Sep

6

The cult of educational romanticism is setting kids up for failure

Filed Under "At-risk" students, The Way I See It | 9 Comments 

The cult of educational romanticism is setting kids up for failure. The sooner we accept that not all students have  the intellectual ability to become anything they or maybe more importantly any thing their parents want them to be , the better.  We need to stop setting kids up for failure by pretending that they can do anything given the right amount of support at school.  Let me tell you here right now that’s  not the case. Just be a fly on the wall in my classroom for a few  of days and see for yourself.

I’ve just read Margaret Wente’s excellent summary of Charles Murray’s book “Real Education” in today’s Globe and Mail.  Ironically,  last week I  finished reading  ”Real Education”  myself and wondered  if I was a member of the cult of education romanticism.  I decided that I wasn’t even though I am a special ed. teacher who optimistically gives support to kids who are struggling/reluctant learners.  I don’t think that all or even most kids are  average or above average and should attend college or university.  I have to agree with Charles Murray when he says he doesn’t  believe that any child can be anything he or she wants. My expereince as a classroom teacher for over 25 years   bears  this out. No,  I’m not an educational romantic and I’m sure that many classroom teachers aren’t either. Unfortunately, wishing everyone could be anything they want to be doesn’t make it so.

I think many  parents are  educational romantics. Many parents want their kids who are weak in math to become engineers, or weak in science to become doctors .   I can’t tell you how many times students in my  classes have told me their parents want them to be something that the kids can’t be because it’s beyond their capability or don’t want to be because it’s not their interest.   Many  parents need to be more realistic and not set their kids up for failure by demanding they do something that’s well beyond them.

I’m really encouraged by the fact that  the guidance counselors and co-op teachers I  know are doing their best to encourage kids and their parents to take the appropriate educational pathway so that kids can be successful at something that’s commensurate with their abilities and interests and not failures at something that isn’t.

Sep

2

Assigning homework banned

Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment 

“All students have the right to maintain a vibrant life outside school without being burdened with large quantities of homework.”- Mark Pullen

Elementary schools here in Ontario are rethinking their homework policy.  While most Boards suggest using the ten minute per grade rule  for homework so that a grade 5 student would  have 50 minutes  of homework a night,  The Prince of Wales  Elementary School  in Barrie, Ontario has banned assigning homework . That’s right.  Teachers are not to assign homework.

Principal Jan Olson supports the no homework policy because

  • Research shows that homework does not improve achievement in elementary schools
  • We don’t know who is doing the homework when we send it home
  • We don’t know the family situation at home and how what responsibilities kids have that take up their time
  • Sending homework home sometimes causes stress and makes home life worse
  • We are perpetuating and extending the gap between have and have-nots

Instead of assigning homework, students and parents are encouraged to

  • Play Monopoly -teaches reading, math, estimating, probability, social skills
  • Play Scrabble
  • Visit library
  • Talk about your day , ask each other questions
  • Cook together- reading, sequencing, fractions, measuring
  • Watch TV  together on the French channel
  • Sort Laundry, set table- math and counting
  • Read to your children and have them read to you-discuss your book

Principal Olsen notes  that  grades at his school have not dropped with the no homework policy.   In fact,  in some classes they’ve gone up slightly.  Now, students are working to get everything done in class and parents are happy that they have  more family time.

Sep

1

I thought I was all set up for tomorrow, the first day of school.

Filed Under Graphic Organizers, Uncategorized | 2 Comments 

Well, I thought I was all set up for tomorrow, the first day of school.  Surprise!  That’s why it’s always important to have an emergency lesson plan, even for the first day of school. I’ve written here about the merits of having an emergency lesson plan just in case the wheels fall off my wagon.  Well the wheels feel off all right, or at least one of them did. Not to worry, though. I’ve got my emergency lesson plan right here next to me.

I decided to start a class blog for my grade nine math class. All went well with setting it up using Edublogs. (I love Edublogs because it’s very user friendly. )  Those of you who have had Tribes training will recognize the community circle and the “Partner Interviews” activity that I’m using as an icebreaker and a way for us to get to know one another better.  I’ve  also added some links in the right sidebar to some fun math sites. I’m sure my students will like to explore these.

The math class blog is not the problem. The Advanced Learning Strategies is the problem.  I  started The Advanced Learning Strategies blog  last semester, and it was a hit with my students  so of course I intend to continue with it. But, something went wrong today.  I really don’t know what, yet. I can’t log into it to update it for tomorrow. I’ve sent an email to the Edublogs support department, and I’m sure they’ll get back to me soon.  In the meantime,  I’ll just photocopy my emergency lesson tomorrow morning and that’s that!

I hope all the photocopiers are working.

Photo thanks to listorama at  Flickr

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