Re: School Systems/Diversity

[Guest guest]

Bonnie,

My pet peeve and it is called " diversity learning " and it is required that

educators include this in many of their lesson plans. When I first started

teaching Special Educations, teachers with Masters in Special Education and did

required extra training got a small stipend.

> Bonnie wrote:

> Yeah, its as if English class is more about tolerating other people's cultural

backgrounds (which used to be called Social Studies). It's as if they forgot

that English class should be learning about phonics and grammar of the English

language.

Bonnie,

Here in Texas, ESL (English as Second Language) teachers are mandatory and then

they had to hire teachers who knew Spanish to teach in Spanish first, then

English, got seven thousand dollar stipends. It was also " recommended " at least

one assistant principal be Hispanic and bi-lingual.

The demographics for funding in our school where I taught went from thirty-five

per cent Hispanic to seventy-five per cent in three years. There was federal

funding program called the " Migratory Farmer " program that that demographics got

special supplies, training, and other opportunities.

When we took in Katrina students because they needed places to live and

supplies, I asked the counselor from some of those school supplies and he said,

" No, it is for the other demographics " .

It is all about the funding. Single parent teenage students who are pregnant

also had to have " special privileges " for their ESL benefits and also the

ability to receive Social Security because their children when born are citizens

and receive those benefits.

I just present these facts with no soap box issues but to encourage parents to

know where their student's school funding is going.

In the school district we live in, we paid higher property taxes to live here by

my taking a job and extra jobs when we had to but then, Robin Hood Act was

enacted and our programs were cut and monies given to other " poorer " school

districts not even in our county. The parents now had to work at concession

stands at local Dell Diamond (Austin Ball Park), setting up and running our own

concession stands and other programs so the schools we went to could keep their

technology, music, and art programs.

Of course, the sports programs come first but cuts were being made in them also.

It does present challenge and I believe in opportunity for all but all need to

help alike so it is not placed on one demographic.

It is amazing how the middle school students I managed had a guide on how to get

as many benefits they could from their " home " country and they knew " their "

rights. I was there to teach not to beg for different groups of students to

have rights also. It is a different world out there and it was mandatory to

have designated months for each diversity group that brought their request

except some received longer period of times we had to designate.

Our children do not know about World War 1, World War 2. or American Social

Studies but other diverse groups are discussed and your students know about

those. It is a sad time that those Veterans are forgotten or any Veteran and

the cause they died for each student to have the freedom to be diverse does not

know why they have that freedom.

Yes, teach handwriting and do not let computers replace that art, include it.

Teach reading and comprehension as it is needed to understand anything. Teach

Math as it is needed for life. Teach respect for others, but I miss the good ole

days as we are all Americans and our heritage make us so. Bennie