Arpie (re: 007's Wednesday AM post here)To start with, the school I’m in now, is the first one that has an art teacher, I know of no other elementary schools in the state that have one- although I’m sure there are some. Our art teacher is not a certified teacher so she doesn’t get paid much, but due to the fundraising by our PTA who values the importance of the arts, we have her. She is a blessing. Another thing I’ve never seen in Idaho Schools is a school nurse. The book I was reading to my class this week had a scene taking place in the nurse’s office, and I had to stop and explain to my class that some schools have a nurse available for when they are sick or hurt. In Idaho, the blessed, but again untrained and underpaid, secretaries handle this duty. Full post below.

Question: Do you think Arpie's experience is typical of Idaho teachers?

Blogopotamus alert. The day began with a James Bond screed about Idaho schools having too much excess. I spent all day at school stewing about it and spent some time after school replying only to find it go below the fold. It's probably a comment killer anyway, but I'm reposting it here now:

Sorry James,

I’m just not seeing it.

Although it’s dangerous to compare things to when “I was young” as that was a long ago and far away, going to elementary school in Wisconsin, New York and Missouri. I see big differences between most other places and Idaho. I have taught in three different school districts in Idaho, American Falls, Teton, and now Lake Pend Oreille. This isn’t everywhere, but it is a good cross-section of the state. Most of the schools I have taught in here are older and none are nicer than the schools I went to. That, of course, doesn’t mean good teaching is not happening here. Teachers here work as hard as or harder than anywhere else I know of.

I’m just not seeing it.

To start with, the school I’m in now, is the first one that has an art teacher, I know of no other elementary schools in the state that have one- although I’m sure there are some. Our art teacher is not a certified teacher so she doesn’t get paid much, but due to the fundraising by our PTA who values the importance of the arts, we have her. She is a blessing. Another thing I’ve never seen in Idaho Schools is a school nurse. The book I was reading to my class this week had a scene taking place in the nurse’s office, and I had to stop and explain to my class that some schools have a nurse available for when they are sick or hurt. In Idaho, the blessed, but again untrained and underpaid, secretaries handle this duty.

Two years ago the school PTA paid to have our parking lot paved on a school that is in town and has been here for thirty years.

As for sports, title nine mandated that girls are offered as many opportunities to participate in sports as boys. Idaho has been slow to comply. My guess is the plethora of sports you’re seeing has something to do with that. But whatever it is I’m glad that schools are doing more to offer activities for kids. Participation in school activities is a large (possibly the biggest) thing schools can do to keep kids in school and out of trouble.

I do know that Boise is different than the rest of the state. They even have some sort of different charter. This may make it easier for them to pass levies to build schools or some such.

I’d ask you to look around the next time you drive back up this way. Council, McCall, Grangeville, Lewiston, Moscow, and all the small towns in between. You’ll see the same thing, old, tired, underkept schools that are not the shining centers of their communities they could and should be.

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