Glass House

I also would like the School Board and the Superintendent to take timed multiplication tests, but they should use their non-dominant hand so that they have to rely on fine motor skills as well as their ability to regurgitate their multiplication facts. In fact, I think that everyone who reads this should use their non-dominant hand to take this timed test. Then go talk to your fourth grade teacher.

Hello, Laurie Feldman:
I just happened upon your blog while perusing the E-R and felt compassionate enough to actually respond. First of all, you sound like a terrific Mom! I am a substitute teacher in san jose, CA. I just finished a long-term assignment with a wonderful 5th grade class. Laurie, I am appalled at how impersonal our public school system is, when one gets right down to it. I had the privilege of getting to know each one of "my" 31 students, each one with very particular needs and capabilities. The school day is flooded with so much formatted data. I tried to make it fun and personal and relevant but we always run out of time, and besides there's such a 'routine' we must adhere to. Right now I'm feeling rather sad about what's going on in the classroom. Each student is such an individual with individual needs and they seem to be getting all lumped together in the name of a, dare I say it?, state-mandated curriculum. You don't sound like a person who just wants to 'vent' or complain, and neither am I, but maybe it helps a little to attempt to voice our concerns. You know, I can just picture you at the table with your Child, doing times table drills and then talking about fascinating aspects of math, as well as working on the other subjects. In my experience, all children - even in your Child's class - don't have that. So many reasons. I'd ask some of these students "who do you go to when you need help with a, say, math problem?" knowing their Parents speak Spanish or Vietnamese only, and the student invariably would look at me and shrug and say something like "no where, I just try to do it and sometimes I can't". I'm just appalled by this horrible injustice to our Children who are already on their own in 5th grade. I'm not trying to say, "oh, look how lucky your Child is, having you to support him/her", I'm just trying to come to grips with a similar issue as you, dealing with a system that doesn't seem to have any interest in changing, even though our students would benefit so greatly, so immensely. It's a dilemma.
Sorry to go off on a tangent, but you struck a chord in me. I hope somehow someone at your school gets some insight into how extraordinary these young people are, and if I've totally missed your point, I am so sorry!

Thanks for your wonderful comment! I couldn't agree more. It does seem like our educational system is missing the boat. -Laurie

Hi Laurie,

Boy, are we with you. We still think the best alternative to public school and the standards is private Montessori education which we are fortuanate to have right here in Chico!

Public schools are in a horrid spot, with the STARS tests guiding education, even in the alternative charter schools settings. The state continues to cut education and then school districts and Dept of Education continue to find ways to reduce spending...and it hurts us all.

If children must fit into a cookie cutter of math and reading and little else, that's all we will end up with. We also need ethical, creative, active, outside-the-box thinkers. For those kids who don't fit into the box, I sincerely hope they can survive public school with their confidence still in tact and still enough love of learning left to explore...

--Rae

Yes, it is worrisome that public schools seem to actively extinguish so much creativity in children. Even though music, theater, film-making, etc. is valued by the public enough to pay actors, directors, producers and rock stars millions of dollars there is no place for them to learn any of these skills at school. I have to say, though, I tried Montessori with one of my children and they, too, seemed to want children to fit into THEIR little box. I don't know.... -Laurie

Our schools are not kid-centered. They are middle-age-fussbudget-centered. Until that changes, there will be much energy wasted on frustration and resentment.

This is not an academic discipline issue. While there are some items of discipline that I am glad were emphasized when I was in school, mostly arithmetic and language skills, it is only accidental that they were taught by rote memorization. These are skills that can also be acquired in a workshop setting.

School systems need to lighten up and become more playful. They could be helping lift us out of the modern world's crabby fixation with accountability and into the spontaneously responsible, positive, and creative lives that we now know to be possible.

Right on! -Laurie