Tomorrow, February 12th, is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. If there is anything happening to celebrate that at our alma mater, somebody please let me know (email address in Title Description at top of page) and should you have a memory of what was done in any of your years at Lincoln High, please share that. I would like to know what sorts of activities were involved on to commemorate this date and would post contributions, if anyone has any recollections. So far, I think that the we have another year of the same condition for our school's namesake, and still more students not becoming more focused on the many aspects of Abraham Lincoln's life, an especially difficult one with such trying circumstances as the Civil War, as well as those encountered during his personal life.
People are excited about President Obama being elected. Well, all is not perfect in the administration. Have you read about the people he's chosen for cabinet appointments who had to withdraw from consideration because of not paying taxes? Then why is the appointment for top tax collector for the U.S., Treasury Secretary, Tim Geithner, given the green light with his own overdue tax bill of $40,000.00 for payroll taxes?
No explanation offered there, while Nancy Killefer's $946.69 tax lien from 2005 caused her withdrawal. There's still a whole term to sort out matters and these sorts of things are what cause you to wonder what is going on with the "rules" applied. This administration has a long way to go before it finds its level in the history books, but the start is clearly not a great one.
At this time, when the LAUSD is encountering a 50% dropout rate, with the recent stats for Lincoln showing that less than 50% graduating here, some changes are called for and you do what you can do. The parent element is one thing that is the responsibility of the parent alone- and some of them are as overwhelmed as the "Octo-mom" with her 14 children. Then there's quite a few parents who are just passing the buck to the other spouse/parent/grandparent to handle things, or, they are not aware at all of what's happening at their child's school, no matter what flyers and mail goes home. It falls to the teacher to deal with all these conditions and it makes a tough job even tougher. But we should think about what CAN be done, and many of the selections depend on what somebody decides, less controlled by dollars than by opinions.
Alumi should be interested in things that happen at Lincoln for more than just matters of nostalgia. The students being educated are turning out less prepared overall in basic skills, regardless of all the advances in technology that has arisen since we left LHS, regardless of particular year. The segment that performs well or very well is a segment, not everyone. The "everyone" part is what I am talking about since they will be the ones entering the work force, raising families, and going on their path that may not always be a good one. Believing that LHS is just like it was when you left is a common misconception and may be why they don't understand how things could be so bad in the educational system. Find out.
Attention needs to be paid to accomplishing the task of properly educating students for whatever they decide to do after high school. Failing to do that leave those students with limited life options and many of those will find crime the continuing choice for too many young people. And these could be re-directed before that happens- which probably should start in elementary school- and high school is the last school many will see, so it's a very important matter.
"Teachable Moments" and "Buying In" are among concepts that work to get students into a better learning condition, improving the understanding of subjects and the role of the student in school. The matter of pride in Lincoln High is something that's become an artifact of the past, shown now as being concentrated in the segments of the student body that ARE involved in activities. To have activities means finding sponsors, and those are hard to come by these days, especially when attempts to organize are met with apathy or simple disinterest from students, administrators and colleagues. Most teachers leave campus soon after the students do. Why? Maybe the long commutes that become longer with each passing minute that departure is delayed could be a reasonable explanation. Some teachers just leave soon after the last class ends. Others, of course, remain longer.
School morale and personal performance can only improve with a better-informed and equipped student body. Absenteeism, vandalism and overall classroom conduct could be improved with attention to school morale that comes with involvement. A simple start is to learn about Abraham Lincoln, the person that was a great, if not the greatest, President of this country, and for whom this school is named after. Not a difficult task at all, and a start.
People are excited about President Obama being elected. Well, all is not perfect in the administration. Have you read about the people he's chosen for cabinet appointments who had to withdraw from consideration because of not paying taxes? Then why is the appointment for top tax collector for the U.S., Treasury Secretary, Tim Geithner, given the green light with his own overdue tax bill of $40,000.00 for payroll taxes?
No explanation offered there, while Nancy Killefer's $946.69 tax lien from 2005 caused her withdrawal. There's still a whole term to sort out matters and these sorts of things are what cause you to wonder what is going on with the "rules" applied. This administration has a long way to go before it finds its level in the history books, but the start is clearly not a great one.
At this time, when the LAUSD is encountering a 50% dropout rate, with the recent stats for Lincoln showing that less than 50% graduating here, some changes are called for and you do what you can do. The parent element is one thing that is the responsibility of the parent alone- and some of them are as overwhelmed as the "Octo-mom" with her 14 children. Then there's quite a few parents who are just passing the buck to the other spouse/parent/grandparent to handle things, or, they are not aware at all of what's happening at their child's school, no matter what flyers and mail goes home. It falls to the teacher to deal with all these conditions and it makes a tough job even tougher. But we should think about what CAN be done, and many of the selections depend on what somebody decides, less controlled by dollars than by opinions.
Alumi should be interested in things that happen at Lincoln for more than just matters of nostalgia. The students being educated are turning out less prepared overall in basic skills, regardless of all the advances in technology that has arisen since we left LHS, regardless of particular year. The segment that performs well or very well is a segment, not everyone. The "everyone" part is what I am talking about since they will be the ones entering the work force, raising families, and going on their path that may not always be a good one. Believing that LHS is just like it was when you left is a common misconception and may be why they don't understand how things could be so bad in the educational system. Find out.
Attention needs to be paid to accomplishing the task of properly educating students for whatever they decide to do after high school. Failing to do that leave those students with limited life options and many of those will find crime the continuing choice for too many young people. And these could be re-directed before that happens- which probably should start in elementary school- and high school is the last school many will see, so it's a very important matter.
"Teachable Moments" and "Buying In" are among concepts that work to get students into a better learning condition, improving the understanding of subjects and the role of the student in school. The matter of pride in Lincoln High is something that's become an artifact of the past, shown now as being concentrated in the segments of the student body that ARE involved in activities. To have activities means finding sponsors, and those are hard to come by these days, especially when attempts to organize are met with apathy or simple disinterest from students, administrators and colleagues. Most teachers leave campus soon after the students do. Why? Maybe the long commutes that become longer with each passing minute that departure is delayed could be a reasonable explanation. Some teachers just leave soon after the last class ends. Others, of course, remain longer.
School morale and personal performance can only improve with a better-informed and equipped student body. Absenteeism, vandalism and overall classroom conduct could be improved with attention to school morale that comes with involvement. A simple start is to learn about Abraham Lincoln, the person that was a great, if not the greatest, President of this country, and for whom this school is named after. Not a difficult task at all, and a start.
Posts
