Bang!Zoom! Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 http://www.detnews.com/article/20111026/SCHOOLS/110260350/1026/Jammed-Detroit-school-cited-as-hazard I just cannot get over the sizes of the classes in Detroit. That parent is right, it is a fire hazard. One of the classes (science) - had a head count of 72 students...? Wow. -- Yesterday, some folks from the OPSI were visiting the ALE- they are considering closing them up next year. It's political. There is overcrowding here too; and it's only 1 of the reasons we left the local zoned PS-where are these kids going to go? They are gonna end up going home for the vast majority-but still- it's such a huge problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Those poor kids! There can't be much learning going on in that environment. I shudder to think what it's like to be a teacher in one of those classrooms. 55 five year olds! :svengo: I hope they can find a solution soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 That is crazy!! I honestly don't think I could send my child to school each day. That's not just a fire hazard or a learning issue....it's a safety issue. There's no way that one teacher can properly supervise that many children. A daycare would not be allowed that student to teacher ratio.....why can schools do it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Yet, in the side column there is a headline saying that DPS were asked to pay 650K for an ex-superintendent's fondling case. :glare: They could hire plenty of teachers with that money. I think many, many public schools are broken and even the best teachers can't do their job and the caring parents are enough to change things. My dh went to an excellent public school in a wealthy community. You would recognize the names of some of the graduates. Last week, the school was shut down for four days for a bomb threat that the FBI took very seriously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang!Zoom! Posted November 16, 2011 Author Share Posted November 16, 2011 Detroit is such a financial mess, there is a LOT of problems. Look at this very recent one. http://www.detnews.com/article/20111021/SCHOOLS/110210385 Imagine what they could have done with that 3 million dollars that was embezzled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 What gets me is that the answer is to "hire another teacher". But 50 kids with 2 adults in a room is still an overcrowded, probably almost continually noisy and chaotic room. A K classroom with 50 kids and 2 adults isn't the same learning environment as 25 kids and 1 adult. And most of the schools around here are more like 20 kids-2 adults for K, which still seemed like a lot when my 4 yr old was one of the 20! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southernm Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Detroit is a complete mess and has been for years. Recently, a principal moved a special ed class into a trashed science lab with old chemicals and everything. The teacher says it's because the principal didn't like her :glare: I will try to find a link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookfiend Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 (edited) What gets me is that the answer is to "hire another teacher". But 50 kids with 2 adults in a room is still an overcrowded, probably almost continually noisy and chaotic room. A K classroom with 50 kids and 2 adults isn't the same learning environment as 25 kids and 1 adult. And most of the schools around here are more like 20 kids-2 adults for K, which still seemed like a lot when my 4 yr old was one of the 20! I grew up in a suburb of Detroit. The problem in Detroit is multilayered. The issue isn't overcrowding as there are whole schools sitting empty in area because of the massive population defection. Teachers are not willing to teach in that area for a number of very valid reasons. Edited November 17, 2011 by bookfiend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang!Zoom! Posted November 16, 2011 Author Share Posted November 16, 2011 I am one of the "defectee's" - I was faced two years ago with the situation of DPS as the "regular" choice with zoning. Man, that was really scary. Charters there (in MI) crop up almost daily and fail almost daily as well. Some thrive. They have magnets also which are very interesting in some places; same situation, some thrive, some crash. It's in the back of my mind constantly that we'll end up back there and have to deal with the reality of building something in our lives to avoid being part of that. I agree the problem is multi-layered. You just can't believe it until you see it with your own eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 I am one of the "defectee's" - I was faced two years ago with the situation of DPS as the "regular" choice with zoning. Man, that was really scary. Charters there (in MI) crop up almost daily and fail almost daily as well. Some thrive. They have magnets also which are very interesting in some places; same situation, some thrive, some crash. It's in the back of my mind constantly that we'll end up back there and have to deal with the reality of building something in our lives to avoid being part of that. I agree the problem is multi-layered. You just can't believe it until you see it with your own eyes. It's so true. The problems with Detroit are so many and so intertwined, that honestly, I have no idea what's going to happen. The city is soon to be bankrupt according to what I heard on the radio yesterday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimmy Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Oh.my.word. I am just imagining the teacher crying every day on her way home. Those poor children! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 That's just setting the teachers up to do something really nasty too. Dear parents, if at all possible in your financial situation (and recognizing it's not for some), high tail it out of Detroit now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Wow. :001_huh: And Child #1 asked me how I was going to teach when Child #2 started Kindy. Yeah, I think I can handle two children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggie Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Oh.my.word. I am just imagining the teacher crying every day on her way home. Those poor children! I taught K for a while. Those teachers are crying on the way to school, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butterflymommy Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 I once read an article about an "educational experiment" where several K classes were grouped together to learn en masse in a single room. Not just once in a while, but every day, all year. The teachers said it was always so deafeningly noisy they could barely communicate with the kids. At a certain point you have to start to wonder if the system really does want these kids to fail. This was (is, I believe it's still ongoing) in NYC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 There's some learning going on there I'm sure. ;) At least they're socialized...:glare: *snort* :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momsquared Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Oh.my.word. I am just imagining the teacher crying every day on her way home. Those poor children! As a teacher I laughed a bit. Teachers in the best of circumstances cry on their way home every day. :lol: I appreciate someone who understands that emotional need. I feel worse for the kids. Where is NCLB in that school?.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momsquared Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I once read an article about an "educational experiment" where several K classes were grouped together to learn en masse in a single room. Not just once in a while, but every day, all year. The teachers said it was always so deafeningly noisy they could barely communicate with the kids. At a certain point you have to start to wonder if the system really does want these kids to fail. This was (is, I believe it's still ongoing) in NYC. The sad thing is educational in our country. You can go to Africa or Mexico and see classes of silent and well behaved children in classes of 60 with one teacher. I don't think that is okay either, but could stem from similar financial problems (lack of and misuse of). Yet this behavior of the kids is excellent.:confused::confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Yet, in the side column there is a headline saying that DPS were asked to pay 650K for an ex-superintendent's fondling case. :glare: They could hire plenty of teachers with that money. And below that, DPS plans to CUT 1500 teacher jobs next year. FORTY PERCENT OF THE TEACHERS. http://www.detnews.com/article/20110920/SCHOOLS/109200366 Those poor, poor students & teachers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 The sad thing is educational in our country. You can go to Africa or Mexico and see classes of silent and well behaved children in classes of 60 with one teacher. I don't think that is okay either, but could stem from similar financial problems (lack of and misuse of). Yet this behavior of the kids is excellent.:confused::confused: The kids get kicked out if they're not well behaved. If you have a sn kid in a poor country, you have to find a school that will take them or keep them home (or abandon them). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizaG Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 The sad thing is educational in our country. You can go to Africa or Mexico and see classes of silent and well behaved children in classes of 60 with one teacher. I don't think that is okay either, but could stem from similar financial problems (lack of and misuse of). Yet this behavior of the kids is excellent.:confused::confused: 19th century urban US schools had very large classes, but I'm not sure they were quiet and orderly. From a Chicago history site: "One teacher generally supervised classes numbering a hundred or more, with students ranging in age from 4 to 17. (...) One student recalled a typical lesson as consisting of reading 'a chapter of the bible in mock unison,' and then shouting 'at the top of our voices as rapidly as possible every word in 40 pages of coarse print in Kirkham's grammar.' Only the most gifted and persistent students could advance beyond rudimentary literacy. Families that wanted and could afford better education usually hired private tutors." Sad to say, Detroit seems to be reverting to that era. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.