what's wrong with schools these days

Honestly, I was reading by kindergarten and my older sister was too. Our school concentrated a lot on teaching students to read before first grade. We then moved and the in the new school you wouldn't be able to do the classwork if you couldn't read. Now schools don't seem to put any emphasis on reading. My 11yo sister is reading at my 2nd grade level and she's in 5th grade. The twins are in kindergarten and they aren't even teaching them to read. I am watching the news and some group was proud of the idea that they are trying to teach kids to read by third grade. Third grade! I didn't know the literacy rate of the country was going down. Sorry, it just amazes me. Maybe all these leap-pad learning centers and other similar things are doing more harm than good, I mean you don't have to be able to read to play with them.

That's pitiful. I know what you mean, lots of my friend's little brothers and sisters barely know how to read and they've been in school for a couple years now! I read at a 10th grade level and I'm only in 8th grade... but that's because I LOVE to read!

dang! I think kids are still learning to read here in Sr. Kindergarden, as they do the A-Z & 0-9... I remember grade 1 being where we learned how to spell simple words like "the" & 1+1=2... I know in Jr. Kindergarden it was all about getting the kids use to being away from mommy & daddy & learning colours & how to tie your shoes & learning to play sports.

Someone needs to talk to the school board.

All of us (my parents' four kids) were reading before we ever hit a classroom, so I don't remember when everybody else learned how, I just always could!

I would just have to add, "what is wrong with PARENTS these days...".

The schools only have the child for 7ish hours, and not all of that is instructional time. The parents have them the rest!

Turn off the TV! Read (and otherwise interact) with your children. Don't leave it up to the schools to do it all.

I agree with cataholic!

My neighbor's kid is 1 and she's already reciting her ABC's... why? Because mom is constantly singing them to her. Mom constantly reads to her. Making learning paramount in the home helps kids enjoy learning and gives them a huge headstart in school.

I knew how to read by first grade because my mom took the time to teach me and did not rely on school to do HER work.

Hubby is a teacher and this is his biggest complaint, when parents blame the school for everything. He might have the kids in his class for 40 minutes poer day.... so thats 40 minutes worth of learning, right? WRONG! The parents never took the time to teach them proper behavior either, so he spends half the class acting like a policeman controlling the wild behavior and attitudes.

I see now that Ash is out of school on HomeBound just how bad it is in school. She is lightyears ahead of her classmates. She has taken on extra reading and supplemental work just to keep herself occupied. I ask her what she does in school, she says they basically sit around waiting for the teacher to finish repremandng students, then they start getting into work, and then the bell rings to go to another class. The whole process begins again in the next class. THAT'S from one of the top schools in the state, so one can imagine what inner city school teachers deal with when their school is listed as one of the bottom schools in the state.

Parents have a huge responsibility to treach their children how to read and how to act. They don't because they assume they'll learn how to do it in school. School is NOT a replacement for parenting.

I agree with Johanna as well. My MOTHER taught me how to read at age 3. I would take books in to my kindergarten class and read them for show and tell.

The schools today are nothing more than free babysitters while Mom and Dad get on with their life! They have been to busy to teach them manners and how to behave so how are they going to take time to even talk to them, much less read to them or teach them their A,B,C's? How many of us know to many families like that?

I do blame many of the parents aswell, but the schools don't help either.

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Originally Posted by Cataholic

I would just have to add, "what is wrong with PARENTS these days...".

The schools only have the child for 7ish hours, and not all of that is instructional time. The parents have them the rest!

Turn off the TV! Read (and otherwise interact) with your children. Don't leave it up to the schools to do it all.

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Yes! You are spot on there. My mother taught me to read, write, spell, count etc, way before I went to school. I went to school being able to count to 1000, knowing my times tables up to sixes and having read loads of books with my mum. My dad always used to read children's classics to me at bedtime, like the Railway children and the Wizard of Oz which all stimulate a child's mind. Surely any parent can just take the time to do that?

Actually I think the schools are doing a better job than when I grew up, I certainly never had homework in kindergarten like my kids did.

I think they expect a lot more, my daughter is going into 9th grade next year and taking algebra 2, spanish, biology, a political academy, I never took more than algebra 1 in high schoolk for math.

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Originally Posted by caseysmom

I never took more than algebra 1 in high schoolk for math.

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:eek: Really? I was in high school 14-15 years ago and they had us taking Algebra I and II, Geometry, Statistics, Calculus, etc. I think there were even classes beyond that, but I didn't get that far (I sucked at math).

I didn't say they didn't have those classes I just never took them because I didn't have to. I see my daughters doing a whole lot more than I ever had to do.

I home schooled my kids until my youngest was going into the second grade and my oldest was in fifth. I wanted to insure their basic education base myself to give them the tools to excel in school. I think nowdays it is a combination of lack of parenting, leading to disrespectful children, and a lack of enough teachers who care enough to make the kids work hard. The teachers get so burnt out dealing with the bratty kids that result from lack of parenting, that they have a hard time doing the rest of their job in a lot of cases. I have always told my kid's teachers that if they are struggling in something, to send it home and I will help them. I don't expect the teachers to be able to spend all their time with my student if he/she doesn't understand something well and as a parent it is my job to help the teachers and my child. At least this is how I feel about it. I have always done this and will continue to do this because it takes ALL involved to raise children to be respectful of adults, respectful of their peers, and to care about the world around them. Yes I work and it's hard to find the time all the time, but my kids' future is at stake, why in the world should I let their future rest on someon else's shoulders? They are my kids. I don't think blame can be placed squarely on one cause, it is cumulative from all sides, IMO.

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Originally Posted by Vela

Yes I work and it's hard to find the time all the time, but my kids' future is at stake, why in the world should I let their future rest on someon else's shoulders? They are my kids.

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Vela, I commend you. I know it can't be easy, and since Jonah isn't at that level yet, I can only hope I will rise to the challenge.

Slighty off topic, but, I received an email from a friend today, who is married and has two children. He ended the email with, "I never have any time for me anymore". It left me with a bad taste. My time with Jonah, as precious as it is during the week, IS my time. I work so much, and begrudge nearly every moment of it, as it is time away from him. I had 38 years of "me time". If I didn't get it all out of my system then, well, shoot, it couldn't have been that important.

I hate to be corny, but, our children are our future. They must be more important than most everything else in our lives.

I remeber starting school, I knew my ABC's, how to count, how to write my name, and my colors. I was so bored in kindergarden until they tought us how to read. But my neice and nephew didn't start learning to read until first grade.

A lot of it is parents. I have an perfect example. My husband has a three year old brother. Our oldest son is two. Our child was talking, learning his ABC's, how to count, and his colors. It wasn't until we moved closer to them and they were around him a lot before they realized that he could do a lot of stuff their son couldn't. Now they are putting in a little time with him and he is catching up. It's not that hard to sit down and spend five minutes with your child. We plan on sending our kids to a really good private school when the time comes.

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Originally Posted by Cataholic

I would just have to add, "what is wrong with PARENTS these days...".

The schools only have the child for 7ish hours, and not all of that is instructional time. The parents have them the rest!

Turn off the TV! Read (and otherwise interact) with your children. Don't leave it up to the schools to do it all.

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Absolutely! My mom taught me to read well before I started kindergarten. I remember my teacher being surprised about my ability to read when I started kindergarten...perhaps because not every parent bothers teaching their children before school. I agree. A child's mother is his/her FIRST SCHOOL! Parents need to take more of their children's responsibility in their own hands.

It really is sad. When I was in kindergarten, I was the only one who could read, write, and type. My teacher HATED me for it! I could ave easily skipped 1st and 2nd grade. I could do 5th grade math in 1st grade. None of this is a lie. But, now the kindergarten kids can't even spell their own names. Some don't know their abc's untill the END of 1st grade! It's sick how no one is teaching their kids a thing!

I learned to read in Kindergarten. I remember the teacher taking us aside in Kindergarten, and asking us to count as high as we could. Most kids never made it past 20, while the teacher told me to stop once I hit 100. I don't think 100 in Kindergarten is that much to ask. Now I look back on it, I'm surprised the other kids couldn't count higher. (There were about 7 others). They had all went to preschool as well, and I hadn't. My mom never really taught me anything, I just always caught on quick. I agree though that parents should start teaching their children before school starts.