KidsHappen Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Yesterday was orientation day for both of my dd's. The 5th grader is in elementary and it was east as pie. We showed up, looked at a list to see who her teacher was, and then went to meet her. That was it. The teacher asked our last name and then said to my dd, "Oh, so you must be K________." I was impressed that she had already memorized her students names. On the other hand, the school was locked so we had to stay outside and therefore coulnd't turn in our gabillion supplies so we have to drive her first day because there is no way she could carry them all on the bus. Then we went to the middle school. Not near as well organized. First of all, this night was for 7th graders only but with teachers and parents and sibiling there was well over 1000 people there and the air condition was down. So I know my fees and taxes are not going there. The they have a big line that winds through the cafeteria with stations you stop at for various things. Turn in paperwork, sign forms, get your TCAP scores, your agenda, your schedule and your locker number. Then you go meet your homeroom teacher and turn in your community supplies. Then find your locker and put the rest of your supplies in there. So-far-so-good. No problems. The middle school has a period of what is called related arts in which the class changes every nine weeks. One of the nine weeks is required by law to be P.E., one computers, and one life skills. The fouth nine week quarter is supposed to rotate each year with art, music, and spanish. I was looking at my dd schedule and noticed that she had the exact same related arts schedule as last year neither of which included art or music. So I went to the office to find out why. I was told that last year they had too many six graders so Stormy was put in the 7th grade rotation (the same one she has this year) last year. So I ask if she could take the six grade rotation this year to get either art of music and the lady told me no because they have even more six graders this year. They had to give 50 6th graders lockers in the 7th grade hall and set up two more portable classrooms. So anyhow, both last year and this year my dd had the same three required classes and Spanish. Next year she has the option to skip the related arts rotation entirely and take an entire year of Spanish for one high school credit which she will probably do. This means that she will have NO art or music in middle school. I was also informed that even though the have a fully equipped home ec room (stove, microwave, refrigerator, washer, dryer, etc.) they would not be learning these things during the life skills rotation like they are supposed to because they don't have a teacher for it. As I have mentioned, I live in the wealthiest county in TN. My I pay both city and county property taxes. I pay school fees and apparently buy all the school's supplies. And yet they can't afford air conditioning, or more six grade teachers or a home ec. teacher for their state of the art home ec classroom. Where in the heck is the money going? On the other hand, they are building another middle school to handle the overcrowding but it will not open until the 2011/2012 school year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommy2be Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 That's rediculous! I'd probably try to speak with the principal or even go over his head... You're paying good money for your children to recieve a good education - and you're not getting what you're paying for! It's really upsetting that she is basically taking the same course she took last year for the related arts. And maybe even more upsetting that she is missing out on home ec... Can they not find a teacher? How qualified do you have to be?! Maybe you can do it! :D I think I'd be trying to talk to someone about this... Oh, and the air better be fixed real soon! haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiff in TX Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Somewhat off topic question... but only 9 weeks of PE are required?:001_huh: This seems low to me, but I don't have a good judgement of what it used to be cause I always played sports, so I was in athletics year round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMe Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Your tax dollars at work. And do they really need a washer and dryer? Oh please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cougarmom4 Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 That is pretty crazy. I think I'd meet with the principal and insist that my daughter have the classes she's 'supposed' to have. It bothers me when people (such as the receptionist) act as though there is just no way around it...when chances are, there might be other options. Just knowing that they expect her to repeat an entire year of the same classes would make me go nuts! What exactly are they thinking? Isn't there any other class/elective she could take rather than a repeat of the year before? Be the squeaky wheel... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Pea Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Sounds like time for a letter to the school board. Go to the board meetings. That's what they're there for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fshinkevich Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Sounds like time for a letter to the school board. Go to the board meetings. That's what they're there for. I agree, I'd be raising a stink, daily, until something was done. She deserves those classes as much as anyone. I have my own PS rant - My two oldest kids (going into 7th this year) have been in the PS since kinder. This year my oldest dd asked to homeschool. I gave her a math placement test for a homeschool curriculum and she didn't know 1/3 of what she should. A lot of it she says she never learned and the rest she just got wrong. She is a straight A student and can't do fractions! I don't undertand how someone can get through 6 levels of math with A's and not know a basic fraction. I was (am) so ashamed that it slipped by me. I made the mistake of assuming all was well since her grades and teacher praise couldn't be higher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyWifeandMommy Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Just saying school board will get something going. Back when my daughter was in school and something wasn't addressed properly I tried over and over to get with the principle. He wasn't willn't to deal with the situation and I said I was going to address the situation with the board. Within a two days I was talking with the local super and had things changed w/o going to the meeting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 My biggest rant with our PS. All the teachers ask for copy paper. There is a simple solution for the shortage of copy paper. Stop sending stupid, redundant paperwork home to sign for returning student. Seriously do we really need a complete copy of the handbook for each child. Just send me the pages that have changed and be done with it. Problem solved...no?:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted August 12, 2009 Author Share Posted August 12, 2009 Somewhat off topic question... but only 9 weeks of PE are required?:001_huh: This seems low to me, but I don't have a good judgement of what it used to be cause I always played sports, so I was in athletics year round. Well, to tell you the truth, I don't even understand why P.E. is required at all. I do not know a single child that is not in at least one extracurricular athletics program. I would much rather see that time going to some sort of acedemic program - like art or music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted August 12, 2009 Author Share Posted August 12, 2009 I'm still aghast about the supplies. What supplies in middle school?! We used pencils, pens, and notebooks. I posted about this in another thread about how do people afford to send their children to PS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted August 12, 2009 Author Share Posted August 12, 2009 Your tax dollars at work. And do they really need a washer and dryer? Oh please. Especially since they aren't using it! :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted August 12, 2009 Author Share Posted August 12, 2009 (edited) That is pretty crazy. I think I'd meet with the principal and insist that my daughter have the classes she's 'supposed' to have. It bothers me when people (such as the receptionist) act as though there is just no way around it...when chances are, there might be other options. Just knowing that they expect her to repeat an entire year of the same classes would make me go nuts! What exactly are they thinking? Isn't there any other class/elective she could take rather than a repeat of the year before? Be the squeaky wheel... Well, the problem is, this year she is in the classes she is supposed to be in. It just that last year she was not in the classes she was supposed to be in. That was our first year of PS and I didn't know any better. Three of the four related arts would be the same anyhow and my dd would rather take Spanish again than art or music especially since she plans to take a full year of Spanish next year. Since she already takes Piano at home, I am not really worried about music either but now I need to cover art at home as well. ETA: I do see that students require 1 credit of art to graduate in TN so I know that at least she will get some art in high school. Edited August 12, 2009 by KidsHappen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 As I have mentioned, I live in the wealthiest county in TN. My I pay both city and county property taxes. I pay school fees and apparently buy all the school's supplies. And yet they can't afford air conditioning, or more six grade teachers or a home ec. teacher for their state of the art home ec classroom. Where in the heck is the money going? :::gently::: Everyone's expenses have gone up in this economy, including those of the schools. My family's food, power and gas costs alone have expanded to take up our entire monthly income. Schools have to pay for all three of those things, too: cafeteria food, and likely more now that more kids are eligible for free lunch & breakfast; bus fees; and the power and water bills so overhead projectors can be plugged in and toilets can flush. Perhaps their budget is experiencing a similar warp as ours? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 My daughter's "music" class was a joke. They spent most of the time doing study hall. And they got a new music teacher halfway through the year. We landed doing private music lessons. Gym at our middle school is a joke also. You must get changed into your gym uniform. And then you play ping pong or 4 square. Then you are nearly late to class because you had to get changed again. I can guarantee you that 99.999% of the kids are not working up a sweat playing ping pong. Again art at public school and even private school was limited and not the best. We take private art classes at an amazing arts center. And I live in the #1 school district in New Jersey according to most of the rankings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fshinkevich Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 :::gently::: Everyone's expenses have gone up in this economy, including those of the schools. My family's food, power and gas costs alone have expanded to take up our entire monthly income. Schools have to pay for all three of those things, too: cafeteria food, and likely more now that more kids are eligible for free lunch & breakfast; bus fees; and the power and water bills so overhead projectors can be plugged in and toilets can flush. Perhaps their budget is experiencing a similar warp as ours? In our area if your child needs to take the bus you have to pay for it. All but one of each (boy/girl) restrooms were shut down at my kids schools years ago. I'm sure the schools are feeling some of the economy like the rest of us, but really these problems are nothing new, it has been spiraling out of control for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgm Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Hey, it could be worse...they could go to split sessions to deal with the overcrowding!! Last year my 8th grader's foreign language teacher decided to take the year off...it took three tries, until March, to get a competent sub. I thought ds was going to be repeating the class in 9th, since here in NY they must pass a proficiency exam before going into to the 2nd high school year of FL and memorizing a list of 100 key words was not going to do the job. The first two were credentialed seasoned teachers too. I'd like to know who they were related to, as that would influence my vote for school board. The money is going into the retirement fund and into raises for the staff. Here they gave themselves a 5.3% raise, both admin and teachers on top of their step raises. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlockOfSillies Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 No, it's always been this way. Los Angeles Unified spends more than $9000 per child (at least this was several years ago), and they cry poverty every single year. It never changes. There's never enough money. They always have more ideas on how to spend it, even when enrollment drops, and those ideas never include making sure the classrooms have enough supplies or textbooks. It's called mismanagement. It is hard-wired into the system. The bigger the school district, the harder it is to make a dent in what's going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 My daughter's "music" class was a joke. They spent most of the time doing study hall. And they got a new music teacher halfway through the year. We landed doing private music lessons. Gym at our middle school is a joke also. You must get changed into your gym uniform. And then you play ping pong or 4 square. Then you are nearly late to class because you had to get changed again. I can guarantee you that 99.999% of the kids are not working up a sweat playing ping pong. Again art at public school and even private school was limited and not the best. We take private art classes at an amazing arts center. And I live in the #1 school district in New Jersey according to most of the rankings. I don't remember learning anything in music or art. I didn't have the money growing up for band. The private art teacher we use right now also teaches in the public high schools as an art sub. She says the kids there don't do anything and when she tries to get them to learn art they give her a hard time. She's not pro-homeschool and frequently doesn't "get" hsing, so she does not have an agenda. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 I agree, I'd be raising a stink, daily, until something was done. She deserves those classes as much as anyone. I have my own PS rant - My two oldest kids (going into 7th this year) have been in the PS since kinder. This year my oldest dd asked to homeschool. I gave her a math placement test for a homeschool curriculum and she didn't know 1/3 of what she should. A lot of it she says she never learned and the rest she just got wrong. She is a straight A student and can't do fractions! I don't undertand how someone can get through 6 levels of math with A's and not know a basic fraction. I was (am) so ashamed that it slipped by me. I made the mistake of assuming all was well since her grades and teacher praise couldn't be higher. The same thing happen with my oldest. I started homeschooling him in 6th grade. I couldn't believe my straight A student was so behind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 As I have mentioned, I live in the wealthiest county in TN. My I pay both city and county property taxes. I pay school fees and apparently buy all the school's supplies. And yet they can't afford air conditioning, or more six grade teachers or a home ec. teacher for their state of the art home ec classroom. Where in the heck is the money going? On the other hand, they are building another middle school to handle the overcrowding but it will not open until the 2011/2012 school year. I bet you live right near me. I don't know the history of why they are in PS. Can you just yank them? I hear good things about Poplar Grove, but I guess since they are on a balanced calendar and started a couple of weeks ago that really isn't an option. I just know that, if we are ever in a position where my little guy needs to go to ps, I will definitely be looking at Poplar Grove. Sorry for the situation :( Probably no help- Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeefreak Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 (edited) Whoops! I meant to post this on the OTHER PS thread :) LOL! I'll move my rant. Blessings! Dorinda Edited August 12, 2009 by coffeefreak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muffinmom Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Wow, this is happening in Williamson? the mecca for quality public schools? interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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