So, I've been thinking a lot about educational policy in the United States. And, more specifically, the educational policies in my own state, Missouri.
I recently read an article on slate.com about the apparent uselessness of homework at the elementary level. At first brush, I will be honest, I took issue with the notion. "How dare they presume to know more about what I'm doing than I do." I mean, we're given so much content that we have to cover, to convey, to teach, for goodness' sake, and there is only so much time in the day.
However, it didn't end there. It was like a virus in the back of my mind....constantly coming to the forefront of my thoughts....it was really frustrating. So, I kept thinking about it. And, here are my thoughts on this topic. Do with them what you will.
I think we need to completely revolutionize the state standards here in Mo. The state expectations state that we need to have students reading at a "proficient" level, they need to be performing at a certain level mathematically, and all students need to have a fairly sophisticated grasp of American history (fifth grade level) and numerous scientific concepts as well.
Before I go on, I must say....it hurts me to say what I'm about to say. I LOVE teaching social studies....it's my absolute favorite topic, and it's the highlight of my day. I LOVE it. So, as I said, it pains me to suggest...
We stop teaching social studies and science in the elementary level. Completely. Cut. It. Out. Instead of teachers scrambling to fullfill all kinds of, in all honesty, daunting curriculum, we focus entirely on emphasizing the many facets of reading; enjoyment of, comprehension, fluency, reading strategies, etc. We allow kids the time to actually do...oh, I don't know, some reading on their own....that we work in small groups, large groups, mixed groups, leveled groups, silent reading, partner reading, oral reading, individual reading. In that context, teachers would have the freedom to include many different genres of literature. We could introduce kids to fiction, nonfiction, poetry, reference, fun books, serious books, biographies, historical fiction, science fiction, magazines, environmental reading skills. In this context, not only would kids be reading, but when they got to middle school and high school they would be fully prepared for--and up to the challenge of--science and social studies reading. They would also, potentially, have a much broader base of background reading to use in their classes, and....in real life.
I was thinking back on all this, and I don't for the life of me remember studying at any length science of social studies before fifth grade. All we did was read up until that time. (I may be totally off, but that's my recollection anyway.)
How does all this relate to the original slate magazine article? If we didn't have social studies and science requirements, we would have much more time to focus on reading (and writing skills) and we wouldn't need to assign massive amounts of homework to our young children.
So. There you go. Those are my thoughts on the state of education today.....what are yours?
Thanks for stopping by...
Tommy
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18 comments:
i think the solution would be to cut out public schools. privatize education.
pay teachers based on their student's performance. introduce the profit motive to the education system.
we have too many teachers whining about their small salaries when they only work 8a - 3p for 9 mths out of the year! ;)
I re-read your blog. I think it's a good idea. I think though there needs to be some math going on too. It kills me as well to leave out science - my academic love (tied with literature) - but sometimes it seems there's all this push for "fun" when sometimes you just have to pound down basic skills. I really don't see anything wrong with having to memorize the times tables or addition/subtraction facts - not everything in life is fun.
I’ve been thinking about the above comment all day and hmmmm here it goes. Yes, we may TEACH 9 months out of the year, but we WORK 12 – why? Well, most of us can’t make ends meet just getting paid for our 9 months of work, so we have extra duties (coaching, clubs) or a 2nd job over the summer or even during the school year. We teach ALL children regardless of abilities or home backgrounds. We teach the kids with 50 something I.Q.s and those with I.Q.s off the chart. We teach the kids who are pregnant and 13, 15, or 17 years old. The kids who have a myriad of syndromes the general public have NEVER EVEN HEARD OF and most of us are spending our evenings, weekends and our own paycheck to do a damn good job of it too. So, if Mr. “You only work 9 months of the year” wants to come and take a stab at teaching content as well as managing the behavior of 32 kids at once he’s welcome to give it a try and then KISS MY LILY WHITE ASS when he fails at it like most people to come in and think that ANYONE CAN TEACH!
OMG....I can't even believe that I read that comment on your blog Tommy, maybe it is a joke or something. JNo....you are SO totally right. I can't believe that anyone would be so ignorant as to believe that BS up there. Enough about that.
Tommy, your topic was very interesting to me. I have to admit I would discussing just this idea the other day with a fellow teacher of ours. I agree with you! (and JNO about the math). We must be able to teach these kids the basics before we can expect them to apply that to the natural sciences and history content areas.
Hmm, I have never responded to your blog, though I VERY much enjoy it, and read it often. Hope you don't mind putting my two cents in.
Nichole C.
funny, i thought about Tommy's post -- how could he be so ignorant to put up this post? he teaches some little kids and he thinks he is qualified to write educational policy? that's like saying i work for microsoft, therefore i'm qualified to take bill gates's job.
and i love that i pissed off some teachers... let me go further...
consider salaries -- what determines how much one is paid? the market. doctor get paid a lot because they go through years of rigorous schooling and do a very difficult job. underwater welders get paid well because they assume very dangerous risks when they work. stock brokers are paid well because they provide a service that is very profitable to their clients...
but teachers don't get paid well... and why????
it's not tough to be a teacher, it's not risky, and you don't pass on a profitable service. additionally, there is no shortage of teachers driving the price up.
i know the people that become teachers - it's not the brightest students. you don't need intelligence to be a teacher, you need humility and passion. unfortunetly, these are not qualities that demand a high salary.
so, let me pin a gold star on you for having the patient teach the little rugrats, but look at the clues above... do you think that society really values teachers?
I have a bit more radical solution:
why have schools become responsible for feeding children breakfast and lunch? for the education of pregnant girls? for allowing free expression (lack of dress codes)and extra-curricular activities?
teachers should be responsible for teaching.
What has changed in the last 50 years that kids can't handle math, science, reading, and history anymore?
put the kids in uniforms, take away sports and extra curricular activities, don't allow videos to be shown in class (even if they are "educational"), and eliminate all environmental distractions that inhibit learning.
Furthermore,
i think the virtues of education get trampled when we try to educate everybody and hold up the idea of the university as not only the gateway to any kind of success and furthermore that success is guaranteed once university studies have been completed.
why should teachers (specifically high school) spend so much time, effort, and money trying to educate kids that don't want to be educated.
Vocational schools should be an option instead of traditional high school education.
Leave learning for the kids that really want it.
brad.
Wow, Brad. Should we round up all of the unwed mothers and put them into a pen, too? How about all of the people on welfare? Let's let children decide that they really want to learn and let the rest rot, because they are obviously old enough to make those decisions.
This country is going to hell in a handbasket already because of a President who thinks he can determine that torture is constitutional, and because of cuts to education. Tell me what is so particularly hard about being a doctor compared to being a teacher. I'd love to hear this. Just because certain facets of this society do not value education and teachers does not mean that teaching is easy nor that unintelligent people become teachers not that teachers should continue to be undervalued and underpaid.
But with rhetoric like yours, it's easy to understand how Bush got elected to the Presidency and why he hasn't been impeached yet.
Congratulations, Tommy. You have your very own personal troll named Brad.
Wow, Jenorama. Interesting how you descend so quickly into ad hominem attacks when someone has an opposing point of view. Is this a display of compassion and open-mindedness that i hear so much about from the left? Granted, it wasn't a tactful reply to tommy's post, but your name calling doesn't encourage debate - only ends it. I encourage the mystery anonymous to step forward and defend his/her views.
Leaving that aside - I was the writer of the fifth and sixth responses only. Feel free to respond to my suggestions.
Was your slippery-slope hyperbole about rounding up single mothers directed at my suggestion to remove pregnant teenagers from public schools?
If this is the case, could you defend the relationship between the two issues?
Furthermore, can you defend any of your ideas without blaming the President and throwing out any number of other red herrings to distract other readers from Tommy's original post?
I'll be waiting for an apology for the troll comment. I don't expect one, but it would definitely be welcome - if not for me, then at least out of respect for Tommy's attempt to start a reasonable dialogue.
-Brad
This is Brad again - and before I forget:
I'll address your question to the anonymous poster about just what it is Doctors do that's harder than what a teacher does:
And i'll make it simple:
1)Life and death decisions vs. B+ or an A-
2)Getting sued for millions of dollars v. parent teachers conferences
3)Getting called to the hospital at 3 AM v. detention duty.
And as to letting kids choose their futures: why not? what makes YOU qualified to decide a child's future.
Why is being in school until you're 18 years old the official arbiter of future success? what's wrong with learning a trade to make a living. Are 14 or 16 year olds incapable of knowing themselves and having goals for their future outside of earning a degree they'll never use?
What does wanting to teach reading and writing all day to 5th graders have to do with trade schools?
Rebecca
i thought it might be appropriate to consider Tommy's idea for education in a broader context. Not just elementary education.
Tommy invited his readers to "do with [his ideas]what [we] will".
I was merely expanding on it. And also, i thought my ideas might make teachers jobs (which is teaching) a little easier. But since you brought it up - forget I mentioned vocational education.
I still hold fast to school uniforms and removing television and computers from the class room and I, furthermore, add a proposition to split the sexes in the classroom until high school.
My feelings won't be hurt if you resort to name-calling.
-Brad
oh, and the boys that get girls pregant should be expelled from school - and sent to alternative education as well.
-brad
Is this Brad P. from wash? you are slaying, me, brad. I snorted my drink out my nose reading your responses.
-rachel s. from wash
The apologist in Jen is a little too far gone for my taste, but in spite of that, Brad, what makes you think teachers work from 9 - 3? My hours were 8:35 - 3:45. Then there was the additional 3 hours or so of extranneous work a night. No breaks except for a 20 minute lunch.
I don't know that your head was totally in reality when you made that comment. Also, teaching is hard. I'm not sure you can say that it isn't when it appears you haven't tried it. There are some pretty shitty doctors in this country, too, come to think of it...
Brad,
You keep on waiting for that apology.
Jen
Rach, yup its me. But I never said a word about teachers hours. I wrote my name behind everything I said.
As for Jenorama. When I make an apology, its because i know I am imperfect and am prone to make mistakes. By your condescension and refusal to engage in a constructive way in engaging your brain with ideas that oppose your own, I can only imagine that its because you think you're perfect. Congratulations to you for proving that the mightiest of minds don't have to account for the words that come from their mouths.
I'll be sure to expect as much when I encounter such perfection as yours in the future.
Just a troll for you,
Brad
Why is it that all of the people I have since come into contact with from WHS can argue politely, concisely and with facts to back up - and then I meet others, like Jen, who argue with contempt and make nothing but broad, sweeping generalizations and angry remarks?
Must be that good Iowa education.
Seriously, Jen, I am sad. Sad that you can't engage in a constructive, delightfully engaging conversation without spewing venom.
That's a liberal for you. (Damn, I couldn't resist.)
brad - come play with the liberals on my blog. seriously. it will be fun.
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