Have you read Seth Godin's manifesto about education? What are your thoughts? I'm finding there are a lot of things in there that us teachers were saying back in the 1980's and 90's. If you haven't seen it, you can download a free copy here: http://www.squidoo.com/stop-stealing-dreams
Wow he isnt kidding when he calls it a manifesto! Ill admit I skimmed portions of it, but it seemed to echo many reform efforts of decades past such as Montissouri. The one wrinkle is the unprecedented access to information that makes many traditional schooling methods obsolete. I think he gets close, but falls short of the ultimate outcome of the changes in society and culture. He envisions a change in how schools operate while I think it is not the methods but the actual schools that will become extinct. No longer is it necessary to disseminate knowledge to herds of same age children. Education will be personalized at it will take place mostly in the home. Interestingly he states homeschooling doesn't work for most people for reasons such as cost and learning curve, but in reality it is the only cost effective way to deliver the Utopian educational experience that the author advocates. I dont think anyone can predict exactly what education will look like 100 years from now, only that it will mostly likely be unrecognizable to us, and hopefully for the better. For now I think homeschoolers are by and large ahead of the curve and have several advantages like flexibility and adaptability that far outweigh any of the concerns that the author mentioned.
Teaching a kid how to think rather than how to take a test... that's what everyone should be doing, whether they're PS, private, HS, or whatever. The jobs our kids' generation will have haven't even been invented yet.
While I completely agree with you, unfortunately, the climate in public school is such that the test is all that really matters. The current desire in legislature is to tie teacher compensation to test scores, if that happens then you'll really see some teaching to the test. Yet another advantage to homeschooling. Sadly, when I got into teaching I thought I could be above all that nonsense, but the pressure to conform is overwhelming. I got reprimanded for not giving enough homework!
I hear ya. I was a classroom teacher for 21 years and saw the environment deteriorate. When I first started teaching back in the 80's we were right smack dab in the middle of the whole language movement. We were encouraged to create creative units and help our kids learn how to learn. I hardly recognize the system any more. I was nearly fired from a teaching job a few years ago because I didn't have enough grades in my gradebook. I knew that writing was very difficult for the kids, so I had a very gentle approach that helped them feel safe. We wrote and wrote and wrote. We critiqued their writing in groups, I worked with them one-on-one. It was amazing what was happening. I knew exactly what each and every one of my kids could do. I knew their writing ability and style. I had read of their writing than I suspect even their parents had read. Yet I didn't mark their papers with red pen and give them a "grade". That's just crazy. What's our goal? To have kids who live for a grade or kids who know how to write and enjoy it?
I read part of it here at the breakfast table while my kids take full advantage of this welcome delay and are probably turning the entire basement into a fortress with my poor sofa cushions as we speak. I just wanted to comment on the standardized tests. Recently my 3rd grader had to take the IOWA test at his Friday school. CO law requires hs kids to be tested in some way every other year. Anyway, I found myself sitting with a frazzled 3rd grader, using sample test books, just trying to drill him in what was needed to be known for the test. It was so different than the way we usually do things. I never make him drill stuff. I dont need to, there is no time frame or pressure. But now there was a constant urgency...you HAVE to know this and that..He wasnt happy. There was no light of discovery in his eyes, no pleasure at being able to figure out something for himself.. I am so glad we homeschool!
My oldest will be taking a standardized test for the very first time next week. (MO didn't require it, but AR does) I told him that I didn't care if he sat there and picked his nose the whole time. I couldn't care less about his score. I'll do a practice test with him Monday just so he knows what sort of thing to expect. But really, and I keep telling him this, I do NOT want him to stress over it. DH once threatened Eli that if he didn't do well enough on the test he'd have to go to PS (DH was frustrated because it was 6pm and Eli still wasn't done with school work). I about lost it! We had a heart-to-heart that night and DH apologized to DS. Again, we reiterated that his score was meaningless to us.
I hear you. The only reason I was stressing about the test is that I wasn't sure what would happen if he "failed" the test. I don't want someone knocking on my door because my son doesn't meet state standards. But turns out I was wrong, and I should've known better, since they had told me at the beginning of the year that the failing grade is ridiculously low, so its almost impossible to NOT pass!
