We are Marion County High School

[PurpleGrad]

Look Guys the consolidation isnt gonna happen in our lifetime..... for 1 its not a jealousy its competition between the schools , Mostly football. and we all know it... You wanna know why the percentage of kids that go to college is low? that is a easy one... MONEY!!!!!!! the root of all evil! Teachers in Tennessee make what 23,000 to 35,000? maybe? correct me on that.. and i know for a fact that Georgia Teachers make upwards of 70,000 i know a few of them... so when u compare oranges to Apples this is why....We as parent's and Citizen's need to get off our Butt and demand pay raise's for Tennessee Teacher's.. our kids are our future... and Right now that scares me....lets put it this way if u made 30,000 a year for doing the same thing a Teacher 25 miles away is doing for almost or twice that what would you do? add more student's NO! teach each child like ur getting payed for it? NO! without Teacher's we are a doomed society period!id even vote for a small tax increase if I knew it went to Teacher's in Marion county... and one poster had it right when he said nothing will ever change in the Town, or county untill all these old foggies die off and leave the 1800'a die with them.... and to the poster that said your kid wouldnt get to play as much .. umm well get off ur Butt and Teach him to be better starting at a younger age.. thats a problem also.. To many Parents depend on Teacher's and Coach's when all in all it's the parents that could help more than anything.......

 

You make some very valid points. You are right by saying that money (or lack of) plays a big part in our students not being successful at post-secondary education. I don't believe that our low pay means we have inferrior teachers. The fact is, our county has some of the best educators in the state. We have a few bad apples, but so does every school system in every state. True, we have lost some good teachers across state lines and even into the private sector (real world jobs). Certainly, I would like to see our pay increased and if you want to keep on with that fight, I'll back you 100%! /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" /> However, most of my co-workers are like myself.... we were raised here, educated here, have lived here most, if not all, of our lives and we certainly aren't teaching here for the money.

 

Where money DOES become an issue in the education of our students is because our county doesn't have the tax base large enough to effectively support, maintain and fund three high schools located within roughly 25 miles of each other.

 

As you, and others, have said.... until the older generation dies off, moves away or has a change of heart (or as talkitup said....until the School Board grows a set) consolidation will never happen.....

[Geno]

You make some very valid points. You are right by saying that money (or lack of) plays a big part in our students not being successful at post-secondary education. I don't believe that our low pay means we have inferrior teachers. The fact is, our county has some of the best educators in the state. We have a few bad apples, but so does every school system in every state. True, we have lost some good teachers across state lines and even into the private sector (real world jobs). Certainly, I would like to see our pay increased and if you want to keep on with that fight, I'll back you 100%! /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" /> However, most of my co-workers are like myself.... we were raised here, educated here, have lived here most, if not all, of our lives and we certainly aren't teaching here for the money.

 

Where money DOES become an issue in the education of our students is because our county doesn't have the tax base large enough to effectively support, maintain and fund three high schools located within roughly 25 miles of each other.

 

As you, and others, have said.... until the older generation dies off, moves away or has a change of heart (or as talkitup said....until the School Board grows a set) consolidation will never happen.....

 

I didnt mean lack of money made for inferior Teacher's what i mean was, lack of money means less time a Teacher has to work with a student... teacher's cant afford to take on extra Kid's or give them the extra time they need , even if they want too. The economy is so bad that its just not affordable to do so!!! some have 2nd job's and have to leave after school to make a living.. some cant afford to drive back to school to teach for free the kids that may need it.. Its all about the almighty Dollor and i cant blame the Teacher's. but i can the parents... see the problem is most parent's are in it for just the time there kids are in the school system.. after they leave. the parent leave's.. we as parent's and my son is 21 but im still a pirate... we as the parents need to do something to help the Teacher's if only write letter's or even ask for a taxable rate just for our county Teacher's.. I think then and only Then u will see a vast improvement.. only then will u weed out the not so good teacher's.... if you pay them They will come!!!!

[OLD PIRATE]

Do you honestly think that teachers want to hurry them out the door? If your answer is yes you are way off the mark. Federal and State laws, passed by politicians that have never taught school, dictate age appropriateness for students in elementary, middle/Jr high and high school.

 

I whole-heartedly agree with your statement that it all starts at home. Parental involvment in the development and education of children is vital. Unfortunately, societal values today have eroded away from what they were when our parents were raising us. Many young parents today don't have the parenting skills or social infrastructure to effectively raise children. What generally happens is that far too many children are dropped off at schools so that the teachers can "raise" them. Many times it seems that schools are nothing more than free daycare for some parents and the only time they darken the school doors is when little johnny or little betty gets into trouble. But, instead of coming to find out what happened...they come to jump on the teachers and administration. Not at all like my parents..... if I got into trouble at school I knew it was going to be worse when I got home.....

 

I've never said our schools are bad because I believe that all three do very good with what they have to offer. What I have said, if you would open you mind enough to pay attention, is that what is BEST for our county is a consolidated school due to the fact that we could offer so much more to our students. You don't hear the privates complaining because they have the funding available to offer the extra classes for their students. Those parents are willing to make sacrifices to enrich the education of their students. I'm not a private school supporter at all. It's easy to have what the privates have when you can select who attends there. It's not an even playing field from the word go.

 

As I said before.... consolidation will never happen in my life-time because of closed minds resulting from football rivalries. The only ones hurting are our students.

 

PG, Old Pirate says it starts early with parents pushing the kids out the door to that yes cheap day care called public schooling.

PG, think of the kids that can readily named that were retained in grade school. The basics.......it starts in grade school. By the time their in high school the basics are not what they need to be. OP's comments were ment more for the elementary grades. It once was a common thing for for students to retain a grade. I can't remember a child that was retained when my daughter and son went thru. OP says your job would become a lot easier if they got the basics down............early,not just a mere introduction. OP strongly believes by the time they reach high school it becomes almost an insurmountable task for the teachers.

AGAIN.........basics are the key................at home and school.

Today....it's far more important to keep up with the Jones than in OP's day.The kid's educations are the loosers.

[PurpleGrad]

I didnt mean lack of money made for inferior Teacher's what i mean was, lack of money means less time a Teacher has to work with a student... teacher's cant afford to take on extra Kid's or give them the extra time they need , even if they want too. The economy is so bad that its just not affordable to do so!!! some have 2nd job's and have to leave after school to make a living.. some cant afford to drive back to school to teach for free the kids that may need it.. Its all about the almighty Dollor and i cant blame the Teacher's. but i can the parents... see the problem is most parent's are in it for just the time there kids are in the school system.. after they leave. the parent leave's.. we as parent's and my son is 21 but im still a pirate... we as the parents need to do something to help the Teacher's if only write letter's or even ask for a taxable rate just for our county Teacher's.. I think then and only Then u will see a vast improvement.. only then will u weed out the not so good teacher's.... if you pay them They will come!!!!

 

I agree.... /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

 

PG, Old Pirate says it starts early with parents pushing the kids out the door to that yes cheap day care called public schooling.

PG, think of the kids that can readily named that were retained in grade school. The basics.......it starts in grade school. By the time their in high school the basics are not what they need to be. OP's comments were ment more for the elementary grades. It once was a common thing for for students to retain a grade. I can't remember a child that was retained when my daughter and son went thru. OP says your job would become a lot easier if they got the basics down............early,not just a mere introduction. OP strongly believes by the time they reach high school it becomes almost an insurmountable task for the teachers.

AGAIN.........basics are the key................at home and school.

Today....it's far more important to keep up with the Jones than in OP's day.The kid's educations are the loosers.

 

I agree.... /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

[OLD PIRATE]

As we all know we are fighting a loosing battle when you talk to OP. He knows it all and is always right, just read all his post from all the boards. It is hard to comprehend how someone/anyone can not see how 1 school is much better than 3.....hands down education wise and financially. It will never happen until the Old folks get over the brightness of the lights, or die off. But in all respect it is not up to us, the community, it is up the our School Board and if they want to consolidate then by george we will consolidate. If SP doesn't like it then let them become a city school and be on their mary way. They have a new facility so when the school falls in around them at least they will have a nice warm place to have classes or let Lodge and the Cornbread Festival build them another school.

 

Old Pirate asks 1. how far were you from school? 2. how far are your kids from school? 3. When both parents work how do the young kids get to school?

OP is not claiming to know everything, you have me confused with the wife.

It's easy for the folks living in town or close to a certain school. The large number that live in the rural areas are the ones that do & would suffer the most,these would most likely include the northern and southern sections of the county. OP would suggest following a school bus early 1 morning to these rural areas. The fact this is a large county and not a surburban area. Many keep referring to Walker Valley, HOW many schools are in that county? NOT "1".... Suppose Bradley closed all the schools and consolidated into 1? Signal Mountain, why are they building a new school? Mostly, Because of the distance to school and the problems parents have getting their kids to & from school.

[Talkitup]

PG, Old Pirate says it starts early with parents pushing the kids out the door to that yes cheap day care called public schooling.

PG, think of the kids that can readily named that were retained in grade school. The basics.......it starts in grade school. By the time their in high school the basics are not what they need to be. OP's comments were ment more for the elementary grades. It once was a common thing for for students to retain a grade. I can't remember a child that was retained when my daughter and son went thru. OP says your job would become a lot easier if they got the basics down............early,not just a mere introduction. OP strongly believes by the time they reach high school it becomes almost an insurmountable task for the teachers.

AGAIN.........basics are the key................at home and school.

Today....it's far more important to keep up with the Jones than in OP's day.The kid's educations are the loosers.

 

 

 

OP..yea it does start in grade school and right now our kids face more in their homes than any of us faced growing up. We got daddies that go running off for other women, leaving their kids at home to be raised by a single mom, moms out smoking crack, dealing drugs and doing what knot with whomever. OP you really should take a day and go volunteer in some classrooms. You would be amazed what these kids are having to go though, they will tell you "my daddy don't live with me anymore, my dads in jail, mom and dad was fussing last night and I couln't get any sleep, no one would help me learn my spelling words." I know of a child right now that is being retain because her parents went through a divorce during the school year and it consumed the poor child. It breaks my heart, but breaks my heart evenmore that folks seem to think that when the child leaves the school the work is done and if they don't get it then its the teachers fault. THEN you got your children that are product of mom and dad smoking crack....and that is a whole other ballgame in the classroom. And yea keeping up with the Jones is important to some but alot of working parents are working because they have to just to make ends meet. I know lots of parents who would kill to stay home with their kids but it just doesn't work that way sometimes. OP..I think we finally agreed on something. /rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":rolleyes:" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" />

[PurpleGrad]

Old Pirate asks 1. how far were you from school? 2. how far are your kids from school? 3. When both parents work how do the young kids get to school?

OP is not claiming to know everything, you have me confused with the wife.

It's easy for the folks living in town or close to a certain school. The large number that live in the rural areas are the ones that do & would suffer the most,these would most likely include the northern and southern sections of the county. OP would suggest following a school bus early 1 morning to these rural areas. The fact this is a large county and not a surburban area. Many keep referring to Walker Valley, HOW many schools are in that county? NOT "1".... Suppose Bradley closed all the schools and consolidated into 1? Signal Mountain, why are they building a new school? Mostly, Because of the distance to school and the problems parents have getting their kids to & from school.

 

Your question was directed at Talkitup I think but I'll answer on my behalf. I live 12 miles from my school. I lived about the same distance when I was growing up and attending JMS and MCHS.... So I know what it is like to be one of the first buses to school each morning and one of the last to leave each afternoon and what it is like to spend significant time traveling to/from school on a bus. The distance from SP to Griffith Creek is 26 miles.... The distance from Whiteside to Monteagle is 32 miles.... That pretty much covers North/South/East/West extremes. I'm sure there is a central location that would minimize travel time for all students of Marion County. With the number of buses currently operated in the county, I see no reason that bus routes couldn't be established that would minimize travel time. Of course, people of SP and Whitwell would naturally balk at a "central" location because it would be in, or around, the city of Jasper..... Therein lies the only true resistance to having a consolidated school. Grown adults, with their rivalry, jealousy, competition or whatever you want to call it, simply cannot deal with the fact that one city my actually house a consolidated school. As for me.... I couldn't care less where they put the darn thing.... I still know without a doubt it is the best educational option for the students of Marion County.......

[Geno]

Your question was directed at Talkitup I think but I'll answer on my behalf. I live 12 miles from my school. I lived about the same distance when I was growing up and attending JMS and MCHS.... So I know what it is like to be one of the first buses to school each morning and one of the last to leave each afternoon and what it is like to spend significant time traveling to/from school on a bus. The distance from SP to Griffith Creek is 26 miles.... The distance from Whiteside to Monteagle is 32 miles.... That pretty much covers North/South/East/West extremes. I'm sure there is a central location that would minimize travel time for all students of Marion County. With the number of buses currently operated in the county, I see no reason that bus routes couldn't be established that would minimize travel time. Of course, people of SP and Whitwell would naturally balk at a "central" location because it would be in, or around, the city of Jasper..... Therein lies the only true resistance to having a consolidated school. Grown adults, with their rivalry, jealousy, competition or whatever you want to call it, simply cannot deal with the fact that one city my actually house a consolidated school. As for me.... I couldn't care less where they put the darn thing.... I still know without a doubt it is the best educational option for the students of Marion County.......

 

NOT consolidating is all about sport's mainly football... if anyone says different there not being honost... Look at NJ they consolidated and most sports fan's have hated it.... they dont have the following or the team's that Stevenson once had or Bridgeport.. I remember just saying those 2 teams was monsterous.... that being said... The sport's will stop the consolidating for now.... we wont see it for maybe 20 more years... anyway wasnt this post about football?> I cant wait till August.. My Boy's will bring home the Gold Ball.. and OP... um I told you so!!!! ha ha ha I always get crap when i talk about how good spitt is.. until aboout this time and until August then its like everyone has been saying it all alone lol and they havn't lol!

[OLD PIRATE]

Your question was directed at Talkitup I think but I'll answer on my behalf. I live 12 miles from my school. I lived about the same distance when I was growing up and attending JMS and MCHS.... So I know what it is like to be one of the first buses to school each morning and one of the last to leave each afternoon and what it is like to spend significant time traveling to/from school on a bus. The distance from SP to Griffith Creek is 26 miles.... The distance from Whiteside to Monteagle is 32 miles.... That pretty much covers North/South/East/West extremes. I'm sure there is a central location that would minimize travel time for all students of Marion County. With the number of buses currently operated in the county, I see no reason that bus routes couldn't be established that would minimize travel time. Of course, people of SP and Whitwell would naturally balk at a "central" location because it would be in, or around, the city of Jasper..... Therein lies the only true resistance to having a consolidated school. Grown adults, with their rivalry, jealousy, competition or whatever you want to call it, simply cannot deal with the fact that one city my actually house a consolidated school. As for me.... I couldn't care less where they put the darn thing.... I still know without a doubt it is the best educational option for the students of Marion County.......

 

Old Pirate wonders why no one has responded with OP's referrence to WV.

OP's memory is not what it once was (like everything that inbodies OP) but basically Charleston got a new school and some other from the area north of Cleveland. OP says WV is a poor comparsion to what a consolidated centralized county school would be.

Bledsoe and Seq have basically 1 city in their counties. Do they offer a better education than Jasper or SP? OP really don't know, but would guess from being around folks from those communities proably not! The arguement hits a wall in OP's scared head.

[PurpleGrad]

Old Pirate wonders why no one has responded with OP's referrence to WV.

OP's memory is not what it once was (like everything that inbodies OP) but basically Charleston got a new school and some other from the area north of Cleveland. OP says WV is a poor comparsion to what a consolidated centralized county school would be.

Bledsoe and Seq have basically 1 city in their counties. Do they offer a better education than Jasper or SP? OP really don't know, but would guess from being around folks from those communities proably not! The arguement hits a wall in OP's scared head.

 

OP has taken a few too many frying pans to the head..... Your choice of comparison is less valid than mine. Although Sequatchie's enrollment is increasing, they still only have 600-700 or so in high school.... unlike the 1000 - 1200 that would result from our consolidation... But, to answer your question.... YES... SC does provide a larger class offering than students in Marion County receive. Bledsoe County is a stretch even for your battered brain.... There is absolutely no tax base to support the school, the county isn't as large as Marion and even having only one high school, their enrollment is less than what attends MCHS.

 

Just face it OP..... you don't want to consolidate because of the rivalry in football..... The first step to getting help is to admit your problem! /rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":rolleyes:" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" />

[OLD PIRATE]

OP has taken a few too many frying pans to the head..... Your choice of comparison is less valid than mine. Although Sequatchie's enrollment is increasing, they still only have 600-700 or so in high school.... unlike the 1000 - 1200 that would result from our consolidation... But, to answer your question.... YES... SC does provide a larger class offering than students in Marion County receive. Bledsoe County is a stretch even for your battered brain.... There is absolutely no tax base to support the school, the county isn't as large as Marion and even having only one high school, their enrollment is less than what attends MCHS.

 

Just face it OP..... you don't want to consolidate because of the rivalry in football..... The first step to getting help is to admit your problem! /rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":rolleyes:" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" />

 

Old Pirate says no problem here mine have long ago passed thru.

OP wonder how jasper folks would adapt to having a head coach named Vic Grider. Problem as OP sees it is jasper folks wouldn't accept anything less than a KC clone. Just curious, "IF" consolidation did happen next year, would jasper be happy with Vic? Probably so until little jasper Johnny sat on the bench come Friday night. Yeh, OP is aware this is the sports issue. However it is what it is and sports success or failure play a very important role in a succussful school following.

/roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" /> It's funny we are even talking about this stuff. OP can remember when it started way back in the sixties. Same story, different charcters-same ending, adjust and go on. Find solutions, they're there without the consolidation aspect.

OP has a question, suppose, Richard Hardy became the Vandy of Marion Cnty and did not have sports only academics. Would you send your child to RC?

[PurpleGrad]

OP has a question, suppose, Richard Hardy became the Vandy of Marion Cnty and did not have sports only academics. Would you send your child to RC?

 

Good question.... Both of my children play sports because they want to.... not because I make them. They both get good grades and are fairly intelligent (they get that from their mother!). IF Richard Hardy became known for exceptional educational offerings, I would have to seriously consider transferring my kids there... I'm smart enough to realize that my kids will probably never make a living or go to college by playing a sport. (Unlike the majority of parents who are so sure that Little Johnny or Little Betty has what it takes to get a scholarship and if he/she doesn't it's the coach's fault) I insist that my kids focus on grades first and then athletics.....

 

I can't answer for the parents of Jasper and what they would do if Vic was the coach. You make it sound as if no one from MC or WHS would stand a chance to play on a Vic coached team. I disagree... However, with that said, how many SP parents would be ticked off if Little Johnny Pirate didn't make the team or sat the bence behind a former MC or WHS player?

 

It all goes back to what I have been saying all along. Regardless of how good consolidation would be for our students it will never happen because of football rivalries. Adults?! who are blinded by the Friday Night Lights......