Posted on 03/25/2006 7:50:14 PM PST by mathprof
Well, that is true, but this is sortof like forcing thirteen year olds to do something against their will. They will find a way of screwing the students to prove they were right all along. Count on it.
Well, it's nuts, if you think about it. I am a former grade school kid. (Yes, there was such a thing back then.) We were in school Monday thru Friday. School began at 8:30am, ended at 3:00pm, with an hour for lunch and recess. There was also a 30 minute recess (or gym on bad weather days) mid morning. That means we were in class for five hours (give or take) every day. In that five hours, we learned math, reading and english, geography, science, history, and some other stuff. It's NOT tough! What's the problem?
Why would they need to trim other subjects? Reading is a part of all subjects! I am glad they won't have time for their PC indoctrination as well, but I'm sure those classes are the last to go. Music, Art, History will all be cut first.
Science and history should be taught with reading. There is nothing here about trimming the junk. It sounds like they want to give up two very important subjects to keep the projects. I really feel sorry for our kids. They have learned what they have been taught Now schools are under the gun and plan to "hit the books" Cramming for tests is hard. Look for longer days and longer years.
I agree with you. The core function of schools is to instill basic literacy. If this core function is not accomplished, then the students are handicapped when trying to learn other subjects. If they can't read or do basic math, all the other subjects esentially cannot be taught. The students would not have the skills to learn other subjects.
At my kids school, they aren't getting any science or history and geography.
I'm thinking of homeschooling them because of the lack of science and history and geography.
It is. There's no science or history.
The problem is when the kids can read and write and do math, and they still don't get science and history.
Yep. They can also read science books, and do reports on sciece and history related topics. However, it seems that the schools cannot incorporate these things together.
when "history" class is about how very bad that Christopher Columbus was, bringing disease to the peace-loving natives of North Amrica, or about those evil white guys who founded the United States ?
Bingo! You are so right on the mark. It is always their game plan. When they want higher/more taxes, suddenly the only things that will be cut are essential services. For example, when Hillsborough county (Tampa) wanted additional sales tax to build a stadium for the Bucs, they tied it to a sales tax for ambulance service. Then when they pushed for it, the only way you could vote against the stadium tax was to vote against ambulance service. Same playbook.
"If you cannot do the basic three R's, offering science, social studies and other courses are not going to help you"
Needs repeating again and again until it is finally acknowledged and understood.
Schools focus on math & reading?
What a concept!
Yes, out here in California they cut funding for law enforcement, fire services, parks and libraries. Schools shut down band and sports until folks nearly rioted. Even now they scrape by to keep those concerns open.
Used to be you could visit local parks for free. Today you have to spend $7.50 to $15.00 to vist one exhibit in one park. Of to the next exhibit and another $7.50 to $15.00.
Honestly, our public officials... well, nevermind. You know where I'm headed.
They can overlap, but science should involve observation and hands-on experimentation. History should be made as alive as possible, not limited to only that which can be put on the pages of a book.
Some kids learn by reading, others by doing. Sometimes reading is a bridge to history. Sometimes studying artifacts is a bridge to reading. Find what works for a kid and use it.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to education. I would hope the methods for teaching science to a second grader differ from the methods for teaching it to a tenth grader.
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