Education has changed a great deal in the years that I have been a teacher. Everything from teaching theory to the attitudes of students, teachers and parents has altered, and often I find myself wondering if things have changed for the better, or for the worse. The days in which parents trust and respect teachers have gone. Many parents view their children as infallible and blame teaching professionals for the shortcomings of their children.
Educational standards have been raised to the point of pure frustration for many students and teachers, and as a result school climate is stressed and tense. Students and teachers alike are pressured from the beginning of September with thoughts of the ominous standardized tests, hanging over their heads like a threatening black cloud. Eight year old children begin having panic attacks when March hits and find themselves nauseous with the thought of going to school.
Gone are the carefree days of childhood in which children are able to learn through discovery and develop a passion for knowledge. Instead, students are pressured to obtain goals far beyond their developmental age and if they are successful, the goals are raised to almost unachievable heights. Students who are not developmentally ready to be stretched that far are being left in the dust and at the same time, the number of students who are labeled as special education is growing exponentially. Is this a coincidence? Or are we pushing our students to the brink of failure? It’s no wonder students seem to be devoid of the social skills and consideration of others that we had at their age. Eight, nine and ten year old boys and girls are living with more stress in their lives than is conscionable and yet we are still told our country is not “making the grade”.
In this blog I intend to share my views on the inner workings of the public school system, the strengths and weaknesses that I see on a day to day basis and the changes that I believe need to be made in order to mold healthy well-rounded young men and women. After all, that is the desired end result of education.
