I have an acquaintance who is an 8th grade history teacher.
His school uses a nationally standardized test for midterms and finals.
Just gave his first midterm in US History and 90% of the students failed.
He asked one class, "Show of hands, how many of you looked at the reading or video (video!) material or looked over your notes for this test?"
Not one kid raised his/her hand.
He asked me what I thought.
I joked and said, "Frankly, I'm amazed that ten percent of the students could pass the test having done no studying! You have a ten percent genius rate!"
He said, "No, in that class, not one kid passed."
He said that at last week's parent conference night, of the 175 kids he teaches, 25 parents came, and of that group 23 were the parents of his honor students.
I said, "Well, that's a good thing."
He said, "Yeah, I better brush up on my Chinese and Hmung. Those people really value education."
He's been teaching for 28 years and sees a real downward trend in student interest and performance.
Now, I know us old folk tend to rag out the young 'uns, but this guy uses internet, historical video, historical fiction, strategy games involving famous dilemmas, plays 'Diplomat' and gives historical starting parameters and then lets the game evolve, he points out historical repetition, teaches about the consequences - intended or otherwise - of events, etc...and gets nothing. So much nothing that he's almost to the point of feeling grateful if at least the disinterested kids will be polite enough to just sit quietly instead of being disruptive.
People can opine that it's liberals wrecking this, or conservatives shooting down innovation, or whatever...I'm thinking the breakdown of the family unit and parents conveying a sense of expectation and consequence is an epidemic problem, and it's bipartisan.
Heteros get divorced like it will get them a job at Fox News. Liberals encourage working couples so everyone has an iPod, computer, Minivan, sport coupe, familay sedan, and every other thing a kid could want except a parent being nearby at almost all times. Single parents cant do the job of two. Two often don't show up enough to do the job of one. maybe in 100 years our Muslim and Mormom masters will set things right.
Or, is it an epidemic of emotional/motivational nihilism on everybody's part?
We have to ask ourselves, to quote our previous President, "Is our kids learning?"
Anybody else worried?
I also hang with some of those scary liberal monsters...college professors, and they opine the remediation required to get kids up to speed these days - the first two years of college are often an expensive effing redux of high school.
More waste and making up for shitty parenting.
On the plus side, you know who says happy things? My bro in law teaches at a military service Academy an he says the students are smarter and better and fitter than his classmates at the same academy ever were. He's bowled over by the quality of the cream. So, at least there's that.
Cheers, and no flames intended for any side.
I have an acquaintance who is an 8th grade history teacher.
His school uses a nationally standardized test for midterms and finals.
Just gave his first midterm in US History and 90% of the students failed.
He asked one class, "Show of hands, how many of you looked at the reading or video (video!) material or looked over your notes for this test?"
Not one kid raised his/her hand.
He asked me what I thought.
I joked and said, "Frankly, I'm amazed that ten percent of the students could pass the test having done no studying! You have a ten percent genius rate!"
He said, "No, in that class, not one kid passed."
He said that at last week's parent conference night, of the 175 kids he teaches, 25 parents came, and of that group 23 were the parents of his honor students.
I said, "Well, that's a good thing."
He said, "Yeah, I better brush up on my Chinese and Hmung. Those people really value education."
He's been teaching for 28 years and sees a real downward trend in student interest and performance.
Now, I know us old folk tend to rag out the young 'uns, but this guy uses internet, historical video, historical fiction, strategy games involving famous dilemmas, plays 'Diplomat' and gives historical starting parameters and then lets the game evolve, he points out historical repetition, teaches about the consequences - intended or otherwise - of events, etc...and gets nothing. So much nothing that he's almost to the point of feeling grateful if at least the disinterested kids will be polite enough to just sit quietly instead of being disruptive.
People can opine that it's liberals wrecking this, or conservatives shooting down innovation, or whatever...I'm thinking the breakdown of the family unit and parents conveying a sense of expectation and consequence is an epidemic problem, and it's bipartisan.
Heteros get divorced like it will get them a job at Fox News. Liberals encourage working couples so everyone has an iPod, computer, Minivan, sport coupe, familay sedan, and every other thing a kid could want except a parent being nearby at almost all times. Single parents cant do the job of two. Two often don't show up enough to do the job of one. maybe in 100 years our Muslim and Mormom masters will set things right.
Or, is it an epidemic of emotional/motivational nihilism on everybody's part?
We have to ask ourselves, to quote our previous President, "Is our kids learning?"
Anybody else worried?
I also hang with some of those scary liberal monsters...college professors, and they opine the remediation required to get kids up to speed these days - the first two years of college are often an expensive effing redux of high school.
More waste and making up for shitty parenting.
On the plus side, you know who says happy things? My bro in law teaches at a military service Academy an he says the students are smarter and better and fitter than his classmates at the same academy ever were. He's bowled over by the quality of the cream. So, at least there's that.
Cheers, and no flames intended for any side.