Dr. E.D. Hirsch,
I understand that your basic message is that there is a certain content matter that all students need to acquire uniformly, along with an “objective measurement” indicating whether or not the child has mastered the necessary skills. Realistically speaking, this is precisely the problem in many of the schools in America.
Within multiple schools across the nation, particularly failing schools, teachers are required to “teach to the test” instead of teaching their children lifelong skills through the mandated curriculum. Let’s face it; this is a disservice to the children. Whether or not our children can effectively write a persuasive or speculative essay, will not solidify their position in society. While I agree that standardized tests measure the basic skills that our children should have acquired at a certain point and time within their educational careers, an objective test does not measure whether or not the student will be a successful, productive citizen.
There also seems to be a false assumption that teachers and children can do whatever they want within the classrooms. While this theory would be wonderful it is only a wish. Many schools, particularly schools within Abbott-School districts, have to provide various types of data and measurements indicating the strengths and weaknesses of the child upon entering the classroom and again at the end of the year. This puts extreme pressure not only on the student but the instructor as well. With this said, the student nor the teacher are privy to do whatever they please to within the classroom. Schools are held accountable for failures. The students in New Jersey suffer by risking the chance of graduating and the instructors suffer from the stigmatisms associated with “failing schools.”
I believe children should be treated as individuals. Not all children are on the same level. The skills a 5th grader may have acquired in Millburn may not be the skills a 5th grader may have obtained in Irvington. Even more so, different schools within the same schools district may produce children on various types of levels.
Take the time out to look at the need of the child. Once this is done everything else will fall into place.
Ms. R. Covington
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5 comments:
Hi Regina- I believe that we are a nation with a "Teach to the test" mentality. I understand why because ultimately we need our schools to pass the state mandates, but I just think it is a shame that we don't have any other criteria to assess. Why not give an assessment on citizenship or have the students pass an interview of some sort to make sure they are effective communicators.
Dear Regina,
I am no stranger to criticism, yet I can admittedly appreciate your reference to Abbott school districts. In my future studies, it would be interesting to include these districts and to examine the curriculum being used.
Perhaps mainstream districts could stand to learn valuable lessons from the ways in which Abbott schools operate. (And, of course, I would be delighted to take credit for such a finding.)
Best regards,
E.D. Hirsch
You mention the idea of grades. Maybe we need to get rid of the notion of grades and a student's progress should be measured by how much they already know. Students who don't know the curriculum will go slower or stay back while the other students can go ahead to the rest of it. Students could complete my curriculum early or take a couple of extra years. This way all students are understanding and learning the basic knowledge they need for the world.
Regina,
We measure success by testing. If we allow all of our students to be "individuals" and learn all different types of information we will only be preventing our students from success. Other countries go to school for 11 months a year. In our schools we are only there for 180 days. Therefore, we need to use a drill and kill method to gain all of the knowledge that we need. In an ideal world we'd be able to learn and explore the material we are covering. Everyone would grow mentally, physically and emotionally. However, we teach and schools and we know that doesn't place.
ED Hirsch
While I agree that there is a false preconception that teachers and students can do whatever they want within a classroom, i also feel that some teacher, particularly tenured ones, who are not worried about losing their job fail to continue to become a better teacher. With that being said, time is spent with adminstration working on the new teachers understand the system and adjusting to becoming a teacher. I believe that teachers need constant attention from supervisors, and supervisors need even more attention from administration to ensure that we are constantly changing the way we teach and getting the point across to the students.
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