In the local races for district supervisor here in SF, things are starting to pick up; the candidates are starting to truly extend themselves to the people. In doing so, some pretty interesting issues have been coming up, like the perennial dilemma of the SFUSD.
http://www.youtube.com/user/2010scott#p/a/u/0/iZkGUNQ3YZg
As District 8 candidate Scott Weiner chats with a Glen Park resident about his daughters' education, it's hard not to think about the handfuls of identical stories reflected in this parents' (and from the way I sometimes hear it, a seeming majority of parents') encounters with SF Unified.
Shows the lack of our school system's integration with the local communities, if you ask me; a void I'm beginning to believe to be more and more at the heart of the District's problem.
23 April 2010
19 April 2010
Interview with Chloe Edmondson from University High School
Describe an average day at your school (give us a feel of a walk through the halls): UHS has somewhat of a block schedule. Mondays and Fridays though we have all of our classes.
Tuesday-Thursday, we only have four classes each day. In the morning we have two long-block classes and an all school assembly. After lunch, there are only two short block classes and the day ends at 2:30. Throughout the day, students move between the three campuses, Upper (on Jackson), Lower (on Washington), and South (on Sacramento), walking up and down the hills. At UHS we have off-campus privileges, so at lunch and breaks lots of students go to nearby restaurants and cafes. Lots of students also hang out in the student center, or on a sunny day you will find tons of students relaxing in the upper courtyard. An average class has between 14 and 18 students.
How much of a resource is your school in your life’s development? Do you think it actively contributes to your greater learning in life? Do you feel that your classes cater to your immediate and future needs?
I think that the classes prepare us amazingly for college, and for life especially in terms of the development of analytical skills. But in terms of personal growth and development, it stresses extra-curriculars and there is such a heavy courseload that most students do not take the time to find who they are as a person. Then again, the school also offers incredible freedom in creating independent studies to suit your needs and goals for your future, which is a unique and great experience.
How do you think your curriculum could be better formatted to teach you life skills? I think that the academic curriculum is excellent, but the culture of the school could change to allow students the time to develop as individuals through high school experiences rather than focus solely on academics.
Is there respect at your school between students? Students and teachers? Teachers and parents? Parents and students? How does this affect your learning environment?
There is a great amount of respect between students and students and teachers. Students find support in their classmates as well as the approachable teachers that are always willing to help in any way. The relationship with teachers is very casual and that makes for a relaxed learning environment. In addition, it allows for students to feel completely comfortable going to their teachers for academic help or other. For the most part, there is respect between teachers and parents and students and parents. However, occasionally, parents exude so much pressure onto their students that they also occasionally pressure teachers to make sure their child does well. However, the teachers are very aware of this and do not cave to these external pressures. The stressed out parents definitely affects the learning environment in that it breeds students that are under far too much stress in an already overachieving, competitive atmosphere.
If you could change one thing about you school, what would it be?
The perspective of the students and parents. Students need to find better balance in their lives.
Tuesday-Thursday, we only have four classes each day. In the morning we have two long-block classes and an all school assembly. After lunch, there are only two short block classes and the day ends at 2:30. Throughout the day, students move between the three campuses, Upper (on Jackson), Lower (on Washington), and South (on Sacramento), walking up and down the hills. At UHS we have off-campus privileges, so at lunch and breaks lots of students go to nearby restaurants and cafes. Lots of students also hang out in the student center, or on a sunny day you will find tons of students relaxing in the upper courtyard. An average class has between 14 and 18 students.
How much of a resource is your school in your life’s development? Do you think it actively contributes to your greater learning in life? Do you feel that your classes cater to your immediate and future needs?
I think that the classes prepare us amazingly for college, and for life especially in terms of the development of analytical skills. But in terms of personal growth and development, it stresses extra-curriculars and there is such a heavy courseload that most students do not take the time to find who they are as a person. Then again, the school also offers incredible freedom in creating independent studies to suit your needs and goals for your future, which is a unique and great experience.
How do you think your curriculum could be better formatted to teach you life skills? I think that the academic curriculum is excellent, but the culture of the school could change to allow students the time to develop as individuals through high school experiences rather than focus solely on academics.
Is there respect at your school between students? Students and teachers? Teachers and parents? Parents and students? How does this affect your learning environment?
There is a great amount of respect between students and students and teachers. Students find support in their classmates as well as the approachable teachers that are always willing to help in any way. The relationship with teachers is very casual and that makes for a relaxed learning environment. In addition, it allows for students to feel completely comfortable going to their teachers for academic help or other. For the most part, there is respect between teachers and parents and students and parents. However, occasionally, parents exude so much pressure onto their students that they also occasionally pressure teachers to make sure their child does well. However, the teachers are very aware of this and do not cave to these external pressures. The stressed out parents definitely affects the learning environment in that it breeds students that are under far too much stress in an already overachieving, competitive atmosphere.
If you could change one thing about you school, what would it be?
The perspective of the students and parents. Students need to find better balance in their lives.
15 April 2010
Notes from our Interview with Alec Lee, Director of Aim HIgh
Issues and choices classes-
Summer school program (12 different locations) 5 weeks free
Math science and humanities + issues and choices
Started by Ann Ladd, a Lick alumni
Exploration of personal identity (7th and 8th grade)
Issues around making good choices (drugs, alcohol, sexuality)
College readiness for 9th graders- work with families to understand path to college
Social capital needs to be addressed in curriculum
Aiming Higher (for high school students)-
Challenging economic climate means the program is on hold
Aim high is essentially a middle school program, but they want to implement a high school version of aim high during the summer
Transition to college, financial aid, college applications
There are still some ways to sustain this program without funding: College Summit (Oakland based with volunteer mentor system), expand on other programs, form relationships with other organizations (provide human capital – Alex Hawkman)
Partnerships need to go both ways (get students interested in their schools (USF) and fulfill mission)
No current scholarship programs (no funding!)- but provide access to information
Needs: quality programs means money, time, and organizational partners
Aim High grads coming back to work at Aim High-
Employ 300 people from around the bay (70 come from Aim High)
Circle of service model
These students can relate intimately with the current students
What can we do?
Aim High at Urban and St. Pauls, opening a new Aim High program at Marin Academy?
Have not fully engaged the private school sector (opportunities to create more resources and curriculums)- need deeper engagement at private schools
Continue dialogue
Talk to Zoe Duscan (Assistant heat at Galileo)- ways that independent schools can be more involved
Summer school program (12 different locations) 5 weeks free
Math science and humanities + issues and choices
Started by Ann Ladd, a Lick alumni
Exploration of personal identity (7th and 8th grade)
Issues around making good choices (drugs, alcohol, sexuality)
College readiness for 9th graders- work with families to understand path to college
Social capital needs to be addressed in curriculum
Aiming Higher (for high school students)-
Challenging economic climate means the program is on hold
Aim high is essentially a middle school program, but they want to implement a high school version of aim high during the summer
Transition to college, financial aid, college applications
There are still some ways to sustain this program without funding: College Summit (Oakland based with volunteer mentor system), expand on other programs, form relationships with other organizations (provide human capital – Alex Hawkman)
Partnerships need to go both ways (get students interested in their schools (USF) and fulfill mission)
No current scholarship programs (no funding!)- but provide access to information
Needs: quality programs means money, time, and organizational partners
Aim High grads coming back to work at Aim High-
Employ 300 people from around the bay (70 come from Aim High)
Circle of service model
These students can relate intimately with the current students
What can we do?
Aim High at Urban and St. Pauls, opening a new Aim High program at Marin Academy?
Have not fully engaged the private school sector (opportunities to create more resources and curriculums)- need deeper engagement at private schools
Continue dialogue
Talk to Zoe Duscan (Assistant heat at Galileo)- ways that independent schools can be more involved
13 April 2010
Updated Semester Punch List
Completed by March 18:
□ finalize list of interview questions
□ contact interview participants at selected schools
o (Redwood, Crystal Springs, DeAnza, SoTA, Lick, teachers from Galileo and Lincoln etc.)
March 18:
□ Send off email interviews to participants, as well as solicit the participation of additional peers and the contact information of their respective headmasters/ accounting departments. This latter step will hopefully gain us the spending demographics for the schools.
□ Begin ‘shopping around’ for established organizations most parallel to our own mission statement, as well as those that differ in objective (why their approach?).
For the following three (3) classes before spring break:
□ Continue shopping for organizations, gradually finalizing connections and establishing the direction we want to take in feasibly tackling the dilemma. (Aim High)
□ (If applicable) begin analysis of spending demographics between schools
o Find commonalities between schools as to where they spend
o Find commonalities between specific areas of inefficient spending and students’ complaints.
□ As interviews are returned back, analyze collectively the responses and compile into one database TBD (whether website or simple word doc)
o Also during this time, take special heed to the voices of the students in the interviews when determining the feasible course of action we can take.
□ FINALIZED BY SPRING BREAK:
o COMPILATION OF INTERVIEWS
o VIABLE ORGS TO JOIN WITH (Aim High)
o DETERMINE MOST EFFECTIVE AREA TO TACKLE (Life Skills Courses)
*key note for finding an organization – must be well-established in community already (our plan is to work with an organization in its expansion to areas most needed. Specifically, we have chosen to partner with Aim High because they already play such an important role in our community and in our dilemma. We admire their current curriculum, but we would like to expand some areas (such as life skills courses) to meet the immediate and future needs of students more effectively.
First post-break class:
□ Continue searching for spending data, analyzing as we go. Take in straggling interviews add to the blog
□ After we agree on one specific organization to work with, CONTACT ASAP
□ Set up meeting with Alec Lee, or interview with Ms. McBride
All sequential classes barring presentation prep:
□ Sustain contact with organization
□ Begin establishing connection between prospective school and program
□ Determine how we can most effectively help Aim High, and get to work!
□ END GOALS:
o End goal one is to establish an effective organization beyond its current limits. If not possible, then attempt to adapt said programs’ merits for implementation in a local middle or high school. Above all else, keep it simple in the end and work fluidly with our partner org.
o End goal two is to create an informational website, booklet – whatever it may be – that makes our learning transparent to all interested in the faults of the Bay Area school system. Provide the public with firsthand accounts and testimonials beside the hard data, as well as our own interpretations of the dilemma.
Third to last/ penultimate class:
□ Reflect on what we’ve experienced, add to database
□ Begin assembling presentation
Final class:
□ Enjoy final time together as group, finish presentation if needed
□ finalize list of interview questions
□ contact interview participants at selected schools
o (Redwood, Crystal Springs, DeAnza, SoTA, Lick, teachers from Galileo and Lincoln etc.)
March 18:
□ Send off email interviews to participants, as well as solicit the participation of additional peers and the contact information of their respective headmasters/ accounting departments. This latter step will hopefully gain us the spending demographics for the schools.
□ Begin ‘shopping around’ for established organizations most parallel to our own mission statement, as well as those that differ in objective (why their approach?).
For the following three (3) classes before spring break:
□ Continue shopping for organizations, gradually finalizing connections and establishing the direction we want to take in feasibly tackling the dilemma. (Aim High)
□ (If applicable) begin analysis of spending demographics between schools
o Find commonalities between schools as to where they spend
o Find commonalities between specific areas of inefficient spending and students’ complaints.
□ As interviews are returned back, analyze collectively the responses and compile into one database TBD (whether website or simple word doc)
o Also during this time, take special heed to the voices of the students in the interviews when determining the feasible course of action we can take.
□ FINALIZED BY SPRING BREAK:
o COMPILATION OF INTERVIEWS
o VIABLE ORGS TO JOIN WITH (Aim High)
o DETERMINE MOST EFFECTIVE AREA TO TACKLE (Life Skills Courses)
*key note for finding an organization – must be well-established in community already (our plan is to work with an organization in its expansion to areas most needed. Specifically, we have chosen to partner with Aim High because they already play such an important role in our community and in our dilemma. We admire their current curriculum, but we would like to expand some areas (such as life skills courses) to meet the immediate and future needs of students more effectively.
First post-break class:
□ Continue searching for spending data, analyzing as we go. Take in straggling interviews add to the blog
□ After we agree on one specific organization to work with, CONTACT ASAP
□ Set up meeting with Alec Lee, or interview with Ms. McBride
All sequential classes barring presentation prep:
□ Sustain contact with organization
□ Begin establishing connection between prospective school and program
□ Determine how we can most effectively help Aim High, and get to work!
□ END GOALS:
o End goal one is to establish an effective organization beyond its current limits. If not possible, then attempt to adapt said programs’ merits for implementation in a local middle or high school. Above all else, keep it simple in the end and work fluidly with our partner org.
o End goal two is to create an informational website, booklet – whatever it may be – that makes our learning transparent to all interested in the faults of the Bay Area school system. Provide the public with firsthand accounts and testimonials beside the hard data, as well as our own interpretations of the dilemma.
Third to last/ penultimate class:
□ Reflect on what we’ve experienced, add to database
□ Begin assembling presentation
Final class:
□ Enjoy final time together as group, finish presentation if needed
Interview with Lowell Student
Describe an average day at your school (give us a feel of a walk through the halls)
So lowell's schedule is a little difficult to understand but i'll give you a quick overview (wikipedia also does it quite well haha if you still don't get it...i didn't get it til sophmore/junior year its pretty clever)
anyways, Lowell goes by a modular (or mod) schedule system where a day is split into twenty 20-minute periods. So a student can have a class any time during the day between mods 1 and 20
Each class is either A code (2 mods, 40 minutes), or B/C code (3 mods on alternating days, 60 minutes)
mondays and wednesdays are B code days where B code classes are long (60 min) and C code classes are short (40 minutes)
tuesdays and thursdays are C code days where C code classes are long (60 min) and B code classes are short (40 min)
Everyone has every class everyday
here's my schedule (if it helps)
mods 1/2 American Democracy (A-CODE: always 40 minutes)
mods (3)/4/5 AP Studio Art (C-CODE: 60 min on tuesdays and thursdays)
Registry - (like homeroom)
mods 6/7/(8) AP English (B-CODE: 60 min on mondays and wednesdays)
mods (8)/9/10 Lunch
mods 11/12/(13) physics (B-CODE: 60 min on mondays and wednesdays)
mods 14/15 Leadership (A-CODE: always 40 min)
mods 16/17 Precalculus (A-CODE: always 40 min)
mods 18/19/20 - off
early classes (mods 1/2 - american democ) start at 7:35 and mod 20 ends at 3:30
we do self scheduling at the end of every semester so we can choose our own teachers and the times we want them at.
i hope thats an okay explanation!!
anyways an average day at my school is different for everyone. because of the mod schedule, anyone can be off during any given time of the day (making it hard to keep lowell a closed campus and making it easier to cut classes).
For me, i usually get to school around 7:10 so i can get good parking haha. about half the school or more starts early at mod 1 so the hallways are usually pretty busy in the morning with people going to their lockers or rushing to their classes. there are people who come early to study in the library or the cafeteria or the hallways.
mods 3, 8, and 18 are swing mods so i get 3 and 8 off some days when my B/C code classes are only 40 min (2 mods).
I usually go to the cafeteria during mod 3 to cram homework or hang out with people
then i got to AP studio art. the art wing isn't usually that busy but there are some junior/sophomore lockers
Before and after registry are the only times during the day the bell rings. reg is only 10 minutes and the hallways are usually jammed with people trying to get to their reg in time...this is one of the only times during the day everyone is out at the same time.
After registry i go to english and usually fall asleep especially during the 60 min classes
Lunch. Since mods 3, 8, and 18 are swing mods those are the times when a lot of people are out at once (like free periods that are only 20 min). i usually hang out in the cafeteria or courtyard where there are a lot of picnic tables that people can push together and hang out at. there's also an arcade (covered area next to the courtyard) where the footballers/cheerleaders usually hang out. First week of every semester you figure out who of your friends have the same free mods as you usually...there's always people around during this time (library, halls, basketball courts, etc.) sometimes i cram hwk before class during swing mods. Lunch i usually go off to stonestown, lakeshore, irving st, taravel st., ocean st....west portal...
11/12 i have physics in the science building, which is the nicest building. usuallly people hanging out in the hallways there as well
I have leadership in "the cave", which is actually the old teachers lounge...no windows though. Its a class for people on student government.
16/17 precal i usually have to run to class (always late) becuase its on the 3rd floor of the main building...sometimes i just cut class because it's better than being really late (depends on the teacher)
i'm off after precal though some people are still in class. i get off at 2:20 ish. it's usually pretty busy during mod 18 (a swing mod) but most people who have class 19/20 leave and its pretty quiet. i'm usually in the courtyard again and if its nice people are throwing frisbees or playing tennis or sunbathing or whatever. sometimes there are booths (for clubs) on the catwalk next to the courtyard that are giving away things or spreading social awareness (like peer resource)
So lowell's schedule is a little difficult to understand but i'll give you a quick overview (wikipedia also does it quite well haha if you still don't get it...i didn't get it til sophmore/junior year its pretty clever)
anyways, Lowell goes by a modular (or mod) schedule system where a day is split into twenty 20-minute periods. So a student can have a class any time during the day between mods 1 and 20
Each class is either A code (2 mods, 40 minutes), or B/C code (3 mods on alternating days, 60 minutes)
mondays and wednesdays are B code days where B code classes are long (60 min) and C code classes are short (40 minutes)
tuesdays and thursdays are C code days where C code classes are long (60 min) and B code classes are short (40 min)
Everyone has every class everyday
here's my schedule (if it helps)
mods 1/2 American Democracy (A-CODE: always 40 minutes)
mods (3)/4/5 AP Studio Art (C-CODE: 60 min on tuesdays and thursdays)
Registry - (like homeroom)
mods 6/7/(8) AP English (B-CODE: 60 min on mondays and wednesdays)
mods (8)/9/10 Lunch
mods 11/12/(13) physics (B-CODE: 60 min on mondays and wednesdays)
mods 14/15 Leadership (A-CODE: always 40 min)
mods 16/17 Precalculus (A-CODE: always 40 min)
mods 18/19/20 - off
early classes (mods 1/2 - american democ) start at 7:35 and mod 20 ends at 3:30
we do self scheduling at the end of every semester so we can choose our own teachers and the times we want them at.
i hope thats an okay explanation!!
anyways an average day at my school is different for everyone. because of the mod schedule, anyone can be off during any given time of the day (making it hard to keep lowell a closed campus and making it easier to cut classes).
For me, i usually get to school around 7:10 so i can get good parking haha. about half the school or more starts early at mod 1 so the hallways are usually pretty busy in the morning with people going to their lockers or rushing to their classes. there are people who come early to study in the library or the cafeteria or the hallways.
mods 3, 8, and 18 are swing mods so i get 3 and 8 off some days when my B/C code classes are only 40 min (2 mods).
I usually go to the cafeteria during mod 3 to cram homework or hang out with people
then i got to AP studio art. the art wing isn't usually that busy but there are some junior/sophomore lockers
Before and after registry are the only times during the day the bell rings. reg is only 10 minutes and the hallways are usually jammed with people trying to get to their reg in time...this is one of the only times during the day everyone is out at the same time.
After registry i go to english and usually fall asleep especially during the 60 min classes
Lunch. Since mods 3, 8, and 18 are swing mods those are the times when a lot of people are out at once (like free periods that are only 20 min). i usually hang out in the cafeteria or courtyard where there are a lot of picnic tables that people can push together and hang out at. there's also an arcade (covered area next to the courtyard) where the footballers/cheerleaders usually hang out. First week of every semester you figure out who of your friends have the same free mods as you usually...there's always people around during this time (library, halls, basketball courts, etc.) sometimes i cram hwk before class during swing mods. Lunch i usually go off to stonestown, lakeshore, irving st, taravel st., ocean st....west portal...
11/12 i have physics in the science building, which is the nicest building. usuallly people hanging out in the hallways there as well
I have leadership in "the cave", which is actually the old teachers lounge...no windows though. Its a class for people on student government.
16/17 precal i usually have to run to class (always late) becuase its on the 3rd floor of the main building...sometimes i just cut class because it's better than being really late (depends on the teacher)
i'm off after precal though some people are still in class. i get off at 2:20 ish. it's usually pretty busy during mod 18 (a swing mod) but most people who have class 19/20 leave and its pretty quiet. i'm usually in the courtyard again and if its nice people are throwing frisbees or playing tennis or sunbathing or whatever. sometimes there are booths (for clubs) on the catwalk next to the courtyard that are giving away things or spreading social awareness (like peer resource)
Interview with Jeremy Shar, a senior at Lick-Wilmerding
Describe an average day at your school (give us a feel of a walk through the halls).
People are chill; it was a little intimidating when I was a freshman down in the lower hall, which is kind of the bad hall because freshmen don’t know what to do with themselves. Now that I’m a senior, it’s a bit nicer more spacious and I consider it to be a light filled corridor of fun. I’ve never been hit. Classes are interesting. I’ve always thought that the classes at Lick are pretty good its when I get home and have to do the homework I get frustrated with the amount of work.
How much of a resource is your school in your life’s development? Do you think it actively contributes to your greater learning in life? Do you feel that your classes cater to your immediate and future needs?
Well I wouldn’t say that the classes themselves are that helpful in terms of developing as a person, but I think that the whole experience of going to school has made me grow up. There are resources in terms of counseling, but I haven’t used them really but their there and I feel if I needed them I’d have access to them. The college counseling office was helpful, Krista was a dominant force in my college process.
How do you think your curriculum could be better formatted to teach you life skills?
Life skills, I don’t really know what that mean but I feel for my lifestyle to much emphasis is put on sex and drugs and not on more mundane skills. I would like to learn how to manage money, a home economics style class, and the stuff that I am going to need to know such as basic plumbing abd basic electrical skills. I am basically going to have to have my dad teach me everything. World history and calculus will have already left my brain and will be totally useless in the future. And car stuff, I don’t know how to change a tire.
Is there respect at your school between students? Students and teachers? Teachers and parents? Parents and students? How does this affect your learning environment?
Students and students, I would say at some fundamental level yes there is great resects between students. On a superficial level no. Student to teacher I think some teachers would probably expect a certain kind of respect that isn’t there. Kids know how much to respect each person and act around each teacher. There are some teachers who are more respectful then others.
If you could change one thing about you school, what would it be?
Put some trees on campus, I would cut down on student competition but I feel like that doesn’t really exist, its all in my head.
People are chill; it was a little intimidating when I was a freshman down in the lower hall, which is kind of the bad hall because freshmen don’t know what to do with themselves. Now that I’m a senior, it’s a bit nicer more spacious and I consider it to be a light filled corridor of fun. I’ve never been hit. Classes are interesting. I’ve always thought that the classes at Lick are pretty good its when I get home and have to do the homework I get frustrated with the amount of work.
How much of a resource is your school in your life’s development? Do you think it actively contributes to your greater learning in life? Do you feel that your classes cater to your immediate and future needs?
Well I wouldn’t say that the classes themselves are that helpful in terms of developing as a person, but I think that the whole experience of going to school has made me grow up. There are resources in terms of counseling, but I haven’t used them really but their there and I feel if I needed them I’d have access to them. The college counseling office was helpful, Krista was a dominant force in my college process.
How do you think your curriculum could be better formatted to teach you life skills?
Life skills, I don’t really know what that mean but I feel for my lifestyle to much emphasis is put on sex and drugs and not on more mundane skills. I would like to learn how to manage money, a home economics style class, and the stuff that I am going to need to know such as basic plumbing abd basic electrical skills. I am basically going to have to have my dad teach me everything. World history and calculus will have already left my brain and will be totally useless in the future. And car stuff, I don’t know how to change a tire.
Is there respect at your school between students? Students and teachers? Teachers and parents? Parents and students? How does this affect your learning environment?
Students and students, I would say at some fundamental level yes there is great resects between students. On a superficial level no. Student to teacher I think some teachers would probably expect a certain kind of respect that isn’t there. Kids know how much to respect each person and act around each teacher. There are some teachers who are more respectful then others.
If you could change one thing about you school, what would it be?
Put some trees on campus, I would cut down on student competition but I feel like that doesn’t really exist, its all in my head.
Jonathan Astra Sanchez Marin Academy '10
• Describe an average day at your school (give us a feel of a walk through the halls).
Average day, is head to classes, chill with friends during breaks in the library, lockers, cafeteria, or outside in the court yard. At lunch usually we head down to downtown San Rafael to eat at the various deli's and cafes. Popular places where people hang out is in the library, cafeteria, or court yard.
• How much of a resource is your school in your life’s development? Do you think it actively contributes to your greater learning in life? Do you feel that your classes cater to your immediate and future needs?
In terms of my immediate future, which is college, school does cater to my preparation. Other than that, classes don't really help me out in other ways. Although, the school does offer resources like music studios which cater to my passion for making music.
• How do you think your curriculum could be better formatted to teach you life skills?
The main way the curriculum could be improved more is by offering more hands on experiences. More real world experience, not just class lectures.
• Is there respect at your school between students? Students and teachers? Teachers and parents? Parents and students? How does this affect your learning environment?
MA prides itself in being a safe environment for the learning of kids, so there is never any tension between students, teachers, or parents. It's alright with me cause that just means less drama.
• If you could change one thing about you school, what would it be?
Diversity, I guess. Haha.
Average day, is head to classes, chill with friends during breaks in the library, lockers, cafeteria, or outside in the court yard. At lunch usually we head down to downtown San Rafael to eat at the various deli's and cafes. Popular places where people hang out is in the library, cafeteria, or court yard.
• How much of a resource is your school in your life’s development? Do you think it actively contributes to your greater learning in life? Do you feel that your classes cater to your immediate and future needs?
In terms of my immediate future, which is college, school does cater to my preparation. Other than that, classes don't really help me out in other ways. Although, the school does offer resources like music studios which cater to my passion for making music.
• How do you think your curriculum could be better formatted to teach you life skills?
The main way the curriculum could be improved more is by offering more hands on experiences. More real world experience, not just class lectures.
• Is there respect at your school between students? Students and teachers? Teachers and parents? Parents and students? How does this affect your learning environment?
MA prides itself in being a safe environment for the learning of kids, so there is never any tension between students, teachers, or parents. It's alright with me cause that just means less drama.
• If you could change one thing about you school, what would it be?
Diversity, I guess. Haha.
Aidan Leslie Berkeley High '10
1. my school has been ok in terms of how it has helped with my life's development. i think socially it taught me a lot about the real world and what to expect with the ups and downs of life and made me a much stronger person. but with academics it wasn't as good. a lot of my time spent in classes i felt was pointless because sometimes (depending on the teacher), being in class felt like the biggest waste of time and where i would walk away at the end of class feeling like i learned nothing valuable for the future. oftentimes though, it was beneficial because students at my school get a lot of freedom when it comes to choosing which classes to take which really benefits the individual because they get a little wiggle room to be in a class that they take because they want to (espcially senior year), but in the end it all depends on the teacher, because some really want to be there and some are there because they have to.
2. i learned a lot of life skills while at berkeley high because nothing's sugar coated, the school will seriously make you or brake you, which sounds a little dramatic but if you cant handle the work and the independence then you pretty much fail. it's not the life learning skills that needs to be fixed, its more like the amount of support that's lacking. because if you don't care, than neither do the teachers, and there's no one there who will push you to try. if you do care though and need a little extra support, there are a good amount of teachers that will stand by you.
3. there's a big mix of everything at my school. there are the students that have supportive families, are good students and good with the teachers, and who's families try to be in contact with the teachers and work for the school. the majority of the school doesn't have the support from their families which makes it harder to be a good student, or even care. some teachers really try to give support to those who don't have the support at home, but there's about 3,500 students at berkeley with only so many teachers. having this as a reality at my school is sad for me because i know that every person has a place in the world if they try but a lot of those students dont see it that way. the hard thing to is that berkeley high is for all of berkeley so there are students coming from the bad parts and the good parts. the mix makes it kind of intense and makes it so there are a lot of clicks. not everyone really meshes together, most everyone sticks to their group. the relationships between all the students put together isn't very nice because everyone is just so different and there are a lot of people with a lot of attitude and they make sure that everyone knows about it.
4. only one thing to change about my school? there are a lot of things id like to change about my school. i would say that most of all id want to change the racial separation among students and the support from staff and students.
2. i learned a lot of life skills while at berkeley high because nothing's sugar coated, the school will seriously make you or brake you, which sounds a little dramatic but if you cant handle the work and the independence then you pretty much fail. it's not the life learning skills that needs to be fixed, its more like the amount of support that's lacking. because if you don't care, than neither do the teachers, and there's no one there who will push you to try. if you do care though and need a little extra support, there are a good amount of teachers that will stand by you.
3. there's a big mix of everything at my school. there are the students that have supportive families, are good students and good with the teachers, and who's families try to be in contact with the teachers and work for the school. the majority of the school doesn't have the support from their families which makes it harder to be a good student, or even care. some teachers really try to give support to those who don't have the support at home, but there's about 3,500 students at berkeley with only so many teachers. having this as a reality at my school is sad for me because i know that every person has a place in the world if they try but a lot of those students dont see it that way. the hard thing to is that berkeley high is for all of berkeley so there are students coming from the bad parts and the good parts. the mix makes it kind of intense and makes it so there are a lot of clicks. not everyone really meshes together, most everyone sticks to their group. the relationships between all the students put together isn't very nice because everyone is just so different and there are a lot of people with a lot of attitude and they make sure that everyone knows about it.
4. only one thing to change about my school? there are a lot of things id like to change about my school. i would say that most of all id want to change the racial separation among students and the support from staff and students.
Ali Bock El Cerrito High '10
1. School is somewhere I have to be from 10-2 every day. Especially as a second semester senior I do almost nothing. There have been a few good classes along the way, I learned to write in AP Language and Comp, learned AP U.S. History, and learned a good amount of Economics. That's honestly about it. I take two classes in the four hours I'm at school, Probability and Statistics(designed for seniors trying to take something lightweight easy to relax with second semester) and I assist and grade papers for an English 4 remedial teacher (I used this class to describe the secondary scenario from the first question). Kids at EC are often drunk, or high in class, or simply just screw around in the lower level, less academic classes. I guess El Cerrito teaches you how to interact with other students. But not a lot beyond that.
2. I think public schools, especially in the district I find myself in, are in a disaster state. There's no money, no teachers willing to work for almost nothing, and a lot of kids who don't really care about their education, they just want a diploma. I think drug and alcohol classes should be mandatory for freshmen, something like a health class. I've found myself shocked, hearing the things that our freshman classes do. One kid tried to sell my best friend ecstasy last week, the dealer's age? 14. It's kinda scary. I think the freshmen need better life skills.
In short, I think when the economy finds itself in a better place, public schools will be better off.
3. El Cerrito is kind of like jail. We're under constant suspicion and are watched by a multitude of unqualified high school drop outs that call themselves "site supervisors". They can chase you down, and give you a WAS (work alternative to suspension). Basically, you get to go pick up trash for a half hour after school, as if that will teach you to be on time to school. This year (2010) I've been searched 4 times, and asked if I was the leader of a gang. As one of the more affluent white kids with good grades I was appalled to hear this, and actually laughed at the cop who asked.
Basically, students are expected to have eachother's backs no matter what, any authority figure is ridiculed, and parents have no standing with the kids. The school treats the kids like convicts and it'll take you two weeks to get an appointment with your counselor, unless your mom calls, because that'll take you about 15 minutes.
4. I have no idea what I'd change. Everything? Nothing? Probably funding for better teachers to be hired. Not sure that'd help though.
2. I think public schools, especially in the district I find myself in, are in a disaster state. There's no money, no teachers willing to work for almost nothing, and a lot of kids who don't really care about their education, they just want a diploma. I think drug and alcohol classes should be mandatory for freshmen, something like a health class. I've found myself shocked, hearing the things that our freshman classes do. One kid tried to sell my best friend ecstasy last week, the dealer's age? 14. It's kinda scary. I think the freshmen need better life skills.
In short, I think when the economy finds itself in a better place, public schools will be better off.
3. El Cerrito is kind of like jail. We're under constant suspicion and are watched by a multitude of unqualified high school drop outs that call themselves "site supervisors". They can chase you down, and give you a WAS (work alternative to suspension). Basically, you get to go pick up trash for a half hour after school, as if that will teach you to be on time to school. This year (2010) I've been searched 4 times, and asked if I was the leader of a gang. As one of the more affluent white kids with good grades I was appalled to hear this, and actually laughed at the cop who asked.
Basically, students are expected to have eachother's backs no matter what, any authority figure is ridiculed, and parents have no standing with the kids. The school treats the kids like convicts and it'll take you two weeks to get an appointment with your counselor, unless your mom calls, because that'll take you about 15 minutes.
4. I have no idea what I'd change. Everything? Nothing? Probably funding for better teachers to be hired. Not sure that'd help though.
Lisa Gilliland CPS '10
1. Describe an average day at your school (give us a feel of a walk through the halls).
welll first of all we don't have halls, hehe, um but lets see I get there at around 7:45 usually to get a good parking spot, then i sit in my car and finish my hw or talk with friends until the bell rings at 8. First period i have Animal Behavior which is fairly boring, just lecture and reading with occasional interesting points, then i go to math, yippee. On mondays and thursdays we have assemblys during the break period (each class is 45 minutes, break is 50- new schedule this year), on tuesdays we have a school-wide forum and fridays we have various meetings. Third period I have World Religions which is a really interesting class, new this year. Fourth I have English - Currently I'm in the Urban Bohemians seminar. Next is lunch which is like 40 minutes? Then I have AP Spanish Language, then Advanced Vocal Ensemble (i'm in a senior a capella septet) and 7th I have free so I leave for softball.
2. How much of a resource is your school in your life’s development? Do you think it actively contributes to your greater learning in life? Do you feel that your classes cater to your immediate and future needs?
I'd absolutely say that my school and my education have contributed greatly to my learning and desire to learn. Since I came to CPS I have learned a lot both in the subjects and in the art of being a student- how to best study, when to ask for help, how to write a paper etc., things that I think are essential in the future. Some of the classes, while very interesting, are not particularly useful for daily life, however these classes are seminars, however most of the classes & seminars are very current (World Religions, Issues in Science, Psychology, etc.)
3. How do you think your curriculum could be better formatted to teach you life skills?
I think it would be really fun and helpful to have a one semester shop like class- one of the ones you see on cliche TV shows where students learn to cook, sew, and clean and build and fix things. If it were a class taken for one semester in the Junior year (freshman and sophomores take 1 semester of various Sex Ed classes) that would be pretty helpful and fun!
4. Is there respect at your school between students? Students and teachers? Teachers and parents? Parents and students? How does this affect your learning environment?
There is a lotttt of respect between students and teachers. Students are held responsible for all of their actions and because of the success by the students to act maturely and intelligently teachers have gained a lot of respect. Likewise we respect the teachers because we know how much they love and respect us. I also haven't heard about there ever being any disagreement between the teachers and the parents, but because I am neither I don't have an inside view. I find that the overwhelming amounts of trust and respect the teachers and students have for each other, and the respect that we have for the administration (and vice versa) have affected the learning environment in a very positive way. It is this strong relationship (student-teacher) that make CPS a strong academic school, and one that middle schoolers want to go to. I believe it is one of the most unique attributes of College Prep.
5. If you could change one thing about you school, what would it be?
I would probably want there to be a little bit less stress involved, but obviously that is part of the way the school shapes us to become successful human beings. There is great spirit (although clearly we're not the most athletic school...) and a lot of opportunities that students at other schools don't have (snow trip, retreats, events etc.)
welll first of all we don't have halls, hehe, um but lets see I get there at around 7:45 usually to get a good parking spot, then i sit in my car and finish my hw or talk with friends until the bell rings at 8. First period i have Animal Behavior which is fairly boring, just lecture and reading with occasional interesting points, then i go to math, yippee. On mondays and thursdays we have assemblys during the break period (each class is 45 minutes, break is 50- new schedule this year), on tuesdays we have a school-wide forum and fridays we have various meetings. Third period I have World Religions which is a really interesting class, new this year. Fourth I have English - Currently I'm in the Urban Bohemians seminar. Next is lunch which is like 40 minutes? Then I have AP Spanish Language, then Advanced Vocal Ensemble (i'm in a senior a capella septet) and 7th I have free so I leave for softball.
2. How much of a resource is your school in your life’s development? Do you think it actively contributes to your greater learning in life? Do you feel that your classes cater to your immediate and future needs?
I'd absolutely say that my school and my education have contributed greatly to my learning and desire to learn. Since I came to CPS I have learned a lot both in the subjects and in the art of being a student- how to best study, when to ask for help, how to write a paper etc., things that I think are essential in the future. Some of the classes, while very interesting, are not particularly useful for daily life, however these classes are seminars, however most of the classes & seminars are very current (World Religions, Issues in Science, Psychology, etc.)
3. How do you think your curriculum could be better formatted to teach you life skills?
I think it would be really fun and helpful to have a one semester shop like class- one of the ones you see on cliche TV shows where students learn to cook, sew, and clean and build and fix things. If it were a class taken for one semester in the Junior year (freshman and sophomores take 1 semester of various Sex Ed classes) that would be pretty helpful and fun!
4. Is there respect at your school between students? Students and teachers? Teachers and parents? Parents and students? How does this affect your learning environment?
There is a lotttt of respect between students and teachers. Students are held responsible for all of their actions and because of the success by the students to act maturely and intelligently teachers have gained a lot of respect. Likewise we respect the teachers because we know how much they love and respect us. I also haven't heard about there ever being any disagreement between the teachers and the parents, but because I am neither I don't have an inside view. I find that the overwhelming amounts of trust and respect the teachers and students have for each other, and the respect that we have for the administration (and vice versa) have affected the learning environment in a very positive way. It is this strong relationship (student-teacher) that make CPS a strong academic school, and one that middle schoolers want to go to. I believe it is one of the most unique attributes of College Prep.
5. If you could change one thing about you school, what would it be?
I would probably want there to be a little bit less stress involved, but obviously that is part of the way the school shapes us to become successful human beings. There is great spirit (although clearly we're not the most athletic school...) and a lot of opportunities that students at other schools don't have (snow trip, retreats, events etc.)
Caitlin Taffe El Cerrito Highschool '10
1. An average day at my high school varies a TON depending what group you are with. My school is about 60% black and it makes a huge difference in the attitude and dress. Many of the students are from the hood, the school is very urban. A typical day at my high school involves lots of laughter and at least two collisions with people in the halls, it involves seeing or hearing about a drug transaction and figuring out who is carrying the best weed.
2. My school taught me a lot about a world I didn't really knew existed except for on tv. I think I understand a lot more about a lot of the stuff that happens in the world especially outside of the areas I spent my younger years in. I think that ECHS teaches you a lot about the outside world, because we get a huge variety of people because we are a public school and students are coming from lower, middle and upper class (Richmond, El Cerrito, Kensington). I think that the classes offered at ECHS do help with my immediate needs but I wish there was more help towards getting to college.
3. I think that it would be really helpful to have ECHS students taking a class that taught about the options after high school and what you need to do to get to whichever you want to get to.
4. Students respect each other for the most part, but we do have fights and sometimes students don't understand each other because they come from such different backgrounds. There is respect between students and teachers, but AP students do not respect teachers as much as the other students. Parents tends to be fairly uninvolved at ECHS, those involved tend to be of white or asian background.
5. If I could change one thing about my school I would give the students off campus lunch.
2. My school taught me a lot about a world I didn't really knew existed except for on tv. I think I understand a lot more about a lot of the stuff that happens in the world especially outside of the areas I spent my younger years in. I think that ECHS teaches you a lot about the outside world, because we get a huge variety of people because we are a public school and students are coming from lower, middle and upper class (Richmond, El Cerrito, Kensington). I think that the classes offered at ECHS do help with my immediate needs but I wish there was more help towards getting to college.
3. I think that it would be really helpful to have ECHS students taking a class that taught about the options after high school and what you need to do to get to whichever you want to get to.
4. Students respect each other for the most part, but we do have fights and sometimes students don't understand each other because they come from such different backgrounds. There is respect between students and teachers, but AP students do not respect teachers as much as the other students. Parents tends to be fairly uninvolved at ECHS, those involved tend to be of white or asian background.
5. If I could change one thing about my school I would give the students off campus lunch.
07 April 2010
Erik Battista: Mission statement
As the being Erik Anthony Battista, I strive to treat the people and world around me with a balance of respect and honesty that may earn me the respect of others. After establishing stable bonds with those I trust, the goal moves to communicating mutually beneficial truths to my surrounding constituents. By aiding those around me and sharing what I know, the hope is to ease the burden upon myself while bettering those around me, leaving myself time to learn what others have to show and teach me. By keeping myself intimately integrated with my surroundings, I hope to be able to direct the focus away from myself and to those issues that affect all of us. Guiding all the aforementioned, I will stay true to my passions and use my strongest drives to behoove all who stay true to themselves and remain compassionate to their fellow man.
Hilary's Personal Mission Statement
I want to look at my experience in education objectively, and at the same time be aware of and appreciate all of the opportunities that I have been provided. I want to question my own understanding of what a "quality education" is, and try to push myself to better understand why there is such a substantial divide between the quality and price of educations. I hope to communicate effectively with students of all backgrounds and do whatever possible to help mitigate the disparities of education. I want to question my understanding of success and help to redefine the role of a school in a students life.
Jasmyn's Personal Mission Statement
To raise awareness that the discrepancies between the public and private education system are not a distant idea, but for a massive amount of American youth public schools are their reality. Metal detectors, in class disruptions, unmotivated teachers, feeling unsafe and unprotected in their learning enviroment, and a government monopoly of the education system is real. To heighten my awareness of the sheer luck that has enabled me to be in an enviroment where I can harness whatever type of intelligence that I may be and feel safe. To keep in mind that throwing money at a problem is not a solution, and math and science aren't for everyone. At times calculus can be less valuable then a life skill. To be considerate that the situation of others does not necesasarily enable them to go to highschool five days a week, there are always the exceptions and the exceptional.
Harry Waters: Mission Statement
Growing up in such a fun, loving, competitive city like San Francisco, has been a blessing far superior than any gift I could receive. Having the opportunity and access to private education has first hand showed me the importance of courses that cater to the student’s desires. Education shouldn’t be a privilege, it should be a necessity. Never should anyone’s access to higher education be denied due to financial reasons. I believe that for someone to be truly content and happy with his or her life, they must not give up but pursue the qualities and facets of their life that mean most to them. We see more and more students dropping out of education because of the lack in quality, funding and catering, in relation to the student’s dreams or aspirations. Students should be doing what they love, schools should offer students access to their dreams as a life without education means a life without experience. To reach my full potential in what I dream of being, guidance must be present, to pick me up when I fall and challenge me when I succeed.
Paraphrased interview with a history teacher (Lincoln HS)
Over a two hour discussion, the following are some key/ memorable points of the dialogue:
At Lincoln HS, cultural differences sometimes hinder the educational process of the student. First and second generation Chinese American families, for example, view the school as responsible for nurturing and fostering the child's academic success; Latino families demonstrate a prioritization of the family over the individual's education; parents from backgrounds of lower education sometimes feel a distanced relation between themselves and their child's academic career, leading to less involvement in and support of the student's educational opportunities. And while none of the aforementioned stands as a rule for any one of the groups, this Lincoln High School teacher acknowledges these trends as realities in his classroom.
This general problem only served as a lead in to the discussion that would ensue - a discussion which would touch upon the divergent interests of the school's administrative and student bodies. While teacher unions, superintendents, and the general bureaucracy strive to perpetuate the availability of jobs in the educational system, they actively reinvest funds into new salaries, not student needs. This teacher vehemently believed teacher unions impede and muddle progress for both parties (those of the students and the school system itself).
Community, opined this teacher, is what's lacking in the current SF school district. Students who have to travel crosstown every morning and afternoon feel removed from their learning environment, detached from the school and surrounding community. Programs such as affirmative action place integration above education, citing the experiential knowledge gained from transracial interaction as more valuable than any detrimental qualities it may bring. Is this correct? Perhaps yes, perhaps no, but this is not for us to judge. From an objective lens of our mission, however, we can say in fact that charter schools catering to local communities (regardless of racial makeup) perform better than their orthodox counterparts. A school catering to a primarily Latino student body (>90% to be exact) in the Bayview/ Visitacion Valley area of San francisco reports that its students back this assertion, performing far higher than the local public schools in testing and daily class performance.
Furthermore, the parents of the students at these charter schools have a markedly higher turnout to school events, showing a greater level of interest and involvement with the school overall.
The idea of reducing the realm of a school to the local community may foster better results, but change will be hard to come by unless the political climate changes in the school system. According to our same Lincoln HS teacher, teachers have always voted Democrat, and the Dems have always therefore catered to their cause. Because of this dominance at the polls across this demographic, the Republicans have ceased to challenge this liberally-dominated realm, ceding the vote to their counterparts. What this causes, says our teacher, is a lack of competition - a one-sided vision without the checks and balances that makes a healthy democracy.
And while the general school structure may now be better understood, the nuances must be examined. Our teacher cites that students in his class lack basic life skills, ranging from how to formulate an argument in writing to something as simple as talking to their teacher. It's the little things that set back the whole curriculum, and it is these issues on which we will focus.
At Lincoln HS, cultural differences sometimes hinder the educational process of the student. First and second generation Chinese American families, for example, view the school as responsible for nurturing and fostering the child's academic success; Latino families demonstrate a prioritization of the family over the individual's education; parents from backgrounds of lower education sometimes feel a distanced relation between themselves and their child's academic career, leading to less involvement in and support of the student's educational opportunities. And while none of the aforementioned stands as a rule for any one of the groups, this Lincoln High School teacher acknowledges these trends as realities in his classroom.
This general problem only served as a lead in to the discussion that would ensue - a discussion which would touch upon the divergent interests of the school's administrative and student bodies. While teacher unions, superintendents, and the general bureaucracy strive to perpetuate the availability of jobs in the educational system, they actively reinvest funds into new salaries, not student needs. This teacher vehemently believed teacher unions impede and muddle progress for both parties (those of the students and the school system itself).
Community, opined this teacher, is what's lacking in the current SF school district. Students who have to travel crosstown every morning and afternoon feel removed from their learning environment, detached from the school and surrounding community. Programs such as affirmative action place integration above education, citing the experiential knowledge gained from transracial interaction as more valuable than any detrimental qualities it may bring. Is this correct? Perhaps yes, perhaps no, but this is not for us to judge. From an objective lens of our mission, however, we can say in fact that charter schools catering to local communities (regardless of racial makeup) perform better than their orthodox counterparts. A school catering to a primarily Latino student body (>90% to be exact) in the Bayview/ Visitacion Valley area of San francisco reports that its students back this assertion, performing far higher than the local public schools in testing and daily class performance.
Furthermore, the parents of the students at these charter schools have a markedly higher turnout to school events, showing a greater level of interest and involvement with the school overall.
The idea of reducing the realm of a school to the local community may foster better results, but change will be hard to come by unless the political climate changes in the school system. According to our same Lincoln HS teacher, teachers have always voted Democrat, and the Dems have always therefore catered to their cause. Because of this dominance at the polls across this demographic, the Republicans have ceased to challenge this liberally-dominated realm, ceding the vote to their counterparts. What this causes, says our teacher, is a lack of competition - a one-sided vision without the checks and balances that makes a healthy democracy.
And while the general school structure may now be better understood, the nuances must be examined. Our teacher cites that students in his class lack basic life skills, ranging from how to formulate an argument in writing to something as simple as talking to their teacher. It's the little things that set back the whole curriculum, and it is these issues on which we will focus.
Interview with Sean Carey (Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep)
•Describe an average day at your school (give us a feel of a walk through the halls).
Hella fuckers, I hate about 90% of the kids. I try to not be cynical, but it’s hard, when you’re surrounded by douche bags (one word?). It consists of running past hordes of people who seem, to coalesce into clumps like they’re white blood cells. It’s pretty much get in, get out.
•How much of a resource is your school in your life’s development? Do you think it actively contributes to your greater learning in life? Do you feel that your classes cater to your immediate and future needs?
There have been a few teachers who I believe have truly helped me, but I feel that my school is unrelated to my personal development. I have received a good base in classes, but most of the classes that I have taken are unrelated to my future plans.
•How do you think your curriculum could be better formatted to teach you life skills?
More opportunity for honors and accelerated classes for the lower divisions. More classes that directly apply to development practical things like personal finance.
•Is there respect at your school between students? Students and teachers? Teachers and parents? Parents and students? How does this affect your learning environment?
The older grades tend to be more respectful, but there are always a few obnoxious and disrespectful people. The good teachers respect their students, but there are many who have limited or no respect for their students. When a teacher lacks respect for his or her students then learning is impossible. I am unaware of the relationship between parents/teachers or parents/students.
•If you could change one thing about you school, what would it be?
Detach the school from its’ religious affiliation.
Hella fuckers, I hate about 90% of the kids. I try to not be cynical, but it’s hard, when you’re surrounded by douche bags (one word?). It consists of running past hordes of people who seem, to coalesce into clumps like they’re white blood cells. It’s pretty much get in, get out.
•How much of a resource is your school in your life’s development? Do you think it actively contributes to your greater learning in life? Do you feel that your classes cater to your immediate and future needs?
There have been a few teachers who I believe have truly helped me, but I feel that my school is unrelated to my personal development. I have received a good base in classes, but most of the classes that I have taken are unrelated to my future plans.
•How do you think your curriculum could be better formatted to teach you life skills?
More opportunity for honors and accelerated classes for the lower divisions. More classes that directly apply to development practical things like personal finance.
•Is there respect at your school between students? Students and teachers? Teachers and parents? Parents and students? How does this affect your learning environment?
The older grades tend to be more respectful, but there are always a few obnoxious and disrespectful people. The good teachers respect their students, but there are many who have limited or no respect for their students. When a teacher lacks respect for his or her students then learning is impossible. I am unaware of the relationship between parents/teachers or parents/students.
•If you could change one thing about you school, what would it be?
Detach the school from its’ religious affiliation.
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