A Different Perspective
Melodie Lettkeman

Budget Restructure as a Method of Education Reform (LENGTHY)

Posted Tuesday, December 13, 2011, at 2:37 AM
Comments
View 7 comments
Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Please note that those who post comments on this website may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.
  • In other news: I complete my last final tomorrow night. Look for my name in the paper sometime in the next month- I should be on the President's list!

    -- Posted by lilmissmelmo on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 1:37 AM
  • You have made some great points and it is refreshing to see a person using facts vs emotions. Keep up the good work. On a personal note, I believe teaching to the test is the worst idea ever, especially when salary incentives are tied to standardized test scores.

    -- Posted by royincaldwell on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 5:25 AM
  • A very good observation. We had what they called the "new" math in school. I never understood it. Why? because the teachers couldn't explain it either. Not for the lack of trying, but because they would give you both versions at the same time, but it was the "new" math that they tested you on.

    Thank you for your insight.

    -- Posted by KH Gal on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 9:08 AM
  • *

    Melodie - I just reviewed some of your other writings (blogs).

    fyi, I "watched" the second plane fly into the Twin Towers live on TV in a Hilton in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada. For a few minutes,I was certain it was a computer generated image. Then I remembered a November day in 1963. I had gone home (in MH) at noon to pick up a social studies report I had written at the last minute. While eating my brown bag lunch, I flipped on the TV just in time to see the first "inconcievable event" in my lifetime. I raced back to school but was late for the bell. My teacher, who I loved dearly, asked me why I was late and I blurted out that the President had been shot. She slapped my face, jerked me out of my chair, grabbed me by the ear and drug me to the Principal's office where she slammed me into another chair. She was screaming at the Principal when he gently held his hand over her mouth and used her first name to tell her I was not lying. He then finished his announcement to the rest of the teachers and students.

    America survived both events and I predict that the President's list at OU won't be your last honor.

    Thanks for propping up my hopes that America's future is in good hands. Your's and one day my grandson's (who is three).

    Enjoy Japan.

    Warren Hostetler

    -- Posted by wh67 on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 9:58 AM
  • *

    "You can lead a horse to water, but can not make them drink" is true. THIS is where PARENT accountability comes in, IMHO. It is not only up to teachers to strive to teach these kids, but for parents to drive and have high expectations on all levels. I'm not going to try to act like everything I did with my kids was perfect. However, they KNEW they better NOT come home and have bad grades consistently. EVER. I may or may not have beat the desire into them, to do/be better.... but they thought I might/would. I did not go to the schools and complain about this teacher or that teacher, I laid responsibility on my child, which also laid it on me.

    I can NOT begin to describe the lack of care I see, and I want to spit and scream sometimes.

    Anyway, Melodie, great article! Very concise and well worded, KUDOS! to you and your parents!

    -- Posted by jessiemiller on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 10:05 AM
  • Thank you everyone. I definitely realize that parent and student accountability is important too, which is why I acknowledge this would only be a step. I had a page requirement and I had to have a lot of info to back it up, so budgets it was.

    Warren, that is a great (albeit terribly sad) story.

    -- Posted by lilmissmelmo on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 10:46 AM
  • I can not tell you how many times when my grandson was living with me that his teachers all wished more parents were like me. They had my e-mail address for routine stuff, my cell # for pressing issues. The had a problem, it was dealt with by the next morning.

    -- Posted by royincaldwell on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 6:31 PM
Respond to this blog

Posting a comment requires free registration: