aBlog - Latest Comments

Re: Fight or Flight

Keishla — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:23:40 -0000

Here's a bigger question....why does picking up the garbage mean that you were "left behind?" Why can't we find honor in all honest work. I tell my students all the time that this time in their life is about creating options for themselves. They may not cash in on all of those options at graduation....but they should be available to them. Some options include college, the military, working, tech school, marriage & family, etc. If their path leads them to McDonald's or WalMart....then that's great. That is HONEST and HONORABLE work. But work there because you WANT to and not because you HAVE to.

We are by no means and will never be a meritocracy, but we need to help students see that there are honest and important ways to make a living if they are unable to negotiate traditional avenues. And if they are not happy with their situation, they are equipped with the skills to exercise those options to make changes.

Re: That’s not the right answer!

Keishla — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:11:41 -0000

Ms. Hill,

I have found my way to your site via a comment you left on a blog posted in November of 2006 titled "Dear Kids, You Don't Have To Go To College."

I teach 10th grade World History in Houston, Texas, and I must say that you have articulated my feelings, frustrations, and concerns about public education. I must say that I love technology, and I try as much as resources allow to integrate it into my classroom. But I do agree that technology for technology's sake is an issue.

But more than that I was in total agreement with your comments about the lack of foundation that we are offering our students. Much like your comments about the need to misuse and apply Gardner's theories of multiple intelligences, I believe that Blooms has led us down a dangerous path.

Foundations are key, and in many of the early grades, rote learning, as you mentioned, has been abandoned in attempts to push "higher-level thinking." Students need to learn to analyze, apply, synthesize and evaluate....but how does all of that happen without knowledge and comprehension?

Students don't know how to learn. At the beginning of the year, I let my students know that 80% of the STUFF I will teach them is good for one time in life....3:30pm when Jeopardy comes on. But the THINKING...that's forever....those skills they can take and apply everywhere. But it's a struggle when they have been in a system that gives them "pellets" for the right answer. And it is so hard to be the speed bump that expects something different....but I press on everyday.

I enjoyed your commentary, and I look forward to reading more.

Re: Reframing

bbbad — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:03:50 -0000

I was a bigamist, I was wedded to both the author of this blog and the ANSWER. My preferred subjects are the technical stuff. Computer Science in it's logical perfection; Mathematics in it's purity; and Physics and its clockwork precision. There is no Truth with a capital 't' was a phrase I used to apply to the spiritual universe, whatever that is. Then I actually studied the stuff.
Computer Science is not and cannot be logically perfect; Mathematics can never be completely pure;and Physics got way messy at the turn of the century and it seems to be getting worse daily.
There are no ANSWERS, just answers. Little local truths to get us from point to point in time. We cling to them at our peril since they're subject to change without notice.
Don't look for ANSWERS or TRUTH, learn to surf. Ride the wave!
Encourage your students to look for solutions, not answers. The Arts and the Social Sciences don't have right answers, History is not a science, just a good guess; simplified math and science problems come with an answer key, but getting there is all of the fun.
Students need structure, but learning is a flight of fancy.
Ride the wave!

Weldon

Re: ablog

audhilly — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:17:35 -0000

testing new comment system