| Welcome to Livonianeighbors.com. We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. To ensure your privacy, never use personal information in your screen name or email address ("janedoe@hotmail.com" or "Billysmom" for example). Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| School Board Candidates | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 7 2008, 10:29 AM (4,768 Views) | |
| Vanna White | Feb 16 2008, 04:33 PM Post #81 |
|
Veteran
|
From what I have heard, they do not get much in advance and, often what they do get is on the Thursday prior to a Monday meeting. I agree they cannot go through every single thing with a fine-toothed comb, but when we are talking about a textbook purchase of over 400k with a completely different and unconventional method of teaching math, I think it's worth more than a week. |
![]() |
|
| Vanna White | Feb 16 2008, 04:36 PM Post #82 |
|
Veteran
|
It was last February. There was a presentation at a Committee fo the Whole meeting and then the vote was one week later. The agendas and minutes are posted on the LPS web site. There was no info given that really explained the significant difference in this reform program as opposed to the former more traditional approach. It was presented simply as a textbook adaptation. |
![]() |
|
| IlikeLIvonia | Feb 16 2008, 04:44 PM Post #83 |
|
Veteran
|
I'm not convinced that the teachers should have been or are the ultimate experts in this issue. Unfortunately some teachers may have had little more than a course in "how to teach elementary math" while in college. I would have deferred to the mathematicians as to the soundness of the program and to it's ability to prepare student's for higher level math. Most teachers can't tell you exactly how a program like EM accomplishes that goal. I do not think that some of them have a strong enough or broad enough understanding of math to do so. Conversely, I've read in detail, the testimony of some of this country's greatest minds in math count off the precise areas in which these programs fail our children. I've yet to hear an adequate rebuttal from any school district or even the author's of the program as to how my child will move up the ladder to calculus armed with the lattice and partial quotients. Have you? |
![]() |
|
| Micki | Feb 16 2008, 04:47 PM Post #84 |
|
I love teaching.
|
Oh please. Would you rather take the credit? Are you a BOE member in disguise or something? Were you upset he beat you to the punch? For goodness sakes. I don't even like the guy but I can give him credit when credit is due. I didn't know you needed a pat on the back as well. |
![]() |
|
| al dente | Feb 16 2008, 04:51 PM Post #85 |
|
Member
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Ms. Alles should have been the one who negotiated better terms on the shipping. She appeared to accept whatever they told her. |
![]() |
|
| Nikki | Feb 16 2008, 05:01 PM Post #86 |
|
Veteran
|
That was brought up at our "math night"---How does EM prepare for higher level math? The 1st grade "coach" said that she didn't know. She said she could only speak for 1st grade. This same teacher also served on the "math committee." We (parents) heard a lot about the games and the "fun" aspect of the program, but not much about the content. A parent requested a demonstration of lattice method and the teacher had trouble doing it. As I recall, it took two teachers to figure it out. Of course, they were put on the spot. |
![]() |
|
| Queen of Hearts | Feb 16 2008, 05:50 PM Post #87 |
|
Advanced Member
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
I am not a board member in disguise, Micki. If I was, I would have had a microphone available that night too. I am just saying that even if he hadn't spoke up, there was going to be an uproar over the shipping costs, as I and others have not been shy when it comes to speaking up to board members when we disagree with something. Just because we do it privately and you aren't aware of it, doesn't mean it is not happening. I highly doubt that the high price of shipping on the textbooks would have been paid, with or without Steve King. |
![]() |
|
| IlikeLIvonia | Feb 16 2008, 07:29 PM Post #88 |
|
Veteran
|
This is absurd. How can teacher's commit themselves to this program without being able to answer such a basic question? Educ8tor dodged the same question earlier... |
![]() |
|
| Mrs.M | Feb 16 2008, 09:31 PM Post #89 |
|
Veteran
|
Continuing with the EM thoughts and approval of such..(yes I know there are many pages in another section of this forum) I spent a fair amount of time looking for the minutes of the meeting where a discussion was had, regarding adopting this 'new program' for all schools K-4, except Webster, to no avail. I assumed it would be in Feb, 2007, yet the only meeting listed and minutes of was a Feb 05 2007 special meeting-minutes follow: MINUTES BOARD OF EDUCATION Livonia Public Schools 15125 Farmington Road Special Meeting February 5, 2007 President Scheel convened the meeting at 6:06 p.m., in Conference Room A, 15125 Farmington Road, Livonia. Members Present: Tom Bailey, Robert Freeman, Steve King, Daniel Lessard, Cynthia Markarian, Lynda Scheel Members Absent: Kevin Whitehead (arrived at 6:30 p.m.) Audience Communications: None. Recess to Closed Session: It was moved by Mr. Lessard and supported by Mr. Freeman that the Board of Education of the Livonia Public Schools School District recess to closed session for the purpose of Negotiations. Ayes: Bailey, Freeman, King, Lessard, Markarian, Scheel Nays: None President recessed the meeting to closed session at 6:10 p.m., and reconvened it to Regular session at 6:55 p.m. Adjournment: It was moved by Ms. Markarian and supported by Mr. Freeman that the Special Meeting of February 5, 2007 be adjourned. Ayes: Bailey, Freeman, King, Lessard, Markarian, Scheel, Whitehead Nays: None President Scheel adjourned the meeting at 6:56 p.m. Certification: I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true copy of the minutes of the Special meeting of February 5, 2007, and that said minutes have been and are available for public inspection in accordance with the provisions of P.A. 267, Michigan Public Acts of 1976. ______________________________ Kevin Whitehead, Secretary Livonia Board of Education Off/Supt/ss The next meeting listed on the school board link was the Feb 12 meeting, I know this is where the purchase for the texts for EM was voted. Also from the Feb 12 meeting the following: Lesia and Gregory McQuade, 33782 Bretton, Christine Oglesby, 19990 Southampton Dr., and Kimberly Belanger, 36525 Hees, addressed the Board on how excited their children are about having Everyday Math in their classrooms. Maybe someone forgot to take minutes? That has happened in the past at meetings or maybe they were accidentally omitted from the website. I'd truly appreciate if someone would be so kind as to post the link to the meeting, preferably minutes*, where the EM program was introduced, discussed and voted on. *If it's too much trouble to find them, I understand, I truly do. I had no luck. |
| I'd agree with you, but then we'd both be WRONG. | |
![]() |
|
| Mrs.M | Feb 16 2008, 09:37 PM Post #90 |
|
Veteran
|
OK, so I located the Agenda for the Committee Meeting of Feb 5, 2007. Apparently minutes weren't taken at that Committee Meeting. I was looking for a vote from the BOE approving the actual EM program. Maybe if there a suggestion from the District Chairs/Heads...no vote is needed? |
| I'd agree with you, but then we'd both be WRONG. | |
![]() |
|
| Vanna White | Feb 16 2008, 10:02 PM Post #91 |
|
Veteran
|
Here are the minutes with the vote to adopt EM: http://www.livonia.k12.mi.us/board/archive...07/feb1207.html It's the last item on the consent agenda. |
![]() |
|
| Deleted User | Feb 17 2008, 10:05 AM Post #92 |
|
Deleted User
|
The entire EM presentation the week prior to the vote (2-5-07) is on Livonia Neighbors Video. Click this link to view. It is in three parts. http://video.yahoo.com/mypage/video?&o=10 |
|
|
| Spanky | Feb 17 2008, 12:10 PM Post #93 |
|
Veteran
|
Well, here's the funny thing ILikeLivonia, I personally know three of those teachers that were on the math committee and of those three not a single one thinks it was the best program for our kids! One said it was "the best they had to choose from" (which is not to be confused with being the best choice for our kids) and the other two said they didn't have much of a choice but to vote for EM. On the first vote, not many teachers voted for EM, but apparently they (I don;t know who 'they' are) kept polling them until they got the answer they wanted....Namely EM. I personally think someone had an agenda when it came to choosing a math program. I don't know what that agenda was, or who had the agenda, but here we are with an inferior program. So I guess that would be the answer to your question of commitment to this program...The teachers didn't want it so they are not commited to it. They don't understand it either (And yes, I know this belongs on another thread, but I thought I would try to answer Ilike's question. And besides, has there ever been a thread that didn't get off track? )
|
![]() |
|
| IlikeLIvonia | Feb 17 2008, 12:38 PM Post #94 |
|
Veteran
|
Thanks, Spanky. As a professional, I'd certainly feel the same way as many of the teachers. I know one teacher, with a strong math background, that did question many of the pieces of EM and was essentially brushed off. It would seem that even many teachers' questions are going unanswered and they are simply being told to open the box and teach from point A to point B. The state of math education seems to rest squarely on the shoulders of teachers. Teachers who have the courage to set the box aside, close the door and do what's right for our kids....make sure they are competent in standard algorithms. |
![]() |
|
| LPS Reformer | Feb 17 2008, 07:38 PM Post #95 |
|
The schools exist to educate, not employ.
|
Hmmm... Perhaps we should elect a teacher to the BOE?
|
|
“Child Abuse” means different things to different people.... ----Randy Liepa 8/9/12 | |
![]() |
|
| LPS Reformer | Feb 17 2008, 07:55 PM Post #96 |
|
The schools exist to educate, not employ.
|
|
|
“Child Abuse” means different things to different people.... ----Randy Liepa 8/9/12 | |
![]() |
|
| « Previous Topic · Livonia Neighbors Forum · Next Topic » |








![]](http://z6.ifrm.com/static/1/pip_r.png)
This same teacher also served on the "math committee."
)