No Child Left Behind
Today I was reading a book to the children at school entitled _Who Wakes Rooster?_ Its a cause and effect book where all the animals are still sleeping because the animal who usually wakes each animal up is still sleeping. In the end, the rooster did not wake up because the sun was behind the clouds. Each page says something like this, "Joe didn't wake up because Nellie didn't neigh." I was asking the kids to predict what animal was coming next (there weren't any pictures that showed the next animal only the animal sound mentioned in the text). The kids were doing badly so I started be more specific, "What animal makes a sound like 'neigh'?" They didn't know. "What animal says, 'meow'?" They didn't know. I realize that I am working with at risk kids and second language kids and low income kids. The kids ARE 6 years old. I know farm animals might be difficult to find in Las Vegas, but not in books or even on TV. How are these kids getting to be 6 years old, in Kindergarten, and being unfamiliar with animal sounds? This one can NOT be blamed on the public school system. Sorry folks. It's the parents. Later this summer there will be an article in the newspaper ranking schools. By using test scores the government "grades" schools.
We would NEVER be allowed to publish an article that stated:
Mr and Mrs Jane Doe are 'inadequate parents" because they bring their children tardy to school 50 days of the year, keep them home 35 days, don't make the children complete homework or provide them with books to read. Mr and Mrs Doe didn't teach their child that the child even had a last name, much less how to identify or write or orally spell their first name. The Doe family did not ever identify shapes or basic colors or count objects or sing the "Now I know my ABC song". The government will now take over. These parents will now be told exactly what to do with their children and they will be monitored to be sure that the measures in place actually happen because we don't want any children left behind. That's what the newspaper SHOULD print-but it would be defamation of character. However, that's what happens to schools. Schools where teachers tutor in their spare time, provide children with resources from their own pocket, and get more education in their personal time. Schools where teachers aren't even allowed to require that parents provide their own child with a pencil, backpack, or paper. Schools can be ineffective. Teachers can be less than the best. But just because a few soldiers in Iraq rape a 14 year old Iraqi and kill her entire family doesn't make all soldiers evil and power hungry and killers.
I am actually not COMPLETELY opposed to "No Child Left Behind" or being accountable for my job performance (especially if that was what was actually being judged). But nobody judges or blames the Red Cross for the war in Iraq and the progress there. That's exactly what the schools are a "helping organization" educating ALL the citizens (we are one of the few countries in the world that do that, by the way). Somewhere along the way, parents need to be held accountable- even it only required them to have their child ready for Kindergarten when they start: animals sounds, a child's name, basic shapes, colors, counting.....I don't think that's asking too much.
Today I was reading a book to the children at school entitled _Who Wakes Rooster?_ Its a cause and effect book where all the animals are still sleeping because the animal who usually wakes each animal up is still sleeping. In the end, the rooster did not wake up because the sun was behind the clouds. Each page says something like this, "Joe didn't wake up because Nellie didn't neigh." I was asking the kids to predict what animal was coming next (there weren't any pictures that showed the next animal only the animal sound mentioned in the text). The kids were doing badly so I started be more specific, "What animal makes a sound like 'neigh'?" They didn't know. "What animal says, 'meow'?" They didn't know. I realize that I am working with at risk kids and second language kids and low income kids. The kids ARE 6 years old. I know farm animals might be difficult to find in Las Vegas, but not in books or even on TV. How are these kids getting to be 6 years old, in Kindergarten, and being unfamiliar with animal sounds? This one can NOT be blamed on the public school system. Sorry folks. It's the parents. Later this summer there will be an article in the newspaper ranking schools. By using test scores the government "grades" schools.
We would NEVER be allowed to publish an article that stated:
Mr and Mrs Jane Doe are 'inadequate parents" because they bring their children tardy to school 50 days of the year, keep them home 35 days, don't make the children complete homework or provide them with books to read. Mr and Mrs Doe didn't teach their child that the child even had a last name, much less how to identify or write or orally spell their first name. The Doe family did not ever identify shapes or basic colors or count objects or sing the "Now I know my ABC song". The government will now take over. These parents will now be told exactly what to do with their children and they will be monitored to be sure that the measures in place actually happen because we don't want any children left behind. That's what the newspaper SHOULD print-but it would be defamation of character. However, that's what happens to schools. Schools where teachers tutor in their spare time, provide children with resources from their own pocket, and get more education in their personal time. Schools where teachers aren't even allowed to require that parents provide their own child with a pencil, backpack, or paper. Schools can be ineffective. Teachers can be less than the best. But just because a few soldiers in Iraq rape a 14 year old Iraqi and kill her entire family doesn't make all soldiers evil and power hungry and killers.
I am actually not COMPLETELY opposed to "No Child Left Behind" or being accountable for my job performance (especially if that was what was actually being judged). But nobody judges or blames the Red Cross for the war in Iraq and the progress there. That's exactly what the schools are a "helping organization" educating ALL the citizens (we are one of the few countries in the world that do that, by the way). Somewhere along the way, parents need to be held accountable- even it only required them to have their child ready for Kindergarten when they start: animals sounds, a child's name, basic shapes, colors, counting.....I don't think that's asking too much.
1 Comments:
At 12:27 PM,
Sherry said…
I hear you. Here in California there are laws trying to be passed to make Pre-K mandatory. But is this really going to make parents realize that they are responsible for actually raising the children they choose to have? I think not. It only presents more probelms and finger pointing. In my opinion, parents who choose to use the public school systems should be required to voulunteer a certain number of hours so that they are working with teachers instead of against. Parents would get a taste of a teacher's world, the teacher would get a better understanding of where the child comes from. I feel Parents should be required to provide certain materials, or the government should provide them. Making the teacher pay for them is rediculous and they don't get paid enough for that.
The blame can be placed in all directions, but blame won't solve anything.Action will.
Parent's need to be reminded that with having children brings responsibility. I also feel single parent's should have a harder time becoming singel depending on the cercumstances. But that's a comment for another time.
Basically, in Vegas you have non-English speaking parents, and single parents trying to have their children raised by their teachers and/or peers and that doesn't work unless you have teachers like Susie, you, or my sister-in-law (and many others I am sure)who go above and beyond the call of duty to try and help these kids have some kind of a future.
Just my two cents.
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