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A lot of those "zombies" may be the "Fonzies" and the "Frenchies" who would be turned on by a technical-prep curriculum rather than a college prep curriculum.
I totally agree. It has to be terrible sitting in class day after day being taught stuff you don't find either interesting or useful. They belong where the education fits them. This one size fits all everyone is going to college education is for the birds.
A lot of those "zombies" may be the "Fonzies" and the "Frenchies" who would be turned on by a technical-prep curriculum rather than a college prep curriculum.
Yes, some of the "zombies" may be a cool guy like THE FONZ (from Happy Days) but I suspect that most of them have no interest in pretty much anything a school would teach and can't be reached.
Yes, some of the "zombies" may be a cool guy like THE FONZ (from Happy Days) but I suspect that most of them have no interest in pretty much anything a school would teach and can't be reached.
Yet under NCLB their passing rate is the number we live and die by.
We would do so much better to teach the kids who want to be taught and find something useful for the ones who don't want to be taught. Not everyone is college material and even if they are they don't all want to go. I have a brother who has me beat IQ wise by a mile. He had no interest in college but is an incredible mechanic.
Yet under NCLB their passing rate is the number we live and die by.
We would do so much better to teach the kids who want to be taught and find something useful for the ones who don't want to be taught. Not everyone is college material and even if they are they don't all want to go. I have a brother who has me beat IQ wise by a mile. He had no interest in college but is an incredible mechanic.
NCLB is code for "No Child Allowed To Excel." Everyone ELSE gets held back until the dummies can catch up.
Yet under NCLB their passing rate is the number we live and die by.
We would do so much better to teach the kids who want to be taught and find something useful for the ones who don't want to be taught. Not everyone is college material and even if they are they don't all want to go. I have a brother who has me beat IQ wise by a mile. He had no interest in college but is an incredible mechanic.
The thing is: They're right.
Back in the 90s, the governor of Hawaii examined the available industry in his state, examined the curriculum of the state school system, and announced, "We're wasting the time of our high school students." The high school curriculum was based on a fantasy Wonderland that didn't exist in the state.
The kids know their time is being wasted. Most don't know what to do about it, but they know their time is being wasted. They know they're not being given what they need for the real opportunities they see around them.
NCLB actually penalizesany school that has a successful technical curriculum.
The basic concept of a variable can be introduced in elementary school reading. When you read a story and the name of a character changes that is a variable. A variable is something that can be changed, such as a characteristic or value. If you start off early, kids can learn these basics and not have a big problem later on.
Geometry and algebra are actually fun and interesting when introduced in the early grades. It doesn't have to be sophisticated, but shapes are all around you. Why do you want to dumb kids down by teaching only addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and teaching those in ways that don't allow kids to understand what they are doing?
Geometry and algebra are actually fun and interesting when introduced in the early grades but what are kids actually gaining from it, and how much actual learning and practice of math is not taking place? It is not a matter of dumbing kids down since many kids of average or above average intelligence are graduating high school without the ability to do simple arithmetic.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ivorytickler
Yet under NCLB their passing rate is the number we live and die by.
We would do so much better to teach the kids who want to be taught and find something useful for the ones who don't want to be taught. Not everyone is college material and even if they are they don't all want to go. I have a brother who has me beat IQ wise by a mile. He had no interest in college but is an incredible mechanic.
I agree completely. By pretending that everyone is college material, we have downgraded the entire education process in the United States. All kids do not have the same ability or motivation, and they never will regardless of the latest slogan that is used in the name of improving education.
I agree completely. By pretending that everyone is college material, we have downgraded the entire education process in the United States. All kids do not have the same ability or motivation, and they never will regardless of the latest slogan that is used in the name of improving education.
A very good statement. Our entire education system is preparatory to college and totally ignores the trades which are needed to keep a modern society going. I think some European schools work better where students are segregated as their skills and abilities show. Any Europeans here want to discuss that?
"If all or our teachers were excellent we would not be faced with failing schools!"
That was the comment from a friend of mine who was talking about the problem with schools and education today.
I tried to tell him that it was not really the teachers fault but the fault of unmotivated students, poverty, ignorance, teachers unions, a sick youth society, and government policies that says anyone who is interested in learning is a nerd, and a thousand other reasons. He would not buy it.
He went on to say: "If the teachers were any good they could get the students to listen to them and every student would excel. And if the teacher does not get results, fire them and bring in someone who can do the job."
Do you think my friend is right? Most of the fault is the teachers?
You can have teachers who are the cream of the crop but it won't matter if you have a school or district full of apathy, parents and administration who won't back you up, students who can't perform well on tests for one reason or another, poverty, crime, rampant drug use, or students with a poor work ethic. There are so many factors teachers have absolutely no control over. I do agree with firing lazy teachers but we have to be met in the middle.
Geometry and algebra are actually fun and interesting when introduced in the early grades but what are kids actually gaining from it, and how much actual learning and practice of math is not taking place? It is not a matter of dumbing kids down since many kids of average or above average intelligence are graduating high school without the ability to do simple arithmetic.
I agree completely. By pretending that everyone is college material, we have downgraded the entire education process in the United States. All kids do not have the same ability or motivation, and they never will regardless of the latest slogan that is used in the name of improving education.
Geometry and algebra are both vital in technical training. They need to be introduced early and hammered hard all the way through school. Carpenters, masons, plumbers, electricians--they all use geometry and algebra. Introducing basic concepts early is even more important for them than for the college bound.
A lot of you got it wrong. If all our PARENTS were excellent, we would have no failing schools.
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