I just returned home from the Thursday, Feb. 18, performance of the Poet School Dance Company at the Grand Theatre. I could use many adjectives to describe this performance, but I’ll use just one — marvelous. I have never seen a better school performance, at any grade level.
I have heard that the continuation of Poet Christian’s magnet school status and activities such as the dance company are at risk, due to the ongoing budget crunch. It will be a very sad day if that happens.
I have no personal ax to grind here. I have no relatives at Poet or any Tracy school and have never had any. And I’m not a fine arts fanatic — I’m a retired mechanical engineer, for crying out loud.
But if we as a city and a school district cannot find a way to support activities like this and the special curriculums that make them possible, then we don’t deserve to be the home for these talented children.
Let's hear some ideas for solutions at the district and state levels. C'mon, what do you think people? What can we do to make our school system better? What can we do to make sure we have enough in the budget for schools statewide so this does not happen again?
Glad a made you laugh. I'd love to hear if you have any ideas.
Well, yes some other school electives are being cut too. What I am saying is that nothing to do with the kids curriculum should be cut. We have to find other ways. There are other ways. Now I know we are in a unique predicament right now and we need quick and hopefully short term solutions. It may be that some of these programs have to be cut for now. But it did not have to be this way.
The lottery was voted on back in the 80s to make sure if the economy tanked, we would not have cuts. So what's up? That was to be our safety net. Well it obviously has a big hole that needs to be fixed.
Education does not have to be and should not only be reading, writing and math. It has been and should stay so much more than that. Our kids are getting the short end of the stick. It's sad. If other states and countries can do it, we should be able to also.
Was that less "sloppy" for ya? So I say to our leaders..."Get 'er done" :)
What I am getting at as far as the arts is that arts have always been a part of the curriculum and it should stay that way. We should be and have been teaching a curriculum that enhances brain growth on both sides of the brain. The arts is part of that. Other states are keeping it in their curriculum and other countries have it in theirs. In fact many countries school systems are far better than ours. We need an overhaul. We need to make cuts elsewhere, that is all I'm saying.
Yes, our whole country should be striving to have our education goals the same. But each state is different and we right now are at the bottom of that. I have friends in other states that have a multitude of programs offered to their kids. My firned in Massachusettes for example, her kids are learning mandarin chinese from kindergarten on. It is part of their "normal" curriculum.
Let me put it this way. As far as Poet is concerned...Poet is k-8. Most Middle and high schools have a choice of electives, right? Whether it be dance, ats, drama, wood shop, auto, foreign language etc. Well our electives for 5-8th have been geared towards the performing arts, thus our performing arts magnet status. We also do our dance program, plays and poetry slam. Other schools may have science fair etc. Our electives are being taken away. Are all schools electives being taken away?
When you assert California is ranked 50th in education, what does this mean? Also, you suggest our state ought to be “leading the way” in education, but don’t you think every state ought to have the same ambition?
Now, as a country, we may strive to rank all states the same in education, but what would this mean? Furthermore, the difference between 1st and 50th may be negligible (I don’t say this is the case here).
Also, think about how you say things. You contend “cutting the arts…in school…actually stunts brain growth,” as if development in the arts occurs only in school!
Your thinking is sloppy, which translates into sloppy semantics and syntax.
Also I agree we need the basics, of course. But we need well rounded fully educated children. They should have all the same classes to choose from that we had as kids. Cutting the arts or any part of the normal curriculum we have had in schools for years actually stunts brain growth. Brain growth happens by stimulating all parts of the brain, not just the right side. Other states can do it. Other countries can do it.
We need to find a way to take cuts elsewhere without it taking away anything from the kids. That means less administration. That means reform at the state level. That means re-negotiating our contract with the lottery. That means changing the way our state invests our money so we do not have to ride the economic/Dow Jones wave. That means getting tough on welfare and illegal immigration. There are many solutions out there, but no on with the balls to do anything about it.
It is not a "nice to have". It is part of a well rounded educational system that promotes healthy all around growth for our children. Do you know that as of this year California is ranked 50th in our country for education? We should be leading the way, not dead last.
Poet is k-8. Yes the lower ages have lower class sizes, but not 20. In the higher grades it goes upwards of 30 . Been there for years. There's no difference in class sizes from the other schools.
By the way, Poet’s own teachers talk about how they get to keep their class sizes at 20 because of the rotations required in their magnet program. Perhaps, your student is not in K-2. Finally, just because you’re loud doesn’t mean your right. It just means you’re loud
All schools have something special about them that cost money. Some of the middle schools have sports. Frieler has tech magent and we have performing arts. Remember we are also a k-8, not just an elementary. That is part of the reason we were able to have a magnet status. That is why many kids choose to go to school here.
Its not that we are more "special" it is just something different we have to offer.We also seem to be the loudest about keeping our program, that is why you hear about us more than the other schools that are having their special programs cut.
Cuts need to come from somewhere else. Not ANYTHING that has to do with the kids at any school.
Also, I am shocked to learn that people really think we can't have dance theater in Tracy, CA?
At least it's good that people are cognizant of what an ammenity the Grand Theater is becoming for Tracy.