Bobb: DPS may have to cancel summer school

[DetroitTeacher]

With the exception of summer school [[it being free made the kids think they didn't have to work for a grade, some rarely attended, and it was chaos), I haven't heard about ANY of the programs that Bobb said will need to be cut. I teach the extended day program now. I never received any training or received anything stating what they wanted taught. I am teaching things the kids need to know but haven't learned yet. It's very student tailored. No one student is doing the same thing since they all need to learn different skills.

After teaching summer school recently, I'll never do it again. I don't need the money bad enough to be subjected to the headaches that came with the free program. The extended day is much better because the kids are all seniors trying to make up one or two classes to graduate on time. They are mostly my kids [[the kids I have in day school). They know how I operate and they know that I have high expectations for them. Since the kids only have to pay 25.00 for the extended day, though, I do have some who don't come and don't do any work. If they had to pay a hefty sum, you bet they would be there and would be working or would never have enrolled.

The burbs charge for their summer school and extended day classes. People tend to take care of what they have to pay for...if it's free, they tend to take advantage of it. I think having free summer school is a horrid idea. I hear the kids say that it doesn't matter if they fail a class, they'll just take it in summer school becuase it's free. We didn't have that attitude [[and we had more parent support when we called home to explain a student's lack of ambition) when the parents had to pay 200.00+ for summer school.

[Zacha341]

Those kids parents should have been following the news to let their kids know that 2010 summer school might have been a bust! And NOT consider it an escape hatch!! So now they will be jammed up if they need the summer credits to graduate. And many teachers were not willing to do it any how again and planned other things for their summers. Anyone dealing with DPS needs to be a bit very aware -- recognizing the instability of the institution, suspended as it to some extent [[amidst the politics and peoples careers), pending the final outcome.

...I hear the kids say that it doesn't matter if they fail a class, they'll just take it in summer school becuase it's free. We didn't have that attitude [[and we had more parent support when we called home to explain a student's lack of ambition) when the parents had to pay 200.00+ for summer school....