Okay...

[crysthewolf]

I ALMOST got excited about the super bowl coming to Indy... sorry sports fans... until I read this.

=( Sorry John, but I'd rather see people put millions and millions of dollars into the actual ACADEMIC PROGRAMS at Tech and other area high schools, not just into the sports programs.

Granted, sports keep kids out of a lot of trouble. In some cases, though, they get them INTO more trouble. Yes, kids are expected to maintain a certain GPA to stay in sports programs. BUT, if the sports programs at the school aren't doing too well and the team is about to lose a star player, high school coaches ARE NOT above pressuring teachers to change grades. What does this teach kids? That you can bully other people to get ahead. There's society for you.

So we put out millions of dollars to watch big burly guys throw a ball around and beat the shit out of each other, but what are we actually LEARNING about the world? Indiana has one of the worst school systems in the US, and the US ain't doin' too hot by international standards in regards to education.

So our solution to this is to spend taxpayer money to build a big ass stadium so we can host the superbowl, so we can spend MORE taxpayer money to build a big ass stadium that we'll eventually give to the only IPS high school that even BOTHERS with an academic standard?

Sorry, but I'm not impressed.

*sigh* Ask me again why I don't like sports.

Love,
Crystal

Comments

[astria.livejournal.com]

They're also receiving an additional $2 million for building new computer and science labs, and upgrading existing schools, according to Dr. White.

(Then again, he's kind of an ass who won't take responsibility for his failures.)

[beldar.livejournal.com]

My enthusiasm was more towards the Big Game and the brief hoopla surrounding it. More fun to be in the middle of such a party than watching other people doing it in another state.

I'd also like to see more funds going to academic improvement, and I know that this gesture towards Arsenal Tech is pure pandering, but it wasn't like the schools future held a choice between athletic windfall and academic windfall, and they greedily jumped at the wrong prize. Basically it was this or continuing to be ignored.
I would hope that the attention will lead to academic and artistic benefits to the school (and others in IPS) that they otherwise wouldn't likely get. Perhaps someone who is loaded will react like you did and will start a Shakespeare festival in the school -- thus in a backhanded way the Superbowl bid leads to non-athletic improvement. Attention drawn to struggling schools can only help.

[crysthewolf.livejournal.com]

K, so we've got ONE 9 million dollar athletic facility, and $2 million dollars for computer and science labS.

So we've gone so far as to increase the kids' ability to surf the web and blow up stuff. That's great. How about books? How about QUALIFIED TEACHERS?

[crysthewolf.livejournal.com]

Mrg, maybe. Kindof a long shot tho.

[crysthewolf.livejournal.com]

After all, all the local rich people are going to be spending money on superbowl tickets. ;)

Sorry, I had to say it. hehe.

I've got high hopes for what it might do for tourism in the city, including the bits and bobs they're planning on building (I heard something about a "downtown village" on the radio? That sounds interesting.) Let's face it, the downtown cityscape is BORING. I look out my office window and it's completely colorless, the mall downtown SUCKS...

so you never know. It might do us a bit of good. I still think our priorities are WAAAAAAAAAAY the fuck off as a city though.

[echoweaver.livejournal.com]

I basically agree with what you're saying, but a project like this can't be used to hire teachers or buy books b/c those are ongoing expenses. You can build a new building b/c you can say, "Hey, a new building costs $2 mil, and then it's done." For more teachers, you need an increase in your yearly budget.

[crysthewolf.livejournal.com]

*nods*. The problem I'm having with the whole thing is that it's a priority issue. As a city, we spent jack squat on teachers but we spend millions and millions on sports teams. It just irks me.

[astria.livejournal.com]

They have some rather good teachers, actually. I always hate hearing at work how people bitch about teachers doing things like sending kids home or writing them up, but quite frankly, that's the administration. If the teachers fail to do these things, they are reprimanded or fired. My dad once got reprimanded because he did not report a kid for swearing in class. This is why I point the finger back at Dr. White. He relies too much on administration and not enough on classroom level management. Teachers have to keep watching their back for bureacratic red tape being hurled at their backs. Hell, my dad used to volunteer his time to run an after-school chess club, but the school decided that they didn't want the liability of kids being there after class time and told him he had to shut it down.

[astria.livejournal.com]

The mall used to be much more interesting, but now it seems to be all preppy young people clothing stores. The neat stores like Warner Brothers Store, Doubleday Books, and Sam Goody are all gone.

Downtown needs more places to eat. (Resurrect the Capitol Food Court, dammit!) And we could really use a department store, like an old school "dime store". The two CVS' downtown are nice, but limited. A Radio Shack would also be nice.

[echoweaver.livejournal.com]

I'm not defending it. Abq has exactly the same problem, and it pisses me off here too. But a computer lab is the kind of thing they can do. The fact that it's a tiny fraction of the stadium cost is a bigger beef, IMHO.

[crysthewolf.livejournal.com]

*nods* good point.

Yeah I guess the big problem I have IS with the administration. But the problem is that the administration PUNISHES GOOD teachers and REWARDS bad ones, for the most part.

Granted, there are exceptions, but my brother and I both went to IPS and I've watched several teacher friends go through their bullshit. It's all just ludicrious to me.

[crysthewolf.livejournal.com]

*nod nod* to all of the above.

[crysthewolf.livejournal.com]

Definitely.

[astria.livejournal.com]

This is why my dad has applied to a Catholic school, as well as one of the township systems.

[smithwick1974.livejournal.com]

i think ips is the second worst to detroit, and not to mention that indiana has a high illiteracy rate. I agree with you crystal, I think that money should be put into other things besides sports. I enjoy some sports, but not at the expense of the mind.

As far as money is concerned, I have had questions about that ever since the construction of the lucas oil stadium. Same question posed by a homeless man in hooverville in an episode of dr. who. during the depression there was no money for work, but yet there was money enough laying aruond to build the empire state building.

the money is there, but the donors who have it are too stupid to invest it into something worthwhile.

Congratulations

[(Anonymous)]