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Divide between parents and teachers [Archive] - MysticWicks Online Pagan Community and Spiritual Sanctuary

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pawnman
February 12th, 2006, 11:48 AM
http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/02/10/parents.vs.teachers.ap/index.html

One passage caught my attention in particular:

On testing, the poll found teachers are much more likely than parents to say standardized exams get too much emphasis. Yet most parents and teachers agree testing has weakened the ability of educators to give individual attention to students.

Dottie Hungerford is one of those parents.

"I don't see where the testing is going to come in handy for 90 percent of students down the line," said Hungerford, a truck loader from Syracuse, New York. "For science-minded kids taking English tests, I don't think they care where the period goes when you are up in space."

Speaking of English, teachers cite it as the one subject students should study more in school. Parents disagree, but not by much. They put English second, behind math.



No, they may not care up in space. But if your kid wants to get into space, he or she will need a well-written proposal to get a space on the shuttle in the first place.

Ceres
February 12th, 2006, 11:59 AM
Thats very true. However, English skills are easiest learned through reading a LOT. Its very hard to teach kids how to form sentences or punctuate them if they are not readers seeing these things in context. How do we engage kids in reading? We do it by introducing reading material that strikes a chord and has real meaning for THEM, personally. Guess what sort of reading material will engage kids interested in being an astronaut? :lol: Helping kids follow their interests teaches so much more than the subject at hand! I really hate how schools seperate subjects in this manner - as though you ever could!

Calen
February 14th, 2006, 06:27 AM
I definitely value excellent English skills over the ability to do complex math. Not saying that math isn't very useful and important in some circumstances and for some people (although I avoid it when I can), but absolutely everyone needs a good command of the language they speak, and for a lot of people, that's English. Whatever you are doing, if it involves either spoken or written words, you need English.

Also, I am sure Ms. Hungerford was just trying to give an example, but I would feel very uncomfortable having anyone who didn't know where the period goes tooling around in space.

pawnman
February 14th, 2006, 07:48 AM
I definitely value excellent English skills over the ability to do complex math. Not saying that math isn't very useful and important in some circumstances and for some people (although I avoid it when I can), but absolutely everyone needs a good command of the language they speak, and for a lot of people, that's English. Whatever you are doing, if it involves either spoken or written words, you need English.

Also, I am sure Ms. Hungerford was just trying to give an example, but I would feel very uncomfortable having anyone who didn't know where the period goes tooling around in space.

I sure wish some people on the internet took an interest in English skills...it's painful to read some people's posts.