" .. reading is the keystone of abiding understanding, clear thinking, and effective problem-solving"
Exactly. The architects of our civilization want a much smaller (numerically), compliant, controllable and dependent population. This is why they are building systems that ensure each generation is less capable than the previous.
Developing illiterate people is not a bug. Its a feature. Until enough people with influence broaden their minds and start thinking the unthinkable, they will continue getting what they want.
As a mother of 3 kids, 10 years apart, I can confirm you are correct. The iPhone was the end of any serious learning in jr. high, high school, and college. And teachers who just don't care about cheating, are the norm.
"We immediately run into trouble because teachers aren’t content experts, as I detailed in my last post."
This is a high-education example, but one survey art history professor assigned an essay on one of two paintings, of which he knew all the lit. Even an expert can be missing specific content knowledge. It would be boring as hell and it would require such flexibility in the curriculum, but let teachers assign a subject that all students have to write if the objectives are reading comprehension and descriptive writing. I am assuming that teachers are already skilled at detecting papers plagiarized from other students.
After listening to Sold a Story I’m wondering if the same thing is happening in math. I’m on a board of a Christian school and we had a hard time finding a math curriculum. The one we chose is one most people complain about but it is still the most popular. It emphasizes critical thinking and finding creative ways to solve problems but for the elementary students sorely neglects rote memorization of math facts. When kids take their math home and their parents can’t figure it out it makes me wonder.🤔
Curriculum is a big responsibility. I don't know enough about math to speak intelligently about the proper steps for teaching it, but have you ever looked at Ray's Mathematics? It's a very old program (it was in schools with the McGuffey Readers) but it's sequential. You'd need somebody tough to pull it off, but it's super logical and it's free on-line. Here's my post on it, https://educatedandfree.substack.com/p/how-to-teach-your-child-math, but you can find this on this guy's WordPress here: https://raysarithmetic.wordpress.com/rays-free-arithmetic/
If you can get them started early, Ray will kick their little butts but they'll be FIERCE lovers of math once they see they have the chops for it. ;)
I teach in CA as well. My school has a 68% chronic absenteeism rate, yet our admin pressures us to give no more than 20% of our students a failing grade, D or F. Any teacher who gives out more than 20% fails (which is all of us) has to meet with admin and do a write up about how they’ll “do better”. In effect, by twisting teachers’ arms, the school has codified students’ ability to pass a class with minimal effort and zero learning.
Infuriating. I know admin doesn't care, but can they not see the second order effects of incentivizing teachers to be totally unethical? So disheartening.
Thank you. Please tell people far and wide that they're NOT crazy, that the schools ARE not doing anything well anymore, and send them to my substack if they think you're talking out of school. I just want people to understand the cost benefit analysis for most kids just isn't working anymore.
Fuck you John Dewey 🖕🏻
HEAR, HEAR!
Just today…
https://nypost.com/2024/10/04/lifestyle/elite-colleges-shocked-to-discover-students-dont-know-how-to-read-books-my-jaw-dropped/
I've been all over this on Twitter. :P
Me too, unfortunately...
https://x.com/EnglishChamp1/status/1842408488850321853
" .. reading is the keystone of abiding understanding, clear thinking, and effective problem-solving"
Exactly. The architects of our civilization want a much smaller (numerically), compliant, controllable and dependent population. This is why they are building systems that ensure each generation is less capable than the previous.
Developing illiterate people is not a bug. Its a feature. Until enough people with influence broaden their minds and start thinking the unthinkable, they will continue getting what they want.
I fear you're right.
As a mother of 3 kids, 10 years apart, I can confirm you are correct. The iPhone was the end of any serious learning in jr. high, high school, and college. And teachers who just don't care about cheating, are the norm.
It's so frustrating being on the teaching side of all of this, but to be a parent who feels trapped by it... I can't imagine.
"We immediately run into trouble because teachers aren’t content experts, as I detailed in my last post."
This is a high-education example, but one survey art history professor assigned an essay on one of two paintings, of which he knew all the lit. Even an expert can be missing specific content knowledge. It would be boring as hell and it would require such flexibility in the curriculum, but let teachers assign a subject that all students have to write if the objectives are reading comprehension and descriptive writing. I am assuming that teachers are already skilled at detecting papers plagiarized from other students.
After listening to Sold a Story I’m wondering if the same thing is happening in math. I’m on a board of a Christian school and we had a hard time finding a math curriculum. The one we chose is one most people complain about but it is still the most popular. It emphasizes critical thinking and finding creative ways to solve problems but for the elementary students sorely neglects rote memorization of math facts. When kids take their math home and their parents can’t figure it out it makes me wonder.🤔
Curriculum is a big responsibility. I don't know enough about math to speak intelligently about the proper steps for teaching it, but have you ever looked at Ray's Mathematics? It's a very old program (it was in schools with the McGuffey Readers) but it's sequential. You'd need somebody tough to pull it off, but it's super logical and it's free on-line. Here's my post on it, https://educatedandfree.substack.com/p/how-to-teach-your-child-math, but you can find this on this guy's WordPress here: https://raysarithmetic.wordpress.com/rays-free-arithmetic/
If you can get them started early, Ray will kick their little butts but they'll be FIERCE lovers of math once they see they have the chops for it. ;)
I teach in CA as well. My school has a 68% chronic absenteeism rate, yet our admin pressures us to give no more than 20% of our students a failing grade, D or F. Any teacher who gives out more than 20% fails (which is all of us) has to meet with admin and do a write up about how they’ll “do better”. In effect, by twisting teachers’ arms, the school has codified students’ ability to pass a class with minimal effort and zero learning.
Infuriating. I know admin doesn't care, but can they not see the second order effects of incentivizing teachers to be totally unethical? So disheartening.
I feel your pain.
Thank you. Please tell people far and wide that they're NOT crazy, that the schools ARE not doing anything well anymore, and send them to my substack if they think you're talking out of school. I just want people to understand the cost benefit analysis for most kids just isn't working anymore.