what's wrong with schools these days

**IRescue452** · 05-01-2006, 08:28 AM

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.

**dab_20** · 05-01-2006, 08:31 AM

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!

**king2005** · 05-01-2006, 08:36 AM

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.

**Karen** · 05-01-2006, 08:47 AM

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!

**Cataholic** · 05-01-2006, 09:10 AM

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.

**catnapper** · 05-01-2006, 09:24 AM

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.

**Samantha Puppy** · 05-01-2006, 10:00 AM

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.

**Miss Z** · 05-01-2006, 11:13 AM

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.

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?

**caseysmom** · 05-01-2006, 11:25 AM

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.

**popcornbird** · 05-01-2006, 05:51 PM

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.

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.