|
Post by scrub-buster on Aug 28, 2015 22:14:07 GMT -5
Meanwhile, in reality, math (and all subjects) are MUCH more rigorous today than they were when I was in school in the 70s and 80s. It is so much more difficult to get a high school diploma now than then. Did you know that middle schoolers are now taking algebra? Yep! I never heard of an exponent until I was in high school. While in many areas you are correct, and I agree (and I know you are a teacher). A few personal observations: 1) Too much time is spent teaching for ISTEP and similar tests, and not truly education. I agree with you on this. It seems that our school spends 3/4 of the year preparing them for the state testing. I think their state funding is based on test scores or something.
|
|
corok
Junior Member
Posts: 34
|
Post by corok on Aug 28, 2015 22:55:19 GMT -5
Met I don't know you well but if you wrote a book it shows me you have passion for what you do But There are a number of people who end up being teachers because it was an easier degree than what they originally wanted to be. I had a handful of engaging teachers who wanted to teach I had others who taught because they couldn't become anything else basically. Rude and inconvenienced by having to come to work... There is the old saying, "those that can, do. Those that can't, teach." Sometimes it is true, sometimes it isn't. What about those that are teachers of "doing"? I had a few really stand out teachers and my absolute favorite was my biology teacher in HS who taught very entertainingly and drew everything on the chalk board. Students had to duplicate his work and then explain what they were doing .. among other things. He would RAVE on and on about various whitetail stories he would share, and he is the guy who introduced me to hunting 20 years ago. I am still friends with him to this day and hunt with him each year. He would end class with singing on his guitar and received the highest student "thumbs up" at the end of the semester each semester I was a student. While in many areas you are correct, and I agree (and I know you are a teacher). A few personal observations: 1) Too much time is spent teaching for ISTEP and similar tests, and not truly education. I agree with you on this. It seems that our school spends 3/4 of the year preparing them for the state testing. I think their state funding is based on test scores or something. Funding is mainly based on test scores and attendance. There are a few other variables but those are the two biggies. "Star" rankings that schools love to post and display are based on attendance mainly. It may sound like I am being hard on schools but I am sincerely not being hard on teaching nor school in general. However, EDUCATION is what is lacking in so much of what happens in schools today. I read all the messages on this thread and agree with a lot of it. Students should be taught what interests them and what they excel at. Education is about much more than reading, writing and arithmetic. Those things are obviously very important but should NOT be what education is based on. Teaching a student to problem solve, critically think and communicate are HUGE for what we all do, day in and day out, for our entire lives. There are certainly professions that require degrees to be proficient in them, and those should be what are advertised and pursued as such. There are so many more professions and careers that DO NOT need high levels of what is currently touted as "education". My children are young being 10, 8 and 5. One of the main reasons we decided to home educate was to allow our children many of the opportunities I've mentioned in this thread. Choosing their curriculum, knowing fully what they are learning and being taught, sheltering them from negative influences of their peers, molding their environment for what best suits their individual strengths and witnesses, avoiding the PLAGUE of "teaching to the lowest common 'IQ' in the classroom", parents who are rarely involved if at all with their children who can influence my children, are among a few reasons why this has been a stellar choice for our family. All in all, I really feel for the teachers that are great teachers but are limited by what the education system forces them to do and accept in their classrooms and broadly in the school systems they work in. There really are some wonderful folks who have their hands tied and do their best. Unfortunately, there are also those teachers that are literally warm bodies filling a schedule slot. All "teaching" seems to get lumped together most of the time in this regard, and that is unfortunate but is how it is. That is why I said it's a "borked" system before There are no easy solutions to the current state of the educational system we have, but as a parent of young children, I have the responsibility to look after my children the best way I am able to, whatever that is for me. I hope I have not offended anyone yet and I know my musings are just my own opinion
|
|
|
Post by dbd870 on Aug 29, 2015 8:09:06 GMT -5
I agree the State tests need to go. I'd get the Fed's and the State out of education, period. For me that should be a local function.
|
|
|
Post by drs on Aug 29, 2015 9:11:56 GMT -5
I agree the State tests need to go. I'd get the Fed's and the State out of education, period. For me that should be a local function.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 29, 2015 9:29:43 GMT -5
I agree the State tests need to go. I'd get the Fed's and the State out of education, period. For me that should be a local function. +2 The only fair accountability system is far too simple to appeal to politicians. My solution is this...test my kids on what they know about my content at the beginning of the year and what they know about it at the end of the year.if they don't show proper growth, freeze my pay rate and put me on an improvement plan. If that doesn't work after a year or two, can me and send me packing. This business of comparing scores between schools has to stop. Far too many variables to ever make that fair. My students have very little in common with those in Carmel or Zionsville. IPS students have little in common with mine. It's madness and it's broken.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 29, 2015 9:42:06 GMT -5
The Republican Party would probably bring me safely back into the fold if they would scrap their education platform and adopt mine! Lord knows the Democrats are hard to side with on most other things. I am adrift on the political sea, without a proper ship, holding onto a scrap of driftwood.
|
|
|
Post by dbd870 on Aug 29, 2015 10:01:57 GMT -5
The political sea is very choppy right now, hope it's a good size piece of wood.
|
|
|
Post by jimstc on Aug 29, 2015 14:09:41 GMT -5
Point very well made. How can you send a kid through 12 years of school and allow him / her to graduate if they can't even make change? Kids like that used to "flunk" and have to take a grade over again in elementary school until they could prove basic proficiency at certain things. Do they flunk kids anymore, or is that too damaging to self-esteem? My grandson flunked Algebra I as a freshman and had to go to summer school as a result to make it up.
|
|
|
Post by 36fan on Aug 29, 2015 18:30:05 GMT -5
My children are young being 10, 8 and 5. One of the main reasons we decided to home educate was to allow our children many of the opportunities I've mentioned in this thread. Choosing their curriculum, knowing fully what they are learning and being taught, sheltering them from negative influences of their peers, molding their environment for what best suits their individual strengths and witnesses, avoiding the PLAGUE of "teaching to the lowest common 'IQ' in the classroom", parents who are rarely involved if at all with their children who can influence my children, are among a few reasons why this has been a stellar choice for our family. All in all, I really feel for the teachers that are great teachers but are limited by what the education system forces them to do and accept in their classrooms and broadly in the school systems they work in. There really are some wonderful folks who have their hands tied and do their best. Unfortunately, there are also those teachers that are literally warm bodies filling a schedule slot. All "teaching" seems to get lumped together most of the time in this regard, and that is unfortunate but is how it is. That is why I said it's a "borked" system before There are no easy solutions to the current state of the educational system we have, but as a parent of young children, I have the responsibility to look after my children the best way I am able to, whatever that is for me. I hope I have not offended anyone yet and I know my musings are just my own opinion I understand your point of view, but I have personally have taken a different route. We know there are poor influences in school, just like there are in life. We have chosen to send our kids to public school to give them a glimpse of what is out there, to teach them how to deal with negative influences, without them discovering them and being overwhelmed later in life when they venture out on there own. However, we are engaged in our children's lives, and I keep them sheltered in a rural area when they aren't at school. There are no kids around us for them to play with, and they have come to appreciate living out in the sticks. Additionally, we are trying to provide positive influences in other kids lives, and give back to our community. My wife did two terms as PTO president (two term limit), and is now the PTO secretary, prior to that she was the vice-president for a couple of years. She is always volunteering in classes and helping teachers with whatever they need. I am the Cubmaster and a den leader for my boys' Cub Scout pack, and I coach soccer for the local Optimist Club. Of course, like you said, parents that are not engaged with there children is a huge issue. We are always dealing with STP syndrome (same three people). Nobody wants to volunteer their time, but they want their kids involved in X curricular activity. They seem to fail to grasp the meaning of "volunteer organizations".
|
|
corok
Junior Member
Posts: 34
|
Post by corok on Aug 29, 2015 19:59:36 GMT -5
Not sure how many have seen the documentary, "Rush to nowhere". It is a very good show about the pressures we put on our children to live in America in particular. There are some others but that one is a good one to start with. Each parent obviously makes parenting decisions they think are best for their children, but for our family, homeschooling is wonderful. Our children have many friends and have many activities that are just for meeting people and living amongst their peers. They have many field trips which are educational and teach them about the world around them and the world for which they are a part of. Each to their own but this documentary is a decent one to spend an hour and half on It's on Netflix
|
|
|
Post by bartiks on Sept 6, 2015 8:54:43 GMT -5
All I know is that I could no longer help my daughter when she was a sophomore in high school. I could talk her through stuff based upon the data that were given and help her know what they wanted. Then she could do it. She was good at plugging and chugging. It was stressful for me as she looked to me for guidance. Thanks Jon now I have another thing to worry about. I was not all that proficient in math and I have a 2 year old daughter who will be looking up to dad for some help and I will have to say go talk to your mom she has the brains of the family. Although I probably could use a brush up on algebra and calculus.
|
|