Detroit School Sends Kids Home Due To lack of Teachers

[Gullah*Gotham*Glitter]

http://www.thegrio.com/2009/10/detroit-school-sends-kids-home-due-t...

Nearly 60 children went to Detroit's McFarlane Elementary school Monday morning only to be sent home because there were not enough teachers.

The principal of McFarlane Elementary called off classes for third- and fourth-grade students because three teachers were laid off.

Officials say Principal Carolyn Freeman, who is out of town, told a guidance counselor to contact Detroit school district officials regarding the lack of staffing.

When all efforts to make contact failed, the principal canceled classes through the counselor instead of spreading children out to different classes.

The decision angered parents and district officials, including Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb.

"A decision was made to send children home. That is never ever an acceptable operation to make," Bobb said. "If I hear that a principal or anyone is sending children home but for an extreme emergency, then I can tell you heads will roll in this district there's no doubt about it."

"I'm sure there's going to be explaining to do, I won't be surprised to find her in a degree of hot water," said Keith Johnson with the Detroit Federation of Teachers .

McFarlane Elementary School said all students will return to class Wednesday.

I didn't know where to put this article, so random works. But when I was a kid, we only got out of school for life threatening events like floods, hurricanes, bomb threats. I think this principal really dropped the ball on this one. If she really cared about the students she would've taught the classes herself or simply disburst the students. Things like this makes our children beleive that school isn't that important and is worth missing. American schools really have to step it up.

[Ghettopunkrocker]

This is a shame, shit. At least have them read something.

[sceneless]

Not surprised. They shut down a quite a few schools over the past few years. My friend's mom was laid off for a while, before being sent to a new school. DPSS is a joke.

[Angelica Johnson]

Yes, the educational system in the U.S. is terrifying. I think it is a systematic effort by the elite in this country to miseducate children from working class communities of color so that their children while be the rulers of the universe. What they fail to understand is that the U.S. will not remain a hegemonic power for long with the state of the disempowerment of masses of people in this country. The U.S. awaits a rude awakening of many sorts.

[Gullah*Gotham*Glitter]

Angelica Johnson said:

Yes, the educational system in the U.S. is terrifying. I think it is a systematic effort by the elite in this country to miseducate children from working class communities of color so that their children while be the rulers of the universe. What they fail to understand is that the U.S. will not remain a hegemonic power for long with the state of the disempowerment of masses of people in this country. The U.S. awaits a rude awakening of many sorts.

I've noticed that there is a lot of miseducation in this country. I don't understand the purpose of soothing kids with lies. Do any of you think there will be a surge of home school or private school education? Or do you think more parents are going to have to step it up and demand a change?

[CocoaPuss Zine]

working parents cannot homeschool and single parents cannot homeschool. i mean all the laid off people could in theory homeschool their children but they probably won't. parents need to step it up and demand change. nobody else is going to speak up for their children. i'm a parent and i pay $640 a month for my son's montessori daycare and that's only for four full time days. it's worth it though. my son is three and wicked smart. those parents at that school need to join the PTA, start going to board meetings or bring their children back to school and demand something be done. i mean can you imagine if you were at work and your kid was sent home and you didn't know? a third grader sitting outside? where are they going? and why the fuck is the principal out of town anyway? there is nowhere else that she needs to be right now. get your ass to work lady. do your damn job.

i don't even live in detroit and i'm pissed about this. detroit children do not deserve to suffer like this.

Gullah*Gotham*Glitter said:

Angelica Johnson said:

Yes, the educational system in the U.S. is terrifying. I think it is a systematic effort by the elite in this country to miseducate children from working class communities of color so that their children while be the rulers of the universe. What they fail to understand is that the U.S. will not remain a hegemonic power for long with the state of the disempowerment of masses of people in this country. The U.S. awaits a rude awakening of many sorts.

I've noticed that there is a lot of miseducation in this country. I don't understand the purpose of soothing kids with lies. Do any of you think there will be a surge of home school or private school education? Or do you think more parents are going to have to step it up and demand a change?

[Rage_Proletaire]

Gullah*Gotham*Glitter said:

Do any of you think there will be a surge of home school or private school education? Or do you think more parents are going to have to step it up and demand a change?

I don't think either option would really be viable for parents lacking in significant resources, time being the most basic of them all (i.e. free time not spent making money, or the money to make up for the lack of time to devote to making money). I could totally be wrong, but (based on the crisis at that particular school), I'd assume that community lacks the resources to sustain its school environment in the first place. And bureacracy being what it is (at its worst), the school board might go out of its way to make it look as if a significant change has been, rather than just change something.

Why are there not enough teachers available in the first place? There may not be enough incentives involved with teaching (in Detroit) to attract candidates worth their weight. And even if parents got together, made signs, shouted all over local television, it doesn't necessarily mean that those teaching positions will be filled by qualified folk. I was amazed when what little paperwork is involved in becoming a teacher down here (might have certifications in pending, but you can get into a public classroom and treat the job like anybody treats a job they feel they "settled for, momentarily.")

I know nothing of the demographics in Detroit, but based on my personal experience in the public school system, I wouldn't consider it unlikely that the schoolboard just hires folk as expediently as possible, waterlogging the school system with puppet teachers; masqueraders collecting a paycheck with the least amount of effort (and ensuring little more than that the children don't beat each other to death).

[Rage_Proletaire]

Rage_Proletaire said:

Gullah*Gotham*Glitter said:

Do any of you think there will be a surge of home school or private school education? Or do you think more parents are going to have to step it up and demand a change?

I don't think either option would really be viable for parents lacking in significant resources, time being the most basic of them all (i.e. free time not spent making money, or the money to make up for the lack of time to devote to making money). I could totally be wrong, but (based on the crisis at that particular school), I'd assume that community lacks the resources to sustain its school environment in the first place. And bureaucracy being what it is (at its worst), the school board might go out of its way to make it look as if a significant change has been made, rather than just change something.

Why are there not enough teachers available in the first place? There may not be enough incentives involved with teaching (in Detroit) to attract candidates worth their weight. And even if parents got together, made signs, shouted all over local television, it doesn't necessarily mean that those teaching positions will be filled by qualified folk. I was amazed when what little paperwork is involved in becoming a teacher down here (might have certifications in pending, but you can get into a public classroom and treat the job like anybody treats a job they feel they "settled for, momentarily.")

I know nothing of the demographics in Detroit, but based on my personal experience in the public school system, I wouldn't consider it unlikely that the schoolboard just hires folk as expediently as possible, waterlogging the school system with puppet teachers; masqueraders collecting a paycheck with the least amount of effort (and ensuring little more than that the children don't beat each other to death). I don't see the school board doing much else besides the minimum action necessary to shut people up. Then again, they may lack the resources, could be something bigger than just the school board (like the local economy), and screaming parents will find themselves screaming all over the city, up and down the bureaucratic escalators.

(... what the f*ck's up with ning?)

[Angelica Johnson]

I agree with Rage. Parents do need to become more involved in the education of their children. However, if you lack basic resources of sustenance, it's difficult to do much. We still should hold people accountable in terms of learning how this white supremacist capitalist system works and figuring out creative ways to uplift our communities.

While I do believe that education should be free for all, I think government controlled education is destructive. First of all, if you live in a working poor community and the allocation of financial resources is based on how much people in that community pay taxes, most of the time it is guaranteed that your child will receive a mediocre education. From my experience of attending public schools, teachers would continuously drill us for standardized test, in which we could not enjoy the beauty of education in all its layers. Also, the curriculum was so narrow. In my Literature class, we read excerpts from stories and answered comprehension questions instead of engage in critical thinking. Our arts program was underfunded and music classes were non-existent. Nor was there any study abroad initiatives to broaden the minds of ghetto youth.

Certain private or independently run institutions of education provide spaces for liberation (independent thinking), self-actualization, artistic innovation, and knowledge production. These particular institutions can tailor their curriculum on their own terms as long as their students take the required national standardized tests. In public schools, so much bureaucracy is involved that students end up becoming commodified and criminalized.


Gullah*Gotham*Glitter said:

Angelica Johnson said:

Yes, the educational system in the U.S. is terrifying. I think it is a systematic effort by the elite in this country to miseducate children from working class communities of color so that their children while be the rulers of the universe. What they fail to understand is that the U.S. will not remain a hegemonic power for long with the state of the disempowerment of masses of people in this country. The U.S. awaits a rude awakening of many sorts.

I've noticed that there is a lot of miseducation in this country. I don't understand the purpose of soothing kids with lies. Do any of you think there will be a surge of home school or private school education? Or do you think more parents are going to have to step it up and demand a change?