Today as I was scrolling through a few internet pages on a bit of down time I had, I was looking at an article discussing the American Education System, and how progressively, every single year we have declined in the world education ranking.
Out of forty countries that are measured for education, the US is ranked 14th, but if we include the curve that is given to the students it is more rightfully placed in the position of 17th.
I’m sure some people out there might say, “Hey, well that is not all that bad I suppose, at least we are not last.” That is the exact thinking and level of expectation that has put us all the way in 17th.
For a country that enjoys and even becomes overly proud of the fact that we are ‘so much better’ than other countries, I find 17th to be just plain old embarrassing.
But what else could be expected?
No Child Left Behind has made it impossible for teachers, Principals, and schools in general to actually educate our youth.
20% of kids that graduated high school in 2015 were illiterate. TWENTY PERCENT! It’s such a staggering number that it’s almost unbelievable.
And of course the teachers are pegged as the scapegoat and central problem. We are creating an environment where it is impossible for kids to learn, impossible for teachers to teach, and worse than that, nothing is even being done about it.
The problems just get swept under the rug, and everyone continues on with their lives ignoring the fact that these kids are graduating high school and can’t read, and are then forced to work jobs that never get them out of that rut.
We are breeding a generation of under-educated kids, who have been forced to become under-achievers.
And where does this all come from? I mean, we pay taxes, and a portion of that money is supposed to go to the local school system to help with expenses, but what improvements do we really see with the money being contributed by thousands of taxpayers?
The high school I went to did not have adequate heat, there was no air conditioning, barely enough books for all of the students, and my school/graduating class was small in comparison to the school that was 30 minutes away.
The nicer school was in a wealthier area, so of course I expect them to have nicer things, because it was enormous, the size of a college campus, and just as daunting. But the differences were almost unbelievable.
I personally, have never been one to EVER blame a teacher for the success/failure of a student, I mean logically, if a student does not do their work, how can they expect to succeed without putting in the work to do so? But the curriculum that teachers are now forced to follow is sickening, to say the least.
They literally have ZERO control of their classroom, they do no get to decide assignments, number of tests, content of tests, nor the books they want students to read from, or even what they even want to teach/emphasize to the students.
Their entire job is monitored, scrutinized, and even ‘sit ins’ are common (A faculty member will sit in and observe the class to make sure the teacher is doing their job properly).
And this is supposed to inspire people? How can a person be excited to do their job if they are constantly under fire for doing THEIR JOB. I am quite certain that no one wants to have someone breathing down their neck or against their back as they are trying to do their daily work. It becomes unbearable in a hurry. And even worse, teachers are still blamed for the failure of students. I have seen it/read about it many times that parents will go in and the conversation will ensue:
Mom: Why is Jimmy failing?
Teacher: Well, Jimmy doesn’t do his homework, and he doesn’t pay attention in class, and he doesn’t do well on tests.
Mom: Well it is your fault, how can you fail him? He is such a good boy, you are ruining his life and future. ETC.
How a parent can blame a teacher is just completely beyond me.
It’s the system. We do not create an environment in which kids can learn and teachers can educate, everything is set at one pace, so it is impossible to slow down for the kids who need more help, and impossible to speed up for the kids who learn quickly.
It’s all about the numbers. Schools need good standardized test scores to rank well to receive more aid, because it’s disgusting to say that the schools with higher average test scores get more money, but it is a heinous truth.
So the less educated continue to receive less. Yes, that makes sense (sarcasm).
And as a logical fact, I would think that every single year as a whole, humanity becomes more educated, learning new things whether they be on a scientific level, environmental, or simply just general observations. So, logically, our kids should be getting more intelligent with every generation. But that is not the case, unfortunately.
Not to mention Common Core, Tracking, and Red Lining, which are completely different topics and posts saved for another date.
Just let that sink in, 20% of kids who graduate cannot read. How the heck did they graduate then? Kids get pushed through the system because it is all a numbers game, no one cares about these kids, and even if they did the system is rigged against them, and THAT is the problem.
https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-literacy-america
^^^^^^^ Some facts about Illiteracy in the US^^^^^^^
Illiteracy in the US
Today as I was scrolling through a few internet pages on a bit of down time I had, I was looking at an article discussing the American Education System, and how progressively, every single year we have declined in the world education ranking.
Out of forty countries that are measured for education, the US is ranked 14th, but if we include the curve that is given to the students it is more rightfully placed in the position of 17th.
I’m sure some people out there might say, “Hey, well that is not all that bad I suppose, at least we are not last.” That is the exact thinking and level of expectation that has put us all the way in 17th.
For a country that enjoys and even becomes overly proud of the fact that we are ‘so much better’ than other countries, I find 17th to be just plain old embarrassing.
But what else could be expected?
No Child Left Behind has made it impossible for teachers, Principals, and schools in general to actually educate our youth.
20% of kids that graduated high school in 2015 were illiterate. TWENTY PERCENT! It’s such a staggering number that it’s almost unbelievable.
And of course the teachers are pegged as the scapegoat and central problem. We are creating an environment where it is impossible for kids to learn, impossible for teachers to teach, and worse than that, nothing is even being done about it.
The problems just get swept under the rug, and everyone continues on with their lives ignoring the fact that these kids are graduating high school and can’t read, and are then forced to work jobs that never get them out of that rut.
We are breeding a generation of under-educated kids, who have been forced to become under-achievers.
And where does this all come from? I mean, we pay taxes, and a portion of that money is supposed to go to the local school system to help with expenses, but what improvements do we really see with the money being contributed by thousands of taxpayers?
The high school I went to did not have adequate heat, there was no air conditioning, barely enough books for all of the students, and my school/graduating class was small in comparison to the school that was 30 minutes away.
The nicer school was in a wealthier area, so of course I expect them to have nicer things, because it was enormous, the size of a college campus, and just as daunting. But the differences were almost unbelievable.
I personally, have never been one to EVER blame a teacher for the success/failure of a student, I mean logically, if a student does not do their work, how can they expect to succeed without putting in the work to do so? But the curriculum that teachers are now forced to follow is sickening, to say the least.
They literally have ZERO control of their classroom, they do no get to decide assignments, number of tests, content of tests, nor the books they want students to read from, or even what they even want to teach/emphasize to the students.
Their entire job is monitored, scrutinized, and even ‘sit ins’ are common (A faculty member will sit in and observe the class to make sure the teacher is doing their job properly).
And this is supposed to inspire people? How can a person be excited to do their job if they are constantly under fire for doing THEIR JOB. I am quite certain that no one wants to have someone breathing down their neck or against their back as they are trying to do their daily work. It becomes unbearable in a hurry. And even worse, teachers are still blamed for the failure of students. I have seen it/read about it many times that parents will go in and the conversation will ensue:
Mom: Why is Jimmy failing?
Teacher: Well, Jimmy doesn’t do his homework, and he doesn’t pay attention in class, and he doesn’t do well on tests.
Mom: Well it is your fault, how can you fail him? He is such a good boy, you are ruining his life and future. ETC.
How a parent can blame a teacher is just completely beyond me.
It’s the system. We do not create an environment in which kids can learn and teachers can educate, everything is set at one pace, so it is impossible to slow down for the kids who need more help, and impossible to speed up for the kids who learn quickly.
It’s all about the numbers. Schools need good standardized test scores to rank well to receive more aid, because it’s disgusting to say that the schools with higher average test scores get more money, but it is a heinous truth.
So the less educated continue to receive less. Yes, that makes sense (sarcasm).
And as a logical fact, I would think that every single year as a whole, humanity becomes more educated, learning new things whether they be on a scientific level, environmental, or simply just general observations. So, logically, our kids should be getting more intelligent with every generation. But that is not the case, unfortunately.
Not to mention Common Core, Tracking, and Red Lining, which are completely different topics and posts saved for another date.
Just let that sink in, 20% of kids who graduate cannot read. How the heck did they graduate then? Kids get pushed through the system because it is all a numbers game, no one cares about these kids, and even if they did the system is rigged against them, and THAT is the problem.
https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-literacy-america
^^^^^^^ Some facts about Illiteracy in the US^^^^^^^