Anybody remember that song from the Life of Brian? Maybe we should start class with that song to uplift the mood. Does anyone else feel the negative bent our class seems to take concerning education? I must also say that many have not been in the classroom, and yet those who have not - seem to have the most to say about education - and mostly in the negative. Please walk a mile in my shoes, or the shoes of any of the other former or present educators in the classroom before anyone makes sweeping judgements about the state of affairs in education in general. Generalities are like rain, they wet the good and the bad equally - singling neither to the benefit of the whole. I'm not trying to dress anyone down, but I have noticed that many of the educators in the room have become silent when the school bashing begins. I think this is dangerous for class discussion - if we don't foster a comfortable environment, what good will discussion be if less than half the class is participating? Can't we all just get along? Let's look for the silver lining - every once and a while, and see where a positive outlook in class can take us...

We all have our own opinions and it is healthy to debate, however, I agree with Michael that as we talk about concerning issues, we need to celebrate the successes we have in the public education sector. As educators we are the voice for our schools and the supporters in our community. We need to share with one another the celebrations we have in our schools and look at our visions and the path we have set to reach those goals and challenges. The past is history which cannot be changed. We must reach into the future and share with one another what WE can do to make a difference in our community. Our kids are counting on us!

I am one of those non-teachers in the class - I hope I haven't been the spokesperson for doom and gloom. I have just been reacting to the books that we have read, and what teachers in other classes have told us. I too have questioned why the teachers and educators in our class stay so silent - have they been "beaten" into muteness by their job situations, so that they are afraid to make their opinions known?

I would certainly love to hear about all the good things going on in the classrooms! It would be good for me to head into my first teaching job having heard some good reports to counter the horror stories that I have heard!

NO academics here. Just giving my homage to a great song byt the gretest comedians.

I am one the educators in the classroom and I am very happy to say that although we are hearing much negativity about our schools today there are great things happening. Teachers are coming out of college with the attitude to make change happen in the classroom. Students are being challenged beyond the textbook and encouraged to think for themselves without relying on the book or the teacher to supply the answers. Granted this is not taking place with all teachers everywhere but it is beginning to take shape in various schools and definitely in the school in which I work. Students are creating projects and completing assignments that have meaning. The assignments relate to the world around them and are not canned assignments that mean nothing outside of the classroom.
I feel there are great things happening the schools around us but no one hears of those things because "we" are focused on finding the negative. If things are going well it seems "we" feel there is an underlying negative factor that needs to be sought out.
I know as an educator it is very easy to get bogged down in the negativity around you and the pressures federal mandates enforce. If educators could have the opportunity to inspire children and let them learn at their pace in their own unique way schools and teachers may be viewed differently by the public at large.
The best experience a non-educator could have would be to spend one day in the life of an educator. Experience what it is like to fill the shoes of an educator, and gain understanding in the excitement of success in your students.

I hope I haven't been viewed as negative in my statements or "attacking" schools. That surely is not my attempt. I am simply interested in discussing the methods of what we do and the manner we do them in. I wouldn't be here if I didn't value schools and education. I do have some nontraditional views and ideas and mostly I am just interested in everyone's opinions and especially the experiences of those who see it everyday. So hopefully you will feel comfortable telling me if you disagree or feel I am missing the boat.

Love what you said Shelley!

I agree with Michael. There are always two sides to every story. Those who attack education never seem to see all of the successes that have been made. When a discussion starts, we should bring up all of our successes first and then figure out ways to correct what is going wrong.

John- I liked what you said. Instead of attacking an issue, we need to discuss the challenge and then try to work out a solution. In this forum, along side posing questions, I would like to see us sharing actvities, goals, celebrations, that we are doing in our schools. For those who are not currently in schools, if you hear anything about schools in your area, I would love to hear those too.

Since everyone seems to be justifying their attitudes and participation levels, I thought that I would chime in not defensively, but for the records sake. Although I am not a teacher yet, I have volunteered in the schools as both a corporate mentor and as a parent (with actual teaching class time on my own) for 4-5 years.

What I find most discouraging is sometimes the real life stories that I hear from real teachers, including some at ASU. The focus of the complaints is not about the students, but primarily about the politics and legislation. I strongly believe that teachers should work collectively to discuss and work hard for important changes that they might otherwise just COMPLAIN about or figure are out of their hands. For this reason, I think as much as it may seem negatively toned, it is a valuable process not to be under-rated and particularly not to be swept under the carpet.

Maybe as a group we could all go around the room and each say something positve that happened during the week regarding education before we tackle the other types of issues for discussion. I personally could do this every week even though I am not in the schools full-time. I think it would be a great way to get us over this popular chat issue and I would love to hear the inspirational stories as much as everyone.