Sad-

[RIROCKHOUND]

John,
Unfortunatly, NCLB and other standardized test crap removes a lot of emphasis on the ability to think, and puts it on rote memorization.

By the time they get to the college level, they can't think and don't know %$%$%$%$ unless it was stuff they had to memorize.. The up side is it is sink or swim, we can try make them want to learn, but if they don't want to it is there (parents) dime...

Don't know the answer, thats why I don't work with people, just sediment

[JohnR]

Originally Posted by RIROCKHOUND

John,
Unfortunatly, NCLB and other standardized test crap removes a lot of emphasis on the ability to think, and puts it on rote memorization.

By the time they get to the college level, they can't think and don't know %$%$%$%$ unless it was stuff they had to memorize.. The up side is it is sink or swim, we can try make them want to learn, but if they don't want to it is there (parents) dime...

Don't know the answer, thats why I don't work with people, just sediment

I partially agree. One problem with NCLB is that it is an after the fact bandaid to get the lower kids caught up somewhat. A good teacher can both push testing and thinking and pull some of these kids forward. Unfortunately it is damage control when kids in 6th grade are reading at three grades behind. If these kids were getting help from home in the same way they are getting help in class (think the extra reading teachers and systems not in place when we were kids) there would be far less kids in 6th grade reading at a third grade level.

Don't know the answers either but I did get to observe the classroom for three years. Just enough time to form opinions loosely based in fact and probably still completely wrong. Maybe why I work with 1s and 0s

[Nebe]

reading to your kid at a young age is so important. I always put that as a high priority and read to him for a minimum of 45 minutes before he goes to bed. This is actually why i dont night fish much any more... kid first. Work 2nd. Fishing comes last these days.

No word of a lie, my son who will be 4 in august is reading at a 2nd grade level. When he first started reading I freaked out and thought that he was autistic and there was something seriously wrong with him, which i still do to a much lesser degree.. he's got some hyperlexia going on.. but the fact that I read to him daily and put his needs before mine to make sure he is getting what he needs has helped him immensely. I can not fathom how someone could put a kid in front of a TV all day long after school, shove food infront f them and then send them to bed without spending any quality time with them..

[justplugit]

Originally Posted by Nebe

reading to your kid at a young age is so important. I always put that as a high priority and read to him for a minimum of 45 minutes before he goes to bed. This is actually why i dont night fish much any more... kid first...

You are a good responsible parent Nebe, which was my original point.

As i mentioned having a brother and son teaching in inner city schools,
and having substitute taught myself for 4 years after retiring i have a pretty good feel for what goes on.

It's not the facilities that need more $ thrown at them, it's more parents like yourself that put their kids first.

Like John said, kids have it tough. Parents need to go and spend a few days in their kid's school,
sitting in the classroom and changing classes to see what really goes on with the disruptions and how poorly kids treat each other.

The behavior issues fall on the parents, not the teachers or government. It all comes down to what kids are taught in the home.

[Nebe]

[Swimmer]

But I use to watch my sister-in-law (alot by the way, she is cute) walk around with one of those baby slings slung over her shoulder reading to which ever of the three children she has raised suspended in the sling. Oldest child Jake is and was obsessed with reading. Second one equally so. Third one is smart but didn't take to it quite as well, slight disabilty, but like Nebe and all of you Dads here know reading to your children is extremely important. In my house nobody could make me do anything. I suffered because of that attitude. My brother Squid Kids Dad read and still does an enormous amount, romantic novels, go figure.

I applaud all of you who take the time to teach your children to read. Don't forget math, and writing techniques as well.

[Nebe]

I knew I was in trouble when I found him reading this...

Sadly, I can see no way he would not be boored out of his mind in school when he is older. homeschool?