I know most of what I do because of study in my own room as a child. I grew up in a military household, and we moved numerous times. I attended 6 different schools in the 1st grade. As a result, I had few friends until later in life. I used to read encyclopedias, novels, and any other books I could get my hands on. My maternal grandmother was instrumental in this, as every Christmas I would receive an almanac [not the farmer’s kind] and another book from her. At 12 I was the only one I knew that had, or had ever seen outside of a library, the Oxford Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language [all 22 pounds of it].

It truly pains me today that the school system has gotten so poor. I consistently am questioning what goes on in school, as my children either don’t know, or are 3-5 years behind in what they are taught . [Things my son is learning in his junior year are things I learned in 7th grade Earth Science, things my 7th grade daughter was learning this last year were things I learned in 2nd and 3rd grades]

I do think too little time is spent on writing, which seems incongruous as I am told the SAT tests now are 3, with the last part being extemporaneous writing on a question posed at the time of the test.

I have thought that school vouchers was a bad idea, but now, too late, I see it might have been the salvation of many children.

I also don’t hold with the theory that teachers are under paid. They produce results not even commensurate with their pay rate. When they become evaluated on their progress in teaching, then pay raises would be appropriate.

The older I get the more I know how inappropriate it is to show the limits of my knowledge, but I do, at least twice a week answer questions for my wife or children to which they ask ‘How do you know that?”. In many cases, I have long since forgotten how, but I am certain of the facts. A quick check of something on the internet proves I knew of what I was speaking, to the total amazement of the children. I try to encourage at every point by telling them that they too, could amaze those around by learning more than just what was ‘needed’. I’ve also related that what is ‘needed’ changes radically over the years, so that learning is continuous during one’s life.

Shadowmyth and Marc,

I agree with most of what both of you said, but must take exception (as a former high school teacher and currently a community college instructor) to Marc’s opinion about teachers, “They produce results not even commensurate with their pay rate.” Judging by your use of the word they, I’ll assume you are not an educator and will try in this short forum to enlighten you on some of the reasons for the problems with our education system. Ignoring the fact that the statement is a blanket statement akin to saying “All computer geeks are pasty white nerds who can’t wait to get their next pocket protector”, the statement fails to reflect the societal changes within the past generation that have fostered this view:

1. There has been a push in society that all students are equally able to learn (as part of our feel good society of I’m OK, your OK, we’re all OK). Students who in previous generations might not have gone to high school due to mental handicaps or chronic behavior issues are now mainstreamed into the regular classroom (in an effort to raise their achievement). This causes students who were previously called regular to be moved into honors to the point where both regular and honors have been dumbed down. This leads to….

2. The curriculum must be adjusted to compensate. If the curriculum were not dumbed down (as both of you stated and which I agree), then most students would fail the courses. This leaves educators in a Catch-22 situation: keep the curriculum difficult and fail most students or dumb down the curriculum and pass students who cannot succeed. Either choice leads to criticism from the community at large.

Thus, teachers must do the best with the level of student and curriculum they are given. While the education system is the scapegoat for all lack of student achievement (it is responsible for some, I grant you that), it is a reflection of society at large. For example, people wonder why discipline is lacking in schools, but tie teacher hands by removing many punishment options and threatening lawsuits when punishment is administered. As another example, apethetic parents do not help the situation. Out of the 35 or so students of whom I would request parent conferences, only three or four would show up.

I’m glad you both are taking an active role in your children’s educations and encouraging them to be lifelong learners. Now if the rest of our country would do the same and pay people according to their education level (don’t get me started on how hard it is to convince students that education is necessary when they see stupid athletes making so much money), we would be in great shape.

Thanks for your post. I don’t know if you’re familiar with Maya & Miguel, a show on PBS in the afternoons — http://pbskidsgo.org/mayaandmiguel — that emphasizes cultural diversity and language learning but I’m reaching out to talk to parents about the program as part of a marketing project I’m working on with Scholastic.

I found your post and thought I’d reach out to say hello and ask if you’d like to receive a free Maya & Miguel DVD. If you’d like to receive the DVD just email me at mark@boldmouth.com with your address and I’ll have it shipped it out to you.

If you do choose to blog about Maya & Miguel show or episodes on the DVD, please make it clear how you received the information. Our goal is to be open and honest with everyone we reach.

All the Best,
Mark Steidler, Boldmouth

I very much agree Marc. I had in some ways a childhood similar to your own. At 5 years old my mother gave me the Bible, and told me it was going to be the book I learned how to read from. I read it within the year, and by the second grade I was given the task of tutoring other children in reading. It always trips me out when people ask me if I am going to school because of the notebooks and reading material I carry about with me. They assume because someone is in the process of educating themselves,.that they must be attending an institution to gain their knowledge. It is as if learning has become equated with school, rather than with living your life. Very sad. We have this incredible tool called the Internet whereby answers to a majority of our questions can be found….and people waste it on video games, mindless chat rooms, large amounts of porn, and anything else they can escape into. Those of us with the capacity to lead, really need to step in and help guide these people toward a better destiny. They are a part of our world, and we all depend upon one another to make it work when it comes down to it. I wish they could see the degree to which apathy drags a society down.

Thank you Mark, will do. I am not personally familiar with the show, as I do not watch TV. However, if it educates immigrant children in speaking English, it must be worth a look see.