Reading Response: First day of class (old)

Karen Oberlander and I were the only ones to do the reading responses for the first day of class. Didn't want mine to go to waste, so here it is:

Thoughts on the Rethinking High School introduction:

So it would seem that the pressure for schools to evolve and re-invent themselves today is greater than ever. We see the rise of private schools, charter schools, academies, specialized schools. Does it work? Well, judging by what happened to my alma mater, San Dieguito High School, which changed into an alternative “academy” in 1997, the answer may be: yes. Teachers and students attest to a symbiotic and comprehensive learning model. There is great demand to get into the school. But is SDA just changing with the times? I think it is in interest of every school to place close attention to the needs of their students…and teachers.

We often hear about the 50 percent quit rate for teachers in their first five years. It would seem that the demands of state and local administrations; as progressive new teachers graduating from CSUSM and other programs find themselves subjected to old-fashioned, rote procedures for doing things in schools to weighted with their current responsibilities; sometimes starting from scratch with a new school would seem to be the answer. To often, schools are seen as the solution and cause of complex , societal changes and challenges. I wonder how difficult and tiring it is to make changes from the inside out. Never before have institutions been so assaulted by the influences of technology, text messaging, short attention spans, broken homes. Is it only possible to get everyone on the same page by working with populations in smaller chunks, meaning school-by-school instead of state-by-state or city-by-city?