Portland, Tennessee Blog

Awesome post Just a Mom!!!

I graduated from Beech. My husband graduated from Hendersonville. I have two children that graduated from Hendersonville and I have two children who are currenlty in the Portland School system. I do not see a difference in the Teachers. I see a difference in the society. I feel less is expected here and people are raised to feel as if it is okay to settle for less. We as parents have to teach our children that it is okay to want more and that they can do more. The school could help more with telling them that every child can go to college if they choose too. We need to teach them that there is a whole big world out there and the sky is the limit. Sometimes I feel as if the small town plays a part in holding them back. My kids are involved in activities in the community. I see the biggest difference in this department with parent involvement.

DA

I wish I'd had your Jr. High English teacher.
Grammer was my worst subject in school.

While I could make a "C" just for going to class. A "B" if I opened a book or a "A" if I actually read anything. I never did learn to write correctly.

As for my kids in school. All I ask is they do their Best. Strive to make a 100%, but I'm happy with whatever they make as long as they give it their best.

I wish ya'll the best in your school system. The kids are our future.

It is the parent's responsibility to make sure that their children make to school each day.

It is the school's responsibility to make sure they stay there.

It is the school's responsibility to ensure the student's safety at school and it is the parent's responsibility to ensure it at all other times. Parents and schools should communicate freely and as often as necessary if their are any concerns.

If a child acts up at school, it is the school's immediate responsibility to stop the misbehavior and discipline as appropriate. It is also the school's responsibility to ensure that parents are made known of any "brewing" problems before they become large ones.

It is the parents responsibilty to make sure that children know what is expected of them behaviorally and to discipline as appropriate. (sometimes the discipline at school is sufficient. For more severe, or often repeated infractions, parents may need to impose additional discipline at home.)

It is the school's responsibility to assess children's abilities, make sure that the children are getting full access to a quality education and to communicate as often as necessesary if things are not progressing.

It is the parents responsibility to listen and act on any concerns the school may have and to communicate with the school if they are unable to assist their children. (example: I am not . . . many parents are not . . . proficient enough in math to help a child who is struggling with Pre-Calculus homework. Communication with the school yielded the information that there is an early morning math lab available at the high school to help struggling students)

It is the collective responsibility of the parents and the school to report to each other of any known or suspected problems . . . social, emotional, educational . . . that may be hindering educational progress or distracting a child, and to act on those problems as approriate. It is the responsibility of both the school and the parents to follow through with whatever they agree on and to inquire within a reasonable period of time as to whether or not their plan is making progress or whether they need a new game plan.

It is the students responsibility to put forth the BEST of their abilities (the school and the parents should have a good idea of what the students strengths and weaknesses are so that a child who struggles to make a C's and D's is praised and a child who is capable of making A's and B's but only make's B's and C's, is expected to put forth more effort)

It is the parents responsibility to monitor their child's friendships outside of school and they should enlist the assistance of the school if there are any serious concerns. Likewise, the school should inform the parents if anything is noticed that might be a cause for concern. Once informed, it is then up to the parents to closely monitor the situation or to take action.

I am not saying that students are void of responsibility, but they are called children for a reason. It is our job to teach children how to utilize gifts, how to overcome struggles, and how to conduct themselves in society. Parents and schools have almost equal "awake time" with children during the school year and it is impossible (unrealistic) to expect school to know what is going on at home, or for parents to know what is going on at school without frequent, effective communication.

It is important for the school and parents establish an "open door policy" and to actually walk through it as needed.

OH, my.
When I was in Jr. High School (not in Portland) I had the English teacher from Hell. She made us study the parts of speech, diagram sentences and study spelling until we thought we were going to die from it. But we still had to learn what she intended to teach.

Years later, I saw her in a store, and told her that I wished my Jr. High students had her for English; they would be actually learning something. She told me that we probably hated her. Well, yes, we did. But since I have grown up, I appreciate every one of those stupid spelling tests and diagrammed sentences that I suffered through at her hands.

Teaching is not a popularity contest. It's about whether or not you are able to teach the students the things they NEED to know, not whether or not they have fun learning it. School is not supposed to be a daily circus, but in many cases, it is. The school personnel is so ready to blame all the problems on the parents, but there really isn't much a parent, whether at home or at work, can do about chaos in a classroom or about substandard teaching methods.

The issue isn't completely about how new or modern or state-of-the-art a classroom is. It's about whether or not the parents and teachers can stop blaming each other and work together towards a common goal; to educate Billy or Susie.

I see some of the posts on this blog, with misspellings, poor grammar, and horrible sentence structure, and I want to scream. For goodness sake, let's educate ourselves so we can educate our children. I have, on more than one occasion, heard a parent in Portland tell me that So-and-So is a good teacher because she doesn't give hardly any homework. Excuse Me?? In my opinion, a good teacher gives as much homework as she needs to in order for the students to learn.

A friend of mine teaches standard Math at the college level. She is appalled by the basic Math concepts that our High School graduates don't understand. She spends a lot of time at College level teaching things that should have been mastered in Jr. High School. What does that say about our school system?

Yes, Hendersonville shines with their low drop-out numbers. But I don't personally think it's about money. I tend to think it's about an attitude in the parents, teachers and students that it is important to excel, rather than to just get by with the minimun. In Portland, fewer people have career goals that go beyond working at a minimum wage job for the rest of their lives. That attitude shows in the children.

I've probably gone on long enough. I ache for this up-coming generation. They don't have a sense of hope for the future, and that is so very, very sad.

Well said Judy.We as parents are(and should be) more responsible than anyone in how our children turn out.It is also the choices made by the child as to which path they take,so there should be more credit given to those who choose to do their best.

DeeAnna made a good point, area's where income levels are higher probably do have a better success rate in schooling, however, money, and a parents education can do just so much, once those students are out on their own, I would be interested to know what the success rate is for those students finishing college. I can relate to this issue thru family members, one family in the upper class & highly educated and one that was just barely getting by. Both with 2 students that graduated HS and went on to college/trade school. The students from the upper class both dropped out of college before the end of their 1st year, the other 2 one in trade school, and one in college completed, graduated, and are now earning a yearly salary of 60+k 2 years out of school.

I honestly believe it is the foundation that is laid out for the students PRIOR to High School that will determine the success or failure of a student. As parents and educators we BOTH have an equal responsibility to guide the young down a path in their earlier years that makes them eager to want and expect more out of life than to be happy just getting by. And this will NOT happen by just attending school, parents if you don't have the time...... make the time!! Know more, be involved more, don't just check the back packs every morning before your student heads off to school signing off their daily agenda. Don't wait for High School to become concerned, by then it's too late!

I heard someone on a talk show the other day talking about success rates of students ... and how the family's income is directly tied to a student's success, he said. Looking at those schools at the top of the list...I think that looks like it may have some validity. Of course, there are many factors, I'm sure...I would think the education level of the parents would be a real factor, as well.

There is a lot of problems at the high school. First problem is the drug problem thats in the school. When you have kids that are involved and taking drugs its hard for them to concentrate on coming to school. The second is the lack of help the school has from parents. A lot of parents are connected at whats going on at the school, but a lot of parents dont care because they work all day and just want to come home and not be bothered.
The school has their hands tied on a lot of issues dealing with kids home life and their past problems because of laws and regulations.
Ms Grogan is great person and did a lot of great things at the school. But sometimes a change is needed to offer fresh ideas.

I'm sorry, but is this really a surprise? Worthy of boldface?

C'mon....

On the bright side, now that expel-happy Grogan is gone, perhaps we may get a principal in who knows how to run things...Just a thought.

I'm sorry, but is this really a surprise? Worthy of boldface?

C'mon....