The Education of Jamie Vollmer began with the now famous (at least among teachers) “Blueberry Story.”
As Vollmer tells it, he was chief of the Great Midwestern Ice Cream Co. when he was asked to speak to a group of teachers. He was telling them how they needed to run their schools more like he ran his business when a veteran teacher asked him what he would do if his blueberry supplier delivered a shipment of blueberries that was not up to his standards. He said he would send them back.
“That’s right!” she said, “and we can never send back our blueberries. We take them big, small, rich, poor, gifted, exceptional, abused, frightened, confident, homeless, rude and brilliant. We take them with ADHD, junior rheumatoid arthritis and English as their second language. We take them all! Every one! And that, Mr. Vollmer, is why it’s not a business. It’s school!”
Vollmer re-enacts it well here so readers should check it out.
But that pivotal point was just the beginning of his transformation from an education critic to public school advocate. Vollmer was director of the Iowa Business and Education Roundtable before leaving about two decades ago to write, speak and consult for schools and education groups. He’s giving a talk to some superintendents at Lehigh University on Oct. 10.
I called Vollmer because I am interested in his research into all the mandates that have been added to public schools over the decades.
When America’s public schools started in the 1600s, the founders intended them to teach basic reading, writing and arithmetic and inculcate democratic values in students through some history and civics lessons, Vollmer writes. Science and geography were added but it wasn’t until the 1900s that society began to require more. For example, from 1910-1930, schools added physical education, home economics and vocational education.
The list of classes and requirements grew steadily over the next decades with -- for instance -- business education (typing, shorthand) and the school lunch program among those added in the 1940s, driver’s education in the 1950s, Advanced Placement programs in the 1960s, and drug and alcohol abuse education and federally mandated Special Education starting in the 1970s.
The programs and mandates really exploded in the 1980s and beyond with everything from child abuse monitoring to HIV/AIDS education to expanded classes for gifted students. In all, Vollmer lists 86 classes, programs and mandates that have been added over time.
And we’ve done it all without increasing hours to the school day or extending the school year, he said.
“Republicans and Democrats created that list of mandates and every year that list grows,” he said. “This is what we … have asked our schools to do.”
Take health care. Vollmer said last year he talked to a nurse at a Cleveland, Ohio, school who said she typically administers 67 doses of insulin to students per week. Vollmer was at another school in Pennsylvania’s coal region and saw a line outside the nurse’s office in August before school started.
“I said, ‘What are all the kids doing here?’” Vollmer recalled. “She said many of the families wait for the nurse’s office to open up because their kids are sick.” One of the patients came with a fractured leg, which had been broken for a few days. Schools, he said, have become “medical facilities of first resort.”
He writes that communities are expecting schools to essentially raise children and schools can’t shoulder these burdens alone.
In my next column, I’ll talk about Vollmer’s take on “nostesia,” which he says is a cross between "nostalgia" and "amnesia" when adults compare their own schooling to schools today. And I’ll tell you what he thinks educators should do about it.
David Finkbeiner
6:04 am on Thursday, June 21, 2012
God has stole the handle and this train will not slow down. Privatize?
voice of reason
3:37 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
home school
Andrew Wilt
7:49 am on Thursday, June 21, 2012
Perhaps all those government mandates for things other than what schools taught years ago, especially given that school hours are basically the same as back then, are why our students are falling behind other nations whose students are focused on more common sense curriculums?
Lower Saucon Guy
9:27 am on Thursday, June 21, 2012
Very good point Andrew and do we really think that using Ipads will make a difference. I realize we have to constantly change, but it should be for the better. Sometimes more is not better.
David Finkbeiner
9:50 am on Thursday, June 21, 2012
That is the idea behind the British system and I guess some of the charter schools here in the US. But those two both are dependent on payees. That seems to be a more just and fair system with desired results due to the idea of service rendered. We are foolish to believe the free market will not eventually dissolve and do away with public schools.
Harrison T Williamson, Jr.
10:20 am on Thursday, June 21, 2012
pensions and full yearly pay for 9 months work is destroying the educational system, throw in the scum sending over 4 children into a school system while only paying taxes to support 1.5 children is a burden unfair to senior citizens on fixed budgets
Liberalism is a mental disorder
2:14 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
Always with the seniors.... if you didn't save any money, and now you struggle, that's your fault. The whole system doesn't have to come crashing down due to a small percentage of seniors who didn't save squat.
Liberalism is a mental disorder
10:43 am on Thursday, June 21, 2012
Just another talking head who figured a way out to scam schools out of money for "consulting", mainly by singing the blues of how tough teachers have it... so they'll love him. I'm sure he's made a very fine living blathering about this stuff, and changing or improving absolutely nothing except his checking account balance.
louis kootsares
12:04 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
alot can be said about common sense if we do not streamline,standardize the what is taught,drug test who is teaching it,and put responsibility back to the parents ,we tax payers should only pay for education not baby sitting or wiping noses
Kate Pelham-Hambly
12:10 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
i take it none of you currently have children in the school district.
Lower Saucon Guy
1:26 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
I don't. My children are all grown and gone. Why do you ask? Does this disqualify someone if they don't have any kids in school presently.
voice of reason
3:36 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
sent two through the district and both went onto to college and graduate schools, have1 grand child in the parkland school district currently, also I graduated from the school district in 1969 and served two tours of duty in vietnam (enlisted not drafted) before attending muhlenberg college
louis kootsares
2:22 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
i dont how about the baby factories with 6 kids who do not pay school tax we need to take all power away from school boards involving money matters they are alot of ex teachers who love spending our money with overpriced and overstaffed administrations we should freeze all pensions they want to pay for a 401k fine and freeze these parasites wages for 5 years if they want health benefits they can pay what people with real jobs paythey like to be called professionals yup if someone gets paid to take gum off of toilet seats they are a professional being ranked 20th in the world in quality of education i have a better word for them parasites .. a parasite left unchecked causes death for its host we should also have mandatory drug testing spot sobrity tests shame there are no tests to find the student daters or the kiddy porn fans
for real
2:53 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
By law you cannot just freeze state pensions that have been previously agreed upon. That has been ruled on in the courts. If we are going to yank all money away from public education like you want, I want us to stop paying for new aircraft carriers so we can spend more on the military than the next 15 countries combined. Also, no more invading and rebuilding foreign coutntries as the neocons love. By the way, most public schools are providing a good education. Probably the best country in the wolrd is Finland where all schools are public and they have almost all local control
voice of reason
3:33 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
for real, laws can be changed, change is good, change is needed, time to alter the destiny of the united states of china
for real
3:37 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
It's a law backed up by a court ruling. It could be changed you are right but it would be extremely difficult. Do you think we spend too much on other areas besides public education? What's up with the miltary? Why do we need to subsidize oil companies making huge profits?
Liberalism is a mental disorder
3:42 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
Better to do nothing, let the state go bankrupt, then all the agreements with all the public employees go... POOF. Gone.
for real
4:05 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
Thank you for explaining how extremists see the situation. The state can also stop locking up non-violent drug offeneders and raise new revenuues by closing the Delaware loophole and taxing things like natural gas and smokeless tobacco. Some school consolidation could help.
Amend Wun
9:54 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
It's perplexing to me how those who are the product of the public school system would think it should be dismantled. There are plenty of countries with good public school models that could be looked at for positive influence, but it seems many are more interested in calling public education socialism than trying to understand the true value it presents. Mix into that, personal bias and you can see why some people have the opinions they have. Quality education is never going to be cheap, nor should it be, rather it's the return on investment that should be the focus of the dialogue, not how to do away with public education. And how do those advocating for that foresee private education panning out for the better? More likely the end result would be an undereducated populace that doesn't possess the skill sets needed for the modern workforce. Guess that doesn't really matter to those who already received their education or who see themselves as belonging to a different class. Certainly poor people aren't worthy of a quality education. I mean, it's their fault they're poor, right?
Proud2BParkland
8:22 am on Friday, June 22, 2012
It frustrates me when people compare our educational system performance to any other country. Only in America is EVERY child entitled to a free public education, despite disability, familial disfunction or socio-exonomic background. Compare the top 10 or 20% of students in various countries and I believe you will see the US is doing just fine in public ed when you compare apples to apples. Besides I am happier with the teacher that I see in the grocery store that I can talk to educating my kids rather that Bill Gates.
careless fills
12:00 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
The statement that America is the ONLY country where EVERY child is entitled to a free public education is wrong and patently false.
Andrew Wilt
8:33 am on Friday, June 22, 2012
Proud2BParkland - It may be that only in America is every child entitled to a public education. The fact is that US students are steadily falling behind students in other countries. American education isn't "doing just fine".
for real
8:57 am on Friday, June 22, 2012
That depends on what statistics you are looking at. Truth is the vast majority of kids in the U.S. have access to a good public education. The tea party argument of defund and abandon or privatize is not any kind of answer.
Andrew Wilt
9:30 am on Friday, June 22, 2012
for real - Here are three links to different sites which clearly indicate that our 8th grade students don't fair well in math and science:
http://www.studentsfirst.org/pages/the-stats
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trends_in_International_Mathematics_and_Science_Study
http://nces.ed.gov/ssbr/pages/international.asp
Did I say anything about the Tea Party?
Mik
9:42 am on Friday, June 22, 2012
Yes, where the heck did the Tea Party comment come into play here? And where is there any evidence that the Tea Party is advocating to defund and abandon or privatize public education? If so, someone please post the link. Is that comment based solely on the fact that some believe in charter schools? Has anyone that strongly resents the charter school or voucher program ideas actually spent an hour touring a failing school?
for real
11:40 am on Friday, June 22, 2012
http://lowermacungie.patch.com/articles/tea-party-speaker-says-privatize-public-schools
The tea party is actively opposed to public education in general. Traditional Republicans like myself support fiscal responsibility while actually expecting a thorough and efficient education like the PA state constiution requires. School shoice is fine. cybers and some cyber charters are allowed to overcharge due to a rediculous funding formula. If the Fleck Bill goes through I will be more supportive of school choice. http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/editorials/sensible-limits-a-house-bill-would-reform-charter-school-funding-639751/ Furthermore Mik cybers and charters have terrible test scores in general and they need to deal with that. Yes I do feel for a kid in a failing inner city school. Maybe they deserve a voucher. The truth of the matter is that the last voucher push by Corbett would have been for all kids across PA after year 1. My school district does not need that and I don't want to pay for a brand new state agency to pay for that stuff.
for real
11:49 am on Friday, June 22, 2012
We are middle of the pack in math and science and need to do better. Our inner cities in general are a failure in all ways. Remove them and the picture looks a lot better. The trouble is that too many people say the entire system sucks which is not true
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2010/09/the-u-s-education-system-is-doing-fine/18859/
http://gfbrandenburg.wordpress.com/2009/11/09/us-students-are-actually-doing-pretty-well-compared-to-world/
Mik
6:23 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
Hey, thanks for real. I'll look up the links later. I too heard about that bill and firmly believe it's required to move forward. I too agree charter schools is not the way to go in well run districts. I do believe "there" must be an option for failing schools. I also believe that the $$ districts are required to provide for those attending non-public or whatever the general group term is, is robbing the system. I also believe that the budget crisis schools across the state are in is not actually the fault of the school and their boards - it's the PA state system and the pension problem and certain Union contract line items. I just learned the other day even the Administrations carry their own unions. This was a shock to me. Just trying to educate myself. Again, thanks for sharing!
Proud2BParkland
4:18 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
Friday's Morning Call - charter schools overcharged taxpayers $365 million