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2010-05-11 Home Front: Culture Wars

Students Not "Getting It" the First Time

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Posted by Bobby 2010-05-11 08:30|| || Front Page|| [11127 views ] Top

#1 The Alliance for Excellent Education estimates the nation loses $3.7 billion a year because students are not learning basic needed skills,..

Like old fashion basic 8th grade skill level reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Posted by Procopius2k 2010-05-11 08:50|| 2010-05-11 08:50|| Front Page Top

#2 In California the problem can be squarely place on misplaced priorities and poor management. First off they have to spend a LOT of scarce resources on ESL classes for Illegal Immigrants. Second, they see advanced or specialized classes as a luxury. Third the ratio of administrator to students is way out of balance. And finally PARENTS fail to make their priorities known to the school district. Do your kids a favor, attend a school board meeting.

Posted by Cyber Sarge 2010-05-11 08:50|| 2010-05-11 08:50|| Front Page Top

#3 IMO, the problem stems from the liberal evolution of the concept of adolescence. A century ago laws regarding the adolescent dramatically changed as way to end the exploitation of children such as child labor, child soldiers, and child prostitution. Now the period between childhood and adult is more defined by rights and less about preparing for personal responsibility. Keep in mind, its now little Billys right to play baseball and have fun and its Societys responsibility to provide that nurturing environment. Also remember, ObamaCare just expanded the definition of adolescence up to the age of 26. Its more then a little frightening to think that the next generations are not being encouraged to be future leaders but groomed to be part of the expanding dependent class.

Posted by Gerthudion Whineck6307 2010-05-11 10:31|| 2010-05-11 10:31|| Front Page Top

#4 Student performance would skyrocket if just two things were prohibited from classrooms: "Whole Language" English instruction, by Noam Chomsky, and "Everyday Math", from ivory tower academics in Chicago.

Whole Language has a proven track record of over 40 years of abysmal failure, especially in minority students, and Everyday Math is causing parent revolts, because they have to pay tutors to catch their children up for "every day" it is taught to them in class.

Posted by Anonymoose 2010-05-11 10:33|| 2010-05-11 10:33|| Front Page Top

#5 The dependent class has always been there. The Latin world was divided among patrones and clientes, the Middle Ages among gentry and serfs. Every time the common man fights his way out of having to tug his forelock to his betters the "betters" put on a false moustache and start telling him why he should defer to them.

I have come to the conclusion that it's time to abolish Ivy League schools, the National Council of Churches, and the cities of New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

Posted by Fred 2010-05-11 10:38|| 2010-05-11 10:38|| Front Page Top

#6 I think getting rid of the teacher's unions and start paying based on M-E-R-I-T would improve scores too.

Some companies I believe have a policy of 10% annual turnover. Meaning that up to the lower 10% in ratings are laid off annually.

Posted by CrazyFool 2010-05-11 10:41|| 2010-05-11 10:41|| Front Page Top

#7 incindiary talk is cheap, by the time its all "talked about" we'll be serfs of the Chinese wondering where it all went wrong.......................just sayin

Posted by 746 2010-05-11 10:59|| 2010-05-11 10:59|| Front Page Top

#8 "Whole Language" English instruction, by Noam Chomsky,..."

I remember when my daughter was little and they were trying that approach at her school. I would ask her to read for me and, when she'd come to a word she didn't recognize, I'd tell her to sound it out. You know, with phonics. She didn't know what I was talking about. So I asked Mrs. Uluque about it and she said they weren't teaching phonics anymore. So my kid couldn't read. Then when my boy went to kindergarten he had a teacher who taught phonics on the sly. Bless her soul.

You want to bring a country down? Whole language is a good way to start.

Posted by Ebbang Uluque6305 2010-05-11 12:05|| 2010-05-11 12:05|| Front Page Top

#9 Alas we become as the Eloi.

Posted by bigjim-CA 2010-05-11 12:20|| 2010-05-11 12:20|| Front Page Top

#10 I have come to the conclusion that it's time to abolish Ivy League schools, the National Council of Churches, and the cities of New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

That sounds as ridiculous as States who propose to ban Arizona. Keep thinking.

Posted by El Angelino 2010-05-11 12:29|| 2010-05-11 12:29|| Front Page Top

#11 Part of the idea behind "Whole Language" is to get the words out on paper and edit them later. The idea: if a kid is worrying about how to spell a word, he loses his train of thought. Good handwriting and correct spelling are supposed to be reserved for the final draft. Trouble is, they don't teach spelling and penmanship in order to write the final copy properly.

83% of English words follow a discernable and learnable grammatical rule. 17% have to be learned by sight, as we'd learn Chinese. Many school systems try to teach all vocabulary
as sight words.

If your kid is not getting good reading and spelling instruction at school, go online to School Specialty Intervention (formerly Educator's Publishing Service) and get the series "How to Teach Spelling" by Rudginski and Haskell. http://intervention.schoolspecialty.com/products/?subject=71S

Also, google "English From the Roots Up" and "Rummy Roots" card game. These teach Latin and Greek word roots.

Posted by mom 2010-05-11 13:03|| 2010-05-11 13:03|| Front Page Top

#12 Or pitch a riot at the school board meeting.

Posted by Ebbang Uluque6305 2010-05-11 13:27|| 2010-05-11 13:27|| Front Page Top

#13 "Trouble is, they don't teach spelling and penmanship in order to write the final copy properly." Not all changes have been for the worse. I was always an excellent speller. I gave up on my penmanship in 1958 and taught myself touch typing then. That skill has been immeasurably helpful to me ever since. Cursive writing is an art form, not a medium of communication.

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2010-05-11 13:41|| 2010-05-11 13:41|| Front Page Top

#14 "Oh she won't need to have writing. Everything will be done by keyboard by the time she graduates", one teacher said - 20 years ago.

(they didn't teach her typing either...).

Posted by CrazyFool 2010-05-11 13:44|| 2010-05-11 13:44|| Front Page Top

#15 mom, thanks for the ideas! Will have to try them out later with the anklebiters.

I was hoping that they would get some basic phonics from Sesame Street (my mom told me that program taught me how to read), but a lot of it now is that annoying Elmo and "how to get along" BS. (Thank Heaven for Between the Lions!)

Posted by Cornsilk Blondie 2010-05-11 13:55|| 2010-05-11 13:55|| Front Page Top

#16 El Angelino: That sounds as ridiculous as States who propose to ban Arizona. Keep thinking.

You're new here, aren't you? :-)

Posted by gorb 2010-05-11 15:16|| 2010-05-11 15:16|| Front Page Top

#17 what does a degree matter if there is no job too go too when you have it.

Posted by chris 2010-05-11 15:26|| 2010-05-11 15:26|| Front Page Top

#18 If you learn to love learning then even the most mindless job is tolerable. Your daydreams have so much more potential. And you can learn something from any job. The ability and desire to learn, combined with a good attitude, will make you happier and wealthier in the long run. Oh, and learn to shoot accurately.

Posted by Glenmore 2010-05-11 19:10|| 2010-05-11 19:10|| Front Page Top

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