyed being treated so. I think its important for our children to learn that people who are different then them can do the same things they can just in a different way. Those special needs children opened my eyes to new way of learning, I never seen them in a class with other children only always seperated. It was amazing!!!
- Nov 26, 2007 9:36 pm (#277 of 277)
Very cool!
Churches, Moon Risings, and any other musings