tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post3292525220876271477..comments2024-01-06T06:09:29.140-05:00Comments on An Urban Teacher's Education: More On Small Schoolsjames boutinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625944306253098621noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-65815909071357210982012-03-04T10:49:48.949-05:002012-03-04T10:49:48.949-05:00I teach high school at a grades 6-12 small school,...I teach high school at a grades 6-12 small school, and I completely agree with Dalilou: our high school students are very nurtured, quite immature in many ways, and very bored. Our administration and private donors/backers love to talk about "student voice and choice," but the reality is that our students have no choice: there is one Math class per grade level, one English/History class, one Science class, etc., and no choice for electives.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-77175055065044817252010-11-16T00:38:19.993-05:002010-11-16T00:38:19.993-05:00Hey James, was just reading back a little in your ...Hey James, was just reading back a little in your blog and this one caught my eye. As an arts teacher I am actually for larger schools, as a big school can have more specialized equipment and facilities (in my case, a theatre, but also possibly a film lab, ceramics studio, music practice rooms, recording studio, etc...) that allow for a broader range of artistic and career oriented training than a smaller school is generally able to offer. When you talk about some students who come to school to take part in these kinds of activities, this can be a pretty big deal. I am enjoying the blog!MrMiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15872746764631745680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-16772791138460356302010-10-30T19:33:37.869-04:002010-10-30T19:33:37.869-04:00Great post. You've covered many of the salient...Great post. You've covered many of the salient critiques of the small school movement. Like many education reforms, if properly funded and supported, it would make sense. Provide for sufficient teachers, support staff, counselors. In reality, teachers often end up doing a lot of jobs they wouldn't have to do in a larger school, which stretches them thin and leads to high attrition.Michael Dunnhttp://modeducation.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-43670598019691262792010-10-28T22:04:41.249-04:002010-10-28T22:04:41.249-04:00I've been thinking about this for a long time....I've been thinking about this for a long time. There are three schools in my building and issues around sharing space are more tense than need be. I do love the small school feeling and so do my middle school students but I think by high school many grow bored, though very nurtured. We're just too overstretched to offer enough of the different activities and opportunities that keep different kinds of kids interested in school. I wish that we shared resources and electives more, and I wish that when they "create" small schools, that they wouldn't dump the old students and teachers to the four directions. It's crazy! Another great concept in theory!Dalilouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16491075523419372429noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-79407121358706065032010-10-26T21:52:55.342-04:002010-10-26T21:52:55.342-04:00Excellent points, Tom. Thanks!Excellent points, Tom. Thanks!james boutinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09625944306253098621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-48844340592738408212010-10-26T21:51:33.464-04:002010-10-26T21:51:33.464-04:00* they're easier to close;
* I'm drawing a...* they're easier to close;<br />* I'm drawing a blank on the statistical name for the phenomenon, but if you split a school with middling aggregate scores into parts, it is pretty likely that some of the parts will become high and low outliers -- now you can take credit for creating the high one and closing the low one!Tom Hoffmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08577165613934129833noreply@blogger.com