K-9 plus vocational schools would be better.
Yes, these stories are very scary.
A good friend characterizes the current K-12 schools as “failure factories” that turn out students who cannot adequately read, are ignorant of science and history and have no exposure to music or the arts. We both attended a small town public school in tbe 1950s and 1960s where were taught to read with phonics and participated in band starting in fourth grade. Nearly all of our classmates were either in vocal music or band. Despite some shortcomings we
both agree we got a pretty good education which was far superior to what passes for K-12 today.
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Looks like the only successful kids graduating from public schools were homeschooled by their parents on the side.
Any success is despite public education, not because of it.
“A kindergarten teacher complained that my child’s excellent reading ability was age-inappropriate and it was HER job to teach, not mine. My child was ahead of the class, and the teacher said this made her job harder.” Lorilu”
Happened a few times with my kids too. I simply used PHONICS and nothing else to teach them to read, when they were 3 years old. Needless to say they were years ahead of their grade level, and went on to great careers (also having them 6 years ahead in math didn’t hurt either).
But yes, teachers DO NOT appreciate parents educating their kids. In my case, it was Christian schools, but still this ‘problem’ with my children popped up now and again.
But, thankfully, those days are over...that is, until they have kids!
““Can’t have him getting ahead. That would be unfair to the lazy students. I remember my daughter having equations with two unknowns in math. They were teaching some bizarre method of guessing at the answers and adjusting based on how far off the answers came. I taught her how to solve simultaneous equations and get the answer directly. She thought it was much easier than the goofiness they taught. The teacher wouldn’t let her use the proper method, because it wasn’t in her book.” Mannie”
OBVIOUSLY make sure your kids are taught the PROPER way to do problems like these. In this Common Core example, it’s probably best that the kid know the stupid way (otherwise no credit), but then be sure to check the answer the proper way.
““As others have commented, my wife and I had to save our son in second grade from his teacher who had a PhD in Reading. With phonics in hand we were soon reading The Hobbit together. All parents have to make sure their children can read BEFORE they go to any school.” Star Tripper “
This is ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL. If you teach your kids the CORRECT method of reading, which, of course, is PHONICS, which, of course, our schools refuse to teach - then they’ll be great readers, for life - and there is not a damn thing that the schools can do to ‘unteach’ that capability. The schools are simply OUT OF LUCK, your child will not be dumbed down - but, of course, the others still will be.
“My daughter innocently told her government owned teacher that ‘you people are just trying to hold me back.’ I was called into the school to discuss the incident.”
Thought I was making it up when I questioned the motives of the schools - in this case EVEN A KINDERGARTENER knew she was being screwed by her school. My dream is that PARENTS can finally figure out the same...but they don’t seem to give a damn.
” I never bothered trying to educate ‘educators,’ because I was just a HS grad. But I did ensure that my children were taught, by me, the things that would help them become functioning adults.””
It wouldn’t matter if you had a PhD. You, as a parent are DESPISED by public school teachers - particularly those who educated their children before the teachers could get their hands on them. Sure, they’ll smile at you at parent/teach ‘conferences’, because they have no choice, but put a few drinks into them and ask them what they REALLY think of parents, and you’ll get the real answer.
The mistake these parents are making is in sending their children to pubic screwls in the first place. It is a waste of time or worse, it does damage.
Public education is a fraud on the taxpayers made possible in part by curved test scores.
bookmark
K-12 is a mess, it’s a teacher’s pay factory thanks to the unions. Educating kids? Well that’s not the priority.
Scholl reform should be a top national priority. I just hope that Trump talks this in year 5 and on. It’s definitely a 2nd term issue as parents and teachers will freak out. Teacher’s because their gravy train will disappear, parents because of the fear of the unknown - a better education for their kids.
Vouchers, merit pay, choice, charter schools have proven to slow. I’d start with making tuition to a private school tax deductible on your Federal taxes.