Posted on 04/22/2010 3:57:47 PM PDT by machogirl
Educators at Chandler’s Humphrey Elementary School hope to teach knowledge down to a core next year.
The kindergarten- through sixth-grade campus is adopting a nationally known content program for its students that is becoming more popular in Arizona.
(Excerpt) Read more at eastvalleytribune.com ...
“It shows when and what to teach, but now how,” she said, allowing her to create her own lesson plans. “I still have the ability to be who I am. This is not a scripted program. I can still be original.”
I don't know this program and so cannot comment on it other than to point out that this teacher's glowing review rings alarms.
America's schools depend on textbooks and pre-packaged curriculums because so many of our teachers are so poorly-educated that they couldn't teach without them.
This program may be very good (or absolutely rotten), but I'm skeptical of any programmed solution, though. If local school boards knew how to properly vet prospective teachers (not likely these days), these things wouldn't be necessary.
That’s what is worrying me. I have my teaching license but currently don’t teach. I looked it up on wiki, and apparently the creator is a Liberal but wiki says a lot of libs criticize it as being conservative.
“I know this is a localized article, but has anyone had any experience with this program? This is the school district my children are in. “
We homeschool with the K-12 curriculum. It’s one of the core knowledge curricula. As is, it’s pretty good. A bunch of left wing teachers can pollute anything. So application is important. I think the humanities parts of the curriculum are especially good. They all track together. By the end of fourth grade, my boy had an overview of world history that is better than anything I got thru high-school. And I went to high school before the big decline in American education in the 70’s.
But as I said, application is very important. FDR is treated as a hero in almost every history curriculum. There’s some of that in K-12. I had to correct errors like that. The progressive movement is not presented as the evil it is. I had to correct that. Hitler is of course a really bad guy. But Mao and Stalin get fairly neutral treatment. I have had to put the three of them into the “humanists who slaughter lots of people in the name of socialism” box together.
thank you :)
“I know this is a localized article, but has anyone had any experience with this program? This is the school district my children are in.”
Not me, but, in general, anything that removes the freedom to experiment and be creative can only help the kids. What needs to be taught and how to teach it effectively has been known for generations...but it ignored in today’s child-centered world.
I would suggest taking a close look at the math standards. Do they require learning multiplication tables and then long division by 4th grade? And do they keep calculators COMPLETELY out of math class until, at least, high school? If so, that shows the right people are setting the standards and you’re probably good overall. If not - it still may be better than other options (that’s how bad things are now).
i need to look at it anyway. my kids are out of grade school, they went to this school. the district used to be more “liberal” in the teaching, still is, but they had to start competing with the charter school which were offering Back to Basics schools. Out of necessity Chandler had to open up one and I believe that they have 4 or 5 of the schools as Basic schools, with uniforms.
I could tell you some stories though. I taught in the district for a while.
First, school districts will adopt a new cure all curriculum and promote it as education's savior. Within five year they will introduce a new Cure-all Curriculum to replace the first cure-all curriculum. This is done for several reasons, whether it be someone’s brother-in-law is selling the new cure-all or the first cure-all wasn't the Heavenly sent savior it was promoted to be.
Secondly, teachers will be trained on the new curriculum and then not use it as intended, They will piecemeal it together with other “Tried and tested” methods and material they are comfortable with. Most advertised curricula are meant to be used as directed not as a supplement to other material.
Thirdly, Lack of parental support. If the curriculum is viewed as too “Challenging” for the students the parents complain. Students are like horses, you can lead them to water but you can not force them to drink. Without parental support (encouraging and providing a positive learning environment at HOME) it will never happen. Student achievement or lack of achievement is directly tied to parental support, in most cases.
You must be kidding: school boards ARE the problem in many cases.
“I could tell you some stories though. I taught in the district for a while.”
No thanks, I get my share of nightmares just thinking about everything else going on - I’ll pass.
Good points. We had a program here called “math magic”. One of the administrators high up the chain, loved it. Problem was it was all “hands on” and no rote memorization. It was a good supplemental for 1-2 days a week, but week long, it didn’t work out. Many of the kids were bored with it after the 1-2 days. A teacher I knew wasn’t using it. She decided to go back to the “old curriculum/book” and her students got the highest achievement scores on math. No one was supposed to tell, or the she-devil high up the chain, would have eaten the teacher for lunch. Fast Forward a few years after that, they dropped the math magic. A bunch of teachers must have grouped together for safety, and gave her their opinions, bolstered by the test scores.
I don’t know about it but scripted programs for education generally do not live up to their promises.
The educational system is in large part broken because it neither fosters or supports or in any way seeks to cultivate the truly talented teachers that are needed.
Our government is broken not because of the lack of laws or written guidance, but because so few in it are leaders who are genuine about 'serving' the people and observing the rule of law.
For years we have had excellent facilities and curriculum, but we've also allowed huge amounts of political, social and legislative powers (many by the NEA) to enter into the process. What can be taught and exactly how it is to be taught, what you can say about the subject,how you should seek to extract or create 'feelings' about this or that subject. How such reactions can be 'graded' or not graded.
Just like our Constitution, the sharing of truth and knowledge is only valid if the people fully comprehend it and are willing to preserve, protect and defend it. If they do not have the moral capacity to grasp the unalienable rights which are endowed to them by their creator, and their civil duties as citizens of this country to defend them, then they are destined to loose them.
Our public schools are government institutions that are much more dedicated towards indoctrination than they are education.
I agree.
I know with the “math magic” i was teaching, it was a dud.
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