Rethinking Secondary Education

[Geee]

American Thinker:



Everyone is aware that our public system of education, especially at the secondary level, is failing. To function well, our system of government requires an educated and intelligent populace. When 40 percent of our children are unable to successfully complete a high school education, the failure becomes a national crisis marked by high unemployment and growth of a welfare state. Here is a proposal for an entirely different method of delivering an education.

As a once-hopeful high school science teacher I discovered that the primary cause of school failure (at least where I practiced) was the high percentage of students in school who had no interest in learning, no respect for teachers, and no intention to graduate. For various reasons traditional education did not relate to their lives in any useful way. Many of them were simply putting in seat time until they could legally drop out at the age of 16.

Clearly the issue was lack of motivation (which is another long subject) by many of my students. Meanwhile professional educators tell us the problem is a lack of sufficient funding for good school facilities and good teachers. Attempts to revive failing schools invariably result in creation of a commission to study the problem followed by a recommendation to upgrade the building and facilities and to hire more teachers. It may also include new schemes to promote successful teachers and eliminate those who are not. These expensive efforts have had limited success. What are we missing? Is it that no one has bothered to ask the students themselves what they want from an education?

[Stella]

My husband and I concluded many years ago, that if anyone was serious about reforming education they would have hired Sister Mary Kay. She was the grade school principal of the grammar school our children attended. One day spent in the office sitting on a chair next to Sister Mary Kay, stopped all misbehavior on the spot- plus she called the parents to let them know where their child spent the day. The budget she operated the school on was less than 50% of the public school budget per pupil. There were children receiving special services, too, in all the Catholic schools. Somehow, Sister Mary Kay managed a 100% graduation rate even with minority and immigrant children in the school. Sister Mary Kay was one of two nuns in the school but all the teachers she hired really wanted to be there even though the pay was pathetic. Every year, she turned away teachers who wanted to leave the public schools.

 

The children didn't have fancy programs from the University of Chicago that were the norm in the public schools in Chicago until they figured out they didn't work and years of children didn't learn how to properly read or write a paragraph. All the kids learned phonics and how to write and read the old fashioned common sense way. The odd thing was that Sister Mary Kay wasn't concerned about self esteem and being politically correct all day long. If a child was blowing off school, she didn't worry about hurting his/her feelings and it soon ended.

 

It seems to me, who doesn't have a fancy degree in education, that until the schools get rid of the Teachers Union and hire principals like Sister Mary Kay, it doesn't matter how much money they throw at them. The kids need to know that someone cares enough about them to discipline them when they are out of line and the kids need to know that someone cares enough about them to make sure they not only get homework but that they actually do it.

[Pepper]

Hear hear, Stella! Bump.

 

It seems to me, who doesn't have a fancy degree in education, that until the schools get rid of the Teachers Union and hire principals like Sister Mary Kay, it doesn't matter how much money they throw at them. The kids need to know that someone cares enough about them to discipline them when they are out of line and the kids need to know that someone cares enough about them to make sure they not only get homework but that they actually do it.

[spikeytx86]

Great find Geee!

 

One of the things I hated about school was that it was designed to be one size fit's all and that simply does not work. My favorite part about homeschooling (I was home schooled from 6th grade on) was that I could progress as fast as I wanted to and could study pretty much any topic I wanted to at any time. My school plan was designed around my needs and no one else's. This should be the way schooling is done for everyone. At the beginning of every school year parents should sit down with their schools faculty, and in higher grades the student should be brought into the discussion as well, and design an education plan for their child based on their needs, strengths, weaknesses, and interests.

 

It's not a cure all but I bet you would see dramatic improvements and fewer drop outs. I don't even think it would cost anything more than we spend now.

[Valin]

My husband and I concluded many years ago, that if anyone was serious about reforming education they would have hired Sister Mary Kay. She was the grade school principal of the grammar school our children attended. One day spent in the office sitting on a chair next to Sister Mary Kay, stopped all misbehavior on the spot- plus she called the parents to let them know where their child spent the day. The budget she operated the school on was less than 50% of the public school budget per pupil. There were children receiving special services, too, in all the Catholic schools. Somehow, Sister Mary Kay managed a 100% graduation rate even with minority and immigrant children in the school. Sister Mary Kay was one of two nuns in the school but all the teachers she hired really wanted to be there even though the pay was pathetic. Every year, she turned away teachers who wanted to leave the public schools.

 

The children didn't have fancy programs from the University of Chicago that were the norm in the public schools in Chicago until they figured out they didn't work and years of children didn't learn how to properly read or write a paragraph. All the kids learned phonics and how to write and read the old fashioned common sense way. The odd thing was that Sister Mary Kay wasn't concerned about self esteem and being politically correct all day long. If a child was blowing off school, she didn't worry about hurting his/her feelings and it soon ended.

 

It seems to me, who doesn't have a fancy degree in education, that until the schools get rid of the Teachers Union and hire principals like Sister Mary Kay, it doesn't matter how much money they throw at them. The kids need to know that someone cares enough about them to discipline them when they are out of line and the kids need to know that someone cares enough about them to make sure they not only get homework but that they actually do it.

 

 

 

As someone who attended St. John the Evangelist grade school in the 50's, Sister Mary Kay sounds like a clone of Sister Margret (my 5th grade teacher) her attitude could be summed up by this...You WILL learn this....or it will not go well with you. Of course if you then went to your parents and complained they would ask...what are you doing wrong.

Rule #1 Sister is always right

Rule #2 In the (highly unlikely) event that Sister was wrong...see rule #1

 

I will always be extremely grateful to those Nuns Priests and Brothers that pounded a love of learning into this thick skull.

Although thinking about it I'm having trouble remembering anything I did wrong as a child..........Nope nothing comes to mind.

(that's my story and I'm stickin with it)