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Let’s Treat Our Math and Science Stars Like Sports Stars

Homeschool kids win VEX robotics!

1. I was very pleased when Ms. Kastner mentioned that the film was a collection of anecdotes and while very emotionally powerful, not necessarily a balanced account of the situation. I thought this was a very, very apropos comment. Even while watching the film, I lost track of the times my adult brain told me “yeah, but you’re just a kid and have no real idea about life yet.” in response to comments by one teen or another.

While I GET IT, (I DO see the lunacy of the situation.) I also have always been a proponent of aiming high to achieve more than aiming low. While kids may feel pressure, I’m not sure that is completely unhealthy. What is unhealthy is the belief that failure to get Straight A’s in all AP classes and admission to Stanford is the end of life. First off, it is NOT essential to have straight A’s to go to Harvard, Stanford or Yale. Second, none of those schools are educationally any better than 20 or 30 other schools.  Further, given a better FIT with a given student any of a few HUNDRED schools could be every bit as good for that student. Finally, failure is part of life, not the end of it. Any parent that allows their teen to believe that it is “all about Stanford” is doing a terrible job of parenting. On the other hand, any parent that allows their child to coast, play games excessively, not get good grades or not apply themselves (in the name of a “happy” childhood or any other goal) is also not doing their job.

2. Mr. Oki mentioned his new organization (not yet launched) ParentUnion.com that will unify parents into an effective educational reform force. Given the debates between parents I’ve seen, where beliefs are often dearly held and diametrically opposed, I’m not sure how he is going to get enough unity to achieve anything but, I will certainly do anything I can to help such an ambitious project starting up right here in Washington. He highlighted a few absurdities in the current Public School system: One, the fact that in Japan there are something like 6 teachers to one administrator whereas here in America, it is not even a one to one ratio…. anther was something about there being over 200 school districts in Washington, two of which have less than 8 students!!! I bet those two have more than 8 employees each!!!

3. Homework… particularly thorny subject for me since I have a kid that is doing 3-5 hours of homework EVERY night at least six days a week. I believe that frequent (nightly), short (15-30 mins) assignments is, BY FAR, the best way for kids to learn their basic math facts. I also think that writing is an evolutionary process needing practice and refinement. For at least both these subjects, I believe that working at home is a reasonable expectation and an efficient use of class time. The issues of dioramas,”projects” and other “artsy” time-wasters was brought up.

I wish I had been able to take the mic at some point in order to point out that: At least until high school, parents need to understand that kids grades do NOT follow them. If your kid is stressed over a project then help them or send a note to the teacher that you, as their parent, have given them permission to skip this assignment. They probably will get a big fat F, but SO WHAT??? At the end of the semester they’ll have a B, they’ll respect you for standing up for them and they’ll understand that life is more than grades.

4. AP Classes… one or more of the panelists mentioned how hard Bellevue School District personnel works to force EVERY kid into EVERY AP class. I agree, understand that there is evidence that taking AP classes raises the possibility of going to college, but the pandering to rankings of Bellevue School District is NOT healthy. FORCING a kid with a documented, reading disability into 4 AP classes as a junior then absolutely refusing to reschedule him is NOT a decision that was made with the kid’s best interests in mind. In this case, the kid’s parents DID squawk and he eventually was excused from one of the AP classes and given extra support for another. I believe that parents need to make advocate for their kids. Why we let a school district dictate class loads is beyond me. The fact is, colleges are NOT in love with AP classes. They want a kid to “take advantage of what is offered at their schools” that does NOT mean taking EVERY AP class. That means taking a good selection of courses AND finding a passion!!! Kids with great grades and AP classes that play the piano or violin and soccer get turned down from the top schools all the time. I believe that a kid with a couple of warts but a demonstrated PASSION for something amazing is more attractive to the top schools than Mr./Ms. Perfect. If your kid is over-scheduled, it’s YOUR responsibility as a parent to step up and help them work it out.

5. A few times in the movie and a couple times in audience comments, tutoring was mentioned as one of the things that was ADDING stress to a student’s life. I’d like to point out that at least at MY tutoring center, tutoring is ASSISTANCE. I like to think that we are part of the solution, NOT the problem and I can provide many, many kids that absolutely agree. When my high school kids come in, we save them time getting work done and they go away with a clearer view of the subject that if they had worked alone or text messaged their friends for help. Ever since I spent 10 hours over two trips miserable, cold and wet “teaching myself” how to ski. Then spent 2 hours in a lesson and leapt forward, I’ve recognized the value of a few key “hints” from a skilled instructor. Tutoring is NOT a symptom of an over-worked, over-stressed, straight-A-oholic. Tutoring is one piece of the solution.

Mindstorm Masters on TV

Just a quick post to highlight the recognition one Bellevue Robotics Team is getting (OK, they ARE my kids… my team!  BUT, they are STILL awesome!!!)

For those of  you that don’t know First Lego League, the competition is a little schizophrenic… the best way to describe it is as a sexy robotics tournament wrapped around a science fair. We are judged on 4 criteria: Robot Performance (self-explanatory), Robot Design (separate from performance), Gracious Professionalism (teamwork, respect, positivity) and The Project (This year the theme is Transportation and we chose to work on the problem of people running out of gas. We designed a container and fuel combination that can be safely manufactured at home and stored in the back of a car in case you run out of gas. We’ve tested it for flammability and impact resistance and had it pronounced “very safe” by two different Fire Captains.). Competition days are VERY full and amazing events for young competitors.

This particular group of Bellevue School District kids is getting well-deserved recognition and is leaving (next week) for the World Championships – WorldFest!!

King 5 Segment on The Mindstorm Masters

Well, in any case, they made the right selection… now it’s going to be interesting to see how the books get purchased. Where will the money come from as the district considers cutbacks?

* Take your final standardized test. The College Board and the ACT both offer December tests (December 5 and 12, respectively). If you have registered for either of these tests, make sure you are fully prepared. Take a practice test beforehand, or sign up for a refresher Bellevue Tutoring Club session.

* Follow-up with recommendations. You should have already asked your teachers and counselors for recommendation letters. Of course, so have many of your classmates, and your Bellevue School District teachers may be feeling as frazzled as you are. Make sure you gently follow-up with those people who have promised letters, but have not yet delivered. For those who have, run, don’t walk, to send a thank-you note or deliver a Starbucks card once your applications are in.

* Finish applications. It seems obvious, but when late December arrives, and you still have an essay to write here and a list of activities to create there, the work can pile up. Complete your final tasks one by one, and use the Common Application for the schools that accept it. Remember that one or two great essays re-purposed for your different apps are better than 4-5 different half-good essays.

* Keep on top of school work. It’s easy to let your course work fall by the wayside when you are working on something as big as college applications. Add to that the distractions of the fall and winter holidays and senioritis, and your grades may begin to slip. Colleges do keep an eye on your senior year grades, so make sure you are completing your homework each night and staying on top of your assignments.

Recently, through a perfect storm of decisions and policies, the State  (or National, I’m unclear on which) PTSA organization has made it much harder for our local PTSAs to perform one of our major functions, providing enrichment opportunities to our kids!

Here’s the situation, PTSA managment discovered/realized that local PTSA’s were sponsoring before and after-school classes and clubs (like the ones in Robotics, Math and Science that I at the Bellevue Tutoring Club do). They discovered that some of the teachers/organizations were using this “sponsorship” to get insurance coverage instead of having their own. They then over-reacted, dictating from on high that unless the local PTSA is going to have a member at all events AND collect and dispurse all monies, the event could NOT be sponsored by PTSA.

This is where my problem starts! The state PTSA would say that their policy doesn’t mean that the event can’t happen, it simply means that the PTSA isn’t going to sponsor it. However, that is a gross oversimplification. Because the PTSA isn’t sponsoring the event, the district has to follow their policies with regard to use of school facilities by outside organizations and charge a rental. Because the vendor has to pay a rental, either the class will be canceled if attendance is low (Last year at Cherry Crest, I did a Math Olympiad class with 5 students. This year I would have to cancel that class.) and/or cancel scholarships that the vendor would have provided. (It’s always been my policy to simply accept students even if they couldn’t pay.) Something the individual school PTAs have appreciated.

Why would the PTA leadership make this decision??? Frankly, at least on this issue, I think they’ve lost track of their purpose. They, the state and national leadership, exist to serve us, the rank and file, and our needs, not the other way around! The mission of the PTA is to (and I take this directly from their website…) “PTAs do this by addressing the needs of their individual schools. By becoming a PTA member, you can help identify those needs and develop solutions that may include making the school safer, becoming more technologically advanced, being more tolerant to others’ differences, and bringing enriched educational opportunities to the school.” Isn’t that EXACTLY what we’re talking about here?

The State will talk long and hard about liability but, in the end, they are failing to live up to their mission. There ARE other answers: requiring each vendor to have their own insurance, developing a release clause that must be inserted in registration and promotional documents or even providing special coverage to PTSAs that want to sponsor classes. I completely understand the need for the PTSA to demand that any sponsored organizations carry insurance. I also understand the need for the PTSA to protect it’s legal backside. BUT, THEY, the state administration needs to focus on finding ways to make our desires HAPPEN, not prohibiting a key aspect of PTSA operations!!

Taking practice tests in realistic testing environments is the absolute best way to get better scores on either the SAT or the ACT. With professional analysis, like we (Tutoring Club) will provide, it’s even more valuable. Here’s your opportunity to improve your scores while also doing something to help others. More power to Bellevue School District’s (and particularly Sammamish High School’s) clubs!

For additional information on the test, visit shscluboperationsmile.cfsites.org or e-mail Bellevue School District teacher Kim Dunda (club advisor) at dundak@bsd405.org.

Hope to see you there!