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TNT - This sounds like a couple of my classes. As a student, what would you recommend when a teacher has a class that would rather do anything than the subject at hand?Referal, referal, Maybe a 20min lunch detention.
Here all students must take chemistry and I deal with a lot of kids who are angry they're being made to take it. I think their philosophy is that if they can disrupt class, they have to learn less of it. We have this whole procedure starting with warnings and calling parents before I'm allowed to send them out of my room at all and then they'll likely just be sent back. I'd love to figure out how to get to where I can teach in those classes. I'm sure I have students who are frustrated like you.
Never thought of it like that. However I think more of the reason is my teacher for those classes is very laid back. Half those kids are in my class before that with a "tough love" teacher. You can hear yourself breathe in there. So while this may be the case I think it has more to do with lack of discipline in the class though I could be wrong.
Then, lets answer the following questions:
1. How can a low income parent support the child's education if the parent's education is limited too? Seriously, do you know how many adults can't do long division math that's taught in 3rd grade? Or can explain spelling and grammar rules that they clearly don't know themselves?
2. Even if the parent wants to support the child's education, how exactly do you do that? Tutoring? Who's going to pay for that? Sure, you can buy books or take the child to the library, but that how will help with math and science; subjects that will need an explaination?
3. Assuming this school has free afterschool tutoring/support, how will this child get home if the parent is still at work? (this assumes a younger child who isn't ready for public transportation, or a neighborhood that doesn't have it).
4. Are there free tutoring/support programs available to these low income schools?
5. Some of these kids don't see the importance of education. All they see are people working low income jobs in their community. School may be the only place they see educated people, and in their eyes, doesn't exactly look like a good deal.
6. If you're a child in this low income household and have siblings, guess what comes first? Taking care of them, not education.
7. And yes, no matter what you do, there are some that just can't be helped.
I agree that if you swapped the kids out, we'd see your stated results, but the non-low income families have resources that the low income families don't.
Trying to teach parents how to parent is useless. The "useless parent" mentality is already there. Their whole set of values has to change.
It is a LOT less expensive to pay for early childhood classes and support classes when kids are in school than it is to pay for welfare for the rest of their lives. Again, if you read what I wrote-start by educating the parents-stop the cycle--MN has a very good early childhood program in place and has for 30 years and amazingly MN leads the country in education--correlation maybe??
I agree with Golfgal. Minnesota has excellent early education (including in the poorest neighborhoods). Minnesota's public school districts have also never been abandoned by the middle or upper classes, even in the city. While there are always some kids who fall through the cracks, at least there are opportunities there in every district, even the inner city, where kids will be exposed to options and will have the opportunity (and encouragement) to take a full AP/IB courseload or meet with top college recruiters (if that's the route they want to take), or take more vocational courses, or have opportunities with local arts and cultural organizations (lots of arts funding in MN, at least historically), etc. There are still the typical issues (high poverty is some city schools, kids coming in not speaking English, some uninvolved or uncaring or simply bad parents, etc.) and not every kid is thriving, but at least the public schools (and to some extent society in general) aren't generally as economically segregated as what you find in many places. I think that helps a great deal. (and yes, lots of free tutoring and programs going on, both in the schools and in local libraries, etc., as well as a strong history of support from the local businesses and philanthropic communities to fund school "extras" like field trips, special programs in the schools, etc.)
Minnesota is also high on the lists of all sorts of other charts, in terms of people with health insurance, etc., and I'm assuming that all of those other related quality of life issues help improve education, too, at least in an indirect way.
I had classes like Algebra and Calculus in high school. Are they even dumbing down the names of the courses now in the inner city schools?
Its not just inner city, its all of New York State. Math A & Math B is Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, etc., they're not separate classes.
They're changing it (again) so the names will go back to Algebra, Trigonometry, etc. Actually I think the class of 2010 is the last class that will use Math A & Math B so they're almost done phasing it out I think.
Its not just inner city, its all of New York State. Math A & Math B is Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, etc., they're not separate classes.
They're changing it (again) so the names will go back to Algebra, Trigonometry, etc. Actually I think the class of 2010 is the last class that will use Math A & Math B so they're almost done phasing it out I think.
Integrated math is teaching to the bottom of the class and it was a failed experiment. I feel for the kids coming out of these programs who try to go on to college. They're going to end up taking algebra, trig and pre calc in college before they can handle calc.
Integrated math is teaching to the bottom of the class and it was a failed experiment. I feel for the kids coming out of these programs who try to go on to college. They're going to end up taking algebra, trig and pre calc in college before they can handle calc.
That's not always true. In many Asian countries math is integrated. They don't have Algebra, Geometry, etc. I wouldn't say they are teaching to the bottom.
That's not always true. In many Asian countries math is integrated. They don't have Algebra, Geometry, etc. I wouldn't say they are teaching to the bottom.
Which asian countries would those be? The ones I know of that are doing well are using programs like Singapore math in the lower grades and traditional math in the upper. Integrated math is designed for the bottom of the class. It's sole purpose is to raise the percent passing standardized tests. Unfortunately, it doesn't prepare kids for college.
Which asian countries would those be? The ones I know of that are doing well are using programs like Singapore math in the lower grades and traditional math in the upper. Integrated math is designed for the bottom of the class. It's sole purpose is to raise the percent passing standardized tests. Unfortunately, it doesn't prepare kids for college.
My husband is from the Philippines, and he never had a math class such as Algebra from what he says.
My husband is from the Philippines, and he never had a math class such as Algebra from what he says.
That doesn't mean he was in integrated math. Integrated math is, literally, based off of research that found that lower level learners learn math better when you integrate it. It wasn't designed for higher level learners.
I have to appologize. I was thinking of the TIMMS data which only tests 4th adn 8th grade so I haven't seen data on high school. The asian models I've looked at have been traditional math for high school but I was looking at countries that used programs like Singapore math.
I have a friend who taught in Singapore for a few years and she taught standard math (she taught in an english speaking school. I'm not sure how that fits in the education system over there).
Did your husband take Singapore math? I believe math 7 and 8 is algebra but it's called math 7 and 8 not algebra. My daughter was in Singapore math until 8th grade. She tested out of algebra when she started high school and was placed in honors geometry.
K12 and bagdad have much in common, dangerous & a mountain of illiteracy, the solution to both is always the same "send more money".
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