Posted on 07/18/2012 5:19:03 AM PDT by Former Fetus
Students are suing the state of Michigan and their Detroit-area school district for violating their "right to read."
The class-action lawsuit appears to be the first of its kind, and potentially signals a new wave of civil rights litigation in the United States to enforce laws intended to boost academic achievement, education law experts say.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan filed what it has dubbed the "right to read" lawsuit on behalf of the nearly 1,000 students in the impoverished district.
(Excerpt) Read more at jewishworldreview.com ...
You have to have at least some knowledge of the subject matter in order to teach it. A few years ago, our local paper published a letter to the editor written by the president of the local teacher’s union. The editor noted above the publication, “printed as received”. (The only time in 15 years I have EVER seen him do that!) Poorly written would not begin to describe it. The letter was filled with spelling and grammar errors but was proudly signed with her name and titles. I expected outrage, but there was none, just a few questioning letters to the editor in response. She is still teaching and I assume no more knowledgeable of the subject matter now than she was then.
When my husband and I were on our honeymoon on a cruise years ago, I wondered why there were so many huge black women on a Royal Carribean cruise. One day while wandering the ship I saw a sign in front of a large meeting room that said something about a Detroit Teachers conference or association or something.
I have about two years of college - not enough for an actual degree of any sort. I am a safety professional in the construction industry.
I had a college-educated (Oklahoma State) safety coordinator that worked for me a few years back. She had a Bachelors in Occupational Safety. She could not spell, nor write coherent sentences nor punctuate! She even admitted it as much and simply did not see an issue with the fact that she had a college degree, but no writing skills. I explained that in our line of work, where hand written notes concerning accidents and incidents could be a make or break scenario, she simply didn’t understand.
I TRULY could not understand how someone graduated from a major university without basic writing skills!
I agree that there are many poorly educated “educators” out there and that too is a part of the problem. But, in a lawsuit such as this, they are trying to put ALL the blame on the teachers and I simply do not think that will hold water.
It is a bogus argument, working along the lines of the Obama-Bush’s-Fault narrative.
You didn’t let anybody down. You did your part and helped a good many of those kids to believe in themselves. You were there when you were meant to be there. I’m sure any school is glad to have you. Thanks for being a teacher who had to be tough enough to show the care you have for your students.
No more spelling tests at UNC journalism school.
http://www.dailytarheel.com/index.php/article/2012/04/technology_renders_spelling_test_obsolete
“What we’re trying to do is just make the exam more relevant for today’s journalism and mass communication students.”
A spelling checker won’t help you with bear/bare, not/knot, but/butt and all those homophones. Spelling and grammar skills go hand in hand.
Affirmative action ‘teachers’.
Unions that stop incompetent teachers from being fired.
Teachers that should not be tested.
“Self-esteem’ values taught - the liberal “feel good about yourself for no discernible reason"...
Earth day, global warming, black pseudo history taught rather than reading and writing.
And now the ultimate "It's not our fault we take ZERO responsibility' sue the schools...
To get good at reading — or anything else — takes practice. One reason why kids cannot read nowadays is that they pend more time watching TV or playing video game than they spend reading.
I believe I am still right. However you were right BEFORE I was. The key to the failure lies with the parents.
It is the basic job of parents to TEACH their children. Be it manners, behavior, religious tenets, compassion, or numbers and colors, the parents MUST be the first teachers.
It is tragic that in the poorest ASIAN communities, the children excel in the same schools that fail “others”, but the close knit family discipline of Asian families is world known.
Ask about parent/teacher conferences. When my oldest was in the 5th grade I went to “teachers conference” 30 minutes early, so I’d get in and out at the head of the line. The teacher walked in to ONLY 3 parents. She sadly shook her head and sighed, “Always, the parents who don’t have to come are the ONLY ones waiting for me. You three, your children are the reasons I still love my profession.”
The three of us left together, and there was only one parent waiting. There is the key.
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