I work at an overwhelmingly Hispanic high school in California. Students arrive in 9th grade and still do not put periods at the end of their sentences. For many, the most basic punctuation and spelling is beyond them. Teachers have “simplified” their curriculum to accommodate huge numbers of failing students. Now teachers have begun teaching the exit exam rather than their subject, since there is so much pressure on them to have their kids pass- and so much federal money involved. Our school dedicated three weeks to simply testing this semester.
I suggested to a couple of students that they had a final that afternoon and they might want to study through lunch to prepare for it. They looked at me like I was crazy. I explained that students at other schools often study through lunch and they couldn’t believe it. They’ve never seen it.
Many of our students don’t even show up for the two days of semester finals. It’s half day and their parents let them stay home. Teachers have started giving finals a week early to ensure the students will be there to take them.
Most of the families do not provide pressure at home to do well in school AND follow through with applying the pressure. Many of our students did not pass the exit exam, but we gave them a nice “certificate” and allowed them to walk in the graduation ceremony in a nice cap and gown. Their families were very happy with that. Exams don’t motivate students; parents do.
Those of you in other states do not understand what the California educational system is dealing with: a tsunami of illiterate, unmotivated students. They don’t know what a seal is; they don’t know how many times 2 goes into 6; they don’t put a capital at the beginning of a sentence; they’ve never been to a zoo, a beach, or a public library; they can’t spell; they all reinforce the poor grammar spoken all around them; they don’t even bring a pencil to school half the time; they rarely take books home; and there is no stability or routine at home. This is our typical high school student- and there about 30 of them in each and every class.
What would you do? This is high school. We are reduced to drilling them on their multiplication tables! These are our future Americans. They were born here, but they have not adopted the American work ethic or standards of personal excellence. At 14, they are truly ignorant of literature, science, math and history.
That is quite a picture you paint — and dark, at that.
What do you think the solution is?
There is nothing you can do to help them. That’s the way they are. Let them leave school at the age of 13 or younger even. They can work in the fields, short order cook, collect trash, clean houses, whatever. There will always be some menial job they can do. It’s not worth spending money on people who do not care. They are not going to succeed, let them go.
I don’t want to hear they will go on welfare and commit crimes. They do that already. Don’t add insult to injury by expecting the taxpayers to pay for their education. You will probably wind up paying taxes to house them in prisons. Fine, either school or prison but not both.