How to teach kids.

[SoCalDem]

Not necessarily "in order" .


1. Hire teachers & pay them well
2. Provide a decent school building (abandon the mega-school plan)
3. Provide adequate supplies (so the teacher does not have to buy them out of pocket)
4. Count on the fact that the next generation's education is a necessary expense that needs to be borne by all of us.
5. Keep the admin part of schooling to a MINIMUM, and make their pay less....not more..(adequate, but not ridiculously high)
6. Teach....then test..(do NOT teach-to-the-test)
7. Accept the fact that "some" kids will reject learning
8. Offer a broad curriculum that includes the arts for ALL kids. (many may not have even been exposed to art & music until they get to school)
9. Make sure every day has physical activities for kids
10. Feed them "real" food ...not snacks/fast foods/sodas

The "kids" that sent man to the moon, probably had this basic education style presented to them.

We (as a society) keep trying to re-invent education, as other places on earth refine theirs. We are not succeeding.

Wealthy, well-parented kids will probably always do "better" than others, but then this encompasses ALL facets of their lives (unless they kill someone), so we have to use "the norm" as our starting point.

People who set out to become teachers want to teach..they usually like kids and are are quite eager to teach. They need support & decent pay and some semblance of autonomy in the class room...an autonomy that is still rooted in the basics that children have to learn, but that allows for teacher flexibility in the classroom.

Today's teachers have issues that teachers of times-past did not have to contend with, but kids still start out wanting to learn, so there is a window of opportunity to reach all/most kids.

When I was in elementary school, about the worst infraction a kid could commit was chewing gum...or maybe passing a note in class. Times are very different now, but it is possible for other countries to teach their kids, so surely we can come up with a plan that works.

Kids get ONE chance to get a childhood education, and if they miss out, we all pay the price.

[JuniperLea]

1. If we put an end to bussing...

And put all that money into the schools, we'd save money, improve schools, cut down on pollution... and kids would have more time to concentrate on studies (instead of spending so much time on a bus) and a neighborhood school where they could attend extracurricular activities.

[SoCalDem]

2. Small neighborhood schools solve many problems

and were the norm for a very long time

[NoNothing]

4. They also end up much more segregated

It's not a panacea.

[JuniperLea]

9. Neighborhoods in Los Angeles...

Are far more diversified than they were when busing began here. We're seeing that it's not really about race, but about income... and the poor come in all colors. We can always diversify the races of the teachers.

[shraby]

11. I went to a small school. 250 kids K-12 and spent and hour

and a half on the bus every day after school..I was the last one off on the route..worked good in the a.m. cause I was the last one on. I used that time to study and to my next days lessons most times. Bus time hurts no one if they use it to their advantage.
I got home close to dark in the winter.

[Goblinmonger]

3. The model that the "moon kids" used doesn't work any more.

We don't need to refine; we need to completely revamp.

Don't you think it is troubling that the model we use is the same model that was used a century ago. Teachers no longer need to be the font of knowledge for students. If my kids need to know what the Knight's Tale was about, they don't need me; they can find the answer very quickly. The role of teachers is to engage the students in thinking and problem solving and serve as guide through the problems of life. And that is a harder job than the old model.

[SoCalDem]

6. We've been revamping for decades.. with an emphasis on "vamping"

They tried the "open classroom" style.. the team-teaching style..etc.

I know that education evolves and this there are more distractions, but primary education especially, revolves around the basic tools for learning, and "teacher" is still the focal point of a classroom.

At puberty-age, schooling now is WAY more complicated than before, but kids still need to learn how to learn, and a teacher is the best way to guide them, no matter how many new gadgets there are available to kids.

We may no longer go to the library to study, but the teacher-student bond is probably the same at its core, as it was during Aristotle's time:)

[Goblinmonger]

I wouldn't deny that the teacher-student bond is important

It is vitally so.

Why does the teacher need to be the focal point? The teacher can teach children how to learn while still letting the children guide what they are learning about. I'm not saying that instruction goes away completely, but it needs to significantly be reduced. As today's students become adults, they are going to need to know how to do self-directed problem solving. The current model of education does not promote that.

[izquierdista]

10. Because learning without a teacher is harder

The purpose of a teacher is to clear a path so that the student can more easily get to the end -- knowledge. If the student is made to go over the same path with no progress, he may become disinterested, bored, and figure that there is nothing worthwhile at the end of the path. If the path is too steep, the student may not be able to keep up and may give up out of frustration. A good teacher knows how to keep the student progressing on the path, assisting with difficult steps and giving encouragement as milestones are reached.

Some things are impossible without a teacher. Every human that can talk learned to do so from listening to and imitating a teacher. The few cases of feral or horribly neglected children have shown that if a child isn't taught language by a certain age, he may never learn it.

[Goblinmonger]

12. I don't think I ever argued for no teachers.

Certainly wasn't my point. I am a high school teacher so I'm no arguing for my profession to go away.

My point is that too many people, teachers included, think that the whole process centers around the teachers and it doesn't. Sure, in the past, when a student didn't know what something meant the teacher was there to offer the answer and guide them along. Now they can find that answer pretty easily without the teacher. The teacher needs to do different things. Students today do not need the "follow the rules and spit out the information presented to you" model to do the jobs they will have. They need to know how to find answers to problems. They need to know how to research that which they don't know. They need solid critical thinking and analytic skills. THAT is what the teacher needs to do and that can't be done in a model in which the teacher is focus.

[sinkingfeeling]

5. One other big item. Parents must prepare their children for learning. I have a granddaughter that

will turn 5 in May. She is in the custody of her mother. I already know that 'Kay' will not function up to her ability when she begins school. Her mother has failed to attempt to teach her just about anything since her birth. She did not read to the child at all. She did not teach her to color or cut with scissors or paste. Due to Kay spending most of her time with a TV or video, she has not been taught to explore things on her own or to entertain herself. Her mother did not teach her to sit at a table and eat with silverware.

I have limited access to Kay and each time I'm with her, I become more alarmed. Kay was a very happy and bright baby. I was lucky enough to have cared for her for a month when she was 14 months old. Since then, my efforts to counter her behaviors has become very few and far between due to custody battles.

Children need guidance from parents from the very start of their lives. I've read that the first 4 years are the most important to prepare for life.

Sorry, I think I hijacked your thread.

[SoCalDem]

7. Don't apologize.

and don't worry about your grandbaby:hug:.. She will probably surprise you:)

My youngest did not go to preschool & his kindergarten teacher said she LOVED teaching the ones who did NOT go, because they were usually not bored with school by the time she got them:)..and the ones who had been thoroughly "schooled" often were hell-raisers because they "knew it all":)

[TBF]

8. I agree -

I am a non-working mom but have medical issues. So I decided my child was going to go to daycare just like his sister did (I was still working at that point). I wanted him to have the socialization with other kids, the pre-school academics, etc... I was afraid if he stayed home with me he'd spend too much time in doctor's waiting rooms, and I simply can't physically keep up with him as I could have 5 years ago. He's almost 4 now and doing great. But we are lucky to be able to cut back on other things & afford this extra care, I know that I am lucky in this regard.

I'm so sad for the children like your granddaughter who might fall through the cracks - it drives me crazy when they cut Headstart classes and that sort of thing.