I think there are major steps that are ought to be taken for the improvement of US education.
The national results in international comparisons have often been far below the average of developed countries. In OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment 2003, 15 year olds ranked 24th of 38 in mathematics, 19th of 38 in science, 12th of 38 in reading, and 26th of 38 in problem solving.[75] In the 2006 assessment, the U.S. ranked 35th out of 57 in mathematics and 29th out of 57 in science. Reading scores could not be reported due to printing errors in the instructions of the U.S. test booklets. U.S. scores were far behind those of most other developed nations.[76] . Bill Gates believes that the American high school is "obsolete"
Thats some statistics for you. I can feel the ineffectiveness myself, being a student.
I can honestly say that I don't learn shit! Maybe some things in math, but forget next year. Were given kiddy assignments to do just for the sake of having enough total points. Your in 8th grade and they ask you to fill in a map. In 9th grade, you have to make a soundtrack that relates to some dam fiction book no one cares about. The A graders seem to be the ones that obey unquestioningly.
Where do teachers get their ineffective methods anyway?
In some classes, I feel I know more then my teacher. Maybe this is bad luck but my biology teacher hardly knows what his talking about and I can catch him give the wrong answers..
Schools need to introduce freedom of thought. Let students become interested in something and provide them the resources for them to learn in that category. I highly advocate magnet schools
What's the point of learning about the Romans in 5th grade? There is no interest for it and it's never going to be used!
I never understood this.
Give a bad writer 1000 essays to write and all 1000 will turn out bad.
I've noticed that some teachers actually attempt to improve the student's understanding of the subject, rather than just fill their head with things they 'should do', but really can't understand the concept on how or when to do it.
AP World History we were debating whether the French Revolution was worth the toll in blood, and when I jokingly made the esoteric arguments "rights are evil," I was more or less shut up, becuase no one liked hearing that, even though it was a joke.
Really? In my World History class you would've been praised, not by me, I wouldn't be paying attention, I learn my History from other, more interesting sources than a dull-worded book written years ago for students twice my parents' ages o_O
I don't understand the way schools are structured. Sure, I learn a bit and am 'smart' by getting good grades and knowing the things we are told to know, but really, I'm not very bright at other, more important things, well in my opinion they're important because I'd like to know about them, like Economics(It's something I'm randomly interested in yet we have no class for it at all), and such, because I'm stuck learning how to write my ABCs, just like I was way back in 1st grade =D Yay, I learned about Nouns and Verbs today!!! Again. ... Okay no srsly, does English class ever change??? I mean when can we write about something interesting other than a book we've never heard of and are never going to read again, assuming you read it and didn't ask your higher grade friend what's it's about lol. Oh sorry, I forgot our yearly vocabulary is a different set of 500 words, that we're never going to be able to remember past the that test at the end of the week, than last year...
I <3 English, getting a wonderful A+ for 5 years now!
? Lol I don't believe I madea single grammar or spelling mistake.
Do you know what an apostrophe is?
Literature is suppose to be a free expression of self. Its not suppose to follow strict grammar and there certainly isn't suppose to be a "right way" to do an essay. This really renders the English classes as useless, as they do not follow this.
I have words to say here, but this is neither the time nor the place.
What is wrong with "that are ought?, "were given kiddy assignments", "your in 8th grade?"
"that are ought?, "we're given kiddy assignments", "you're in 8th grade?" Because we're is a contraction of we are and 'your' would be possessive. You're is you are. 'As for that are ought', I have no idea what you even mean.
I'm of course saying all of this because I didn't want to disappoint:
Hmm, when Xzeno sees this, he will go "crazy grammar Nazi".
I saw this thread when it was first posted, yet I haven't complained. Well... now I have. But seriously, I am a grammar Nazi, but I try not to complain about it much, mostly because if people cared they wouldn't need my corrections.
On the topic at hand, I find homeschooling a much better alternative. Other than that... independent research?
That's what I am trying to do. I don't often tell my political views, but occasionally one or two slip out. And I tell the students to challenge me if they disagree with something. I tell them not to accept everything as fact.
One time I concluded that Clinton launched the NATO bombings on Yugoslavia just to keep the media off the Lewinsky scandal. A student came in the next day and brought it back up, and we had an amazing discussion in class about it. I never force anyone to accept an opinion, and I never try to have the "last word" to influence the students. I want them to disagree and think critically. That's what social sciences is about. Not memorizing names, dates, and places.
Problem with that though is usually that teachers have a planned schedule for the whole year. They cant get off track even just a bit. And its hard to believe you can accomplish such a thing with such strict guidelines.
I would still be interested to see a school where students are able to pick their classes though. Something like college.
It would really be awesome but the problem is, teenage kids usually don't give a shit.
Problem with that though is usually that teachers have a planned schedule for the whole year. They cant get off track even just a bit. And its hard to believe you can accomplish such a thing with such strict guidelines.
We (teachers) tend to have an outline for each semester. But I know I have moved things around. I came up with an awesome project, so I pushed everything back a couple of days.
Unfortunately, I know what you mean with some teachers. They have a rigid schedule and will not even entertain the idea of doing something different. Sometimes, things need to get done. But I really have no problem with changing things up.
I went to Illinois State University, and they have really tried to change how teachers educate. ISU tends to accept reform or new ideas very quickly. Unfortunately, many other colleges take a long time before they accept different ideas. So it may be a while before there is a radical change in education.
School teaches to the stupid. We need ones that teach to standards, not to retards
Schools teachers everyone, not just the "stupid". There are of course some schools that have lowered their standards because of the mentally disabled, but most schools have special classes for them to be in so that other students can keep learning at an appropriate level.
Still, most public high schools did lower their standards this past year because kids were complaining that the work was too hard and too many failed their classes.
