So I just read an article on yahoo news about Obama's plans for our education system, "Obama backs teacher merit pay, charter schools" by Libby Quaid of the Associated Press. He raises his concerns about the achievement gap between ethnic children and their "white counterparts", how other countries education system outpaces ours, and how our teacher quality falls short of what it should be. He suggests changes at every level starting before kinder through college and to make our school years a month longer.
I understand about the achievement gap. I do see it myself, coming from Texas and having moved to Minnesota when I was 14 in my freshmen year of high school. I went from a B average to a C/D average. It was devastating. The school system here was extremely different from the south. I went back to a B average a few months later but it took a long time to adjust. I really do like Obama's plan on that part. I also agree with the whole teacher quality thing. I've had quite a few teachers who seem like they don't even like their job and then take it out on the students or who teach right out of a book without taking the time to check if the students are learning anything. My school years are full of those kinds of teachers. I don't want my kids having to suffer through that when they start school.
Only two things bother me about Obama's plan. The extra month of school every year, for one. I have enough to juggle in my life, now I am going to have to think about an extra month of school for me and my kids. That sucks. That is going to affect my job, my pay checks, and my bills. I already pay $60 a month for my 5 yr old to go to pre k. I also do not like how Obama wants to start changes in every level beginning before Kinder. I dont like that one bit. I want my kids to enjoy being kids while they can. Im in no hurry to see them grow up faster than they have to.
Sorry if I rambled, but I found this article pretty interesting, and I'd like to know what others think about it too. Correct me if I got anything wrong about the article.
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Funny how no one posts when it's not mandatory, or at least no one thinks it is. lol
ReplyDeleteAnyways, we're absolutely behind other countries in education--as if we weren't aware of that. Adding a month to the school year would just make our currently deficient education last longer, and that's about it.
The education system itself has to revamped, in my opinion. How does making it longer help? Sounds like a cop out to me.
I don't think making the school year longer will help anything. Instead, I think the time that is spent in school should be better used. If kids are kept in school longer than they are now, I think many will become burnt out and not apply themselves to their work as much as they could.
ReplyDeleteI was homeschooled and I think that is the best opption there is.