Welcome to Education 911:
Many questions regarding education remain unanswered. The nation is aware that our education system is failing. No one seems to have a valid reason for this failure or recommendations as to how the system can be repaired to produce successful graduates.
Education 911 is a site that has been developed to discuss education’s many issues. As host and author of the site, I would like to receive your response as to the current status of education in the USA. By sharing your personal responses to topics listed here or joining in our pod cast sessions, you can participate in the education debate.
A newsletter, with the latest information on education, will soon be available. I encourage you to sign up for this newsletter. To those educators from around the world, I encourage you to share your concerns and successes of education in your country. We can all learn from each other. Parents are encouraged to share their concerns about education in their local area and nationally.
We have all shared the experiences of some form of education during our young years. Your information or experience may be able to help someone else. Parents need to be advocates for their children. Teachers need to take the lead in helping to make
positive changes in their schools and classrooms.
All of our children in our schools today seem to be at risk in some way or another. For example, children that demonstrate giftedness are neglected at all age levels. In my thirty years of teaching, I have observed over a hundred classrooms. I have watched the gifted students do the same assignments as other students. When they were finished earlier than other students, the teacher simply asked the gifted student to do more of the same or color a picture. Sooner or later, the student’s reaction would be to shut down or to cause behavior problems. A good teacher values and supports gifted students.
Frankly, your child is being left behind as teachers give their time to below grade level and far below grade level in reading and math.
The teacher is the key to success or failure in the classroom. Their lesson plans, teaching strategies, and attitudes are vital to the success of a classroom. These key elements of a successful classroom do NOT require money. It is simply their attitude and training that determines their success and the success of their students.
This site will provide links that children of all ages and ability levels can access to increase their academic skills. Many of these sites will help your child to expand their knowledge and ability. Most of the education sites provide for practice in reading or math skills in a fun and game like format. Some sites give access to education research and science projects. Please email me your suggestions of positive education sites for students at education911.com@hotmail.com.
Special education students have many issues that relate specifically to their education placement. Each special education student must be placed according to their least restrictive environment. This means that their individual learning needs are most important. These students must be placed where they can have the most success achieving their Individual Education Program (IEP) goals and objectives. For those special education students that are able to be successful in the general education classroom with their non-disabled peers, they must have a teacher that is trained and willing to provide appropriate accommodations and modifications. Also, the general education teacher must provide differentiated instruction for not only the special education or resource student, but also for other low functioning students in the classroom. General education teachers often state that they do not feel qualified to teach students with any manner of disability. However, most special education students placed in the general education classroom setting are those students that have a mild to moderate learning disability. These students may be termed resource students. Placing them in a general education setting is called inclusion. The general education teacher has been trained to differentiate instruction for low ability level students. There is very little difference in teaching strategies when working with resource students or low ability level non-disabled students. Appropriate accommodations and modifications can be made in the classroom to support the resource students that can be successful in the inclusion setting.
The resource student’s IEP is a legal document. As with any contract, it is signed by all members of the educational team and expected to be upheld by teachers. Here again, parents must be an advocate for their child to be sure that this contract is being upheld. Trust but verify!!! Parents must be sure that what is agreed upon in the IEP is being done. Email me with questions.education911.com@hotmail.com
I am soliciting your experiences as a teacher about your successes in your classroom. I am asking to hear of your frustrations and suggestions for better schools. Many instructors in our colleges and universities often do not know what is really happening in the classroom. With valid concerns, they can begin to make the necessary changes in the teacher education programs that will enhance the training of new teachers.
Email me at education911.com@hotmail.com
Parents share what has happened to you as you tried to support your child at school. How has a poor teacher affected your student? How has a good teacher affected your student? What would you suggest to improve education in the schools? These are your schools! If they are not your schools ---- take them back! Trust but verify!
For those who wish to respond, please note that your email addresses will not be shared with anyone. However, if you wish to receive feedback from others, please state in your email that you give permission for your email to be shared. Your experience or story may be used in our newsletter or pod cast. However, any names that are given will be changed to provide your privacy. Please indicate in your newsletter if it is okay to share your story.
This site does not assume any liability or responsibility for the comments or actions of others that participate on this site or in the site’s pod cast. We have no affiliation with any institution or business. All communication and interaction on this site should be done with courtesy, professionalism and kindness. No illegal activities or advertising will be allowed related to this site.
We can all learn from each other. Let’s put our heads together to try to resolve many of these education issues. After all, if we don’t shape up this system and improve the education of our children, their jobs will be outsourced to those students in India and China that are studying harder than most students here in the USA. Let’s stop this sinking of our educational “ship”!
Working for a better tomorrow!!
Working for a better
tomorrow!!!
Play me!!!
