The education system in my area just seems to go from bad to worse when overall skills and retention are compared. Grammar and writing skills have decreased algebra is begun in earlier grades than previously but are the students really learning what is supposedly being taught. Today's high school graduates entering college frequently need to take additional courses below the college level just to begin college level work. Why? What has changed?
Years ago, when I was in grades k-12 we had homework. Currently many k-12 teachers do not assign homework with full support from many parents justified by the excuse that book bags are already to heavy for the kids. We did not have early release days our teachers prepared lessons either after school or during the summer break. Now we are told teachers need early release days to have adequate preparation time. What a crock. It must be great to have a high stress job from late August through May with a three month paid vacation to look forward to and at least three days a month with early release. This does not even count teacher workdays and optional teacher workdays when students do not have school. When I was in grades k-12 if students misbehaved, they got a paddling at school and many received a worse spanking when they got home.
School administrators now fear to discipline students with capital punishment (aka. paddling). It is still legal but schools choose to use ISS (in school suspension), after school detention, suspension, or sheriff/police intervention for disciplinary problems. What about parent discipline at home well many have quit using spanking as a disciple measure and when the kids ignore other discipline measures such as grounding they just give up and let the kid do what he or she chooses. Why, because the schools, psychologists, advertisements, social workers, peers, etc. have convinced them that spanking their child is wrong. Gee since kids get no real discipline maybe the stressed out teachers do need that early release to keep from strangling misbehaving students!!! When I was in grades k-12 we did not need metal detectors at the entries or law officers constantly in schools now they are even in elementary schools. Law officers in schools, talk about trying to intimidate students into behaving this is the ultimate be good or else.
So what will the education of tomorrow be like if the trends from the past continue? Lets see, no homework now maybe no class work tomorrow justified by teachers and parents as writing with a pencil is repetitive and since pencils are not ergonomic it causes repetitive stress injuries and students can't be expected to type for the same reason. Instead of having a law officer in every school maybe there will be one in every class. Instead of metal detectors at the entries, maybe they will be doing strip searches. Maybe instead of several early release days each month students will only have half days all week so the teacher has more time to prepare to not strangle unruly, destructive, underage future felons!!!
When are parents, teachers, school administrators, government, and students going to realize that education is work and that without homework, full school days, individualized learning plans, year round attendance, and discipline our children will not be prepared to face the real world as adults!
