The Best Education?

[Salty]

Aye

tis a' easy soap box to get on.........now if'n we can get more people on it, things may change

[blackjohn]

My son #1 is in second grade. This week his spelling pre-test put him on the B list. Which means he got the easy spelling words on the pre-test correct, so this week he gets to do the hard list. His spelling words are:

jumpsuit

chipmunk

pumpkinseed

umpire

kerplunk

bunkhouse

junkyard

crushable

underbrush

mushroom

Today's homework (for spelling) was to use each of these words in a sentence at least six words in length.

Now I don't know about you, but I don't remember having anything near as tough in my second grade class.

Yesterday his math homework was pretty neat. He has a number sentence: 30+20. He had to come up with a written description of 30+20, say what it equaled, and then illustrate the story he wrote. I helped him with a story idea - trick or treating. So the story was he and his brother went trick or treating. He got 30 pieces of candy. His brother 20. Together they had 50.

Again, I don't remember having anything nearly as tough in second grade.

Oh, one of his spelling words last week - counterclockwise!

[Pew]

No child left behind m'arse! No child actually educated or interested is more likely!

And not enough teachers willing to take the time to go that extra distance to help the kids that are interested... especially if it means staying after school...

I am actually so furious that this was even said.

Anywho.

Preface: I respect each of your opinions.

Body: I have been teaching for 16 years. No Child Left Behind does not work. The use of standardized tests does nothing to promote achievement. Teachers are now 'teaching to the test' instead of focusing on the curriculum. In our school, if a student fails, it is not because they did not show to class, turn in assignments, do homework, or study for tests, it is the Teacher's fault because they did not help the student. At some point therer has to be some responsibility on the part of the parents for their sons and daughters not succeeding.

I'm sorry, but this generation is the laziest, learned helplessness group of teens, I have ever seen. They know if they fail, Mom and Dad can bitch enough to get their grade changed REGARDLESS of their effort put forth within class.

Education is fawked right now.

I take specific exception to Sterling's point. I am a special educator and spend time after school to work with kids that are not on my caseload, nor in my class, nor receive SpEd services, but honestly want to improve.

Most of us do care. But why should we stay after to help a student who has acted up in class or refused to do work because NOW they want to succeed. Sorry, but it's school, you are supposed to work in class.

I actually had a student say to me today, "I hate his class, he makes me work in there."

Seriously??? It's school, that's what you are supposed to do....

[Ransom]

In all honesty, I can't imagine anyone wanting to be a teacher these days (Good luck, Bo!). It's the "Not Responsible" age. Parents don't want to be responsible for the way their kids act, (my pet peeve being parents who let their kids run loose in restaurants), kids don't have to be responsible for their own actions, because Mommy and Daddy will bail them out, and even most adults (and I use that term loosely) don't take responsibility for themselves—let's sue McDonald's because I was stupid enough to put a cup of scalding coffee between my legs, and got burned—let's sue the fast food companies, because my little kid weighs 150 lbs and is only in third grade but I can't stop ordering him burgers!

I know not all parents/kids act like idiots, but an awful lot of them do, and from what I can see, it's getting worse. The schools have no control over that, and teachers shouldn't have to put up with nasty kids in class just because the principal doesn't want to lose the income from "fees per head" on students. This is even a problem in a private Lutheran school, where Chain Shot's sister is a teacher. She is forced to put up with disruptive, aggressive students (she teaches first grade!), or students who can't speak English, or with severe learning disabilities who should be in a Spec Ed class, because the school doesn't want to lose the money. The biggest losers are the kids who want to learn, because teachers spend all their time dealing with the misfits. This may be one big reason why so many teachers give up, and just kill time until retirement. Who can blame them?