I'd Rather See Them Learning To Read
But, hey, elbow space is good, too.
I've hashed over some of the issues I think are relevant to long-term educational planning (bottom of page), but more than all that high-falutin' supposition, somebody does have to step up to the plate at some point and do something. Like drill multiplication tables or break down grammar rules. A concern for teacher-student ratios is OK, but in my book, only OK - not great, not even particularly progressive.
I spent my K-8 education at a fair mix of Catholic and public schools. Mostly, these transfers were based on the availability of tuition money and, as I got older, my interest in wearing a uniform since public schools where I lived don't require them. It sort of serves the purposes of the example that I never transferred from one to another because my parents had overriding educational concerns.
Anyway, in the Catholic schools, we had rote information pounded into our heads for hours. There were maybe 30-40 people in each classroom and by 2pm we all knew the rule of concomitant variation or the tiers of placement for a catalog of modifiers or whatever it was we were doing that day. The nuns and teachers knew our names and they were not shy about berating us or putting us on the spot or chasing down our parents or making us spend lunch hours copying out things we screwed up.
In the public schools, I spent every moment of junior high except gym and lunch in portables. There were at least 50 kids in every class, and the teacher knew the names of only the students who performed well. Note-passing and day-dreaming were de rigeur. Jokesters had no shortage of willing audience members. Lessons were delivered in a monotone, disinterested fashion, and catered to the lowest common denominator, with "extras" offered as either extra credit or non-testable filler info.
Did I learn as much? Yes, I did, but only because I had a frame of reference for learning. I understood various study methods and came from an academic culture that encouraged learning for its own sake. I think my point here is that the Catholic school teachers scared the crap out of me and my classmates, but they did their jobs. The public school teachers just went through the motions, and I don't see where efforts to relieve overcrowding made any difference.
Maybe in South Tampa, it will be different. Maybe once smaller classes are set up, teachers will have all that creamy white wall space against which to admire the glowing potential of young minds. I mean, I know that's the point here and I know it's a step in the right direction, but, c'mon, teachers, you guys chose this profession. You knew you'd be underpaid. You knew your students would be, for the most part, shiftless and underperforming. You did your four years of college with plenty of time to switch majors and you didn't. So step up and teach these kids something.
And if you think I'm a narrow-minded, unappreciative jerk, please also say so. It would be nice to hear some reactions from the frontlines.
I've hashed over some of the issues I think are relevant to long-term educational planning (bottom of page), but more than all that high-falutin' supposition, somebody does have to step up to the plate at some point and do something. Like drill multiplication tables or break down grammar rules. A concern for teacher-student ratios is OK, but in my book, only OK - not great, not even particularly progressive.
I spent my K-8 education at a fair mix of Catholic and public schools. Mostly, these transfers were based on the availability of tuition money and, as I got older, my interest in wearing a uniform since public schools where I lived don't require them. It sort of serves the purposes of the example that I never transferred from one to another because my parents had overriding educational concerns.
Anyway, in the Catholic schools, we had rote information pounded into our heads for hours. There were maybe 30-40 people in each classroom and by 2pm we all knew the rule of concomitant variation or the tiers of placement for a catalog of modifiers or whatever it was we were doing that day. The nuns and teachers knew our names and they were not shy about berating us or putting us on the spot or chasing down our parents or making us spend lunch hours copying out things we screwed up.
In the public schools, I spent every moment of junior high except gym and lunch in portables. There were at least 50 kids in every class, and the teacher knew the names of only the students who performed well. Note-passing and day-dreaming were de rigeur. Jokesters had no shortage of willing audience members. Lessons were delivered in a monotone, disinterested fashion, and catered to the lowest common denominator, with "extras" offered as either extra credit or non-testable filler info.
Did I learn as much? Yes, I did, but only because I had a frame of reference for learning. I understood various study methods and came from an academic culture that encouraged learning for its own sake. I think my point here is that the Catholic school teachers scared the crap out of me and my classmates, but they did their jobs. The public school teachers just went through the motions, and I don't see where efforts to relieve overcrowding made any difference.
Maybe in South Tampa, it will be different. Maybe once smaller classes are set up, teachers will have all that creamy white wall space against which to admire the glowing potential of young minds. I mean, I know that's the point here and I know it's a step in the right direction, but, c'mon, teachers, you guys chose this profession. You knew you'd be underpaid. You knew your students would be, for the most part, shiftless and underperforming. You did your four years of college with plenty of time to switch majors and you didn't. So step up and teach these kids something.
And if you think I'm a narrow-minded, unappreciative jerk, please also say so. It would be nice to hear some reactions from the frontlines.
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