Loved this entry…my son will start school this coming Monday. He is quite the artist so you can imagine my dismay when his counselor emailed me with the news that he would not have drawing classes this year ;-( She did manage to get him into a ceramics class though. I hope he will like that. My son is a “special” child so it is a blessing that he is such a talented artist. He can look at anything and just draw it!

Anyhoo…you have a good weekend!!

My oldest son went into HS a year ahead in math and science. By the next year he hit “the wall” and was bored and failing all most everything. No one cared. No one challenged him. No one took any interest. I rode his ass to get him through HS and eventually he graduated with honors. College has been just as tough, with many false starts at the beginning. He is just now finishing his BS and his is 24 1/2 yo!

Youngest son was the opposite…nothing came easily for this bright child. You can still barely read his chicken scrawl. He was ignored as well, tested poorly. Never took his SAT’s. No encouragement from anyone in HS except one shop teacher. He’s now in his junior year in the honor’s program at a college in Boston. His major? Art history.

We need more people like you Kelly. Not just in school districts that have a mix of races but in districts like mine with lower blue collar, predominately white. Our Hispanic population is growing mostly through migrant workers and many black families actually will pay to enroll their children here instead of in the schools at the larger cities. Drugs and crime have become a large problem and the rate of kids going on to college is lower.

So I don’t look at a woman like you and see your color, I see your motivation and determination to reach these kids and to make a difference in their lives.

Shigeta, I actually know that district and worked on a state board commission from someone from there. My district would be upset, but make me an offer.

Lucrative teaching benefits? Sure. They are all intrinsic, so good. But it’s not the money or the (pardon, but there is the taste of throw-up in my mouth as I say this) summers off. Lucrative. Ludicrous.

Daisy, that reminds me of a woman I admire very much. Helen Keller. Heard of her? Yeah, she would be PISSED to know anyone is expecting less from your son. Go kick them in the teeth for me.

Cassandra, I think so many factors are in place to keep those students from moving ahead that it’s not even funny. We, in high schools, are designed to leave students behind. (This is a Rick Stiggins quote, not mine. I just heard him speak earlier this month.) He claims that by the very nature of ranking students and doing Top 10%, etc… stuff intentionally leaves them behind. You certainly didn’t offend – I appreciate the opportunity to talk about it.

So, Grace? You didn’t stop looking after searching for Mocha and came up with all that porn? How refreshing.

Kick their butts. Maybe they’ll hate/fear you enough to prove themselves to you, and in the end, themselves.

I wish they had moved our “deans” up with us each year like that. I think that would have been much better.

I’ve found you via the Caffienated Librarian and it sounds to me like you are exactly the type of administrator schools need. I work(ed) in Education too, higher ed and I see the same things happening. Do you think that other factors in these students lives that are related to race, economics, etc. keep them and their parents from pushing for and asking for more guidance and demanding the education they deserve rather then just squeaking by? I have seen in my own experience that it is often the majority (if you want to call it that) population of students that question their education and seek out help and guidance and the students in the margins as you call them just sort of float along because they have no point of reference for how else to do it. That is why staff and administrators need to help them proactively rather then sitting back to let them develop! I am a huge proponent of prescriptive advising and guidance when it’s necessary and I think todays educators lack that ability because they have been taught not to interfere in that way.

Anyway, love your blog, hope I didn’t offend, keep up the good work!