Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

As the Contact Person for PATA I get information, comments, and facts from a great many people and sources. While I was in the audience to experience, first hand the 55% 4-year college attendance information, I was also present at a subsequent meeting where the higher percentage figures were presented. It was obvious during the second presentation that the level of institutions attended were stated differently ?– once in awhile you just have to sit back and ?“experience the whole?” of a situation. My favorite part of the second meeting was the exact phrase of ?“European?” vacationers that have been repeated again on our web site.

I applaud those going straight to a 4-year institution. Those attending a 2-year program if that is their goals (or as a means of improving their options for additional schooling), those who first work toward educational costs, those that attend trade schools, and even those that travel to broaden themselves.

Over a long period of time a number of folks have commented that while they (or their children) did well with grades at Pickerington, their preparation for the challenges of a 4-year institutions were greater than their preparation. On that vain let me pass along a little information from my alma mater, the University of Idaho. Here is what is being done in that institution and around that state to better prepare students there for success. ?“The College of Letters and Sciences has won a $620,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education to extend its innovative Polya Math Center practices to public school math teachers. The Polya Mathematics Learning Center is designed to remove math angst for college undergraduates. UI Math Chair Monte Boisen is enthusiastic about the way computers enable teachers to interact with their students and to cultivate self-paced learning and individual learning styles. ?“Immediate feedback on questions and allowing students to retake exams via computer has reduced the failure rates to as low as 5-8 percent?”, said Boisen. The Polya-Extended project partners UI with secondary school teachers to begin changing methods of teachers from districts who will work for three weeks with UI math faculty. They will experience first-hand Polya teaching-learning methods in intermediate algebra and pre-calculus, then will work with Polya staff to develop ways to bring that experience to their own schools.?”

As a footnote the University of Idaho is acknowledge as one of the most ?“wired?” (computer integrated) colleges in the United States. This will give our readers some idea of what steps are being taken there to improve student outcomes.

The often-noted Pickerington Proficiency Tests results, while impressive, have less to do with secondary educational experiences. The majority of the criteria fall into the primary educational (K-6) years.

Not long ago, I was contacted by a group of college students at OSU who were working on a class project about the various conflicts in the Pickerington area. I was recently asked by one of those students ?“Why I knew about so many diverse matters.?” My initial response was about the breath of information available by so many involved people on our focus teams. However, her subsequent questions showed another difference from a youth I have forgotten. I should have gone into more depth in my belief the learning is a lifelong ?“adventure?”. It is not something that stops when one stops attending an institution. I?’m sure our readers will acknowledge that no matter what their previous experiences, the more they continue to ?“educate?” themselves the better their life?’s experiences. Whether they be work, recreation, or social involvement.

Thank's Mr Harding

Mr. Harding,

Thank you for the following:

''However, her subsequent questions showed another difference from a youth I have forgotten. I should have gone into more depth in my belief the learning is a lifelong ?“adventure?”. It is not something that stops when one stops attending an institution. I?’m sure our readers will acknowledge that no matter what their previous experiences, the more they continue to ?“educate?” themselves the better their life?’s experiences. Whether they be work, recreation, or social involvement. ''

Our youth is very important, as they are our nation's future. I have confidence they will gain the capabilities to carry us onward. I sincerely hope that young people are reading this discussion.

Learning never ends!

Tim


By Tim Bryant

Here's an idea!

Mr. Bryant and Mr. Harding,

Wouldn?’t this be a wonderful opportunity for Mr. Hughes, the high school social studies teacher, to introduce his students to the diversity available for them to study in government at the local level? If you think about it, he took the opportunity to show them how things work and got them involved in the last levy campaign. That is evidenced in earlier postings. Now he should look to these discussion boards, have the students read and study them and find the intertwining of issues throughout the City, Township and school board and the interrelationships of the elected officials, hired managers and voluntary support organizations.

If he doesn?’t have the courage or experience to utilize the Internet and these discussion boards as the only interactive device in the community, perhaps one of the other educators influencing and shaping the minds of our children will.

What better way for the children to see how the Athletic Boosters have a profound impact on decisions made by voters in the elections. Let the children see how a powerful voting block is developed and deployed and the many uses of its power and the people that are its officers. They might read about lobby groups and voting blocks such as unions or the NRA, but think of what an impact the information would have if the children could have local names and positions to relate to so they can fully understand how just a few can influence so many.

Let them learn about how dissenters were treated in the past and then show them how the dissenters are treated now. Let them see how just electing one person to office that has a differing opinion that the status quo can truly make a difference and how that elected official gains support. Let them learn what a grass roots effort is from their friends and neighbors. Let them study the courage of a few to run for office in the face of overwhelming odds, brush off the mud slung at them and remain a gentleman or gentle lady.

Yes, what a wonderful opportunity. In high school one of the things I remember most is when we switched from learning about ancient Rome and the Egyptians to how our town got its name, the first settlements and the other things that none of us really knew until then. Our attention was held every minute of every day in that class. The reason was that we could relate to streets, roads, names, farms, families and legends because we were living among it.

Offer our children, the future leaders of this community, the chance to learn about how things are done around here. Let them gain knowledge, form opinions and get involved. Let them have more input into school boundary decisions, names of schools and the like.

Yes, what a wonderful opportunity. If any of the educators of our children in Pickerington read this, please don?’t miss out. The rewards will be immeasurable.