Posted on 01/09/2005 2:15:15 PM PST by CHARLITE
ROFLMPJO
I know EXACTLY the choice I made.......you've got no clue.
Thank you.
I am happy with the PS we chose and moved to another state so our daughter could attend. But if I find it to not be living up to the standards it currently is, I will be the first one to admit it and look toward an alternative if I can't make a difference in changing it back.
I'm no "zealot" for homeschooling. I view that as the ideal but for us a private Christian school was the best answer.
The professors who teach my ed program have said that, nationally, we tend to go back and forth between "progressive" theory and "back to basics" theory. We seem to be moving away from the progressive nonsense for now. Here are some of the things I have been taught.
I have been taught to teach children phonics. I have also been taught that JUST phonics won't work for all children. We are encouraged to teach word families (-at: cat, hat, sat, brat, etc), and sight words as well. It is highly recommended that children be regularly exposed to good books with interesting characters and plot lines. Children are being explicitly taught to identify setting, character traits, and major themes, and even elementary schoolers are encouraged to compare and contrast characters, books and events.
Spelling lists are out. What is recommended is that the teacher look at examples of each student's writing and choose 3-5 words that the group is having trouble with or make individual lists.
Writing has become HUGE! Worksheets are out, and students are supposed to learn language mechanics by actually writing. The students write and from that the teacher sees that several students need a reminder on use of capital letters, so she designs and teaches a small group lesson on capital letters. If a particular student has a problem no one else seems to be having (either because the student is ahead or behind) then the teacher meets with the student in a writing conference to work on the problem.
I LIKE this program. I think it is nicely balanced between drill and kill/worksheets and flighty literature based/authentic experiences rot. I fear that there is not enough time in ANY day to do all of the individualizing that I am supposed to do.
I'm so thrilled you find me amusing.
Facts matter much to me. News headlines generally don't because of the leftist slant of them. Books always matter to me. Why you would think I consider "None Dare Call it Education" a paranoid conspiracy theory is absolutely beyond me, considering that since I haven't read the book, I really can't comment upon it.
I don't wish to "chat" with you, at one point I thought maybe you might be able to give me some information, but I learned differently very quickly.
You tell me you want nothing to do with me and then accuse me of being nasty. Even my public school enrolled 6 year old can do better than that.
And the only public schools I defend are the ones that I am involved with...a factoid you would have known if you read anything I have posted. You can't get past the fact my child is in public school and her father and I are happy about it.
I haven't pinged a soul to this thread, and have no intentions of doing so. So much for your projections about others.
I'm so thrilled to learn your life is so important that your free time must be so segmented.
Bookmark for later printing.
Hearing this from a person who is majoring (?) in education is promising news.
I hope that fundamental learning will get back to basics. Writing and math are the essentials; worksheets never quite allow children to fully express their talents and opinions.
Let's have high hopes that our future teachers will come around and want change themselves.
Yes, I graduate next Dec. with an education degree. I don't know how widespread these practices are. My local public school (that my children attend)has just begun using the "Four Block" program in a few grades to test it out (which is what I learned for reading/writing instruction).
I can tell you that my own first grader is NOT being taught systematic phonics, as the program recommends. I began teaching that at home after seeing that he was making little progress with what the teacher was doing. So, obviously, teachers WILL pick and choose what they like.
I have run into several teachers who think phonics is necessary and have taught it all along. Others think it is a waste of time and won't teach it even if they are supposed to.
I have seen the word families/sight words. It was done in kindergarten and is done in 1st grade, but not in 2nd grade. I know this because I get both the 1st and 2nd grade word list every Monday. Jax was not pleased with me when I informed her that even though she was in 2nd grade reading she still had to do the 1st grade homework regarding the spelling words.
She informed me she didn't have to because she had already done it. YIKES...... my 6 yo was correct and I was wrong. Because she is in 2nd grade reading, she is not expected to or required to do the 1st grade spelling/reading homework........she did it all last year.
Lots of folks have problems with public schools, I'm thankful I was able to find one that is really good.
I hope that when you finish your schooling you find a school that appreciates your care and devotion to your vocation.
If you teach the way you are being taught, I would wager you will be an outstanding teacher. Simply hearing that writing is now necessary (vs. fill in the blanks), seems very encouraging.
Are you aware if any of these changes are brought on due to NCLB, or is it a general sway in ideas?
Are sight words the same as coding?
I have no clue.
I understood the idea of sight words as those that are easily identifiable.....a, an, the, to, at, it.........etc.
But what do I know? I'm the product of 12 years of Catholic school and send my daughter to public school.
Sight words are very common words, some of which are not phonetic. Here is a first grade Sight Word List: and, can, funny, he, jump, little, my, play, run, see, this, up, are, come, go, is, like, look, of, red, said, the, to, you.
A child who is learning to read strictly phonetically has to learn quite a number of sounds before he/she can get the "reward" of actually reading sentences. A combination of sight words and phonics gets children into reading mostly phonetic "books" more quickly.
A phonetic story would be like the following: The rat. The rat sat. The rat sat on the hat. Oh drat!
Most children learn consonant sounds while learning their letters. Throw in a lesson on short a, and a couple of words and then they can get right to reading.
Thanks Gabz! The thing I am struggling with is this: kids like mine, don't need teachers like me. My kids will be well educated no matter what school they attend or teachers they have because my husband and I will ensure it.
The kids who need committed teachers are in poorly run schools with Principals who are unwilling or don't know how to make a change. I don't know if I can deal with a boss like that!
I'm not sure. Well before NCLB there was a lot of complaints about education and test scores. That certainly could have influenced things.
I know my kids' school was making changes before NCLB. Their math scores were poor so the Principal demanded nightly math fact reviews as homework, with math trophies for kids who memorized the facts required for their grade. Last year they had so many trophies to give out that they had to have two assemblies because all the kids and families wouldn't fit in the gym.
I noticed your home state, are you in the southern or northern area?
Are you going to Ohio State or a smaller college?
I'm your neighbor, just a state south.
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