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I can't rep you anymore, but thanks. I've tried to remain patient, but this person keeps spamming threads with his off-topic rants about reading lists. It's really getting to be annoying. Perhaps the best thing to do would be to not engage him in this discussion.
Don't worry he left a similar note at the bottom of the article in the comments section.
He's saying that data shows that American student achievement is less of a bell curve shape than other countries. He's saying that, for various reasons, we have most clustering at the top and the bottom.
That's what I see in my classes. "Curving" for a bathtub curve is hard. The top doesn't need the help you'd have to give to the bottom just to have the passing. I keep trying to write tests that are easy to pass but that is easier said than done.
I was just wondering if it was the "My child is gifted" syndrome they were talking about. I swear 70% of the parents in the school I teach in think their child is in the top 5%. The other 30 have given up.
That's what I see in my classes. "Curving" for a bathtub curve is hard. The top doesn't need the help you'd have to give to the bottom just to have the passing. I keep trying to write tests that are easy to pass but that is easier said than done.
I was just wondering if it was the "My child is gifted" syndrome they were talking about. I swear 70% of the parents in the school I teach in think their child is in the top 5%. The other 30 have given up.
Whether it's a bathtub curve or a Bell curve, I do think that this reality provides a strong basis for the "T" argument that we're not really supposed to discuss.
I was just wondering if it was the "My child is gifted" syndrome they were talking about. I swear 70% of the parents in the school I teach in think their child is in the top 5%. The other 30 have given up.
My friend had a student who was very troubled, had obvious gang ties as a freshman, etc. The mother continuously lied for him, lies that people had caught her in, and did anything else she could to cover herself. When my friend called the mother about him not going to his math class, she told him that the class was too easy for him and that he needed to be in an honors class or something like that. So they checked online and he was actually coming in at the lowest possible testing level for his grade (level one out of four) and was quite possibly, the lowest performer in the class, since almost all of the other students were level two or three.
My friend had a student who was very troubled, had obvious gang ties as a freshman, etc. The mother continuously lied for him, lies that people had caught her in, and did anything else she could to cover herself. When my friend called the mother about him not going to his math class, she told him that the class was too easy for him and that he needed to be in an honors class or something like that. So they checked online and he was actually coming in at the lowest possible testing level for his grade (level one out of four) and was quite possibly, the lowest performer in the class, since almost all of the other students were level two or three.
IMO, parenting has become about perception not reality. It doesn't matter what my child IS. All that matters is what others THINK of my child. It doesn't matter if my child learns...all that matters is the grade my child gets so parents cheat and lie for their kids. I had a girl this past year I was certain was not turning in her work but her mother insisted I was losing her work. I ended up excusing quite a bit of work just to shut down the situation. I couldn't prove her daughter didn't turn in the work and she refused to prove her daughter did (I asked that her daughter hand her work to me (SOP is the kids turn things in to a bin for their class) and get my signature saying she'd turned it in). I have 3-4 parents every year whose parents claim I lose their child's work. I can't win if my admins won't back me.
In the charter school the principal backed me. She had one of my worst cases turn in her work to her in the office. At first work was turned in but in time, it started showing up missing again. Then the parents accused me of breaking into the principals office to steal the work so that I could prove my point. Fortunately, my principal had kept a log of what the girl turned in. Eventually, they shut up. It amazes me that parents will go to great lengths to get higher grades for their kids just so they can say "Look at MY child".
When my dd's were young, I remember coming in mid day one day to work in the computer lab and there were several parents bringing in dioramas that were due that day for their kids. One mother was frazzled and going on about how she JUST finished it and it was due today. Um, wasn't that YOUR CHILD's assignment?
I once gave a C to a project a "student" did. Her mom called me and started ranting about how she deserved a better grade. At first, she talked about what her daughter did but as she got more frustrated with my refusal to change the grade, she started saying "I did this and I did that". The project was, clearly, done by her and she was not happy with her grade.
This is such a sharp contrast to when I was a kid. My parents didn't even ask about school but we knew we'd better bring home decent grades and God help us if the school called home.
This is such a sharp contrast to when I was a kid. My parents didn't even ask about school but we knew we'd better bring home decent grades and God help us if the school called home.
OMG!!! YES!!!!! From middle school on my parents no longer checked my homework or asked about assignments, but let me come home with anything lower than a B. I had to explain to them why the grade was low and no, they were not happy with any excuse I had. At least one of my parents showed up at each and every parent teacher night all the way through high school. If a teacher said that I so much as passed a note in class I got my ass handed to me when I got home. There was no asking me for my side LOL, no blaming the teacher, no doubting his or her word. I was just done.
If the school would have called home for any of us they would have gone BALLISTIC. I shudder thinking of what would have happened. I'm still terrified of them in that way.
My mother would have slapped me upside the head if I even thought about asking her to do an assignment for me. She would have let me fail, and then grounded me for failing. LOL
OMG!!! YES!!!!! From middle school on my parents no longer checked my homework or asked about assignments, but let me come home with anything lower than a B. I had to explain to them why the grade was low and no, they were not happy with any excuse I had. At least one of my parents showed up at each and every parent teacher night all the way through high school. If a teacher said that I so much as passed a note in class I got my ass handed to me when I got home. There was no asking me for my side LOL, no blaming the teacher, no doubting his or her word. I was just done.
If the school would have called home for any of us they would have gone BALLISTIC. I shudder thinking of what would have happened. I'm still terrified of them in that way.
My mother would have slapped me upside the head if I even thought about asking her to do an assignment for me. She would have let me fail, and then grounded me for failing. LOL
And if it's today, a social worker or a police officer would be at your door within the next days.
Parental FEAR was a wonderful motivator in the "old days". Where did our generation go wrong. After all, the current environment didn't start with our parents.
OMG!!! YES!!!!! From middle school on my parents no longer checked my homework or asked about assignments, but let me come home with anything lower than a B. I had to explain to them why the grade was low and no, they were not happy with any excuse I had. At least one of my parents showed up at each and every parent teacher night all the way through high school. If a teacher said that I so much as passed a note in class I got my ass handed to me when I got home. There was no asking me for my side LOL, no blaming the teacher, no doubting his or her word. I was just done.
If the school would have called home for any of us they would have gone BALLISTIC. I shudder thinking of what would have happened. I'm still terrified of them in that way.
My mother would have slapped me upside the head if I even thought about asking her to do an assignment for me. She would have let me fail, and then grounded me for failing. LOL
My mom would have done the same thing. We either succeeded or failed on our own and Lord help us if it was the latter.
I'm amazed at parents today. They micromanage their high school students. Every year I have students whose parents I must contact every week to confirm that Johnny has turned everything in. You'd think that by high school a student could manage their own work.
Next year will be interesting as we're doing away with homework grades. Homework will no longer be required of students. Students will decide how much/little they need to do. I'm not sure how I'm going to handle micromanaging parents.
Parental FEAR was a wonderful motivator in the "old days". Where did our generation go wrong. After all, the current environment didn't start with our parents.
That's a good question. A lot of the harsher treatment that used to be common in parenting fell out of favor. I don't think a softer approach is bad per se, but you do need to replace one set of strong consequences with another. I think a lot of people today aim for the "we have a relationship based on respect shown both ways" approach, but if that balance isn't struck you may end up with a teen that has no great motivation to do what their parents want, and doesn't have a concept of "my bad behavior will lead to these bad things I'd rather not experience".
All I know is fear of my parents finding out kept me out of a whole lot of trouble as a teen. LOL. There was no way I was going to risk their wrath. I was a total punk. Heh.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ivorytickler
My mom would have done the same thing. We either succeeded or failed on our own and Lord help us if it was the latter.
I'm amazed at parents today. They micromanage their high school students. Every year I have students whose parents I must contact every week to confirm that Johnny has turned everything in. You'd think that by high school a student could manage their own work.
Next year will be interesting as we're doing away with homework grades. Homework will no longer be required of students. Students will decide how much/little they need to do. I'm not sure how I'm going to handle micromanaging parents.
How do you not require homework???!!!! How are they supposed to practice the concepts if there are no take home assignments?? What is the thinking behind the change? What the hell?????
That's a good question. A lot of the harsher treatment that used to be common in parenting fell out of favor. I don't think a softer approach is bad per se, but you do need to replace one set of strong consequences with another. I think a lot of people today aim for the "we have a relationship based on respect shown both ways" approach, but if that balance isn't struck you may end up with a teen that has no great motivation to do what their parents want, and doesn't have a concept of "my bad behavior will lead to these bad things I'd rather not experience".
All I know is fear of my parents finding out kept me out of a whole lot of trouble as a teen. LOL. There was no way I was going to risk their wrath. I was a total punk. Heh.
How do you not require homework???!!!! How are they supposed to practice the concepts if there are no take home assignments?? What is the thinking behind the change? What the hell?????
We will assign it and go over answers in class but will no longer be giving grades for homework so there will be no zero in the grade book if Johnny chooses not to do it. You can't grade homework because it's practice and the practice of just giving points for trying results in grade inflation. Last year, over 20% of the grade in my math class (following math department protocol) was free points given just for attempting the homework. That resulted in parents questioning how Johnny could have 100% on homework and then get an E on the test.
I'm wondering how this is going to work because half of my students only do homework for the points (but it's questionable if they do it or if they just copy it) and the other half want their free points and their grades will be lower because they're not getting them.
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The other 30 have given up.
Fortunately, my principal had kept a log of what the girl turned in. Eventually, they shut up. It amazes me that parents will go to great lengths to get higher grades for their kids just so they can say "Look at MY child".
