My cousin is a newly-minted middle school teacher “back East”. He’s in his second year of teaching after working for and being RIF’ed from Ford about 8 years ago. He was an engineer.
He teaches 7th grade. He told me the other day that over 60% of his students have no concept whatsoever of how to use a ruler to measure something.
I, too, am a 7th grade Math teacher. I “inherit” students EVERY YEAR who do NOT know the multiplication facts and cannot add/subtract/multiply/divide whole numbers and decimals and do NOT know anything about fractions!! AND, they cannot THINK!! There is NO “number sense”! Yet, I am required by the “course of study” to teach curricula FAR BEYOND their capability... To say the least, I find this situation discouraging. However, I DO THE BEST I CAN. Would these students would accept personal responsibility AND DO THE WORK ASSIGNED THEM... But, oh no, parents assert “IT IS MY FAULT”. I am called a “liar” because “little Johnny” told his parents he did turn in his late work (the second and even third copy) to me (HE DID NOT), and although I offered other opportunities out of regular class time for extra help, HE NEVER SHOWED UP...
These children are a product of our “entitlement” society -YOU OWE ME...
What a messed-up U.S. of A. we have allowed to be created...
RE: “He teaches 7th grade. He told me the other day that over 60% of his students have no concept whatsoever of how to use a ruler to measure something.”
Thanks for this wonderful comment. Says everything.
You simply cannot have this low level of education unless the people in charge are deliberately, carefully, methodically aiming for dumb and dumber.