hey gregg - you asked alot of questions...let me see if i cant help...
"My 12yr old tells me quite often in school they are allowed to listen to their IPODs in study hall on specific days. I always thought study hall was to either study or sit quietly. This concerns be because he never brings home any homework and doing very well in school, but what about the children that are not doing well, based on the schools recent state ratings. He was also given an assignment to write a rap song by one teacher and during socialogy to learn about other cultures did a paper on J-lo to learn about latin heritage. That left me scratching my head."
as for the Ipods - school rules always supercede class rules, but i personally value and appreciate art, and think that music can be a good way to help some students attain focus.
i wrote every paper in college listening to music. i still listen when i read and write to this day (even as i am typing now.) it helps me focus. so ultimately i do not relate to your concern that allowing students to listen to music on some days in study hall somehow hurts their academic progression...
as you even admit - it does not alter or change your son's performance.
and as for the performance of our schools...remember to not always believe everything you read.
EVERY teacher i have EVER known quickly criticizes our nation's unbalanced dependency upon standardized tests to gauge the "success" of our students.
do some students do poorly in school? yes.
but the education process starts and ends at home. as teachers we do our job to advance their skills and to meet or exceed the standards we are given. if a student says "screw school" and the parents do not care, there is little to nothing i can do to help that student. i can try...but i would be not only arguing with him over the value of his education, but arguing with his families perceived value of education as well.
if a different student has parents who ground him when he brings home a D, and they instill a value for education (as you seem to have with your child) - then the door is open for the teacher to teach.
in other words...you cant teach to an empty room.
so...
as a teacher, i concern myself with the success and growth of EVERY student, but for as a parent, luckily...all you have to be concerned with is your own child...and you seem to be doing a good job so...keep it up.
as for the J LO homework assignment...she is a very successful latino-american woman - in fact one of the wealthiest women in the country.
we may not see eye to eye - but assignments that encourage students to delve into other cultures, or even different aspects (or sub-cultures) of american culture are quality assignments.
writing your own rap song is a neat lesson plan as well. the kids can be creative, must use a certain structure (like poetry) and can apply that in ways that are personal to them. self-reflection and creating a form of music/poetry is one piece of the total construction of those children's minds.
The same source (12yr old) tells me that participation, after dressing, is voluntary in PE. We constantly debate vending machines in schools, the content of school lunches, and the amount of obesity in our children, not to mention how they are addicted to video games and lacking personal interaction skills today. Does anyone know if this is an accurate fact? Is there anyway to make sure he has to participate? I believe a lot of life skills can be learned playing sports. Is this a teacher that doesn't want to deal with an unathletic child or a 12yr feeding me a line of crap?
with this i agree 100%...and it is the sad reality of our school system.
when our budgets are strained we cut music and art first - the fabrics of our culture - and we also cut PE - which is something we need MORE of...or at least maintain a daily physical routine.
the only part i disagree with is the video games and lacking personal interaction part.
i played video games as a kid, and i still played outside EVERY day. i rode my bike, played games with neighborhood kids, and tons of sports.
this comment to me, sounds like your grandparents saying television would rot your brain.
i agree with your grandparents - because video games are better. they may not require physical strength, but they do require social interactions (though not face to face) and they definitely are using their minds.
video games are interactive. they build logic and problem solving skills.
in the past we had stupid grunts who needed physical strength to keep up the pace in a factory setting...
that's not the case anymore. our youth today needs independent problem solving skills and a strong fluency with technology.
i know this is a lengthy rant about video games - but it is a peeve of mine.
interesting fact: violent crime rates have been declining for a long time.
numerous court cases have cited this information when defending themselves from lawsuits of parents who blame violent video games for their child hurting people. it always stand up in court, and these video game companies rarely if ever lose.
My final statement, which I know to be true because my child told told me this twice, attending two different grade schools due to a move, "I asked what days do you have PE?" and he responded "we have it three times a week." I said "Do you have it this week?" and he replied "No, we have it on the weeks the teachers are paid" Nobody in my family works for the school district so I know he didn't get that at home. Why in the world are teachers relating to a child their schedule based on the districts pay schedule? How is that relevant to anything? Seems an odd thing for two different teachers to tell them at two different schools. My conclusion was, Bindy's is busy about 4pm on the Friday's they have PE at Maryville and Frohardt.
i have no clue about this...but i also hated working in granite, havent worked there for years, and would not work there again no matter how much i was paid.
i can say that in the numerous districts i have worked in - in a variety of positions - i have never heard anything like this.
as far as i know - the kids have a routine that has NOTHING to do with the teachers pay dates.
in fact - there are PE TEACHERS!!! who also get paid...so it doesnt make any sense. not sure where your 12 year old heard this, but in this occasion i have to say that your 12 old is wrong.
i have worked elementary and the small breaks you get for PE are a much needed blessing. i have worked PE all other grades and they have a set schedule...
teacher A has PE mon. wed. and fri. - and teacher B has music the same days - and the next week they switch.
gotta think...schools have alot of schedules and students to account for. most schools are under-funded and have 1 PE teacher that works in 3 different schools in a district.
if we properly funded our schools, we could have pe every week AND music - or some other elective that would be outside the box (drafting/world cultures/ home ec. etc.)
"if you like to read, john dewey was a great man who fits my personal educational philosophy, and i have many other teachers who also enjoy his work. reading his work may give some insight into the direction i think teachers would like to take our schools, and with proper funding, we could accomplish with drastically improved results.
As I stated, he has excellent grades and we have had only one issue with one teacher several years ago. My questions are not necessarily directed towards the teachers as much as the curriculum. I understand all the school board members voted to increase our property taxes in their December meeting. Do we now to need to buy the underpriviledged kids IPODs so they can keep up in learning about rap and J-lo, I can't imagine the increase is going to hire more teachers?"
not sure how to respond to that without trying to reciprocate - which might make me appear as an a-hole.
all i can say is...
the teachers - especially in the more challenging districts (like where i work) do work hard - and we are constrained by an archaic approach to education that aims for an industrial age education.
your response seems to be on the same side as teachers, but stuck in the same old rut of the past.
you prove that ipods hurt educational performance - or that learning about positive female latino role models is a bad thing - then i will eat my words - but the steps of progression are taken one foot at a time (unfortunately)
in other words - i agree with your concern about the curriculum - but i think you are focusing on the wrong things.
we should be breaking down walls of the classroom and incorporating technology in our classrooms.