FIX EDUCATION IN AMERICA
Published March 12, 2004
With a barely literate population pondering the upcoming election, chances are "Education" will be a big issue, just like it was last time. These 'issues' are like 'celebrity' ideas, the intellectual version of a Janet Jackson; every four years, they suddenly appear out of nowhere, are ubiquitous for fifteen minutes, and then disappear into the forgotten fog of cultural obscurity. A year or two later, they end up in some political marketing consultant's memoirs as a journalistic version of MTV's "Where Are They Now?"
(We all remember the catchy "No Child Left Behind", which--when implemented, became "No Skilled Teacher Rewarded or Retained". "Hey, don't measure our ideas by what they accomplish; measure them by their ability to become a bumper sticker."
Kerry and Bush will trot out their 'ideas' for improving the quality of education, but since neither has school age children, they don't really give a shit; they're just throwing a rhetorical bone to potential voters. Besides, the precedent was set long ago: talk about it, but once elected, fuggit about it; the kids will never know the difference.
Everyone will have an opinion as to how to make it so "Johnny Can Read" something besides graffiti, but we're still unable to address the most important issue in improving education: The Importance of the Presence of a Concerned Intelligent Parent. Since we can't legislate in the private realm of the dysfunctional, semi-domesticated family with no brains, morals, or manners, we distract ourselves with smoke screens meant to appease a 'worried public'. A few from the new, upcoming season:
Post the Ten Commandments in Schools
In a recent poll, three out of four Americans thought this was a wonderful solution to the behavioral problems of the young. A simple sign in the hall can reduce violence, create values where none exist, and improve education? Wow! A poster listing these cosmic bumper stickers can outweigh poverty, ignorance, a lack of parental oversight, and a culture that places little value on integrity and intelligence? WOW and WOW!
Forget the Constitution; tack up those Commandments! But why stop with The Big Ten? Bringing religion into state sanctioned institutions starts the slide down the inevitable and ubiquitous slippery slope toward "Diversity Hell."
Hindus will want their equal time, something about 'respect' and 'cows'; that might not be so bad; with obesity becoming the No. 1 killer in America, maybe a Hindi commandment could reduce the number of fat young couch potatoes.
And why stop there? "Thou Shalt Steal" could use some teeth, a touch of 'tough love' from the Koran. We could appease Islam and amend the thing to read:
"Thou Shalt Not Steal, and If Thou Doest, We Shall Chop Off Thy Hand in a Football Stadium on Live TV".
- FIX EDUCATION IN AMERICA
- Published: March 12, 2004
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- Section: Culture
- Writer: Shark
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No. Donald Trump is going to save us.
The schools are supposed to do the teaching but the central problem is the value, or lack thereof, put on education by parents. Parents have to demonstrate that they value education, that being educated is the "job" of every child, that their education must be the focus of their young lives for the first 18, and preferably 22 years. Parents who value and insist upon the best possible education for their children is the only answer in the long run.
I have the solution: privatization.
Because god knows we all need more MARKETING in our lives.
Let's have that, privatization of all US public schools. Think of the profits! We can offshore the teaching responsibilities to the folks in India who will work for 30 cents on the dollar.
That's funny, but at least India values education
yea...this is a far more complex problem than something like 'no child left behind' (fully funded or not) can solve.
there are so many societal factors, not the least of which is lack of parental involvement.
my wife see's this all the time...a kid will have trouble getting through some reading material (or dealing with assignments in general) and she'll speak with the parent. what's the kid up to most nights? watching tv, playing video games, and instant messaging with friends.
And I see it from the other side, Mark, as an involved parent who can't get a teacher to listen to me about what's happening with my child.
There are *many* fantastic public school teachers out there, but look out if you kid gets one of the ones that suck.
oh yea, i'm not saying that some teachers arent' part of the problem.
..just that the whole mess is complicated.
Like doctors, nurses, police, and firefighters, NONE should ever suck. These are the folks in our society who should be making $100 k per year.
BTW: on the parental thing; some studies show that regardless of economics of family, neighborhood, or school, the kids w/involved parents do much better.
Which means maybe we should begin legislating BREEDING habits? That's the only way to solve it; simple rules like:
* if your family has ever been featured on "COPS", you get a mandatory sterilization.
What if you weren't *featured* but made a brief, cameo appearance?
From the outside looking in, my only observation is that your teachers try to simplify things too much. It's as if they do not trust that the students can handle something thats complicated or difficult. I was reading the text books for the NY bar and a handout on how to prepare for it. It was so simplified that it made it complicated if you can understand that:)
Then, as has just come to my knowledge, when you have authors making up words to help people along, then there is a problem. E.G..Paralegalism. It is a word that does not exist. Yet an American is stating it proudly. Outside America he or she:) would be laughed at.
Improve the quality of your teachers and teaching, thats the first step. Then atleast those who want to learn will learn well and those who do not want to learn , oh well. This is not an American problem. It's a world problem. Even in the United Kingdom. What differentiates most major countries from America is that the quality of education when received is far better in Europe than it is in America. I
exclude your Ivy league colleges and a handful of others, but clearly not everyone can attend those so there in lies the 2nd part of your problem. Affordable quality education.
Having said all this, I still don't think it is mainly an American crisis. I think you will find it's a problem shared across the Globe.
Then atleast those who want to learn will learn well and those who do not want to learn , oh well.
Young children are programmed to be sponges. They exist to learn, passively and actively. They learn through everything they do, especially play.
However, many a school or home environment or combination of the two has conspired to eradicate that instinct in some kids. And then you get the adult attitude that some kids don't want to learn.
They did. If they don't now, something is very, very wrong.
Or maybe the interpretation of what they "don't want" is wrong.
It's the modern times Bhw. Back in the days of my parents, knowledge was power. These days knowledge still is power but cash is king. Infact, even I have been known to lament years wasted in education. I would have loved to have become a professional tennis player. Or a violinist. Something creative, but those instincts were forced out of me and education, education, education was instilled.
Just think how many years I have to work to earn what Venus Williams earns from winning one Usopen? Or how many years any of us would have to work to earn what professional tennis players earn in a year, not including their sponsorship deals, etc.
I know some will say money is not everything. No it is not. BUT, I like it. I like it a lot. Had I been told to choose, higher education or tennis player. The latter will give you more cash. I would have certainly chosen tennis player.
If I can have these thoughts, then you can rest assured the young ones being influenced by society around them, do not care about becoming the next Einstein or Newton..they want to be the next Beckham or Venus. Nobody is to be blamed. I don't think there is anything to blame anybody for. That's why I said those who want to learn should and those who do not want to learn...oh well.
Somebody close to me once said, those with talent do what they are talented at and those without, go to University..LOL. Funny..
Shark, I feel like calling you Mutabaruka. You blow my mind. On the site, Mutabaruka is quoted as saying that the priest "has used your mind/to make love/with the/dead." So it is with institutions. Nothing is sacred, and that which is loudly and frequently claimed to be sacred is often farthest from the mark. True reverence is to realize that individuals matter--when an institution becomes something other than a representative servant of the people, it becomes a dung heap.
I prefer a world without guns--the proliferation of these equalizers has rendered my ninja skills worthless. But what if teachers had guns. I think that Walker, Texas Ranger was a substitute teacher on an episode. Oh man, he could just slowly rest his hand on his holstered side-arm, and the whole class would shut up:
- Ranger Walker: So, Jimmy, what do you think about Blake's use of dualism?
Jimmy: I don't know. This class is stupid. We don't learn anything.
Ranger Walker: Stand up, sucka. (Jimmy stands up.) Now dance. (Walker fires a few rounds at Jimmy's feet.) Dance, sucka, dance. (After much fun and dancing, Jimmy sits down.)
Jimmy: Thanks, Ranger Walker. Now I know, and knowing is half the battle.
Good point about parents. My district gets great scores in comparison with surrounding districts. Often at meetings, the principal will list our scores and rankings, and my colleagues will beam with pride. They seem to overlook that fact that it is not that they are doing anything special (although we have a good number of dedicated, talented teachers); it's that we have a ton of educated parents who put an emphasis on education.
Ten Commandments? How about The Descendents' All-O-Gistics?
- Thou shalt not commit laundry.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's food.
Thou shalt not create ties with the scathed.
Thou shalt always go for greatness.
Thou shalt not commit adulthood.
Thou shalt not partake of Decaf.
Thou shalt not suppress flatulence.
Thou shalt commit thyself to an institution.
Thou shalt not have no idea.
Thou shalt not commit hygiene.
Thou shalt not take the van's name in vain.
Thou shalt not allow anything to deter you in your quest for all.
On sucky teachers, I have seen some so bad that they should be fired. But that is true in every workplace. This is what we get when we have to work with fellow humans--some just suck. Some districts are better at dealing with bad teachers. They can be helped and guided to become better teachers. It's a matter of resources, though. Poorer districts just have to let sucky teachers suck--there aren't many options. You can say to hell with unions, but I would hate to see the kind of teachers we would have if we had never had unions (mindless drill-n-kill robots who read from scripts, no doubt). And bad teachers can be fired. It just takes a lot of work on an administrator's part (again, resources are an issue).
Those damn irreverent institutions often create bad teachers out of good ones. Scripted lessons, drill and kill curricula, test scores, pressure to teach to the test, grade mongering, too many different bosses ("Uh, yeah, did you get the memo?")--it breaks my spirit every day. Empowered teachers are the best. Give them the flexibility and support to collectively make curricular decisions and to collaborate with each other (as opposed to hearing dictatorial lectures at supposed "meetings"). We should trust our teachers. They really do care, and they know what is up. Too often, people who have little experience with teaching and with working with a large group of kids in a classroom make the decisions about what our schools are like. Shark is right about politicians and education. They have no clue what they are talking about, and they throw their ideas about education around like fishing lines. They catch a worthwhile program, and they throw it back.
Often good teachers are constricted by an inflexible curriculum. Simplified teaching comes from the problem of one-size-fits-all curriculum. How absurd is it to assume that we all need to know the same things? And that we can all be fit into the same mold? Individualized learning is what I always wanted as a student. I rarely got it. It's the best way to go.
re. Mutabaraku -
Dirt, see -- there ya go; you can't NOT teach! I just learned something new, which promises to open realms of new music and literature... and also drain my already empty pocket book.
Thanks, teach!
And while I appreciate the comparison with Mutabaraku, I don't think I can come close, (although I am quite the poet and have some experience with colonialism, except the occupiers are American (since 1845) and the soil is the North Texas region).
I've never understood why these politico dickheads don't ask The Teachers what they think is needed.
(Probably because they'll hear things they don't want to hear -- and/or that they can't fix.)
I mean, who's going to run on the "Education" platform that recommends executing intellectual and morally negligent parents?
Ranger Walker: "Johnny talks in class? Fuck that, his Mommy talks during films! ON A CELL PHONE! Ka-blam!"
Ah, in an ideal world...
QUESTION for DIRTGRAIN - What age of kiddos do you teach? And what region of the country are you in?
Just curious.
Bhw, have you blogged the story about your kid and kindergarten? If so, where is it? If not, then please get to it. I want to read it.
Shark, I teach in a suburb of Detroit that only twenty years ago was a relatively poor area. Rich people have swarmed to the area as farm after farm has been replaced by housing developments covered by monster $500,000 houses. It's a weird, disjointed community. Kids often ask each other, "Which sub [subdivision] do you live in?" They live in isolated enclaves without interconnecting sidewalks.
I work with high school kids from ninth grade to twelfth grade, and I have taught ESL, yearbook, creative writing, advanced composition, American literature, general English (for ninth graders), and British literature in my first six years as a teacher.
I started out on Blogcritics using my name, but as my own writings accumulated, I realized that I would rather not have my students know my thoughtdreams. Just the other day, in the computer lab, I saw a couple of kids who searched my name. Fortunately, a bunch of links to German people come up, so maybe my blog didn't stand out. Probably they could handle it, but you never know. I have found that it is best to remain politically neutral as a teacher. Alienating any portion of one's students is a bad idea. Forcing my view on students is not why I got into teaching, anyway. Remaining neutral is part of the teacher code, isn't it?
There are three things that I try to do in my teaching:
- Get students to read more. If I did nothing more than get a kid to read ten new books in a given school year, I think I would have accomplished much. This seemingly simple goal is the hardest to achieve for some reason. TV, video games, extra-curriculars, after-school jobs and a bunch of other stuff gets in the way of a student doing the most essential act as a learner: developing as a reader.
- Get students to write a lot about a wide range of topics in a wide range of genres. Quantity is important (quality is addressed in point three). Students need a lot of practice (unfortunately, some English teachers just give them worksheets or restrictive, "paint-by-numbers" essay guidelines).
- Get students to think critically--about their reading, their writing, their experiences, and their world. Attempting to achieve or at least get close to Quality (see Aristotle, Robert Pirsig, etc.) is an overarching component of the two previous goals. Just getting kids to read and write a lot would be great--maybe Quality would come naturally. But we all need stimulating, critical, relevant, challenging, and interesting materials and ideas to develop as critical thinkers. I do my best to provide this for my students (compiling such materials is probably one of the things that I am best at). And I also have to help them notice problems, issues, successes, strengths and weaknesses in their writing, reading and thinking.
"If my thoughtdreams could be seen, they'd probably put my head in a guillotine"--Bob Dylan, "It's Alright Ma."
*smiles*
Our high school valedictorian was a complete idiot.
I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but please follow along.
I was in honors classes with her. I got to hear the questions she came up with. I also got to interact with her on a social level.
Take out having to know "fact" and make her perform purely on "logic" and "critical thinking" skills and she was as dumb a a plant.
I remember after studying plate tectonics in Geography, she raised her hand to ask "Why are th oceans where they are?"
Needless to say, the rest of us thought it funny.
She went on to become an engineer. Good for her! I hope she finally got a boyfriend because I remember conversations with her when she would be all upset why guys were always dumping her.
I didn't have the heart to tell her it was because she was "thick".
Kids need to be taught to analyze and think for themselves more. They need to have more field trips to get them interested in the world around them. They need more hands on activities to engage them and make them want to know more.
I wish I were president. I would redo the whole education system. Within 4 years, I promise we'd be giving India and anywhere else for that matter a run for their money. Even better, the kids themselves won't even realize they are learning because they would be having so much fun doing it.
I remember after studying plate tectonics in Geography, she raised her hand to ask "Why are the oceans where they are?"
Whoa. That's a very profound question. Or it's just silly.
Dirty, Thanks for the post. You sound like a great teacher. And I'm glad to hear someone is teaching reading. It's the most important skill one can learn. What other skill allows you to sit and listen to the great minds of the past?
I'm jealous; you're teaching that age group where you can literally change someone's life with the right nudge at the right time. I once participated on a writer's board (many brilliant, successful writers participated), and at one point, we had a thread paying homage to someone who had influenced/instigated a major change/epiphany in our lives; every person mentioned a teacher in high school or junior high. Quite a moving tribute to (many) anonymous $20 K a year gurus.
PS: It's really disgraceful that so many teachers have to add your caveat; ie that you have to constantly fight 'the system' in order to achieve your goals.
What's wrong with us?
Bhw, have you blogged the story about your kid and kindergarten? If so, where is it? If not, then please get to it. I want to read it.
Aye, aye, captain. Part of what's holding me up is that I'm still involved in trying to figure out what will happen to my kid next fall and it's been a very enlightening [in a scary way] and emotionally draining experience.
Thanks for reminding me that this is something I should blog about and not just pepper other people's blogs with comments about.
Add your comment, speak your mind
(Or ping: http://blogcritics.org/mt/tb/13642)
So we have defined one of the major problems. That is, that America is increasingly becoming a society of dysfunctional, semi domesticated families, with no brains, morals, or manners. I couldnt agree with you more.Why and how has it come to this? What now?