Moving right along, we have the teacher who videotapes lectures in the morning so that the afternoon class can benefit from his wisdom without his actual presence. Great!
Then a math teacher suffered a nasty repetitive strain injury and was out for six weeks, starting in early January. During this time, the subs focused on such tasks as their smartphones and their knitting, but no one actually, you know, taught anything. The knitting sub told the kids that "honors students can teach themselves." There was not a single official communication from the school about any of this, and emails were ignored.
Finally, in early March, the kids were handed an online system. They were expected to complete the whole course in the last three months of school, including the stuff they'd covered before Christmas. Never mind that they spent six weeks watching a sub knit, either. You have three months. Do it all. Go.
In April, it became clear that the real teacher wouldn't be back in even a semi-meaningful way, given that even minor use of a computer causes severe pain.
And, naturally, this person will be teaching computer science next year. She announced this fact herself on one of her rare days in class.
This article below reminded me of your post. The lawsuit suggests the problem is limited to low-performing schools, which is not the case.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2014/05/29/us/29reuters-usa-education-california.htmlCalifornia Students Sue State Seeking More Learning Time
By REUTERS
MAY 29, 2014, 4:00 P.M. E.D.T.
SAN FRANCISCO — Eighteen California students from seven of the state’s lowest performing schools filed a lawsuit on Thursday against the state and top education officials for not having enough time to learn.
The lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and pro-bono law firm Public Counsel, cites multiple reasons for insufficient learning time. They include high teacher turnover, teacher vacancies and absences, and so-called "services courses" in which students often perform administrative tasks.
As a result of such issues, students at the seven low-performing schools in the lawsuit lag peers in literacy and math skills.
The lawsuit comes at a time of bitter political wrangling over how best to reinvigorate a U.S. public school system that leaves American children lagging counterparts in countries such as Finland and South Korea.
"This is the first case that addresses the question of meaningful learning time," said ACLU attorney Mark Rosenbaum. "We looked at seven schools - all high poverty, urban communities served by these schools, which have been historically at the bottom.
"These kids do not get the same opportunities my kids get," Rosenbaum said. "Zip code determines educational opportunities in California. The state won't give these kids the time of day."
