I just read a very interesting article about the Albuquerque school system. The school system wants to limit the electives for students who are failing in the major subject areas and instead require them to take remedial classes. As you might imagine, many of these students are upset at this action and so they decided to send letters to the editor in protest. However, it appears their letter writing campaign may have backfired. Apparently, many of the letters were full of spelling and grammatical errors which only highlighted the very real need for remedial classes. If their writing skills and disrespect for the English language weren't so sad the irony would be very amusing.
Unfortunately, this story illustrates a broader problem in many of our schools. We simply have a lot of kids who are failing and ill prepared from lack of smarts, motivation, expectations or some combination thereof. Personally, I applaud the Albuquerque schools for taking a stand and hope they follow through on their requirements. I hope these students appreciate the school's efforts to give them at least one more opportunity to learn the basics. Without that academic baseline, these same kids will be left without a lot of options as they compete for jobs in the real world. A world where nobody cares if they got an A in choir or home economics but instead whether they can read and write.
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4 comments:
Was this the reason MSNBC was complaing about only 57% of students can tell when the Civil War occurred?
Those bits always drive me nuts because the media is complaining how stupid the students are without talking about how inept the teachers are, but I guess that what we get for "free education."
I just enrolled my kids in public school (for next year). I'm a little nervous. I've been homeschooling.
The kids will be in second and third grade. It will be interesting to see how they do. My eight year old son has quite an imagination and would rather think or read than complete a writing assignment. My six year old daughter is full of energy and finds it hard to sit still. I don't think the academics will be a problem for them. I just hope they can enjoy getting to know other kids and that their teachers make learning fun.
I think that education is the parent's responsibility (public, private, or homeschool). Many parents have abdicated that responsibility. My kids are going to go to public school but it's my responsibility to see that they are learning the important things of life - reading, writing, math, lifeskills, relationship skills, the Bible, what it means to have a personal relationship with Christ, etc.
I've heard good things about our school district. Having been a teacher in a classroom setting and now as a homeschool mom I know that motivating kids is a challenge. Making phonics and grammer fun... how do you do that? I'll be praying for my kids new teachers.
While I don't necessarily disagree with what the Albequerque schools are doing, there are plenty of children in our public schools that have to deal with growling stomachs, absent parents, and many other life challenges before they are able to focus on schoolwork.
As for teachers - with students who are not prepared to learn (either because they weren't taught that at home, or whatnot), I have to believe it's a struggle. A teacher can teach when the Civil War was all they want, but that doesn't mean the students are going to learn. I, for one, applaud teachers - sometimes they are the only constant in a child's life.
All students should have basic skills, but they all don't learn the same. And, if you believe it or not, not all students have the same support system at home to teach the value of education.
Angela you are right on about kids and their support systems.
I taught first grade in South West Philadelphia. Some of my students had very supportive parents and, some of them didn't. I lived across the street from one of my students and we could hear gun shots in the neighborhood and see drug deals happening. Living in a row house also allowed us to hear the neighbors verbal exchanges. Some of my students were just trying to survive - academics weren't a high priority.
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