I am an involuntary member of a teacher's union. The teachers unions protect poor teachers and are very selfish. There is good that they do but it is shadowed.
Our local educators are not so horrible that they should be called a joke. There has been a campaign for the last decade against public schools and it was designed to set the stage for public funding of religious schools.
So I challenge you to back up your statement that public schools are a joke with some substance, because the most well educated people in Encinitas that I know have their kids in the EUSD or SDUHSD.
Paul Ecke Central school is ranked in the bottom 38 out of 240 elementary schools in the county - down there with the absolute worst schools. But, hell, they recycle, know all about global warming and they've got high self-esteem, so no problem, bro. The school rankings were published in the North County Times - you can google it to read the article. And, hey, when you suck, tests don't mean anything, right?
As a product of the Encinitas Union School District and San Dieguito High School District, I am proud to say that I received a well balanced and challenging education. Every class that I had reflected the real world, with a varied population. The classes had students with a spectrum of learning abilities and styles, as well as racial diversity. My teachers were caring, supportive, and provided student centered productive learning experiences. My experiences went beyond the classroom and extended throughout the community. The foundation of my education started at what was then Central School (now Paul Ecke Central) and has progressed to my academic success and achievement of my master's degree. Before you start slamming schools, there is a lot that goes on at school that is beyond a teacher's control (home life, diet, language, parents level of education and involvement...). Many factors come into play. Education is a partnership between the student, teacher, and parents- learning does not only occur within the four walls of a classroom.
One thing that makes or breaks a community that is targeted to families is a good school district. A good school district attracts people and increases property values. A bad school district feedbacks on itself and the parents that care and can get out.
Anon4:48- many years ago while I was walking through San Dieguito HS I came across a grading sheet. It listed the break down of A through D- and the numerical scores that accompany them, 88+ was an A, 80+ was B, 70+ was C and 65+ was a D, D- went down to 62. To say I was more than shocked was an understatement. Having graduated from Georgetown University let me tell you the breakdown of numbers and grades... Here goes. 98+ scores an A, 95,96, and 97 scores a B, a C went down to 92 and a D went all the way down to....88. 87 and below earned you a trip out of the university and a call to explain to your parents why you were such a failure.
Also several years I had the opportunity to speak with a graduate of SDHS, she proudly informed me that there are 52 states and that Alaska and Hawaii are the 51st and 52nd states. She was so proud of herself that I didn't have the heart to tell her how full of shit she was and that her education at SDHS was worthless. But I'm sure her tile at the school if one that the educators are most proud!!!
While I understand you are under tremendous pressure to graduate and push students on and on, public education today is pathetic.
Good Luck to you and to your students, we're all going to need it!!!
The declining education in America coupled with the outragous debt taken on by the babyboomers will reak havic with this nation for the next 40 to 50 years.
Following that, we will have a big time revolution, abandon the worthless dollar and feds policies. Restart with some currency with commodity backing and will start again.
The future of the US as the leading economic power is short and the future of America as a leading world power are just as short.
To Anon. 6:08pm: If you want to understand how/why Paul Ecke Central ranks lower than you'd like, just look at the demographics. Schools are ranked on how well students perform on the state's standardized tests. Here's a word problem for you: "If you, your parents, and your five siblings have just paid $3000 to be smuggled over/under/around the border, you don't speak English, you're a couple of grade-levels below where you should be in math, and your teacher one day gives you a test that's written in English, how well will you do?" So let's not blame the school district for a problem that lies with the Border Patrol and the federal government. I bet the school's rankings would skyrocket within a couple of years of 100% border enforcement. Gentlemen's wager?
The other schools are dealing with the same problem - Paul Ecke Central ranked below some Escondido, San Marcos, Vista, Carlsbad and Oceanside schools - all with significant ESL populations. It even ranked below Capri and that takes some doing. I am getting my information from the North County Times, btw, who published the county-wide statistics. Their site has a search function that will pull the articles up from their archives. Anyone who thinks their kids are getting a good education in EUSD, no problem, everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but not their own set of facts. The remedial education rates at our state colleges don't lie - 53% of incoming freshment at Cal State San Marcos are not proficient in English and 48% have to take remedial math - statistics courtesy of the San Diego Union. The local schools define excellence down.
Perhaps anon:10:58 should volunteer at Paul Ecke Central and see for himself what the teachers are doing before ranting. Half of Education takes place at home requiring involved parents pushing their children to succeed and build good study habits. I've volunteered in the rolling reader program and seen the need some of the children have, children whose parents work two jobs or don't speak English.
Public school teachers choose private school for their own children by the following percentages:
San Francisco 34% Baltimore 35% Chicago 39% New York City 33% Honolulu 42% New Orleans 29%
12.2% of parents who are not public school teachers in urban/rural/suburban areas choose private schools for their children. Statistics gathered from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute study, dated 2004, available online. 2004 is the latest information available, and the only place in California cited was SF.
Fact: Teachers are uniquely qualified to judge the quality of the education being offered in their own schools, and more often than the general population, choose to send their own children elsewhere. That speaks volumes.
It's a free country - if you want your kids to go to Paul Ecke Central, good. Is that the best education available in this area? Probably not.
Volunteer at the school? I've been "volunteering" my money for years, through property taxes.
Hawaii is a great example. The issue w ith their schools is not curriculum or teaching philosophy. The problem is with the KIDS and the culture/values of the kids' families and neighborhoods.
If you took the kids out of the Honolulu schools and put them in TIP all the current TIP parents would run for the exits with their kids. We need to be careful to not let encinitas get run down or overwhelmed by families that don't raise their children to be respectful and appreciate education.
What percentage of EUSD parents that live in EUSD send their kids somewhere else? THAT IS THE ONLY RELEVANT DATA REGARDING PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN ENCINITAS.
Bob- do you have kids in the Encinitas Union School District? Would you like to teach reading, writing, math, spelling, health, science, social science, arts and p.e. every day at PEC for an entire year and THEN spout off your ignorant mouth? It's soo easy to be critical when you aren't in the trenches...
The problem with education is money. We don't value education as much as we do oil, cars, plasma TVs, etc., therefore education gets short shrift. The teachers are caught between a rock and hard place -- parents want their children to learn XYZ, but the test at the end of the year focuses on ABC. The standardized testing has ruined the schools -- it has taken away money from schools that have wonderful teachers.
I already teach at Paul Ecke. And my saracastic comment was in response to someone mentioning my name regarding chicken little tendancies.
I am quite proud of my association with the students and faculty at PEC.
Teachers are forced to teach to tests not to students. Classrooms are outdated and over crowded, and the PEC teachers doing their utmost to provide thier students with a well-rounded education with limited resources.
I am quite familiar with PEC and meant no disrespect to anyone but its naysayers.
Anon 12:12 hit the nail on the head by saying that "Half of Education takes place at home". Actually, I'd say more like 90%. Even simple things like buying a kid a desk, make all the difference in the world. And for as much as I dislike overspending by the City Council, Encinitas does have some great libraries and library programs which are completely underutilized. My kid is usually alone in the children's sections of the Cardiff and Encinitas libraries.
Furthermore...What's with this SAFE ZONE SD Academy?? A place where everyone is to feel welcome and accepted!?!?! Where every freak and pervert can feel good about themselves. A place where what ever your idea of normal is accepted as OK?? Well I'm sorry to upset you but every child molester and serial murderer or rapist had these feeling as a teenager or younger. And these actions are NOT TO BE ACCEPTED, whether you visit a SAFE ZONE or NOT!!
Johnny: Gee teacher today I feel like strangling my neighbors cat. Teacher: Now Johnny, your feelings are a part of you and that's OK!! Here in the safe zone everyone is accepted...(and their perversions).
Sorry but you public school people have more serious problems than you can imagine, lead by a teachers union that is hell bent on destroying any sense of right vs wrong and determined to ACCEPT ANY VALUES AS NORMAL. I wouldn't put my children in public school to save my life and I DON"T HAVE ANY CHILDREN!!!
EUSD has many many problems. Their Board is happy with the status quo. 4 of the 5 board members are so old they are grandmothers. They have been on the board for over 20 years. The lone male board member has been on for about 16 years. Board members who are on this long have a difficult time with change since changing the way they do things would indicate that what they have been doing for the last 20 years did not work. These members have been on longer that Jim Bond has been on the City Council. That's a long time.
This board is also horrible at embracing new ideas to help our children. I have talked to many friends and a few parents involved with the TIP Charter School. I have 2 children on the waiting list to get in. I was lucky and have a good chance of making it in this year or next. This school is way ahead of its time from what I have researched. Unfortunately, the EUSD school district board has been trying to shut it down since day 1 as it has stolen their thunder since it has been so well received. This school is a public school and has a waiting list like the Green Bay Packers. I just read in the paper that the EUSD board has voted to close it down. Tragic. Since I cannot afford private school I may have to consider home school as an option. I hear they will have a chance to appeal the EUSD boards decision to the County School Board. Hopefully they embrace new ideas.
One more thing since I am ranting and have stirred myself up. None of the board members have any children in the district. They have all grown up and are long gone. EUSD is also run by a superintendent who just received a $205,000/year contract with an escalation clause that does not even require any public board action. A four year contract that is worth close to $1 million dollars plus if the board disagrees with the Superintendent, there is an 18 month severance package worth over $300,000. I wonder who wrote that contract? They board loves him because he is good at making the board look good at any cost including telling lies. I guess I am just bitter that I will probably have to keep my kids in EUSD while others are providing a better education for their children.
On the state level,education operates in a most obtuse and convoluted structure. It is grossly inefficient and archaic. No business model would ever provide the multitude of districts we now have.
Consider for a moment that every district within the state must have a highly paid superintendant, district offices, staff, etc. Also consider that there probably exists an optimum operating size for a district. Instead of that ideal, we have tiny school districts (Cardiff, etc.) and enormous, unwieldy districts like Los Angeles. I believe reapportionment of school districts is an option that the state should explore. I know this is heresy for those who move to the quaint little Del Mar type school districts because of their apparent excellence, but I don't believe the size is necessarily related to the quality.
If the simple number of districts was reduced by consolidation, the system would function in a more streamlined manner, and offer a huge savings to the cash strappped state.
I also recognize that the transition would not be pretty, and that some districts are as they are because of remoteness or location, but those districts within large metro areas deserve this consideration.
The most well educated people I know are home schooling or have their children in private school.
ReplyDeletePublic school is a joke. The dumbing down of America started and continues with the schools. Thank you teachers union!!
I am an involuntary member of a teacher's union. The teachers unions protect poor teachers and are very selfish. There is good that they do but it is shadowed.
ReplyDeleteOur local educators are not so horrible that they should be called a joke. There has been a campaign for the last decade against public schools and it was designed to set the stage for public funding of religious schools.
So I challenge you to back up your statement that public schools are a joke with some substance, because the most well educated people in Encinitas that I know have their kids in the EUSD or SDUHSD.
Paul Ecke Central school is ranked in the bottom 38 out of 240 elementary schools in the county - down there with the absolute worst schools. But, hell, they recycle, know all about global warming and they've got high self-esteem, so no problem, bro. The school rankings were published in the North County Times - you can google it to read the article. And, hey, when you suck, tests don't mean anything, right?
ReplyDeleteAs a product of the Encinitas Union School District and San Dieguito High School District, I am proud to say that I received a well balanced and challenging education. Every class that I had reflected the real world, with a varied population. The classes had students with a spectrum of learning abilities and styles, as well as racial diversity. My teachers were caring, supportive, and provided student centered productive learning experiences. My experiences went beyond the classroom and extended throughout the community. The foundation of my education started at what was then Central School (now Paul Ecke Central) and has progressed to my academic success and achievement of my master's degree. Before you start slamming schools, there is a lot that goes on at school that is beyond a teacher's control (home life, diet, language, parents level of education and involvement...). Many factors come into play. Education is a partnership between the student, teacher, and parents- learning does not only occur within the four walls of a classroom.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that makes or breaks a community that is targeted to families is a good school district. A good school district attracts people and increases property values. A bad school district feedbacks on itself and the parents that care and can get out.
ReplyDeleteAnon4:48- many years ago while I was walking through San Dieguito HS I came across a grading sheet. It listed the break down of A through D- and the numerical scores that accompany them, 88+ was an A, 80+ was B, 70+ was C and 65+ was a D, D- went down to 62. To say I was more than shocked was an understatement. Having graduated from Georgetown University let me tell you the breakdown of numbers and grades... Here goes. 98+ scores an A, 95,96, and 97 scores a B, a C went down to 92 and a D went all the way down to....88. 87 and below earned you a trip out of the university and a call to explain to your parents why you were such a failure.
ReplyDeleteAlso several years I had the opportunity to speak with a graduate of SDHS, she proudly informed me that there are 52 states and that Alaska and Hawaii are the 51st and 52nd states. She was so proud of herself that I didn't have the heart to tell her how full of shit she was and that her education at SDHS was worthless. But I'm sure her tile at the school if one that the educators are most proud!!!
While I understand you are under tremendous pressure to graduate and push students on and on, public education today is pathetic.
Good Luck to you and to your students, we're all going to need it!!!
The declining education in America coupled with the outragous debt taken on by the babyboomers will reak havic with this nation for the next 40 to 50 years.
ReplyDeleteFollowing that, we will have a big time revolution, abandon the worthless dollar and feds policies. Restart with some currency with commodity backing and will start again.
The future of the US as the leading economic power is short and the future of America as a leading world power are just as short.
Time to accept major change or die.
Anon 10PM- You should meet up with BOB and together have a sky is falling pity party.
ReplyDeleteCry me a river of doom. But for the sake of conversation... What should the average Joe do to protect him/her self??
On the 6th day God invented the shotgun so Jesus could fight the dinosaurs.
ReplyDeleteThere are 54 states, Puerto Rico and the island of Guam.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget Mexico.
ReplyDeleteanon 8:18 sez: " My teachers were caring, supportive, and provided student centered productive learning experiences".
ReplyDelete"Student centered productive learning experiences"??? How sensitive.
10:32-
ReplyDeleteYou should kiss my ass!
If you can't figure it out, you should and will be eliminated.
Don't know where your information is coming from.
ReplyDeleteAccording to school-ratings.com, the API rankings (test performance) for our schools are as follows:
La Costa Canyon High 10
San Dieguito High 9
I moved to Encinitas for the surf: The fact that my kids will get a great education, is icing on the cake.
Education is 90% Effort on the part of the student anyway.
To Anon. 6:08pm: If you want to understand how/why Paul Ecke Central ranks lower than you'd like, just look at the demographics. Schools are ranked on how well students perform on the state's standardized tests. Here's a word problem for you: "If you, your parents, and your five siblings have just paid $3000 to be smuggled over/under/around the border, you don't speak English, you're a couple of grade-levels below where you should be in math, and your teacher one day gives you a test that's written in English, how well will you do?" So let's not blame the school district for a problem that lies with the Border Patrol and the federal government. I bet the school's rankings would skyrocket within a couple of years of 100% border enforcement. Gentlemen's wager?
ReplyDeleteThe other schools are dealing with the same problem - Paul Ecke Central ranked below some Escondido, San Marcos, Vista, Carlsbad and Oceanside schools - all with significant ESL populations. It even ranked below Capri and that takes some doing. I am getting my information from the North County Times, btw, who published the county-wide statistics. Their site has a search function that will pull the articles up from their archives. Anyone who thinks their kids are getting a good education in EUSD, no problem, everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but not their own set of facts. The remedial education rates at our state colleges don't lie - 53% of incoming freshment at Cal State San Marcos are not proficient in English and 48% have to take remedial math - statistics courtesy of the San Diego Union. The local schools define excellence down.
ReplyDeleteAnon 9:15 you are right on. I'm sick of political correctness. We need to call it what it is.
ReplyDeletePerhaps anon:10:58 should volunteer at Paul Ecke Central and see for himself what the teachers are doing before ranting. Half of Education takes place at home requiring involved parents pushing their children to succeed and build good study habits. I've volunteered in the rolling reader program and seen the need some of the children have, children whose parents work two jobs or don't speak English.
ReplyDeletePublic school teachers choose private school for their own children by the following percentages:
ReplyDeleteSan Francisco 34%
Baltimore 35%
Chicago 39%
New York City 33%
Honolulu 42%
New Orleans 29%
12.2% of parents who are not public school teachers in urban/rural/suburban areas choose private schools for their children. Statistics gathered from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute study, dated 2004, available online. 2004 is the latest information available, and the only place in California cited was SF.
Fact: Teachers are uniquely qualified to judge the quality of the education being offered in their own schools, and more often than the general population, choose to send their own children elsewhere. That speaks volumes.
It's a free country - if you want your kids to go to Paul Ecke Central, good. Is that the best education available in this area? Probably not.
Volunteer at the school? I've been "volunteering" my money for years, through property taxes.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe sky isn't falling. It has already fallen. Every post that preceeds this is proof.
ReplyDeleteHawaii is a great example. The issue w ith their schools is not curriculum or teaching philosophy. The problem is with the KIDS and the culture/values of the kids' families and neighborhoods.
ReplyDeleteIf you took the kids out of the Honolulu schools and put them in TIP all the current TIP parents would run for the exits with their kids. We need to be careful to not let encinitas get run down or overwhelmed by families that don't raise their children to be respectful and appreciate education.
What percentage of EUSD parents that live in EUSD send their kids somewhere else? THAT IS THE ONLY RELEVANT DATA REGARDING PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN ENCINITAS.
Bob- do you have kids in the Encinitas Union School District? Would you like to teach reading, writing, math, spelling, health, science, social science, arts and p.e. every day at PEC for an entire year and THEN spout off your ignorant mouth? It's soo easy to be critical when you aren't in the trenches...
ReplyDeleteThe problem with education is money. We don't value education as much as we do oil, cars, plasma TVs, etc., therefore education gets short shrift. The teachers are caught between a rock and hard place -- parents want their children to learn XYZ, but the test at the end of the year focuses on ABC. The standardized testing has ruined the schools -- it has taken away money from schools that have wonderful teachers.
ReplyDeletemost of the well educated people i know have their kids in the local public schools and are happy with the school
ReplyDeleteI already teach at Paul Ecke. And my saracastic comment was in response to someone mentioning my name regarding chicken little tendancies.
ReplyDeleteI am quite proud of my association with the students and faculty at PEC.
Teachers are forced to teach to tests not to students. Classrooms are outdated and over crowded, and the PEC teachers doing their utmost to provide thier students with a well-rounded education with limited resources.
I am quite familiar with PEC and meant no disrespect to anyone but its naysayers.
Anon 12:12 hit the nail on the head by saying that "Half of Education takes place at home".
ReplyDeleteActually, I'd say more like 90%.
Even simple things like buying a kid a desk, make all the difference in the world.
And for as much as I dislike overspending by the City Council, Encinitas does have some great libraries and library programs which are completely underutilized. My kid is usually alone in the children's sections of the Cardiff and Encinitas libraries.
Furthermore...What's with this SAFE ZONE SD Academy?? A place where everyone is to feel welcome and accepted!?!?! Where every freak and pervert can feel good about themselves. A place where what ever your idea of normal is accepted as OK?? Well I'm sorry to upset you but every child molester and serial murderer or rapist had these feeling as a teenager or younger. And these actions are NOT TO BE ACCEPTED, whether you visit a SAFE ZONE or NOT!!
ReplyDeleteJohnny: Gee teacher today I feel like strangling my neighbors cat.
Teacher: Now Johnny, your feelings are a part of you and that's OK!! Here in the safe zone everyone is accepted...(and their perversions).
Sorry but you public school people have more serious problems than you can imagine, lead by a teachers union that is hell bent on destroying any sense of right vs wrong and determined to ACCEPT ANY VALUES AS NORMAL. I wouldn't put my children in public school to save my life and I DON"T HAVE ANY CHILDREN!!!
Knowage is Good, I've been reading your rants but you haven't seen your solutions,how would you fix the schools?
ReplyDeleteI'm pulling my kids out of PEC and putting them in TIP, home of the gifted kids and teachers I hear it's a fantastic school.
ReplyDeleteEUSD has many many problems. Their Board is happy with the status quo. 4 of the 5 board members are so old they are grandmothers. They have been on the board for over 20 years. The lone male board member has been on for about 16 years. Board members who are on this long have a difficult time with change since changing the way they do things would indicate that what they have been doing for the last 20 years did not work. These members have been on longer that Jim Bond has been on the City Council. That's a long time.
ReplyDeleteThis board is also horrible at embracing new ideas to help our children. I have talked to many friends and a few parents involved with the TIP Charter School. I have 2 children on the waiting list to get in. I was lucky and have a good chance of making it in this year or next. This school is way ahead of its time from what I have researched. Unfortunately, the EUSD school district board has been trying to shut it down since day 1 as it has stolen their thunder since it has been so well received. This school is a public school and has a waiting list like the Green Bay Packers. I just read in the paper that the EUSD board has voted to close it down. Tragic. Since I cannot afford private school I may have to consider home school as an option. I hear they will have a chance to appeal the EUSD boards decision to the County School Board. Hopefully they embrace new ideas.
One more thing since I am ranting and have stirred myself up. None of the board members have any children in the district. They have all grown up and are long gone. EUSD is also run by a superintendent who just received a $205,000/year contract with an escalation clause that does not even require any public board action. A four year contract that is worth close to $1 million dollars plus if the board disagrees with the Superintendent, there is an 18 month severance package worth over $300,000. I wonder who wrote that contract? They board loves him because he is good at making the board look good at any cost including telling lies. I guess I am just bitter that I will probably have to keep my kids in EUSD while others are providing a better education for their children.
On the state level,education operates in a most obtuse and convoluted structure. It is grossly inefficient and archaic. No business model would ever provide the multitude of districts we now have.
ReplyDeleteConsider for a moment that every district within the state must have a highly paid superintendant, district offices, staff, etc. Also consider that there probably exists an optimum operating size for a district. Instead of that ideal, we have tiny school districts (Cardiff, etc.) and enormous, unwieldy districts like Los Angeles. I believe reapportionment of school districts is an option that the state should explore. I know this is heresy for those who move to the quaint little Del Mar type school districts because of their apparent excellence, but I don't believe the size is necessarily related to the quality.
If the simple number of districts was reduced by consolidation, the system would function in a more streamlined manner, and offer a huge savings to the cash strappped state.
I also recognize that the transition would not be pretty, and that some districts are as they are because of remoteness or location, but those districts within large metro areas deserve this consideration.