Here is another example of why something needs to be done with PARENTS before the kids are going to succeed in school:
When our twins were toddlers we took them to the ECFE classes I described earlier. Our parent educator was telling us a story about a woman in his "high risk" group (these are parents that were court ordered to take the classes). She was asking for help as to how to get her 2 month old to sleep. They gave her lots of advice. Well the instructor ran into her out shopping one day, she was giving the baby a bottle of MOUNTAIN DEW. He asked her, as diplomatically as possible, why. She answered that "he likes it"
. He suggested not giving the baby Mountain Dew any longer and left. Well, she shows up to class all proud of herself because she switched to Coke
. How on EARTH are teachers supposed to overcome this type of upbringing?
We don't all live in the same world. Here's a simliar story:
When I was expecting my first daughter, two girls in my senior class were also expecting babies (one was actually expecting her second). That was very uncomfortable for me, and I politely declined any pregnancy-baby talk with these two . . . but one day we were somewhere waiting, I don't remember why, and they told me that they'd tell me one of the best parenting secrets ever: They'd tell me how to get my baby to sleep through the night right away. I couldn't avoid it politely, so I listened . . . and the told me that the secret was a double dose of Benedryl -- it'd make the baby go straight to sleep! Of course back then I was still naive, so I was shocked, and I told them that was horrible, illegal, and they must never do that. They laughed and told me, "You'll do it -- everyone does it."
16 years later, I assure you that I've done some bad things. Once I dropped my infant daughter on concrete and then fell on top of her. I told the same child that her hand was just fine . . . the next day when it was swollen, we discovered it was broken. But I have never, ever, ever drugged my children.
Until people openly admit that failing schools aren't failing because of the teachers, they are failing because of the families of the students, it's never going to change . . . There are bad teachers out there. But you aren't going to find a whole school of bad teachers.
Yep, teachers can only work with what they have. Yes, certainly some teachers are doing a bad job -- but that isn't the majority.
Is everyone in this thread really upset because it is an expectation that schools will teach children to read? Really?
No, the problem is that some children come to school hungry, ill-clothed, without rest, having not been taught basics like colors and shapes at home, and having spent more time watching TV than having read books. These kids' parents think nothing of allowing their children to skip school on a whim, they don't read with them in the evenings to reinforce what they've learned in school, and they don't praise the kids for what they're learning or hold them accountable when their behavior in school is bad . . . but if these kids don't learn to read, it's the school's fault. THAT is the problem.
Obviously, I'm not talking about the majority of our families. But it doesn't take many of these "don't cares" to bring down the average.
I don't think kids NEED preschool either, however, I think it is helpful.
I don't think pre-school is necessary either. Neither of my daughters attended pre-school, and the one who's in high school is in the top 10% of her class. It IS necessary to talk and sing to children from a young age, to read to them, to give them art supplies, and to expose them to nature. Whether those things come from a formal pre-school program is completely optional.
The bottom line for me is that I am not responsible for propping up other people's kids and teachers aren't really either.
I agree with you, but the powers that be don't in all situations. I think that my job is to provide a top-notch lesson for my classes every day, and provide extra help for students as needed. Some people think my job is to raise the kids for them.
I think there is an assumption...around this country...that every child coming from poverty or not going to preschool...or poorly educated lives in a home of lazy people.
Most teachers don't automatically assume these things. Yes, often enough I've seen poor kids who live up to the stereotype, but I've also seen middle or upper class "lazy parents" who don't pay enough attention to their children because they're too busy with their jobs, their homes -- I even remember one particular mother who was so busy working for her church that she barely remembered that she had a child.
I personally was a child of poverty, I went to Head Start but not preschool or kindergarten. Today I have two college degrees.
It is also important to remember in these conversations that many of the kids who are "dragging down" test scores are doing the best they can with their inherent abilities.
In my experience, this is not true -- I'm talking about kids within the average range, not Special Ed kids. Special ed kids aren't bringing down any averages; they are counted in their own category; in fact, the No Child Left Behind counts many subgroups -- racial groups, age groups, gender groups, etc. And many of the Special Ed students aren't tested at all.
In thinking back over the high school students I've taught, I can only think of 4-5 who were NOT ABLE to complete my coursework at a minimal level. I had one 9th grader who'd been in a self-contained special ed class for 8 years, but his parents insisted that he be mainstreamed in 9th grade -- in spite of the fact that he couldn't read. And I've had a few who should've been in the Occupational Education Class. And I had one student recently who really didn't speak English well enough to follow what we were doing (that's a bigger problem with the younger students, but I teach seniors). But I've only encounted a handful of these students in 17 years -- the vast majority of my students are capable of passing my class. I'm not saying they can all make an A, and I'm not saying it wouldn't take effort -- but it's a rare, rare student who can't pass basic English.
Those who fail my class, those who bring my average down are the ones who don't bother to do their work. Every 9-weeks I make a chart for my students: This many people earned an A in this class, this many earned a B . . . and then I break it down farther: This many missed more than 3 classes and earned an A anyway, etc. One of the huge red flags in my mind is that NO ONE EVER completes every assignment in my class AND FAILS ANYWAY. NEVER, EVER. The students who fail my class are the ones who don't bother to do their work. I'm talking about simply turning things in: Little things like vocabulary assignments and notebook checks as well as big things like papers. The vast majority of students who fail are absolutley not doing the best they can.
I think the answer to that is a combination of a lot of things.
First of all, it wasn't all that long ago that many/most disabled kids were excluded from traditional public schooling.
Second, while poverty has always been a problem the culture associated with poverty has become more and more detrimental over the years with the introduction and establishment of the drug culture, an unsuccessful war on drugs that has done nothing to improve the situation, one of the highest incarceration rates in the world, etc.
Third, a number of disabilities are on the rise, most notably autism which has increased something like 1400% since the late 70s.
Fourth, we've devolved into a "pop culture" society with the proliferation of electronic media. There's always been an anti-intellectual streak in American culture, but never has it been so pronounced or so much an accepted part of our social identity.
Fifth, the mass migration of women into the workforce has led to a marked decline in family time and parental involvement. Add to that the fact that the middle and working classes are working more hours just to keep up with rising costs, and you have less time for family from all angles.
And finally, the increasing fragmentation of extended family networks under social and economic pressures has made it harder to develop a solid "village" to help where the parents cannot/will not. The nuclear family is important of course, but it is also rather fragile, and extended family often isn't around the way they were a generation or two ago to help out.
I totally agree that our current problems aren't simple enough to boil down to one thing, and all of the above -- and more -- have brought us to the point where we are today.
It would be really wonderful if every parent sat down and read with their child. But, you do realize that there are people raising children that cannot read? Or have a learning disablity themselves? It would be all great and peachy keen if we could MAKE parents take responsibltiy for their kid's education. We can't. So, then what? To say that the parent must take responsibility is not being realistic and not coming up with an answer.
What you're saying is true, but very, very few children are being raised by two parents who cannot read -- and social services has helps for those families. The more realistic scenerio is that parents are able but unwilling to provide enrichment for their children's minds/educations, or they are unaware that they should be doing so.
In the border states as well as the east coast, tons of parents cannot read English.
Doesn't matter if they can't read ENGLISH. What matters is that kids are exposed to language, books, and concepts from a young age. Oh, English will make their transition to school easier, but what these children really need is an adult to open up their brains, expose them to ideas, get them thinking, get them communicating, and give them the idea that books and learning are useful and fun. The specific language is not important.
He LOVES it. He's made great friends. I was really on the fence about sending him because he is one of the youngest in his class. He'll turn 5 at the end of June. I have no problem with our elementary school (I went to the same school) but our high school needs a MAJOR overhaull. Some of the teachers there have been there since my mom was in school. No I'm not kidding some of them are probably in their 70's. Most of them are NOT good teachers anymore.
