“What does it matter? What should I be taking away from the articles?” These questions were posed to us after reading the first four chapters in the book by Darling-Hammond.
The first thing I took from the book is the difference between schools in our nation and other schools around the world. Worldwide, we are seeing a shift in education in all countries. I find it interesting that in Singapore, the kids live in tight, small living quarters, but the schools they go to are spacious, well supplied and the teachers are well trained and supported. They see the future of their country as their children. These kids are taught to be creative and innovative. Nationally, it is scary what was described in some of the schools we have in the United States. We have schools that are short on supplies, lack safe buildings and have teachers that are not trained to teach in areas that they are assigned to or even trained to be teachers.
I also have a new awareness of the way things are in our education system all in the name of high stake testing. I feel a little bit (more like a lot) of shock about how kids were told not to show up on test day or fined for missing school due to excess absences or just un-enrolled if they missed too many days. These were used to weed out the kids whose test scores would impact the overall test scores and achievement in their district. It all came down to a number. These schools were sacrificing a student for a number. This is really sad. The number of kids in the United States that are dropping out is alarming to me. We know our country needs to start placing more value and emphasis on education and finding ways to keep kids in school. With the number of kids that are dropping out where is our country headed? But, even if these students were able to pass the highs stakes test and graduate from high school not as many are going on to college. How will this affect our country in the future? We need to be concerned about this. We need to stop manufacturing kids and start teaching them in ways that benefit everyone.
Corky,
ReplyDeleteI agree, it shows a lot about what people in Singapore think about education and the future. Schools are nice and fully equipped, while their homes are not.
I was also shocked when I heard that students in some areas of the United States were told to not show up for test day! How hurtful for these students. It would be difficult to attend school, as a student, if you didn't feel the people you worked with everyday were there to help you succeed.
I like the idea of having a school that truly shines as a model building in the area that students want to attend. Creating a climate that will foster student buy-in and pride of their school would certainly make it more appealing for them to attend. I was baffled that students would be encouraged not to attend testing; it seems to me that we search them out if they miss a testing opportunity.
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