Need to Connect the Dots

    There are times when a blogger can save her fraying synapses some extra work and her fingers some extra typing. There are times to involve an intelligent audience and rely on readers to connect the seemingly apparent Crystal Clear dots for themselves. I believe my offerings today afford such an opportunity.
    First I submit for you, Newton High School's usage of classroom time today:

From Newton High School
Entire Selected Category - December 2004.
To BGLAD Day - (All day event)
ToBGLAD: TRANSGENDER, BISEXUAL, GAY AND LESBIAN AWARENESS DAY
B Block – Little Theatre: A Day in the Life: Statistically one in ten students at this school are not straight. Teenage life is complicated enough, but how does it differ for GLBT teens? Come to this panel and find out.
C Block – Little Theatre: Student Speakout: Newton North students read original pieces about GLBT issues. Session 1: 9:05 – 9:35 Session 2: 9:45 – 10:20
D Block – Little Theatre: Life Outside the Gender Norm: What happens when ones gender identity does not match their sex? In this session, speakers will talk about their experiences with gender identity and expression.
E Block (take 3rd lunch)– Little Theater: Out at the Old Ballgame: Athletes and coaches discuss what it’s like to be GLBT in the gym, on the field, and on the road.
F Block – Little Theater: Family Matters: What does it mean to be a family? What discriminations and legal obstacles do queer families face? Children and parents discuss living with queer family members.
F Block – Film Lecture Hall: GBLT What's in a Name: What is homophobia? heterosexism? Why is there a ToBGLADay? In this interactive presentation, we will use activities to provide the groundwork for talking about GBLT issues.
G Block – Little Theater: Color Me Queer: A panel discussion of race, culture, and sexual identity.

Now I submit to you,  from an article in the New York Times today by Karen W. Arenson : 

Math and Science Tests Find 4th and 8th Graders in U.S. Still Lag Many Peers
 

... But at the Education Department, Mr. (Patrick) Gonzales ( ...a research analyst at the National Center for Education Statistics)  said a critical question was how some countries had made such sizable gains while American scores lost ground or remained virtually flat.
    ... "Everyone is trying to move forward," he said. "But that raises a question no one has an answer for: Why is it that some countries have made much greater gains than others?"

The new report is available at timss.bc.edu, and the analysis of the United States performance at nces.ed.gov/timss.
(emphasis mine)

It is quite Crystal Clear to me there are some value issues going on here in the USA. I know, I know  the term values has become something of a hackneyed term of late but I think the discrepancy in scores compared to other industrial countries  really has to do with priorities and values. I won't offer up my value judgment right now but perhaps you can hazard a guess as to my inclinations regarding the judgment of using school time for To BGLAD day events.....for right now I just wanted to get your synapses a firin'

Comments

[Sara 观星]

Is that school "Newton North" in Massachusetts, by any chance? If so, I went there for a short while. Silly little factoid.

And by the way, I'm assuming that the study in the second article isn't talking about Newton's 4th and 8th graders. And if they are, 4th and 8th graders aren't high schoolers, which I assume the first article is talking about. :)

[MrBob]

Uhhhh... I've retyped this 4 times and deleted it each time!

But to give you an idea of where my thought process is... if they're going to 'teach" in school every form of lifestyle and how one should interact with people of diverse sexual orientation... where's the NAMBLA film lecture at?

I mean, they might as well be promoting man/boy sexual relationships too... shouldn't they? So they're illegal, but so is gay marriage in most states...

Well, that's the way it hit me as I read it... and you asked. Am I "firin' okay?" :)

[MrBob]

I just noticed I had a line missing... if there's any confusion to anyone... I was being sarcastic and I'm completely against teaching such things like this in a school, especially in this manner!

Based upon the past, these kids can't read, write, or do math... but they'll know all about this particular subject.

Could the reason for the poor performance
be the lack of males in divorced homes? (I mean where the male has been removed, not left. This is becoming more and more common
in US).
It is now the norm for 30% plus of homes.

[dilusionl]

Johnny can't read.
I'll skip the diatribe, I know it's: "quaint","time-worn", "moth-eaten" Archaic even, However; It is the Job of the parent to enculcate the child in the belief structure of the family and the prevailing paradigm in which that unit resides.
The job of the teacher is to teach academic truths, as understood by empirical understanding, e.g, Reading, Writing, arithemetic process, history, sceience, art, and humanities as they relate to western civ...
Become a political voice for school reform...
Oh sorry, I guess I ranted any way...

[Dr. Forbush]

This whole thing goes back to the question: What is school for? The idea for school is to educate the masses so that they can make informed choices when they go to the ballot box. So, it isn't only about teaching students the 3 Rs but it is also to teach the students how to think.

With that in mind it is interesting that each side of the issues should want the students to know their view point. However, the right seems to think that avoiding the issue benefits them better than discussing it. Why would this be the case? Do they think that young minds can not understand the point of discrimination? Do they think that they would not be allowed to present religious arguments in the classroom?

[Caroline]

I don't mean to be critical, or to change your opinion, perhaps just give you some insight.
ToBGLAD was presented as a way of education for our peers. I spoke at ToBGLAD, aloing with my other LGBT friends, becasue we wanted others to know whats its like to be called dyke or fag when you're walkign down the halls, when Newton is generally a safe and open place. The response was actually quite positive. I've had numerous classmates come up to me and tell me how insightful my speech was, and tell me that they never realized how hurtful words can be.
Teachers chose to sign their kids up for this event, and it was optional even then for kids to go. and yet, the theatre was filled for each panel. OUr GSA is quite affective, and large, making a safe spot for LGBT students. WE love the community we have there, and the friends we make there. Excuse me where else do you find an out lesbian to be captain of the varsity cheerleading team and not get crap about it?
ToBGLAD was educational.

[Jill]

I do think that in an age where there are school shootings happening and, time and time again, people cite the cause as 'intolerance.' In which case, I think a seminar on tolerance could be extremely helpful. Since obviously a lot of kids aren't being taught tolerance at home.

I'm not going to get into the specific moral issues involved, because I understand both sides all too well.

And I'm pretty sure that Mr. Bob understands the difference between gay marriage (between two people capable of consent) and sex between adults and children (where one person is clearly being victimized.)

[Michael Jones]

Reserving two hours to let people know that yes, there are gay high school students and no, calling them fags or dykes isn't cool is hardly the reason why Johnny can't read.

If Johnny can read but uses his spare time to verbally, psychologically or physically bash minority groups of whatever persuasion based on his fundamental ignorance and distrust, there's a problem.

I facilitated similar seminars in high school concerning all forms of discrimination and intolerance. They're very valuable in promoting values that are essential to civic society and properly done engage everyone's biases equally - including the politically correct folk, since we deliberately made it so that all views were voiced and discussed on their own merits, including the PC fascists who prefer to whitewash difference in name of some BS fantasy of superficial harmony. They were very instructive for all involved, including moderators such as myself.

[Jimmie]

So, it's of educational value to get kids together and tell them for a couple hours that it's not nice to call other people names?

Hey, while we're at it, let's have them spend a couple hours with some fat people (Hey, I'll do it for a small fee), some people with glasses, a bunch of "A" student "geeks", and some poor kids, too. That ought to kill a couple whole school days.

And when they're done, they'll have had a whole bunch of hours of them hearing something that any authority figure can tell them in the halls or in the classroom (as they hear the insults and trust me, they do) and blown a couple school days, too.

Look, if this is how we want to spend part of the school yera, then okay - no problem. But the same folks can absolutely not then come back and lecture us about how badly our students are performing in schools or why little Johnny needs a cash register with pictures of hamburgers on it because he can't quite figure out the whole "numbers thing".

[Caroline]

spending one day on ToBGLAD hardly takes away enough educational time to lower MCAS scores...maybe you should have checkec and noticed that 4th and 8th graders, are in fact, not in high school, and that is exactly where this awareness day took place. School isn't only about a textbook education, but getting ready for the outside world. School is also about getting different experiences, even if they don't apply directly to the textbook curricuum. ToBGLAD was an amazing day for the GSA kids to make their points, to give the other kids in the schoola window to peek through into our lives. An educational experience? Yes.

[Crystal]

Caroline, I believe you and a few are still missing my main point(s). My main point isn't whether it was educational or not educational, valuable or not valuable. I have not a single doubt it wasn't indeed educational and highly valuable. My posts are mainly asking and talking about the VALUE judgement to have SUCH (specifically targeted) events at SCHOOL during school HOURS, not necessarily THIS ToBGLAD event. I am writing about value judgements and the whole educational system, NOT just Newton High. Don't mean to scream just to add emphasis to the highly relevant issues that you and some others are either missing or ignoring. My point remains the same and still holds whether we are filling in the _______with regards to fat/skinny student issues, disabled students, stupid students, black/hispanic/asian students, mensa students or students from the planet Neptune.

[Michael Jones]

Tolerance and the three "R"s are not a zero-sum game. Both are essential and both are certainly doable. As I noted above, I've facilitated similar seminars (and yes, things like poor kids and fat kids come up...) and I suspect all of my HS class was functionally literate despite their attendence.

Educational underachievement is an entirely different problem.

In the end, though, give me someone with basic civic decency and limited functional literacy vs. someone with no civic decency and 2 extra days of functional literacy instruction. There's not many basics you'll teach in 2 days, especially if you can't do it right in 12 years.