Education Thread

[The Chosen One]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/12/31/i-would-love-to-teach-but/?tid=sm_fb

I think whether you're a liberal or conservative on here, we can all agree with what this person wrote.

I've personally seen this downward spiral first hand as it was one of the reasons I got burned out in high school and dropped out. Teachers not failing students, especially the "advanced" ones because the school receives extra money per head that is "gifted", students not taking personal responsibility, and parents of students who complain when their grades aren't good.

[zitothebrave]

Years ago I discussed this. And I think switching the system is the only way of saving it. There are successful school systems out there. ANd I think the way to get successful is to come up with a system to get rid of bad teachers, BUT to give the power to the teachers. Teachers shouldn't have to bow down to a stable of administrators and so on so forth. If a parent isn't happy with a grade then fine. Log a complaint and if a pattern of discrimination or something happens (personally have experienced it from a teacher, my mom noticed it but I just plowed through the year, no complaints) then deal with it. But ultimately giving the teachers the responsibility and making the students responsible. I'm also of the opinion of ditching truancy. Some people don't want to learn or won't learn, or learn in totally different fashions. I think there should be a different way of handling it than just demanding people go to school. Some people need to fail before they learn something, and they will pass that knowledge onto someone else.

I had no interest in formal education. I'm more of a do it and try. I want to learn something I learn it to the absolute best of my abilities. But that's how I function. Others may not and need more discipline. i probably could have benefitted from instead of more gen ed for HS (which really is what K-12 is) Is going to a trade school instead of high school and learning skills instead of gen ed. Which is mainly what I learned Junior and Senior year, sure there was some focus (German, calc, trig, physics, chemistry) but really most of them are useless in the real world and that's where I was destined to cut my chops. If instead I went to vocational school where I learned something like electrical work, or mechanic crap, or whatever, maybe I am in a different place.

[The Chosen One]

I remember my last few years of high school, when I saw the destruction and corruption, I used my last few years to just sleep in class to pass the time. I was respected by all of my teachers because of my intelligence and honesty, and when it came time for final grades, they went out of their way to offer me chances to at least pass and makeup stuff that they didn't offer to other students.

I suppose some of it was partial guilt on the fact they couldn't fail people they knowingly didn't deserve to pass, and some of it was just they respected that I never disrespected them and had productive conversations with them after class quite a bit.

[thethe]

My biggest beef with system during my brief career as an educator was that everything is catered to the middle. Integrated classrooms are probably the single worst idea I have ever heard in my life. My secondary education was great. I was in a class of all kids who cared about school and learning. That is the type of environment you want for those that show advanced abilities not this garbage where ESL/Sped/Middle are grouped in with advanced students.

There are a million other things wrong of coruse but this is always the one that irked me the most.

[The Chosen One]

While I wish every class discriminated dumb kids from smart kids, that is kind of the catch 22 with public schools. Can't really discriminate like that. Private school sure you can get away with that, then again the parents are paying extra for a kid to go to private school.

Also, I think the kids who don't care about school and learning are a reflection of their parents/upbringing at that age. My dad was old school asian when it came to education. Either get excellent grades and high honor roll, or get a belt whipping. Instilled fear sure, but it kept me and my siblings in line when it came to school. He established the fact that as youth we had no jobs or had to work, and that our only job was to do well in school and he'd do whatever he could to put food on the table.

[thethe]

I went to a public school and there were many different levels of classes. The changes have been made in the last ten years to integrate the classroom.

And yes, the biggest problem with education is the parents but no politician will ever say that and then follow up with it.