I’ve had a few conversations with elementary school teachers in the last week where we discussed what our kids are learning.
Today’s students are taught about things earlier than we were. An example is that algebraic principles are being taught in elementary schools whereas many of us did not learn them before high school.
The teachers shared with me their concern that while their students were ahead of us in many areas they notice a common failure to be able to perform subtraction.
Are we skipping basics by loading up their plates with too much too soon?
Brutus
Both points are good examples of THE FAILING. Let me add another… the elementary school age children are not learning, and therefore not being taught with purpose, language. I care not English or Spanish, as both have nouns, verbs, punctuation, and capitalization. Basic communication fundamentals that are not present in children exiting the elementary grades, and are required to learn independently or participate in civil society. Texting doesn’t count!
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Well, we knew the WHITE version of the culture…that is why we knew about Davy Crockett. The world has changed since the halcyon days of Ozzie and Harriet.
Remember that whatever is taught is 100% dictated by the politicians in Austin. They set and adopt the standards. Got a beef with what is taught? Call your state board of Education member or your state legislators. Got a beef of HOW it is taught, call your local school board member.
Education is an evolving thing. We push out things that become irrelevant, and move in things that are relevant. That is why we don’t teach home economics to girls anymore nor do we teach how to shoe a horse. All things that used to be in curricula.
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Yes, we are skipping things! What is appalling to me is the lack of teaching of our culture. Didn’t we learn to sing the songs that characterized the Revolutionary War and the Civil War? Didn’t we learn the basics of American history beginning in first grade? I absolutely know all of my elementary classmates knew the name of the first president and the names of the current president and vice president by 2nd grade. And by 3rd grade we knew all about covered wagons and Davy Crockett and the reasons for the Civil War. Now children have absolutely no sense of our culture or how our country became what it is today. We are raising generations who have no sense of patriotism, no understanding of civics and no reason to vote.
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