Hello„„I’m a parent looking for the opinon of teachers.
After much reading on the NCLB laws and such, combined with what I see in the classroom and what the teachers relay to me….
Do you think that LD kids are kinda set up to “fail”? therefore, districts and teachers are pentalized.
IE: My daughter is in Itinerant Learning Support…basically Inclusion maxed, as I see it. The SS book the teachers are expected to teach from is on a 6th grade level to begin with, due to state regs..so my daughter who is to be in Reg ed. classroom for SS already is at a major disadvantage…now, these teachers are suppose to expect a child with the Verbal comprehension of a 2.7 ge to comprehend and learn from 6th grade text???????
In my opinion..this is a set up for failure for LD students/non-ld students and the teachers..no?????
Fortunately„my daughter has GREAT teachers and this issue is being addressed…but still…isn’t this kinda “dumb”?(for a lack of better words)
thoughts?
Binky
Forgot to add that our daughter is in 4th grade.
Re: Are some standards TOO HIGH?????
Hmmmm, I never knew how the standards came about.
I would love to see these folks try to teach these kids this stuff!!! And see thier reactions if they walked into a inclussive classroom and…
1. See how the teacher struggles to keep the childrens attention, as Social Studies is basically a subject that is given Verbally.
2. Have them watch the kids “blank” looks as they try to digest stuff that is for some, completely over thier heads (LD kids), for some close to thier level but the kids could give a hoot (non-LD kids), and for the some kids that have a hard time “sitting still”, squirming all over the place, figgitting, and playing with thier pencils and what not.
I’ll tell ya what, the more time I spend in the classroom and have conversations with teachers….I think instead of parents getting Angry at Teachers and Administration when are child is having difficulties and the teachers are doing all they can…maybe a better step is addressing the Standards!!!! and WHO SETS THEM!!!!!!!(I know this would be EXTREMELY difficult to do..but is worth re-examining, In my opinion.)
In all honestly„I feel for the teachers that are expected, in some cases, to perform a Miracle!!!!
I’m trying to get both sides of the story…
Thanks for taking the time to give me your thoughts and insight on Standards.
Binky
Re: Are some standards TOO HIGH?????
Sara’s right, standards are basically political. They allow politicians to say “WE HAVE HIGH STANDARDS.” And, unfortunately, since that’s wehre they’re coming from, it’s more important to be able to *say* “we have high standards” and point to impressive ones than to work things into the budget that would make achieving *appropriate* standards possible for more students.
I was on a swim team once and we would have 5000 yard workouts. The fact that nobody actually *swam* the workout — it was impossible, so swimmers chopped off the yardage here and there — didn’t matter; a few people wanted to be able tos ay “we did a 5000 yard workout”
It makes me want to gag when students have to sit through testing that’s utterly inappropriate and ‘way above their level … but no, we have to all have the same standards.
Re: Are some standards TOO HIGH?????
Oops… the cat made me hit submit… to finish…
… unfortunately “standards” are not the same thing as “expectations.” It’s not that studetns are seriuosly expected to *meet* the standards. Just to admire them from afar (and yes, it’s rather corrosive to the self-image.0
Re: Are some standards TOO HIGH?????
LOL sue„,I have a cat too„,when they want attentention they get right up in your face..do they not?????…LOL
Thanks to you as well, for responding to the post.
Like I’ve said over and over„„I advocate for my daughter 100%…but more and more, witnessing what I do and what the teachers tell me (which I never will reveal my “sources”) I am dumb founded how our children are manipulated!!!! It makes me sooo angry!!!!!
Yes„my duaghter is LD…she is 2yrs behind in most Reading and Math..according to the “standards” that are set. If the standards were not 2 grades higher , she would be right on course. Know what I mean? Just knowing this fact is kinda a relief…but I know when it comes to graduation where she is and where she should be WILL BE WHAT MATTERS!!!
I welcome more thoughts on this.
I’m thinking about approaching adminstration in our SD to get thier insite and hopefully any impending legislation that I can put my 2 cents in.
I’m starting to feel the need to advocate for Education in General…as well as my daughter….totally overwhelming!!!! but Worth It!!! I feel.
Please keep the thoughts comming….It’s so helpful for me to know the “other side” of things…It also helps to keep things in perspective.
Take Care and God Bless,
Binky
The standards movement was our country’s response to the public’s dissatisfaction with public schools. Or some politician’s dissatisfaction with public schools. And I’m not a fan of it.
Writing guidelines would be one thing. Writing standards is like creating a single hoop and then trying to get everyone to jump through it at the same time.
I also think too many of the standards were written by people who do not teach children. The history standards were written by college professors who never taught children - they know history but not children or how children learn. People like to say standards can’t be too high but of course they can. We can set standards beyond what children can actually do and then they’re not realistic standards, they’re pie in the sky.