Bucks
Dear Friends,
Good morning. It was Bill Gates who opined that America’s public schools are obsolete. My interview with Nicole Pappas last week is an interesting twist on the subject. She’s a teacher at a cyber school.
Nicky Pappas is the daughter of Elaine and Sunday Pappas. He’s the proprietor of Sunday’s, one of Quakertown’s more fascinating venues. If you want to enjoy good food and observe (or participate in) lively discussions about the topics of the day, you should give Sunday’s a whirl. Sunday’s is like a political science lab with good food.
You faithful readers know that I worry about America’s public schools. In major cities, like Philadelphia, the drop out rate is nearly 50 percent. Neighborhoods resemble war zones and they’re coupled with the presence of terrible role models, exasperated by the lack of parenting. It’s no wonder that children drop out. What lies ahead for these kids? Teen pregnancy? Prison? Certainly an uneducated work force.
Those probable outcomes are expensive. For example, a typical prisoner costs the taxpayer about $40,000 each year.
But quality in suburban schools is suspect too. College professors complain that high school graduates are not prepared for college English, Math and Science courses. International scores show American students lagging far behind their Asian and European peers.
Where will the next generation of inventors, engineers, and entrepreneurs come from?
A study in the Notices of the American Mathematical Society says that the United States is failing to develop the math skills of both girls and boys. “Those who do succeed are almost all immigrants, or children of immigrants, from countries where mathematics is more highly valued,” The New York Times reported (Oct. 10).
“In China,” the NYT article continued, “math is regarded as an essential skill that everyone should try to develop at some level. Parents in China view math as parents in the United States do baseball, hockey and soccer.”
The difference between Asian and European attitudes versus America’s is one word…cultural.
Then again, public schools are monopolies. In my opinion, America’s only chance to reverse these trends is to create competition in the public school arena. And that’s what brought me to the Nicky Pappas interview.
She is a 12th grade mentor for Achievement House Charter School, a cyber school. Nicky told me that 20 to 25 teachers, scattered from all over Pennsylvania, instruct about 400 college prep students in the ninth through 12th grades. This cyber school is accredited and awards a high school diploma. Like the teachers, the students come from the entire state.
Nicky’s tools are a computer, email and a cell phone. She’s a mentor to 75 kids, daily. “I’m like a guidance counselor,” she began, “someone that you can come and talk with… like a big sister.”
Achievement House Charter School (AHCS) has four mentors for regular college-prep students and two mentors for special education students, Nicky continued. This is her first year with AHCS. Previously, she worked for the Kaplan organization for three years, as a student at St. Joseph’s University. Kaplan is a school, which prepares students for graduate school entrance examinations. She graduated from St. Joe’s in 2007.
“I’d like to stay in academia,” Nicky said. “I have the time to pursue more [graduate] degrees.” And with her unusual portable teaching tools, “I can work from wherever,” she quipped.
While we chatted, a student buzzed Nicky with a text message on her cell phone.
“I want to quit [AHCS] and get my GED (General Equivalency Diploma),” a student complained. “It’s easier.”
“Stop,” Nicky demanded...but with calmness and affection. “Stay with the program. You only have a few months left,” she told the stay at home mom. “Don’t you want a (AHCS) diploma?”
I was impressed how Nicky handled this student’s crisis. She’s only 23 years old but seems much older. Nicky fields questions on any subject including advice. She told me that she receives an average of 20 calls every day, plus conversations about subjects already in progress.
“The cool thing about cyber school is as long as you can “sign onto” the computer, you can get an education,” she said.
So Nicky can be anywhere. Technically, her official hours are from 8 AM to 4 PM. “But realistically,” she added, “it’s any time. Many students work during the day so I have to be ready for them whenever they call.”
Will the cyber school concept grow? I predict that it will.
And what happened to the stay at home mom who wanted to drop out? The story has a happy ending.
“All right,” her student finally answered. “I won’t drop out. I’ll keep trying.”
Bravo, Nicky!!
Sincerely,
Charles Meredith