LukenDC
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2004
- Messages
- 4,938
I have been reading the threads about schools and student recognition, field trips, movie breaks, and testing. I also regularly read the newspapers. I am really saddened and concerned by what I am reading.
I am 33 (finished high school in 1991) and was always a good student. When I was in grade school, we worked hard but also had fun. We had class parties with pizza, candy, ice cream, and baked treats; watched the occasional "fluff" movie; and went on occasional field trips to skating rinks and amusement parks. School was interesting and fun.
Now I hear about incessant preparations for multiple choice exams (which won't prepare anyone for adulthood); long hours of homework at the elementary school level that cut into family time; backpacks so heavy that they damage the spinal column; shaming students about food and their weight; and elimination of non-academic field trips. In the meantime, school violence appears to be at an all time high. I'm afraid that we are raising a generation of kids who will suffer from one complex after another that will haunt them well into adulthood.
Schools---and government---need to lighten up and let students LEARN about the joys of life as well as the hard work needed to earn those rewards. Having a piece of candy won't ruin a kid, nor will watching a "fluff" movie for an hour or two. The occasional day at an amusement park or skating rink will create fond memories of childhood that will be cherished for years afterward. The schools also have no business focusing on a child's weight. That is the responsibility of the parents and medical community.
As for those ubiquitous multiple choice exams, how about we trade them in for more practice on reading and writing? I'm a human resources director and I'm appalled at the cover letters and writing samples that I receive. We are raising generations of citizens who lack the power to effectively put their thoughts into words. Life requires critical thinking, not filling in a circle next to a force fed response.
OK, rant over.
I am 33 (finished high school in 1991) and was always a good student. When I was in grade school, we worked hard but also had fun. We had class parties with pizza, candy, ice cream, and baked treats; watched the occasional "fluff" movie; and went on occasional field trips to skating rinks and amusement parks. School was interesting and fun.
Now I hear about incessant preparations for multiple choice exams (which won't prepare anyone for adulthood); long hours of homework at the elementary school level that cut into family time; backpacks so heavy that they damage the spinal column; shaming students about food and their weight; and elimination of non-academic field trips. In the meantime, school violence appears to be at an all time high. I'm afraid that we are raising a generation of kids who will suffer from one complex after another that will haunt them well into adulthood.
Schools---and government---need to lighten up and let students LEARN about the joys of life as well as the hard work needed to earn those rewards. Having a piece of candy won't ruin a kid, nor will watching a "fluff" movie for an hour or two. The occasional day at an amusement park or skating rink will create fond memories of childhood that will be cherished for years afterward. The schools also have no business focusing on a child's weight. That is the responsibility of the parents and medical community.
As for those ubiquitous multiple choice exams, how about we trade them in for more practice on reading and writing? I'm a human resources director and I'm appalled at the cover letters and writing samples that I receive. We are raising generations of citizens who lack the power to effectively put their thoughts into words. Life requires critical thinking, not filling in a circle next to a force fed response.
OK, rant over.
OK, I am rambling now, but I so agree with the OP - something is very wrong in education! 
