My kids are two semesters into public school. They are in a reasonably good school system, with seasoned teachers who they've identified with, and a fair curriculum. I'm pleased with the school, pleased with how much they have enjoyed it (which isn't over the top enthusiasm, but general happiness), and have very little to complain about unless I try very hard. They have gotten easy straight A's and are on the honor roll and have gotten citizenship awards and etc.
My little, nagging problem: even a fair public school curriculum is nothing compared to a classical home school curriculum.
First, the kids have said they aren't learning history and geography. They essentially are not, compared to what they were doing. My mother in law, who has taught in private and public schools for a long time says that after 4th grade they will get into more. I don't see why they should wait...but I know why. The school is required and forced by state and federal regulation to teach to the middle. That's another gripe that I can't offer a solution to. They have social studies and map skills (read: neighborhood maps) instead of history and world geography. What they have learned about history this year has been- and even this was presented so basically and quickly they haven't really sunk into it- America is the City on the Hill and the jungle is over there. We were teaching them ancient history, moving towards medieval history, and had planned to begin modern history in the next school year. Of course, our idea of teaching history is far different than the elementary school they are attending. A few times I have liked a lesson they were taught, but it was touched upon too briefly.
Science is the other complaint my dear ones have had. They don't do science experiments. They have no hands on science. I know asking for this in an elementary school is probably reaching, because they have no funding for it, but why isn't it possible?? They have had a few "science projects" like research a jungle animal (public schools love the rain forest!) and my daughter had a cute field trip to collect tree leaf and needle samples and label them. Zachary, who is 9 tomorrow, mentioned that in the first two semesters of home school he had made a volcano, put together a skeleton and labeled the bones, constructed the organs of the human body and had a basic understanding of their function, experimented with floating, batteries, other forms of making electricity, conduction, condensation, etc. We did an experiment every week, he pointed out. "And they were simple, easy stuff to do. Not expensive," he noted. Good point, kiddo.
Their reading and mathematics is basic. They are reading several grades above but I must still push them to read everything. The literature encouraged by observing their peers is junk. I told them they are not allowed to bring home from the library Disney or Barbie or any such stupid book based on a movie or television program. What poor reading! Thankfully, the library has a lot of books and they have chosen well. I am not disappointed in what they're reading after we got what real literature is straightened out.
They must conform to state guidelines to enter into accelerated classes. There is a limited number of spaces for the accelerated classes, and they only go once a week. So my children must wait to take the test the school gives, since they can't take test scores that another institution gave. My children took the Stanford 10 each year but their fantastic scores there are of no consequence. Next year, after their TCAP (the state test) scores are assessed, they could possibly be placed in the accelerated class, bearing that there is room and that they test ABOVE 95%. This is the not the gifted/talented class I remember from my elementary years.
All of this is NOT to say that their school is bad. For what they have to work with, it's a nice school. What they have to work with is the problem. NCLB is a crapshoot, ladies and gentlemen. Terror of racial predjudice that removes gifted/talented and requires a certain amount of children of each skin color, and removes classes to help underachieving students, is ridiculous in this day and age. We're not helping anybody out by lowering standards and dropping funding for "extras" which were once essentials.
I am taking 15+ credit hours a semester for college to get through my undergrads quickly. I am pregnant with our fifth child, and now I am asking God and myself and my husband and my children:
What should we do about education next year?
God help us and be with us.
2 comments:
AMEN! Our story is a little bit different in that our kids are in private school and have never been home schooled. However, we are frustrated daily that they do not have ANY programs what-so-ever for the advanced student. None. I have a 2nd grader reading at 5th grade level right now, with no one to credit but the child himself and his love of reading. No amount of discussion with the teachers/school along the way has done any good.
They continue to lower the bar. I don't even believe that they teach to the middle. They lower the bar to the level of the lowest performing student. Somewhere along they line they got the idea that it wasn't good for children to live in the real world, experience success/failure or even just be average. They clearly have no idea the harm they are doing by not challenging our children to their fullest potential. I hope they are prepared for a world full of mediocre performers where all progress on advancements in science, medicine and everything else that keeps the human race in existence is driven by the star performers in their field.
I absolutely am with you on the atrocity that is a world of mediocre performers. Especially when your child is stuck choosing just barely scraping by education wise. Not only have we disallowed the intelligent to achieve to the skies, we've taken away the ability for the needy to achieve average, and left those who even need more help dead in the water. No child left behind, no child taught to strive.
Thanks for reading.
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