Kirk Miller

Recent Activity

• 

  Kirk signed the petition | over 1 year ago

  Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis in California
• 

  Kirk signed the petition | over 1 year ago

  Texas Oil Giants: Hands Off California's Green Energy Law
• 

  Kirk commented on the article | almost 3 years ago

  A Case for Charter Schools?

  I teach for a charter school in rural Northern California. Our school serves a large number of kids completely unhappy with the local traditional schools. (side note - my 10 year old son goes to the local traditional school - I believe that is where he will get the best education) The schools here do a poor job of protecting students from bullying, dealing with problem students and conflicts between teachers and students, and students who have trouble completing their homework. Their answer always seems to be punitive, rather than tring to find ways to solve the problem in a positive way. I am happy to provide a safe, nurturing, small group environment for these at risk kids. If the local schools did (or were allowed to do) a better job dealing with these situations our school would not be in business.
  
  We are NOT run as a large business; we were created by a local school district. Our superintendent was a classroom special ed teacher for years who realized that there is a population of kids whose needs were not being met. I agree that "following the money" is usually a healthey exercise, and that schools should not be run for the benefit of anyone else but the students and society at large. Just be careful when painting charter schools with a broad brush. I am sure there are some bad ones, but there also some effective ones, just like traditional schools, or doctors, or lawyers, or anything really.
  
  I am tired of being looked at as the enemy by some teachers and administrators in traditional schools. We are doing our best to serve an underserved group. I am sure that some charter founders make a bunch of money, but not all of them. Most of us are just trying to help kids keep from falling through the cracks.