Man, it's already well into the holiday season, and I haven't written anything for a good while. I just wrote a gigantic rant on a forum (here), and I thought I'd post it here for your reading pleasure. And so: ( a cut )
But school is not about these things. School is about meeting quotas on standardized tests and pleasing politicians by playing to statistics. If you please them, you get extra funding for that nice new gymnasium that the PE classes really need so badly (because they can't just go outside). Who cares if a few people fall through?
Soo true. No Child Left Behind is the dumbest piece of legislation to ever get passed. Blame Bush. This time it's accurately blame.
And honestly, it's the mix of system and the eternal problem of teach to the masses, or teaching to the individual. While what few stories you told me about your teachers and what they did showed me that they did not know most of the modern ways of teaching, I also understand that when put to it, most teachers go back to the way they were taught, rather than what research has shown WORKS. It's about finding a good teacher that meshes with your learning style.
I just hope everyone meets at least one teacher who meshes like that and actually keeps up with the research.
To be fair, there are some really good teachers out there, and I've had a good few of them. But unfortunately, most will teach the way their teachers taught them, whether it makes sense or not.
I would go out on a limb and say that the entire school system needs to be restructured, but I wouldn't know where to start.
That is essentially the problem. Old Hats would not conform to it, and when pressured, many new teachers lose faith in the researched methods. They've tried to restructure the school system, but the problem is that it focuses on what our gov't wants right now. Test Scores. There are entire school districts that have restructured around these tests.
Really, it's a system bogged down by laws, old habits, and old blowhards. The best teachers can do is be the best they can personally be and hope that they can make a difference in a student's life.
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Soo true. No Child Left Behind is the dumbest piece of legislation to ever get passed. Blame Bush. This time it's accurately blame.
And honestly, it's the mix of system and the eternal problem of teach to the masses, or teaching to the individual. While what few stories you told me about your teachers and what they did showed me that they did not know most of the modern ways of teaching, I also understand that when put to it, most teachers go back to the way they were taught, rather than what research has shown WORKS. It's about finding a good teacher that meshes with your learning style.
I just hope everyone meets at least one teacher who meshes like that and actually keeps up with the research.
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I would go out on a limb and say that the entire school system needs to be restructured, but I wouldn't know where to start.
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Really, it's a system bogged down by laws, old habits, and old blowhards. The best teachers can do is be the best they can personally be and hope that they can make a difference in a student's life.
Just IMO.
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