tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14707730.post4293649854407959297..comments2024-02-24T19:49:45.687-05:00Comments on Schools Matter: Teaching Children to Hate SchoolJames Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462754705431590571noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14707730.post-39870507785250419402009-05-31T06:01:08.307-04:002009-05-31T06:01:08.307-04:00@nitko,
I think the comments made by this person h...@nitko,<br />I think the comments made by this person have been rather subjective and indeed very wisely made with a broader perspective in mind.<br />But this also makes me think a li'l more radically, and out of the conventional teach-stuff-test way of education. <br /><br />Nitko here talks about "SEEING SOMETHING WORK" to believe in it, but hey! I feel the marks/grades your pupil attain need not be what you're looking out for to make you believe that the SLC idea works. After all the very idea of an SLC wouldnt revolve that closely around the idea of putting children to test all the time. Read this somewhere - pupil in a classroom are like cereal that you cook. You cant really keep opening the cooker every 5 minutes to see if they're "done!" The cereal would just get spoilt! So if we're unable to come up with a better evaluation/self-satisfaction technique to measure the effectiveness of our SLC or any such revolutionary education mechanism, it is only our mistake I'd say. <br /><br />A revolutionary teaching mechanism needs a revolutionary evaluation system too.<br /><br />I might have been wrong in understanding Nitko's opinion here, and regret if that's true!<br /><br />-Rohith<br />(http://kalikeyu.blogspot.com)Rohith B Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02478629800676976759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14707730.post-17153293198920274572009-05-11T10:40:00.000-04:002009-05-11T10:40:00.000-04:00I think there's a need for a revolution in educati...I think there's a need for a revolution in education. Every time I read a story about a school district laying off teachers, I notice that there never seem to be any administrators on the list...Andrew B. Watthttp://www.gravitysgrace.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14707730.post-82917576696584686912009-05-07T16:41:00.000-04:002009-05-07T16:41:00.000-04:00Regarding SLCs...
We have had them at our school ...Regarding SLCs...<br /><br />We have had them at our school for about <br />3 and 1/2 years. Our SLCs have not had the upward effect on test scores that was predicted by the reform "experts".<br /><br />But, as time has passed, I have begun to see the benefits of the smaller SLCs over the larger school format.<br /><br />Neither are perfect, but I really see some good in the SLC set-up.<br /><br />So I certainly don't disagree with EVERYTHING the "reformists" have pushed, but, alas, in this case, it is for different reasons (socialization, relations with teacher & school personell, etc).<br /><br />I am a reality-based teacher.<br />Words, lofty claims, glorious prescriptions and zippy termininology do NOTHING for me.<br /><br />The Corporatist-"reformers" are full of catch-words, flashy terminology and distracting<br />claims. But most of what they prescribe is largely DYSFUNCTIONAL at the school level.<br /><br /><br />I have to actually SEE SOMETHING WORK <br />to believe in it.<br /><br />I have seen SLCs have a positive effect, I believe. So I can support them to a definite degree.<br /><br /><br />That simple, open-minded honesty, I think is vital to functioning with effectiveness and INTEGRITY in an institution like Public schools, which face so much change, <br />and debate about change.<br /><br />I just don't see ANY of that honesty or flexibility in the Corporate reformers.<br /><br />They don't have it because they are not <br />operating in good faith.<br /><br />Their actual agenda is CONTROL and PROFIT, <br />not student learning.<br /><br />They think nobody has noticed this, but some folks definitely have.niktohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13219069038917729013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14707730.post-58598241615979621102009-05-07T15:49:00.000-04:002009-05-07T15:49:00.000-04:00This topic really resonates with people.
Reading...This topic really resonates with people.<br /><br /><br />Reading the reader responses to the recent anti-teacher & teacher's Union hit-piece in the LA Times, you get the distinct impression that there are a lot of folks out there who remember school, or parts of it, as a dreadful experience.<br /><br />Here's the article:<br /><br />http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-teachers-landing-html,0,1258194.htmlstory<br /><br /><br />Many of the posters are piling on teachers, with critical comments on their purported "laziness", ineptitude, cruelty, apathy, etc etc<br /><br />Some clearly hate teachers and want them to suffer and be pushed-down in any way possible.<br /><br />But many posts reveal something else too---A weariness and feeling of being broken-down or subjugated at school---Much like the above post describes---And I think this may be more from the relentless top-down, authoritarian power-structure, and, the fear-motivated environment and methods of many schools,<br />rather than teachers per se.<br /><br />Reading the above post just re-affirms my doubts about the overall system in place.<br /><br />I suppose some kids will always need an authoritarian structure to keep them in "orbit".<br /><br />But there are many kids who could adapt well to a non-authoritarian structure of cooperation and based on actual INTEREST in subject matter.<br /><br />Different "tracks" or subdivisions in a school might aid in this change.<br /><br />Kids in the "Authoritarian Classes" would see the freedom and cooperation in the non-authoritarian ones and perhaps be motivated to gain maturity and self-control and transfer into the less-restrictive environment.<br /><br />Kids who just can't break out of the "as soon as teacher turns away, I can goof-off" mentality, would be sent back to the more controlled, authoritarian class.<br /><br />But it should be up to THE CHILD to demonstrate their own maturity and willingness to grow up, <br />in order to enjoy the more "mature" (i.e. less restrictive) class.<br /><br />We do too much "telling kids what to do", IMO, instead of simply setting-up a system where kids who make the selections THEMSELVES to become more mature and/or more academic, could enjoy the fruits of their own personal choices.<br /><br /><br />But no.<br /><br />It's not that way now in most Public Schools <br />and Charters.<br /><br />It's THIS way: <br />Kids are widgets who must be dictated<br />to, controlled and shaped by<br />the school, and especially, <br />by mechanistic teachers.<br /><br /><br />This thinking of children's education as a conformist "haircut" to be administered to a passive individual, has got to end, <br />for the next era of REAL EDUCATION to begin.niktohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13219069038917729013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14707730.post-38806251239499268982009-05-07T13:27:00.000-04:002009-05-07T13:27:00.000-04:00I'm curious. What increases in learning do you see...I'm curious. What increases in learning do you see with "a major infusion of resources," when and how will we know it has occurred? After the infusion, what do you see sustaining increased learning?Bob Heinyhttp://www.robertheiny.comnoreply@blogger.com