Because of NCLB my daughter's school has lost its art program

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

no more art. The art teachers at 37 elementary schools in her district were sacked because the already ransacked budget simply cannot keep up with the demands of NCLB. To their credit, they held off as long as they could, but had to cut somewhere this year.

Reading Recovery, a program that helped kids in elementary schools with reading difficulties was cut, too.

Next year, music will be cut, leaving only PE. I guess they'll keep PE in light of all the hoo-ha about obese kids.

I think it's a shame. Art is great for kids. I am going to supplement her education at home with weekly art lessons/units (I'm a teacher myself). We already go to the Kimball in Ft. Worth a lot (world renowned, I'm proud to say).

How sucky is this? Next year, we'll be doing both art and music at home.

[greatauntoftriplets]

1. No Child Left Behind was very bad legislation...

...underfunded or not.

Evanston (IL) Township H.S. (in a suburb immediately north of Chicago, 4,000 students of all races, from rich kids to poor) is probably opting of it. They will lose nearly half a million a year in federal funding, but the powers-that-be are VERY unhappy about it.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

5. TX districts

depend on federal monies too much to opt out of NCLB, unfortunately. We have no state income tax, schools are funded by local property taxes, so there is a lot of disparity from one district to the next.

[flamingyouth]

7. One of my best friends went to ETHS

Glad to hear they're opting out of it. :thumbsup:

[greatauntoftriplets]

19. ETHS is a great school.

The downside of all this is that Evanston real estate taxes (already sky high) will go up even more as a result of this.

[flamingyouth]

21. I'm sure I'll hear all about that from him

His taxes are already high, I know. He has one of those cool little brick bungalows in S. Evanston. Very nice area, I think.

[greatauntoftriplets]

24. The triplets' grandfather grew up in a S. Evanston bungalow...

A friend's mother is selling a large vintage house on a good-sized lot on one of Evanston's most desirable streets -- lots of huge places there, though this one is relatively modest -- though with 6 bedrooms, 3 full baths and a couple of half baths. Rep. Jan Schakowsky lives a couple doors away.

The mother (who is 80-something) is selling the house at what I consider to be a very low price because she feels she has to make the price really attractive to counteract the high taxes.

[flamingyouth]

25. Wow - that must be a great house

I love looking at all the old homes around there and in Wilmette, etc. Some beautiful, beautiful places, especially by the lake. And living near Rep. Schakowsky is merely an added bonus!:hi:

[greatauntoftriplets]

26. Except that the mother might be a repuke....

I don't know and neither does my friend.

What I DO know is that the youngest son (who is over 40 and a tad odd, he liked to goosestep as a kid) is an in-your-face repuke who over-decorates the lawn with repuke signs before every election.

I hope the mother will veto that this year ... what with the house on the market and not wanting to offend potential buyers with $$$ in hand.

:hi:

[KamaAina]

2. Randi Rhodes: "No Child's Behind Left"

this is the absolute proof.

Reading Recovery, a program that helped kids in elementary schools with reading difficulties was cut, too.

:wtf:

Wasn't No Child's Behind Left supposed to be about increasing performance?!

Morans. See me after class! :dunce:

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

3. yeah

the Reading Recovery cut was fought tooth and nail by the RR teachers, the parents of kids in the program and some community members, but they still cut it. It costs a SHITLOAD of money and "only" served a small percentage of elementary school kids.

You gotta cut things somewhere. Our district has been putting this off for about two years and finally just had to do it.

[tnlefty]

4. 2 yrs. ago my elementary aged sons had an excellent, bi-lingual Spanish

teacher replaced with an uncertified, no where near qualified teacher because of NCLB. Their original teacher also included Spanish culture, history, etc. and I hated to see her go.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

9. They couldn't afford her

pretty common tactic among districts trying to save money. Fortunately my district isn't quite insane enough to pull that shit.

But what you do is you don't renew the contract of the experienced ($$), highly educated (Masters or Doctorate = more $$$$), bilingual ($$$) teacher and you hire an inexperienced (cheap), Bachelor-level (cheap), non-bilingual (cheap) teacher instead.

It's cutting off your nose to spite your face, though. Now not ALL of those inexperienced, Bachelor's only, non-bilingual teachers are bad, in fact, I am not bilingual, I have only a BA (but am starting grad school soon) and I was once inexperienced, but chances are you get a better all-around teacher the more experience and education they have.

[sasquatch]

6. You wann hear something really fucked up? My mom is a teacher and

republican:argh: Talk about someone whom is setting themselves up for a ass woopin'.:(:mad:

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

11. Some are

but I run into more Dem teachers than Rep teachers. Thank goodness. Most teachers around here DETEST NCLB and thus bush.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

8. Oh that just burns my soul to hear!!!!!

:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

10. I just told my husband

that next year, when they cut music, he'll be doing the weekly music lessons. I'll provide the curriculum and materials and he'll conduct a twice-weekly lesson, including listening to and identifying major music genres, music apprecation, making music, etc. He's VERY into music and got pissed when I told him about this.

Here's the deal though: I suspect most parents wouldn't simply supplement with lessons at home. The kid just wouldn't GET art or music anymore!

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

12. You let me know - I'll give some online art lessons - no joke

This kind of crap is why I'm a Dem in the first place.

The rest of the world thinks we're a joke - and they're right!

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

13. The rest of the world thinks who is a joke?

The US? Well, I'd have to grudgingly agree with them that, in some respects, we are.

It really saddens me, especially because she ADORED art AND her art teacher. It was her favorite time of the day. She literally came home on the first day this year, sat on the couch, told me and cried.

I promised her we'd do art stuff at home and ramp up our museum visits. Going to the Dallas Museum of Modern Art tomorrow afternoon, great new exhibit there!

Are you an artist??? Maybe you can suggest some things a nine year old should be doing in art? I found a great fourth grade art curriculum online from another school district, but would love some practical ideas....I can only draw stick figures, so I don't feel very well qualified.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

14. This is the curriculum I found

http://www.rcs.k12.va.us/art/curricula/art4.htm

If you wouldn't mind, would you glance at it and tell me what you think?

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

16. I am an artist and with a degree in illustration - I'll have to check on

some stuff for younger kids - but my feeling is this: at the very least exposure (in visual arts which is my background) is what is the most necessary. Galleries and museums open a child's mind up to the varied possibilities of human expression.

I would take her to some museums (I'm sure you do that already) :)

I will be in touch with some suggestions for art education for the 9 year old age group.

Fear not - we aren't going to let the world be right about this country :)

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

18. Thank you so much.

We are members of the Kimball Art Museum in Ft. Worth (don't laugh, it's actually very well-known and considered to be great!) and we go there frequently. They also have Kid Art days there where the kids go and listen to a short, entertaining lecture on some aspect of an artist's work (well-known) and then they duplicate some of the techniques with adult volunteers. The last one was on cubism.

We also go to two different modern art museums. We have art books in the house, and our favorite artist is Modigliani. We've got five of his prints framed in our house. We are mesmerized by him!

Anyway, thanks again.

[LWolf]

20. Here's something, if you can afford it:

This is the "homeschool" version. The school version is significantly more expensive. It is a video curriculum, with some optional additions available. The "lesson" on video is an art teacher in an actual class of students, doing an actual lesson. She talks about it, demonstrates, and then it shows kids working on it, and the final projects. I've used a few lessons from the 2nd grade and the 5th grade program.

http://www.homeschoolart.com/

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

22. Thanks for that

I will most definitely check it out!!!

[LWolf]

15. How timely.

I spent an hour this morning hanging out with an art teacher. Except that she doesn't teach art any more. She's in a middle school; a couple of years ago, they started reducing the sections of art she taught and adding English, since she has an appropriate degree. For this coming year, she's fighting to retain one art class out of the 5 sections she teaches, and it's not looking good. She has 5 years to go before she's eligible for an early retirement plan, and she's ready to walk now.

As an elementary teacher, I teach art. No one says I can't. However...I now have to make sure that I can quote "standards" to justify the instructional time. And, in my state, the fine arts "standards" are about art appreciation, not actually creating anything. I have to document that the correct number of minutes in the day are spent on all of the testable subjects, and that I am using the mandated instructional methodology and script. I also have to document that I'm keeping up with the district's schedule for what has to be covered when, so that the kids are ready for the additional quarterly testing mandated by my district. Time to include art projects without being written up or sanctioned is getting scarcer and scarcer.

I read a book recently; a novel geared towards middle school kids, a comedy/horror about the current obsession with standardized testing. Of course, it's satire; it's greatly exaggerated. Sort of. Exaggeration or not, it rings way too true:

Story Time by Edward Bloor

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

17. Gonna have to check that book out!

Your stories sound too familiar. It SUCKS.

[B Calm]

23. My son the Art Teacher tells me that this is happening all over the countr

[ChoralScholar]

27. I am so sorry

As a music teacher, I hate to hear that. Fortunately in Arkansas, even though many of our schools are in the same boat with test scores and such, schools are being forced to ADD music and art and drama programs to come into compliance with the state requirements. It has created a severe shortage in music teachers, which is good for my salary bargaining leverage, but not so good for kids that get 'bottom of the barrel' arts teachers.

Come to the Arkansas River Valley Moonbeam! We'll make sure your little one gets all the music, art and drama she can stand!

:)


ON EDIT: Dang It! Why'd they have to put the D key next to the S key?!?