Posted on 06/15/2011 6:55:12 AM PDT by edcoil
Only 35% of fourth-graders knew the purpose of the Declaration of Independence. The news was even more dire in high school, where 12% of 12th-graders were proficient.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
So it's the voters in your district who are to blame. The "big shots" are the school board, an elected position. You have the power of the ballot box to remove them, I suggest you do so.
Exactly so. Let me tune your statement up a little bit. Rich lib bureaucrats that don’t follow the rules they have laid on the peasants.
I am well-aquainted with many teachers in my school district. It's a big-city district.
The political outlook of the teachers mirrors that of the community. Perhaps 40% conservative, 60% liberal.
That being said, here's three teacher interview questions that can test for liberalism:
How would you handle a chronic discipline problem in your classroom?
What do you think is more important, that students learn facts or that they learn to value opinions?
Is a teacher more like the captain of a ship or more like a guide on a nature walk?
How do you think Drill Sgt F. Lee Emery would answer those questions?
How do you think Nancy Peloci would answer those questions?
Campaign donations are also public record, at least around here. Donate to a Republican and you’re on the bad list for forever.
From a TEACHER: 40 is correctly spelled f-o-r-t-y with no “u” as in f-o-u-r.
Last year my daughter was in first grade, she memorized the preamble to the Declaration of Independence. We homeschool : )
Gee. The answer's sort of contained in the question, isn't it. Methinks students' analytical skills are as weak as their knowledge of history.
On the bright side, though, they all know how to recycle and put on a condom!
I tend to agree with you. Some of them are trying and the rest are products of the same system they're in charge of now.
Yes! But I don't see change any time soon. The schools really are a slow-motion train wreck. Unless voters look closely, they really don't notice anything wrong.
The voters who do understand and are not apathetic are a small minority. Some of those are simply moving out of the city. Not a bad idea in my opinion.
As the husband of a school administrator, I can tell you that the are heavily constrained by their district administration. It is very difficult to be in that part of education and not "fit the mold" (be liberal). The district generally seeks out a conformist to fill that role.
This is because the district administration is constrained by the state and federal agencies who place conditions on the funds from those sources. But most schools cannot refuse the funds, since the local community cannot foot the entire bill for the local district after having to pay into the federal and state bureaucracies.
The root of the problem is the local money is run through the state and federal bureaucracies and comes back to the local district with strings attached.
I live in California, and I don’t doubt your story one bit.
I’m sure they all know what ‘earth day’ is for - and what ‘global warming’ is all about... and a fair portion see our children as residents of their personal whore house...(free for the taking)...
Originally, I posted these comments on February 16, 2011... I am a 7th grade Math teacher with 20 years of fulltime teaching experience in public schools, and I vehemently concur with your comment, “the education system is broken and has been broken for a long time.” The federal department of education, the notion of “entitlement,” rampant illegal drug use, “blended” families, lack of self-respect, lack of common courtesy, lack of discipline in the home and from school administrators, etc. have all contributed to this decline.
Oh, did I forget to mention No Child Left Behind and “teaching to the test” rather than teaching MATH?
Math skills build! Students must have prerequisite skills and understanding before moving on!
STUDENTS SHOULD BE RETAINED UNTIL THEY HAVE ACQUIRED THESE NECESSARY SKILLS - NO “FUDGING” ALLOWED.
The educational system needs to STOP all of this rampant and reduntant testing that erodes classroom instructional time!!!
We have lost at least TWO weeks of class time SO FAR this year in order for “data to be collected so that I am aware of my students’ weaknesses”. BS!
I look at my students’ test scores every year when school begins and have a base knowledge of their math strengths/weaknesses - or rather test-taking abilities. Not to mention that our school system wants ALL of the objectives - and leave out the “fluff” - to be “covered” by mid-January, even though official testing season occurs for two weeks in mid-March. (The “fluff” consists of extension activities that incorporate history, art, hands-on experiences, real-life applications, the use of technology - like graphing calculators, computer programs such as Geometer’s Sketchpad and PowerPoint, and internet-based research, etc.)
I have not even addressed behavioral issues in the classroom: argumentative, sassy, back-talking students; students with extreme emotional issues who constantly want and do pick a fight with someone; students who talk/sing to themselves; students who REFUSE to get out a pencil and paper and just sit there; students who ATTACK other students, teachers, and bus drivers and are WARNED: “don’t do it again or you’ll go to youth detention”. Whatever happened to EXPULSION? Oh, that’s right. No Child Left Behind.
BTW: Not all teachers are bad. I am sick and tired of hearing that poor test scores are all a teacher’s fault!!!
I coach a Math Team and offer complimentary tutoring for an hour once a week after school. In the past, I have had as many as 15 students participate in tutoring. This year, at most, three students have taken advantage of this opportunity.
Excellent! I remember memorizing long poems, including Longfellow's "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" and "Oh Captain My Captain".
And I went to a public school. Back then our teacher lead us in a short prayer at the start of the day, right after the Pledge of Allegiance. Every teacher did that.
The times have changed, and obviously not for the better.
I worked for a corporation that is HQed up north. They had a deep commitment to “Diversity” because they thought we dumb hicks in the South were all racists. At one meeting, the CEO went off on a tirade about the “speech” of his Southern managers and how it was embarrassing to him when they spoke to the folks in the HQ office. He wanted them to take speech lessons to learn proper grammar. Five minutes later, he proudly called on the new Head of Computer Security, a shining example of the commitment to diversity. The CS guys responded “I can’t get nuffin done in my orifice cause I ain’t got no peoples. I axe peoples to hep me but they just ibnore me like I ain’t go no sense. Ya’ll need to git me somebody”. Jaws to the floor and crickets all around.
I asked him later why he did it and he said “I just wanted to watch him squirm. I got me a new job at the bank”
the dumbing down is no accident...
Teacher is here again... by GPS (Global Positioning System) did you actually mean GPA (Grade Point Average)?
In my experience the union has very little input into what is taught. So small it is essentially none.
The unions would only get involved if the latest educational fad happens to be at odds with the contract. For example, my district wanted to force some teachers to come in early (at 7 AM, I'm not kidding) to team-discuss problem students.
The contract did not mandate a 7 AM start, so the district and the union had to find ways to compensate teachers who were forced to come in early.
If we were to test students on these subjects they would do very well. Unfortunately, we test them on the nominal, not actual, curriculum.
What say you?
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