Put our schools in the right direction

It might be nice to see Ga. schools become more than a laughing stock to other states. Punish the kids that think their pranks are funny. The message that the whole will suffer for the few who do commit these acts will be sent out loud and clear.

For too many parents, the school is no more then a day care service provided by the tax payer, thus the reaction the letter writer refers to.

Stay strong, Dr. Bedden. Parents: get a grip

The system gets money for every student that attends 180 days of school each year. Shorten the days, lessen the money. Follow the money trail.

patty, you're right, and I think that the answer is to acknowledge that, accommodate it, and save the money you're spending on teachers. We have this twisted idea that "every child has the RIGHT to an education," when in fact, not every child, not every parent, has any interest in an education. Is that bad? Of course. But you cannot change it--until and unless a child decides to avail himself of the opportunity, why waste a teacher's salary on him? Why spend money to reduce class sizes, increase teacher training, improve facilities, on students who so desire to get away from all of that, that they will break the law and call in a bomb threat? Put them in a properly supervised daycare center, let them waste their time, let mom and dad get out from under the "burden" of trying to make sure that they do homework, whatever...and focus on the kids/families who want to learn. We keep comparing our kids to students in Europe, Asia, etc. Those kids have to make the cut, every few years, to stay in what we recognize as "school." If they don't, it's off to learn how to cut grass and change oil. No punishment, just recognizing reality, rather than teaching to the least common denominator...

Is that accurate? Fewer than 50 percent of GA students graduate from high school? If true, that's outrageously bad.

johnsmith. it is sad, but that sounds right on the $$$$ why are we putting so much effort into convincing parents to give THEIR children a good education?? ok, someone will probably rebut that some of these parents lack the education or experience to guide their children in the right direction. so how about for every struggling student, we require the parents to attend classes to educate them on how to guide and better assist their children at home. ...or instead of being given welfare the $$$ is only attainable if the parents are attending classes to get a GED or higher education or learning a job skill. this way they will be able to support these children that they choose to have.???

Dr. Bedden is doing a fine job. I watched the RCBOE meeting on Comcast channel 4 this past weekend: He speaks grammatically correct English, he understands what the other board members are saying, he was prepared for questions and understood the agenda for the meeting. To say a vast improvement from his predecessor is an understatement.

crackertroy.. thats a big change for these people, perhaps even intimidating because they cannot relate to someone with such intellect and proper grammar coupled with the passion to do the right thing without being swayed from an unpopular decision.

jaschild...regardless of the reason a parent doesn't care about school, regardless of the reason the child doesn't care, the fact is, that child is standing in the way of one who DOES care. Quite frankly, I don't care if it's because mom or dad is too stupid to know that education counts. If they are so stupid that they can't poke their heads up, look around, and realize that even on the most mercenary level, money follows education, then their opinion is not a factor in our decision-making. If the child can rise above mom or dad's stupidity, if the child appreciates education--as some do--in spite of a lack of family support, then she or he deserves our effort. But if there is a lack of interest from both the parent and the child, then why put any effort into them. As the saying goes, "Don't try to teach a hog to sing hymns. You won't succeed, and all it does is annoy the hog."

i just read a book called " the underground history of american education", by john gatto. it is a free online book. it says that the system is set up to bore, label, discourage, dumb down, and divide us all intentionally. it destroys individualism and makes the state "god". it sets up a social class system to benefit the elite and corporate powers. it gives the history of mandatory schooling, text books, and administration. it is a great read and a big time eye opener. here is a link to this book: once read the system will make perfect sense to you. mindless consumers that live a life of debt to acquire things of no real value. style over substance. incapable of creative or analytical thinking.
http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/chapters/index.htm

Dr. Bedden is what Richmond county needs. My 2 kids are new to Richmond County, my 10 year old is from Columbia County and my 6 year old is from Curtis Baptist, and the structure for my kids is below what they are accustomed to. The teachers have to spend most of the class time keeping their classroom quiet and in order just to be able to teach for a FEW minutes. When I observe my kids classrooms, I find that the kids are almost out of control, they have no respect for authority. I also find that the kids in the 5th grade hardly ever have much homework in all of their subjects. It seems that they do minimal classwork, instead the teachers havie to referee instead of teach. I wondered why the standardized test scores were low for Richmond County, and now that my kids are in Richmond County, I know why! It is sad to say that my 5th grader and my 1st grader are in classes with kids that can barely read, now that is sad! I wonder how did the kids ever get to the 5th grade! I know that the teachers have to teach all kids, but when a student is well above average, they shouldn't have to slow their progress to wait for the others to catch up. They should be allowed to progress.

"(D)simmons," you should be commended for visiting your kids' classrooms and reporting what you have seen and heard. No student and no teacher deserve exposure to disorder in their classroom. But such disorder will continue until parents unite to demand its end. Your description sounds eerily similar to my experience teaching in the RCBOE system almost 40 years ago. The kids deserved better then; their children deserve better now.