tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post114899856461153309..comments2024-03-26T14:44:37.985-04:00Comments on D-Ed Reckoning: Why Is It So Difficult to Take ResponsibilityKDeRosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06853211164976890091noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1149117833418840152006-05-31T19:23:00.000-04:002006-05-31T19:23:00.000-04:00Judging from the previews for the follow-up articl...Judging from the previews for the follow-up articles, it looks like we're due for yet another round of blaming the students and ed-speak. (The Star is one of Gannett's mid-market papers, with all the superficiality that implies.) I'll be amazed if anyone interviewed bothers to point out that middle-school problems stem from elementary-school failures.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1149102300988263802006-05-31T15:05:00.000-04:002006-05-31T15:05:00.000-04:00Actually, Montessori could be OK depending on whet...Actually, Montessori could be OK depending on whether the people who operate the school are faithful to her vision.<BR/><BR/>I'm not well versed in her work, but my sister, who was a superb teacher, admires her tremendously. <BR/><BR/>Montessori was the first person to show that mentally retarded children could learn.<BR/><BR/>You have to be serious to do that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1149096166578518862006-05-31T13:22:00.000-04:002006-05-31T13:22:00.000-04:00Hi Old Grouch.That sounded like good news until I ...Hi Old Grouch.<BR/><BR/>That sounded like good news until I read:<BR/><BR/>"Over the summer, Geyer will be spiffed up, renamed and converted into a magnet Montessori program serving a different population."<BR/><BR/>Exactly what this neighborhood doesn't need.KDeRosahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06853211164976890091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1149095349956166682006-05-31T13:09:00.000-04:002006-05-31T13:09:00.000-04:00(Sorta) OT- Fort Wayne (IN) is killing their most-...(Sorta) OT- Fort Wayne (IN) is killing their most-underperforming middle school: <A HREF="http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060531/COLUMNISTS05/605310375/1038/COLUMNISTS" REL="nofollow">Giving Up on Geyer</A>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1149035658484758182006-05-30T20:34:00.000-04:002006-05-30T20:34:00.000-04:00Get students to take responsibility for their own ...<I>Get students to take responsibility for their own success. And get teachers to believe in students.</I><BR/><BR/>omg<BR/><BR/>that's horrifying<BR/><BR/>Since I've been reteaching myself math for nearly two years, I've given a bit of thought to the limits of self-teaching.<BR/><BR/>I'm not sure a child can do much self-teaching at all - at least, not without a superb textbook.<BR/><BR/>I'm finally getting to material I either wasn't taught in high school, or wasn't taught very well, and it's a different ballgame - not because I'm not 'responsible,' but because, not knowing the material, I can't judge whether I'm learning it correctly now.<BR/><BR/>Obviously, I have a <I>lot</I> of resources to call on. I can ask questions at ktm, I can consult other books I've purchased, I may even buy a fourth algebra 1 textbook entirely as a check on what I (think) I'm learning from Saxon & Dolciani.<BR/><BR/>A middle school child can't do any of these things. A middle school child isn't even going to know that he <I>should</I>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1149035400025439342006-05-30T20:30:00.000-04:002006-05-30T20:30:00.000-04:00My sister taught years ago. She told me recently, ...My sister taught years ago. She told me recently, "I always felt like if my kids got a bad grade, that was a grade on me." (She's never read this website, and hasn't thought about ed politics. She just spontaneously said this.)<BR/><BR/>Not surprisingly, my sister was probably the best teacher in her school. The principal decided to start keeping track of how kids were doing in the different classes, and it turned out her kids always did the best.<BR/><BR/>She was constantly checking to see if they knew what she'd taught.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1149035288255880132006-05-30T20:28:00.000-04:002006-05-30T20:28:00.000-04:00did you notice the skillful use of passive voice t...<I>did you notice the skillful use of passive voice to obfuscate the cause of this failure, the lower schools these kids came from</I><BR/><BR/>yes!<BR/><BR/>I'm going to start keeping a collection of TPVs<BR/><BR/>fyi: Reading WAR AGAINST GRAMMAR this weekend I learned that the reason passive voice is one of the few topics covered in ELA classes is Orwell's <A HREF="http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm " REL="nofollow">Politics and the English Language</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1149035041577871962006-05-30T20:24:00.000-04:002006-05-30T20:24:00.000-04:00Where did they get this guy? Mars? chortleDo we ha...<I>Where did they get this guy? Mars? </I><BR/><BR/>chortle<BR/><BR/>Do we have any stand-up comics ragging on the schools?<BR/><BR/>We need them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1149007683315357472006-05-30T12:48:00.000-04:002006-05-30T12:48:00.000-04:00If schools cannot or will not define education in ...If schools cannot or will not define education in any sort of tangible way, then they are not about to take on responsibility in any tangible sort of way. They think that their responsibility ends when they have brought the horse to water.<BR/><BR/>Some teachers are very earnest and hard-working. Some take on a certain level of responsibility. But this is not a school mandate that is tied to a specific curriculum and year-to-year goals. NCLB tries to do this, but the end result still comes down to the lowest common denominator expectations.<BR/><BR/>The major problem in our schools is that they will not separate kids by ability and set high enough grade-level goals for all. With full-inclusion, a school cannot define grade-level expectations and therefore, will not assume any responsibility on a full curriculum level.<BR/><BR/>Progressive education is defined as a process with minimal content and skill requirements. Beyond learning to read and doing simple math, education is poorly-defined, and the responsibility of education is in the hands of the student. They don't want schools to teach. They want students to learn.<BR/><BR/>By definition.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com