It occurred to me this morning as I wrote my kindergarten blog that one major aspect of education continues to perplex and frustrate me year after year. And so I pose a simple question to you this morning- one that I ask myself every August and every April.
Why do we continue to group our children in school by the date they were born?
I am short of time this morning so I will purposely leave you without my thoughts until tomorrow.
Have a great day!
I’ve been listening to all the nonsense about training teachers to carry guns in school and it frightens me to think that people in positions of leadership have so little knowledge and experience in education. As I watched a news report yesterday I envisioned a future where our children go to school in locked facilities surrounded by ten-foot fences topped with razor wire. Armed guards are posted atop towers at each corner and more guards staff the entrance where all visitors are questioned and searched. We already have a working model for that scenario. It’s called prison.
Fortunately that model should also remind us that while appearing to be a safe environment for housing prisoners, history and experience prove that prisons also enclose the dangers that lurk within the walls and fences. Prisoners, guards, wardens, and others who work in the system have all been found guilty of lying, cheating, stealing, smuggling drugs, violence, and killing…while protected by some of the best security systems in the country.
And what about security measures in place at our military facilities where every other person is armed? Have they proven to be a deterrent to insanity and brutality? Have they prevented the killing of innocent people? We all know the answer…we’ve watched it play out on the evening news over and over, and over again.
The basic premise we are forgetting is that we are attempting to protect ourselves from each other.
The only fail-safe way to do that is to live in isolation. Period. The Bible’s account of Cain and Able isn’t in there just for entertainment folks. It is there to teach us that any time two or more are gathered together there is an opportunity for love and peace, or hatred and violence.
Okay, I hear you protesting that schools house teachers and innocent children, not violent offenders and trained military personnel. Well, I’ve attended school in three states and taught in five districts in two states, so I offer these snippets of information from my own experience:
Two eighth-grade classmates got into a fight and one cut the other with a razor blade she had hidden in her hair clip.
Two high school classmates got into an argument over a girl and beat each other with bicycle chains they carried in their pockets.
Sibling of one of my students was a gang member and was shot and killed in his front yard by another gang member. Could just as easily have chosen to retaliate at school.
Classmate of one of my children did seek revenge at school. Walked up to the playground fence and shot a student who was dating his sister. Didn’t even have to enter campus.
Parent of one of my students was arrested for killing his wife.
Parent of one of my students was arrested for dealing drugs.
Parent of one of my students was arrested for raping a child.
Parent of one of my students was arrested for being a pimp.
Neighbor’s five-year-old child got his father’s gun and shot up their camper. Same child broke into our house and vandalized it.
Four-year-old student was being trained by her parents to burglarize houses. They put her through the window in order to unlock doors.
Four-year-old student stole his mother’s lighter and set their house on fire.
Another four-year-old student stole something from my classroom, including things from my desk, every day.
One of my own teachers was fired for hitting and injuring a student.
I was constantly harassed and once struck with a ruler by a teacher.
Co-worker arrested for giving alcohol to minors. Later found to be a pedophile.
I could give you more examples, but the point is that we can’t protect ourselves or our children from everyone who might pose a danger to them. We all know of students who have beaten and even killed each other. We know that parents are people with their own problems. Teachers are human beings, not saints. Yesterday’s story about the Atlanta cheating scandal is a grim reminder of that.
We have the idea that if we arm our teachers they will be able to defend their students against an insane stranger, equipped with a semi-automatic weapon, intent on creating mass mayhem. But what if they are called upon to defend their students against another student armed with a shotgun? Or perhaps against a parent carrying a knife? What about a fellow teacher who also has a gun?
Would a few hours of training give you the ability to handle those situations?
It takes a certain mindset to be able to kill another human being. Who are you prepared to kill? Someone’s mother, father, sister, brother, grandmother?
It’s a slippery slope from safety to insanity my friends.
I helped one of my nieces with a college project yesterday and I realized how ironic it was that she helped me with a college project when she was just a little girl! Such a satisfying feeling to still be a small part of her life and to know that she is working toward a worthy goal.
We aren’t always privileged to know “the rest of the story” or see the fruits of our labors. I think back to some of the previous jobs I’ve had or the churches I’ve attended and the people I’ve known through each of them. There are very, very few who are still connected to my life in any way. But most of those who are bring me such joy! I love to see the children of children I taught in Sunday school or pre-k. I love to know that former students are leading happy, productive lives! Of course I’ve witnessed some former students make some very poor choices as well. And there have been tragedies over the years and the deaths of some former students. But when you agree to share a life, you must be willing to share all of it.
I think often of the “village” concept of raising children. I enjoy my small part and I remind myself daily that these little ones may move on and forget me…but then again, they may pop back into my life when I least expect them!
I’ve told you before that my mind works in mysterious ways. So when I tell you that my thoughts and my research are a bit “scattered” this morning you will understand. I am winding down from the weekend not quite ready to begin a new month. But time does not stand still, so here we go…
Looking at four weeks in the classroom without a break! I know you who are not in education are shaking your head and poking fun at me. Come spend some time teaching my class and you will understand why each month should have at least one three-day weekend. Lol
Researching a local murder that took place in 1922. Thank goodness for old newspapers! Of course one has to be careful of errors and misspellings and look for verification elsewhere if it can be found. But I am fascinated by old crime stories. I’m not sure why…
Also researching the use of dried insects as food additives. Yes, insects. Turns out that many of the “pink foods” that we love get their pretty color from ground up beetles. Any don’t even ask me about jelly beans, since you’ve all consumed so many recently! I do however, LOVE Sunsweet Dark Chocolate PlumSweets which are dried plum bites covered in dark chocolate and glazed with…yes…insect-derived shellac. How can I give them up when the FDA considers them “generally recognized as safe”? LOL
Is an insect considered meat? I’ll have to ask my vegan friends.
Have a great Monday!
I hope your day is filled with reflection and renewal, family, friends, and food!
This first shot was a total surprise. I was focusing on the flower when the butterfly suddenly perched on it for a brief second and then flew away!
Busy day with lots of time outside! More photos later...
After reading a recent FB post about GMOs I was instantly reminded of the infamous Dorothy Parker quote, “What fresh hell is this?” I have long known about genetically modified organisms in food and have probably even commented about them, but they have stayed in the background of my thoughts. Now, with renewed interest in their long-term effects on our health, I can’t stop thinking about what might be in my next bite of food!
My greatest concern as a pescetarian is soy. Most of the U.S. soybean crop has been genetically modified! I eat more soy than most people because I eat “fake” meat at least twice a week, AND soy is used in ice cream. Now I read that nearly 90% of the U.S. canola, cottonseed, and corn crops are genetically modified. I use olive oil for my own cooking, but those other oils are used in thousands of products. It would be difficult to completely avoid them. Cows are injected with growth hormones. Sugar beets have been altered. And don’t get me started on Aspartame- that wonderful sweetener that gives me headaches and is used in over 5,000 products.
Here are ten potential problems if we continue this trend of chemically changing the makeup of anything and everything to make growing and harvesting food easier and more convenient:
Okay, not trying to start off a lovely weekend with depressing news, but I give up! It seems that anything I buy at the grocery store has the potential for ruining my health. I’m going to go plant some spinach right now!
I mentioned on my kindergarten blog that I am cleaning out
my curriculum files and getting rid of outdated lesson plans and papers that I
just won’t ever use. I regret to admit that some of them have been sitting in
my files since my college days. Don’t judge…I’ve been busy!
Well, I’ve decided that my “use it or lose it” mindset must extend to some of the clutter at home. Yes, Robert, I have “too much stuff” as you are so fond of saying. So over the next few weeks, before the garden chores take over my life, I’m cleaning out closets and cabinets and corners and making donations to Goodwill. It seems selfish to have books, clothes, and dishes just sitting around when others could be using them. I hope to finish by Earth Day!
On April 11th I’m going to feel great!
My mind is going to be focused and my memory sharp.
I’m going to be rested and alert.
I’m going to eat my favorite breakfast.
Nothing is going to happen in my community or family to distract me from the task at hand.
I’m going to be ready for the BIG TEST!
If I picked a random date off the calendar and told you all of the above, you would not only think I was more than a bit optimistic, but you would also be a bit skeptical of my ability to actually accomplish my goals. Yet we absolutely expect hundreds of students to do exactly that- be focused, rested, alert, and ready to take a major standardized state test on a date picked by us. And many of these children have NO control over any of the factors that will affect their ability to function that day.
Yesterday we were discussing some of our upcoming tests and it occurred to me that our plan to test all of our children on the same date is not only arbitrary, but a little foolish, especially when the results affect so many aspects of the education process. The test scores in some states are so important that administrators have resorted to lying and cheating in order to improve them. Texas is re-examining some of their testing procedures. Washington, California and other states are debating and protesting the use of standardized tests for a variety of reasons. The scheduling, timing, content, supervision and validity of tests are in question. A major upheaval seems to be on the horizon.
If we know that all of our students aren’t going to perform their best on a random date in April then does that mean we shouldn’t test them? No. Does it mean we can devise a perfect plan for testing our students? No. Perhaps it does mean that we shouldn’t give so much credence to the results of one or two “big tests”, but instead see them as what they are: a very small part of what a student knows and an even smaller portion of what a teacher has taught.
