reply to post by boymonkey74
They're dumbing down education in the U.S.. I've been a high school teacher in the U.S. for over 20 years. I can tell you from my experience,
people who are making decisions about the direction of education in America have never been in the profession, nor have they ever stepped foot in the
classroom to observe the increase of student apathy toward learning. Since the early nineties, I and many other colleagues in the profession, have
noticed a generation of children who have an inability to follow simple verbal directives, engage in simple problem solving, lack the skills to do 4th
grade math (without a calculator), and construct a simple sentence or write a one page essay without plagiarizing. A majority of them don't study,
they don't take notes, and their attention span is non-existent. They can't keep from pulling out their cell phones or playing video games when they
should be working on their class assignments.
They also have no understanding of basic morals or scruples, and don't think of the consequences of their actions. They're extremely
disrespectful, they can't speak without dropping the f-bomb in a casual conversation, they feel like they're entitled and want respect, but they don't
respect anyone, their parents, teachers or other people in authority.
As teachers we've been directed to give students smaller and shorter tests, allow students to re-take tests, and give them more time to turn in
their assignments (whenever they get it done, accept it). School administrators have made it clear that grading based on competence is no longer
important. Failing a student based upon incompetence, is no longer acceptable. It comes down to numbers and we sure don't want our school to show a
high number of failure rates! It's all political and how the establishment can alter the numbers to show progress, than doing what is needed to
correct the educational system. The political system is holding teachers accountable for the improvement of standardized tests. The basic problem
with that idea can be summed up with this simple phrase, "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." You can supply all the fun
activities and motivation to make learning fun, but if the student doesn't care to participate, he simply won't.
I wore a lot of hats in my day before becoming a teacher. I was appalled by the lack of motivation, poor behavior consequences, poor work
ethics, and the incompetence of students. I was also appalled by the political system and lack of class room experience that drives the education
system. Most professional executive boards are made up of professionals who are educated and worked in the field. How can anyone believe a school
board made up of people who have never taught in a classroom, can render decisions that will affect the classroom environment in a positive and
constructive manner? Would you want a janitor or construction worker be on the board of a hospital that is deciding your health care procedures?
Please don't get me wrong, there are some intelligent and respectful kids out there, except they are few and far between. The high school
environment has changed drastically, and teachers are fighting a daily battle for just the attention of their students. What's amazing to me, this
generation has computers in many of their classrooms, mine included. Doing research on a paper is much more easier now using Google, instead of using
a set of encyclopedias, dictionaries and a Thesaurus. Revising a paper has never been easier, hit a delete key and an entire paragraph is deleted!
Teachers use white boards, power points demonstrations, video documentaries, educational video games and hands-on learning, yet students can still be
bored, lazy and apathetic.
It's easy to blame teachers (and yes there are some teachers who shouldn't be teaching, which I also think should be addressed). The real problem
is making students accountable for their education. They simply lack consequences and the political system is ignoring that basic fact. The other
problem is that students should be tested for the basics every three years. There isn't any reason why a student should reach the high school level
if they can't do simple math, (some have failed math 3 or 4 years), write a simple essay, follow basic directions, and understand and practice the
meaning of responsibility and respect.
Politicians will spend trillions of dollars on high tech weapons, yet will attack and reduce funding of education without blinking an eye.
Education and knowledge is what makes a country strong. It's that old saying "American know how" that made America strong and a leader around the
world. Without a strong education, you will lose your leadership and strength. You can possess all the high tech military equipment, but if you
don't have enough people competent enough to use it, it's worthless. Education is the heart of everything, and until our incompetent political
leaders understand that, the American education system will continue to decline and lead to America's demise.
edit on 23-11-2013 by WeRpeons because: (no reason given)