1/11/01 Self-fulfilling Prophesy ∼ from Despina's IG Journal (3/26/10; WC 526)
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Despina's Infamous Green Journal
Changes and Depression
Self-fulfilling Prophesy
Thursday
•
I think I need to become a horse breeder full time. I wish I could quit at semester. The students are really flaking out all around, and through no fault of my own, I get to try to clean up the mess.
Last fall, we got the “introduce rigor into your subject matter" lecture. Someone forgot that EARNING AN A IS NOT A GOAL STUDENTS EVER ACTIVELY SUPPORT. YES, they all CAN under this system. But they DO NOT WANT TO.
“How much do I have to do to pass?”
“All of it.”
“Read the WHOLE BOOK?”
“That’s right. People actually learn to read by READING. Studies with real, live students prove it. Right here, in this school, I taught a class to eleventh graders who COULD NOT READ. They all passed. They ALL improved their reading ability on the tests the AEA people administered to them personally, individually, one on one. The LEAST gain was a year and a half. The most was a whopping three plus years. That boy’s MOTHER came up to me after Christmas break and complained to me, ‘What did you do to my son? He sat in his room reading that car book you got for him instead of watching his favorite TV program.' Ah, the perils of an education… incomprehensible choices.”
What irritates me most about this twist is that I did something I NEVER do -- I went in last spring and told my boss that it was going to happen, and suggested a solution, which, of course, was too much effort to implement. FAR better to try to scrap a reading program the week before Christmas and dump everything, then say, "It's all for the best."
Actually, the basketball coach went in and complained, as the best ball players would be BENCHED for having an F, and thus being ineligible until the next set of grades are posted -- which would not happen until after the end of the season. When the state put in the NO F rule, they envisioned the students getting behind their education, and mastering their academic work to stay eligible, not griping to their parents about having to actually do the same work the other kids do, instead of getting a free ride.
The only reason I know that is because one of the remedial readers went up to the LD teacher (who just happens to be the boys basketball coach) and gave his book report, passing it, then bragging to the other kids that he never read a word… The student? An eighth grader. The book? Third grade reading level. I kid you not!
Unbelievable, simply unbelievable.
I suppose if we water stuff down far enough, we'll reach that magical spot where every child shows up, ready to read, enthusiastic about what they are supposed to be doing, learning hand over fist, whether they want to, or not.
I can just see it now.
"Okay, now, students, listen up. All you have to do is WALK INTO THE BUILDING AND BREATHE. On the count of three -- everyone, One, Two..."
Next
Last updated 12/7/15 Added ∼; colored day of the week, time headings; 11/8/2015 standardized heading; added second space after end punctuation; “introduce rigor into your subject matter"; removed quotation mark after rigor, added it at the actual end of the quotation; 1/6/10 added entry to TOC; 3/26/10 chained into novel.
Word Count: 526
http://summercircles.livejournal.com/36750.html
http://travelsfar.livejournal.com/36860.html
Table of Contents (Despina's IGJ summercircles)
Table of Contents (travelsfar)
Back
Despina's Infamous Green Journal
Changes and Depression
Self-fulfilling Prophesy
Thursday
•
I think I need to become a horse breeder full time. I wish I could quit at semester. The students are really flaking out all around, and through no fault of my own, I get to try to clean up the mess.
Last fall, we got the “introduce rigor into your subject matter" lecture. Someone forgot that EARNING AN A IS NOT A GOAL STUDENTS EVER ACTIVELY SUPPORT. YES, they all CAN under this system. But they DO NOT WANT TO.
“How much do I have to do to pass?”
“All of it.”
“Read the WHOLE BOOK?”
“That’s right. People actually learn to read by READING. Studies with real, live students prove it. Right here, in this school, I taught a class to eleventh graders who COULD NOT READ. They all passed. They ALL improved their reading ability on the tests the AEA people administered to them personally, individually, one on one. The LEAST gain was a year and a half. The most was a whopping three plus years. That boy’s MOTHER came up to me after Christmas break and complained to me, ‘What did you do to my son? He sat in his room reading that car book you got for him instead of watching his favorite TV program.' Ah, the perils of an education… incomprehensible choices.”
What irritates me most about this twist is that I did something I NEVER do -- I went in last spring and told my boss that it was going to happen, and suggested a solution, which, of course, was too much effort to implement. FAR better to try to scrap a reading program the week before Christmas and dump everything, then say, "It's all for the best."
Actually, the basketball coach went in and complained, as the best ball players would be BENCHED for having an F, and thus being ineligible until the next set of grades are posted -- which would not happen until after the end of the season. When the state put in the NO F rule, they envisioned the students getting behind their education, and mastering their academic work to stay eligible, not griping to their parents about having to actually do the same work the other kids do, instead of getting a free ride.
The only reason I know that is because one of the remedial readers went up to the LD teacher (who just happens to be the boys basketball coach) and gave his book report, passing it, then bragging to the other kids that he never read a word… The student? An eighth grader. The book? Third grade reading level. I kid you not!
Unbelievable, simply unbelievable.
I suppose if we water stuff down far enough, we'll reach that magical spot where every child shows up, ready to read, enthusiastic about what they are supposed to be doing, learning hand over fist, whether they want to, or not.
I can just see it now.
"Okay, now, students, listen up. All you have to do is WALK INTO THE BUILDING AND BREATHE. On the count of three -- everyone, One, Two..."
Next
Last updated 12/7/15 Added ∼; colored day of the week, time headings; 11/8/2015 standardized heading; added second space after end punctuation; “introduce rigor into your subject matter"; removed quotation mark after rigor, added it at the actual end of the quotation; 1/6/10 added entry to TOC; 3/26/10 chained into novel.
Word Count: 526
http://summercircles.livejournal.com/36750.html
http://travelsfar.livejournal.com/36860.html