After the recent consolidation of the high schools in Lincoln County I was forced to consider the pros and cons of consolidation. It is my opinion, and the opinion of several other educators in my area, that consolidation is completely unnecessary. While consolidation in Lincoln County hasn't been a total disappointment, it most certainly has yet to alleviate the the most crucial problems within the school system. The State Board of Education claimed to take over because a large percent of students were scoring below mastery on the Sat 9 at the time (now West Test). My question is this: How much of an improvement can be made when you throw the same teachers in a state of the art building? My guess would be very little. I am well aware that teachers do have more resources and tools than before the state takeover; however, are they adequately trained to use them or better yet..will they take the time to do so. Another example of how consolidation isn't always beneficial....this being a very obvious statement, student teacher ratio. The more students piled into a classroom the less time and energy a teacher has to give students further instruction. Furthermore, it has taken the heart and soul out of our community and if my experience is any indication of the success of consolidation in other areas then I would be will to wager that in time administrators will stand corrected!
21 comments:
I think that the money that is spent on a new building could be better spent on teacher training. I myself have been in a classroom with up to date technology, but the teacher either didn't know how to use the equipment, or was uncomfortable in using it. This only led to big new state-of-the-art equipment setting there gathering dust! Resources are great, but they won't do any good if the teacher doesn't know how to use it.
I like small schools and I like big schools. I think that a big regional school does not work well for a small town. A large school to hold many students makes more sense in a heavily populated community. Last time I checked Lincoln county was not heavily populated..? Correct me if I am wrong.
The educational problem is not the building, it is the teachers and the leadership within the school as well as county and state wide. Teachers must hold themselves to higher standards and principals must be better leaders. I remember being a student at Harts and having 3 or more principals in one year. I remember not doing much of anyhting for the last three years of high school- in exception to a few classes. I know that the new regional high school is newer and nicer than Harts High...but are the teachers and leadership any better?
I know that when they put some of the students from Harts into Chapmanville the students and a lot of the others in the area were really skeptical about them joining the school, but I think that it turned out great for Chapmanville. I do not like that those students form Harts had to go so far for school, but they had the choice of which of two schools they wanted to go to. Also the teachers should learn to use the new materials that are available for them to use so that the students get every advantage they can.
I have not had to experience any consolidation during my school career but I have mixed feelings on this topic. Although I do feel there may be some benefits of consolidation, most of the time they do not outweigh the cons. I know most of the time when schools consolidate students are placed on extremely long bus rides (which is something I had to experience) and I really think that hurts them in alot of ways. I also agree that the student/teacher ratio is hurt and that is something that has a profound effect on students.
I went to a school that had been kind of consolidated once upon a time (Tug Valley High use to be Kermit High and Lernore High) however it was still a smalll school I loved it because we knew all the teachers they knew us if we needed extra help we had it we didn't have alot of high tech stuff but we weren't running in the stone age and I think that in huge schools you loss contact with the students and they don't learn as much and loss the human contact that made my high school experience so special. I loved my small high school and the teachers there even today if i needed there help they would be more than willing to set down and help me.
Hopefully the better resources will encourage the students to try harder. It may also help them to know why consolidation was necessery. This can be a great thing, but it can also can be a great failure. If these teachers are around other teachers, it may help them to have new ideas. If they use their same teaching styles, consolidation will fail.
I really don't know if building a new school is really the answer. I mean think about it, the state spends all that money on a big nice school, yet the teachers know nothing different. Yeah I understand they may have better technology, but like you said are the teachers equiped to use it, do they know what the heck they're doing? Why not get new technology in the school and send the teachers to get better training, that way the students can benefit from both. Don't waste the money on a new school.
I am totally and completely against any form of consoldating schools. I think that we need the different schools in our area. Small schools in general are better environments for learning. Why not take the millions we would spend on a new facility, and put that money into our current schools.
I agree. The money for a new building that is unecessary to the cause, should be used to equip older schools with newer technologies. Class sizes should be smaller, and teachers should have more training before being placed in the classroom. Then, if those solutions don't work, you can have your fancy building just for the hell of it, but I don't believe it should be the number 1 priority.
I couldn't agree more. In Belfry we had an OLD school but we loved it! All of our memories were there from the present and the past. Anyone that attended Belfry or went to one of it's feeder schools can remember Friday Night Football games. It didn't matter your age, race, or social status; everyone was one huge family. And coming in as a freshman was not scary, it was excitiing. But our senior year we had to attend the NEW high school, it was horrible. So I agree totally. Great Post!
I disagree with consolidation as well. Kids get so comfortable with all the people they have went all through school together, and then to be thrown in with a bunch of other people is not good. It gets them off track and not as interesting in school. Smaller learning environments are better!
They are wanting to do the same in with the schools around here, I’m just glad my brother is graduating before it happens. I don’t’ see how it could help anything in the first place. If the problem was the SAT 9, then maybe they should have done something about the teachers, rather than pile the kids in on top of one another. It seems like putting those many kids in one building would make everything worse: violence, bullying, stealing, etc.
I don’t think anyone will benefit from this.
School consolidation to me is just a simple way for the state or county to get by cheaper. Considering the areas of lincoln county it seems some students will have a long bus ride to and from school. How much better will these students do on tests being tired?
I don't agree with consolidation because I feel that it takes away from the students education. Like you stated the more students piled into a classroom the less time and energy a teacher has to give students further instruction. Student lose out on the one on one time they may get with a teacher.
Consolidation to me just doesn't make sense. I feel that students are at more of an advantage if they attend a smaller school. It is like one big family, the students know all the teachers, the teachers know all of the students and their parents. I feel, this type of situation, makes the students feel special, less like a number and more like a important individual.
School Consolidation is all about money and not about the children and their education. When schools are consolidated, classrooms are overcrowded and children don't get the individual attention to learn a certain subject the way they could in a smaller school classroom. Not only does the children suffer, but the economy of an area that closed a school does too. When schools are consolidated, they hire less staff which means someone loses a job. I think that every time that consolidation is mentioned, everyone in the community should turn out at the board meetings to voice their opinion and remind the board members exactly who votes them into their positions.
I feel the new schools which have been constructed got beat by an ever changing technology.Proper training is needed in order for a teacher to be effective inside the classroom. Without the proper training it would be impossible to keep up.Consolidation affected so many communities. When I think of consolidation I think of budget reasons. Was consolidation really necessary? We could have brought technology inside the classroom any where. What does a buildings structure have to do with? Their are many pros and cons to consolidation.My opinion of consolidation is that it was totally overlooked as to what causes and effects this change would actually implement.
Consolidation is just ways for the government to save money, why keep a bunch of high schools running when you can move them into one big school. I don't like the idea of consolidation and don't see any good points to it.
I have so many mixed feelings on this, It just depends on the day. On one hand they maybe able to offer more for the students by consolidation, but I hate to see it become not a personal as it is now. Students need to make connections with teachers or at least one so they can have someone they can go to if life goes wrong at school. Lets face it these years are hard enough without feeling like you are alone.
I think consolidating schools is a bad idea. I think it causes more problems. They should take the money and give the children a better education and I don't think that building a big fancy school is the answer.
I never have liked the idea of consolidation. Why can't they save the money from building a fancy school and use it to purchase the old schools better equipment. Makes sense to me. What doesnt make sense is craming all those kids together and changing everything on them.
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