[quote=Annabelle;274066]
Quote:
Originally Posted by lazeelink
"Much has been said about the inadequacies of our public school system and your experience is a glaring reminder."
As a former educator (both classroom teacher and administrator) I concur with some, but not all the criticism aimed at our public schools. Any thoughtful dialogue regarding the American public school system's failure to educate all of it's students is invalid without acknowledging the critical role a parent plays in the success of their child's education.
|
So agreed
One of us was a middle school educator in the 'older days' (math in fact)
and the veteran teachers told her to go through the motions and take the paycheck twice a month.
She wanted to 'make a difference' but that was tough.
Big suburban county system
I still argue that most schools leave out the most important things (and parents are not doing much to take up the slack:
Time management
Interpersonal Relationships
Study habits
Personal Finance
and more....
Why would they leave out such topicality?
I argue that schools are 'teaching to the texts' - those QUANTIFIABLE parameters like history dates, math formulae and equations, chemistry and [physics tables....
Go for the higher scores, make the system look good, and thew schools get more funding for performance - more money means more field trips and a nicer lounge and amenities for the staff.
Frivolous 'educational' field trips - Ski trip? Amusement park, please!!
Don't get us started on soda and JUICE! machines in the schools from greedy pushy vending companies - and PTA's (known by many of out teachers as part time alcoholics in the 50's) on the take from them.
Dont get us started on the commercialization in our schools - why do we need BIG COKE to p[ay for the school sign out front with their message on it?
Obesity, asthma, diabetes, autism, ADD, and a plethora of things that were strange and scarce in 'our day' are abounding in this day and age of modern medicine. Counter intuitive and ironic?
Could it be, we beg to ask, simple greed and a lack of compassion for the kids?
And we're victims of dumbing down too.
While we'll always be able to add columns in our heads and figure out the fifty-cent change (thanks to the absence of the 'change' function of the cashbox in our day of the hand crank register) we're afraid that we're losing the ability to remember the hundreds of phone numbers we used to know thanks to speed dialing, and how the heck to find out way without the almighty GPS.
Yes, this started out as fun, but wow, how sad the truth becomes
Someone pass on a good joke please, we dug ourselves a little deep,
maybe we'll head on over a few lines to the laugh forum
Thanks
L and L