I say this from experience mind you, as my son is a prime example. He entered the 2nd grade last year only to find he had to repeat everything he learned in the first grade. In 2 months time he hated school, didn't want to go anymore, didn't want to do the repetitive and boring homework, and stagnated. My son is very bright, and I'm not just bragging, his IQ level at 5 with only 1/2 testing was at 131. Asperger's does that to a kid. But try to get the school to cater to his 7th grade reading level, quick absorption of material, etc. and you are told that these are 'cadilac services'. Well, that serves some sort of purpose for someone I suppose, but what about these kids who could be the innovators of the next generation? Will they reach their potential if they are disgusted with school by the 2nd grade? It is sure to only get worse as the grade levels increase. I hope Obama has a plan to fix this retarded system... there MUST be a better way to make sure that no child is left behind than holding back the children who are doing just fine!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
No child left behind?
Today I will post my thoughts on today's education system in America... What is up with it? First we have this ridiculous method of holding all students in a classroom back to the level of the slowest student in the class. Ok, so we bore the students who are bright and ready to advance out of their minds so that by the time they reach middle school they are ready to quit and are always getting in trouble.
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That's why it's called "public" education. It's for the public. The public includes everyone. You take what they can offer, browbeat them into doing all they possibly can (yes, many kids deserve extra services), and YOU do the rest. It's YOUR kid.
ReplyDeleteThe "dumb" kids on your son's class could be the next Abraham Lincoln, you know -- and your son could, sorry, but, end up washing dishes. There is no way of knowing, and they all deserve the same opportunity. Every damn one of them. Not up to you.
The real problem is, ALL of these kids deserve "Cadillac" services.
My kid read at a 9th grade level in third grade, too. Off the charts in math intelligence -- and got a D- this year. He has some things to learn -- like how to study, how to communicate what he knows. He ran into a dumb teacher -- we ALL run into dumb people and have to deal with them. It's not the end of the world. He learned from it and he'll be fine.
In some things he's way, way ahead, and in others he's behind. Most people are like that.
Think bigger.
I completely agree with you, there is no way of knowing what a child is capable of becoming, or if they will ever reach that potential. I did not use the word 'dumb' once in my post, because I do not believe in 'dumb' people. Everyone is smart in their own way, be it book smart, street smart, people smart, mechanically smart, or some other type of intelligence. I just don't feel it is right to hold an entire class to the level of the slowest person in a given subject. In order for our country to keep up with other countries in the realm of academia, our education system needs to make some changes. I am 'thinking bigger' because I am looking to the future of everyone, not just my son. He is not the only kid in his class that benefited from the changes I fought for in his curriculum, nor did any of the kids who weren't at the same level suffer by adjusting the curriculum to enhance the education of the more advanced kids.
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