His Indolence Speaks

My little sister is a public school teacher in Raleigh. She sent me a comment today about my "anti-butterfly-chasing" rant of a few months ago; since no one reads this anyway, I thought I'd put it in its own post rather than as a comment on a months-old post. I think she's taking issue with Mamacita's request for more advanced classes for advanced students and slow classes for "slow" students. And, like everyone else, pointing out that no school can make up for poor parenting. Anyway, I'm mostly just surprised: when did sis learn to write complete sentences? Mom and I still laugh every time she mentions that she's teaching math and science. Here's sis:

While teaching math, science, social studies, reading, and writing - MY children are not "sitting motionless all day long, listening to the helpless teacher prat and re-prat the same stuff over and over till the dumbest kid finally gets it." My students are engaged and working with each other. They peer edit writing and peer tutor each other while I work with different children. They know how to work cooperatively in groups and the classwork is presented in a variety of styles (whole group, small group, individual, with texts, with magazines, with newspapers, using art, hands on math and science manipulatives......). I couldn't call myself a "teacher" if I didn't challenge the brightest, the average, and the lowest students in my room to do their individual best. My mom taught me how to push myself and I push my students.
Testing standards need to be raised (as the math scores were this year), if we want these kids to succeed in life. Test them - compare them .... I don't care, because if I have done my job then they will do fine on any test (mine in class are usually harded than the state's anyway). Most teachers I know are doing a great job, now if the parents would step up and enforce homework and studying - the scores would not be in question. Telling teachers that homework is boring is a cop out - - cleaning clothes is boring, but it still has to be done. When only 33% of student's pass the EOG, then blame needs to fall on the students, the parents, and the teachers. Teachers don't have a majic pill that can make kids care when no one at home has taught them to be responsible. Parents who don't care produce kids who don't care. School can't change that. Birth to 5 years is a huge learning time - blow that and your child has already been left behind!!