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The news is full of stories recently about how terrible the schools are in America and how we are slipping behind the rest of the world. Of course the group that gets the most blame is the teachers. The second amount of blame goes to the Principal and the rest of the blame goes towards the school administrators and bureaucrats.
If a failing school in the worst neighborhood in the City does not do as well as the school in a rich suburb with parents who are doctors, lawyers, and scientists with high IQ's and PHD's, then the failing school's Teachers and Principal are fired.
Why won't the media admit the problem with American schools are: uninterested parents, a messed up popular culture and students who are more interested in acting out than learning?
Do you think the Teachers and Principals should get most of the blame for the problems in American Schools?
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Funny how teachers always blame the parents and community. Always.
Before I went to kindergarten, I didn't know the alphabet. No one read to me. Nobody did back then. Kids were taught the alphabet etc. in kindergarten. How do you think the greatest minds on earth grew from such 'negligence' over time? Because we had no frills, honest to goodness educations with teachers who insisted we learn.
How do you suppose some school that is losing academically can hire a principal who gets behind the teachers and INSISTS on them educating the kids can turn a school completely around to graduate kids who go on to college and successful lives? It has happened many times in some of the worst communities. The parents don't change. The community doesn't change. Only the teachers and admin. change. Go figure.
Great post. People don't want to hear what you said but it is true.
So.. it is not generally the teachers fault that John does not want to learn, it is the students and his parents. So then why does the media and the establishment always blame the teachers?
Because they're an easier target - unlike politicians whose campaigns are fueled by special interests.
IMHO, there are big egos out there trying to change the world through a global economy, and our children are now subjected to a ridiculous amount of useless and shallow information in an attempt to compete with the other cogs in the wheel of global commerce. Preschool is the new Kindergarten, and 3rd graders are learning algebra before they've mastered their basic multiplication tables, somehow, I think that we as a collective society have gotten a little batty with the competition. The "curve" has been twisted in a figure 8 as far as I'm concerned.
Ironically, Finland (who is one country who kicks our test score fannies) treats early childhood much like we once did in this country. I found this story fascinating.
Funny how teachers always blame the parents and community. Always.
Before I went to kindergarten, I didn't know the alphabet. No one read to me. Nobody did back then. Kids were taught the alphabet etc. in kindergarten. How do you think the greatest minds on earth grew from such 'negligence' over time? Because we had no frills, honest to goodness educations with teachers who insisted we learn.
How do you suppose some school that is losing academically can hire a principal who gets behind the teachers and INSISTS on them educating the kids can turn a school completely around to graduate kids who go on to college and successful lives? It has happened many times in some of the worst communities. The parents don't change. The community doesn't change. Only the teachers and admin. change. Go figure.
You are aware that things like demographics, SES and maternal education are the strongest predictors of how children will turn out, right? The strongest predictors of success have nothing to do with the teacher standing in front of the classroom. My kids aren't successful because they've had great teachers every year. They're successful because they are following in their parents footsteps. Succesful parents breed successful children.
Because they're an easier target - unlike politicians whose campaigns are fueled by special interests.
IMHO, there are big egos out there trying to change the world through a global economy, and our children are now subjected to a ridiculous amount of useless and shallow information in an attempt to compete with the other cogs in the wheel of global commerce. Preschool is the new Kindergarten, and 3rd graders are learning algebra before they've mastered their basic multiplication tables, somehow, I think that we as a collective society have gotten a little batty with the competition. The "curve" has been twisted in a figure 8 as far as I'm concerned.
Ironically, Finland (who is one country who kicks our test score fannies) treats early childhood much like we once did in this country. I found this story fascinating.
I blame parents. Seriously, the number of mothers who are hyper competitive and pin their egos on their children learning is disturbing. 3 year olds don't need to be pushed to read. (Not sure what the video is about since I have no sound)
I had no idea how competitive other mothers were when I had my kids. I remember standing outside of the preschool door waiting for preschool to end one day and chatting with another mother. Upon learning I was an engineer she said "I guess our kids aren't going to win science fair" in a disgusted tone. They were 3 and years away from science fair.
Anyway, I digress...all this competition has led to a list of accomplishements vs. real learning. Sometimes, you learn the most by failing. These parents can't let that happen.
I don't think it's global competition that's the problem. I think it's parents who live vicariously through their children and pin their own egos on their children's success. Why do you think they fight so hard to have education individualized for their child? It knocks their ego down if Johnny isn't at the top and that has to be someone elses fault.
I blame parents. Seriously, the number of mothers who are hyper competitive and pin their egos on their children learning is disturbing. 3 year olds don't need to be pushed to read. (Not sure what the video is about since I have no sound)
I had no idea how competitive other mothers were when I had my kids. I remember standing outside of the preschool door waiting for preschool to end one day and chatting with another mother. Upon learning I was an engineer she said "I guess our kids aren't going to win science fair" in a disgusted tone. They were 3 and years away from science fair.
Anyway, I digress...all this competition has led to a list of accomplishements vs. real learning. Sometimes, you learn the most by failing. These parents can't let that happen.
I don't think it's global competition that's the problem. I think it's parents who live vicariously through their children and pin their own egos on their children's success. Why do you think they fight so hard to have education individualized for their child? It knocks their ego down if Johnny isn't at the top and that has to be someone elses fault.
Yeah, I do see that too, but I think there's plenty of blame to go around besides parents. Last year, my (then 3rd-grader) had a teacher who was bound and determined to make sure that everyone "met standards" - even if it made at least 10 of her students complain daily about stomach aches in order to get a break by staying at home (yes, I actually polled other parents on whether their kids were feeling the same kind of stress before I went in to discuss it - rationally I might add). I attended all the parent night meetings and was quite surprised to see the difference in this teacher from pre-NCLB. She was never reputed to be hard-nosed - strict, yes, she had to be to maintain control of the class, but hers was the funnest and most hands-on class to be in (until NCLB anyway). Once testing started to be the main focus - the gloves were off with regard to passing a test IMHO.
Everywhere you turn you hear near-panic about how our test scores are falling compared to other countries, and hot-damn - we have NCLB which left a whole lot of children behind IMO.
The video stresses that children in Finland don't usually even begin to read until 6 or 7 years old. Their "Preschool" if-you-will focuses more on social skills and responsibilities. As maturity develops they add more.
Not helping any IMHO, is one reading program after another being hawked on TV. I think that plunking a year old in front of a video that practically purports to teach them to read Chaucer by the time they're two (as in Your Baby Can Read!) is criminal, BUT, it's that kind of foolishness that influences a young mother to believe that she's doing the best for her baby. The pushers of that crap bet the farm on it.
Personally, I think all parents ought to be required to take a child development course before they even think of having children. Yes, I know...good luck with that.
Yeah, I do see that too, but I think there's plenty of blame to go around besides parents. Last year, my (then 3rd-grader) had a teacher who was bound and determined to make sure that everyone "met standards" - even if it made at least 10 of her students complain daily about stomach aches in order to get a break by staying at home (yes, I actually polled other parents on whether their kids were feeling the same kind of stress before I went in to discuss it - rationally I might add). I attended all the parent night meetings and was quite surprised to see the difference in this teacher from pre-NCLB. She was never reputed to be hard-nosed - strict, yes, she had to be to maintain control of the class, but hers was the funnest and most hands-on class to be in (until NCLB anyway). Once testing started to be the main focus - the gloves were off with regard to passing a test IMHO.
Everywhere you turn you hear near-panic about how our test scores are falling compared to other countries, and hot-damn - we have NCLB which left a whole lot of children behind IMO.
The video stresses that children in Finland don't usually even begin to read until 6 or 7 years old. Their "Preschool" if-you-will focuses more on social skills and responsibilities. As maturity develops they add more.
Not helping any IMHO, is one reading program after another being hawked on TV. I think that plunking a year old in front of a video that practically purports to teach them to read Chaucer by the time they're two (as in Your Baby Can Read!) is criminal, BUT, it's that kind of foolishness that influences a young mother to believe that she's doing the best for her baby. The pushers of that crap bet the farm on it.
Personally, I think all parents ought to be required to take a child development course before they even think of having children. Yes, I know...good luck with that.
The push to meet standards is an offshoot of parental competitiveness. Parents can't accept that maybe their child just doesn't meet the standards so we are required to push all students to meet them. That's coming down from the government but who elected that government?
I'd go farther than child development. Parenthood is NOT a competitve sport. I'd put them all in counseling to make sure they aren't going to use their kids as pawns in their own ego game but, alas, we can't do that.
I used to have a neighbor three doors down who screamed at her kids every night to get them to study more. She announced, when they were in kindergarten, that they WOULD BE class validictorians. None did but it was a miserable existance with her trying to make it so.
Thanks for the rundown on the video. Neither of my kids read before kindergarten. Many of their friends did. I'm not sure what good that did as dd#1 was way ahead of the curve (before hormones hit ) and dd#2 is way ahead of the curve in spite of what could be said was a late start.
My brother's kids are the same way. My SIL considered it the school's job to educate her kids so education started when they walked through the door. Up until then, it was play time. I remember when my nephew started school. The teacher sent a note home saying that he didn't know his alphabet. My SIL sent one back saying "That's because you didn't teach them to him yet". Both of her kids have excelled.
I know this is anecdotal but, from where I sit, I'm not seeing the need to teach kids early. The only purpose it seems to serve is bragging rights for parents.
Now Obama and in my state they want to do Merit Pay. More testing for children. I always wonder why gov't doesn't get child psychologist and experts in education to come up with new ideas. Instead they use business people who believe produce produce produce, you need to be the best and it is all about the money. Now we have students who barely know history because it is all about reading and mouth, barely know how to think because they studied to the test and then we say our schools are failing lets blame it on the teachers and start testing some more (like that worked) to see if the teacher is doing her job.
Now Obama and in my state they want to do Merit Pay. More testing for children. I always wonder why gov't doesn't get child psychologist and experts in education to come up with new ideas. Instead they use business people who believe produce produce produce, you need to be the best and it is all about the money. Now we have students who barely know history because it is all about reading and math, barely know how to think because they studied to the test and then we say our schools are failing lets blame it on the teachers and start testing some more (like that worked) to see if the teacher is doing her job.
I'd put them all in counseling to make sure they aren't going to use their kids as pawns in their own ego game but, alas, we can't do that.
Speaking as a professional counselor, this would be just as great a travesty on counseling as a profession as is the issues on education.
Counseling is a practice that augments people's ability to change. Forcing someone, child or adult, to go into a counseling scenario when they have no motivation to change, is a HUGE WASTE OF TIME.
I see lots of kids, for whom others who have no idea how counseling is done, assign to me to effect change. Many times I spend a huge amount of time at first trying to get them to understand that they should change. Once I'm able to get them to understand that and then to actually want to change, then the effort becomes amazingly easy and very effective.
Forcing people into proscribed counseling to fix inappropriate behaviors only works if the person has some reason to change their behaviors. A better choice is a course of Behavior Management, and sometimes a course of behavior management followed up or concurrent with counseling.
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The strongest predictors of success have nothing to do with the teacher standing in front of the classroom. My kids aren't successful because they've had great teachers every year. They're successful because they are following in their parents footsteps. Succesful parents breed successful children.
is criminal, BUT, it's that kind of foolishness that influences a young mother to believe that she's doing the best for her baby. The pushers of that crap bet the farm on it.
) and dd#2 is way ahead of the curve in spite of what could be said was a late start. 
