tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9209692386668184870.post7300742544771955507..comments2023-11-25T02:52:50.396-07:00Comments on Faith in Ambiguity: A Mirror Held Up to Our System of EducationAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08644569152748119356noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9209692386668184870.post-58636581186451794432012-04-05T13:15:29.346-06:002012-04-05T13:15:29.346-06:00You have touched on so many things that are so dis...You have touched on so many things that are so discouraging about our educational system and our society as a whole. My kids were coming up through elementary school at the time that a lot of the standardized testing issues started taking precedence. Our district lost so many talented, devoted teachers during this period who were frustrated by "teaching to the test" and/or simply refused to do so and our kids and our community are poorer for that loss. <br /><br />Standardized tests don't tell us about the capabilities of our teachers and still less about the potential of our students--all they tell us about is a student's ability to take a given test on one specific day. That ability is influenced by a gazillion things--a touch of the flu, a powerful crush on the girl at the next desk, etc, etc--and still yet, so much emphasis is placed upon it. It's lunacy.<br /><br />There are no easy or pat answers, but it's nice to know there are people as eloquent as you asking the questions.Masked Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08197019009052401812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9209692386668184870.post-31902692675541131202012-04-04T12:40:32.169-06:002012-04-04T12:40:32.169-06:00You've articulated this so well.You've articulated this so well.Just Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02861216483398553225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9209692386668184870.post-37183295517342808262012-03-31T09:28:59.316-06:002012-03-31T09:28:59.316-06:00Corinne, I am so fascinated with the educational s...Corinne, I am so fascinated with the educational systems in other countries that are always held up against ours. Thank you for sharing this with me.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08644569152748119356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9209692386668184870.post-61524395320530409412012-03-31T09:28:18.459-06:002012-03-31T09:28:18.459-06:00...and it should matter. We forget what we are for......and it should matter. We forget what we are forced to regurgitate quickly, but the rest, when we are asked to use it to think deeply, broadens our whole selves.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08644569152748119356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9209692386668184870.post-23878001383200392692012-03-31T09:27:06.227-06:002012-03-31T09:27:06.227-06:00We will see how I feel when my eldest, now an 8th ...We will see how I feel when my eldest, now an 8th grader, graduates. If by senior year, he has reclaimed a love of learning, a natural sense of inquiry and desire to challenge his mind, I will feel OK with what has come in between. I am sort of holding my breath and hoping that it all falls out OK.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08644569152748119356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9209692386668184870.post-65828983681524799622012-03-31T09:25:32.882-06:002012-03-31T09:25:32.882-06:00It is really so hard for me to capture what bother...It is really so hard for me to capture what bothers me. There is still so much good in our schools, but it is all set about with some sort of inherent wrongness that emanates from dictates nationally, like a healthy body attacked by a virus. My struggle with children who are disabled and yet extremely bright is that they come home exhausted by school, so WHEN and HOW do I still teach all the art, observation, experimentation and critical thinking I want without further straining their resources? I think I do, but it is a a very fine line to walk.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08644569152748119356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9209692386668184870.post-78025068981160754742012-03-31T06:05:38.774-06:002012-03-31T06:05:38.774-06:00This is a fantastic article, Tara. I live in India...This is a fantastic article, Tara. I live in India and the education system here is all about marks and grades and very formal education. It leaves very little room for people who don't fit in to the notion of 'clever' or 'normal' as described by our society! :(Corinne Rodrigueshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00127426375705808776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9209692386668184870.post-69177831542315215492012-03-30T12:33:13.936-06:002012-03-30T12:33:13.936-06:00I notice that a lot in the schools my kids attend....I notice that a lot in the schools my kids attend. They are forced to teach the standards and revolve their curriculum so the kids can pass a test. It doesn't matter whether they really get it. What matters is that they can memorize the answer and get the question right at that point in time with little difference whether they actual absorbed that knowledge to future use.<br /><br />Kathy<br />http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.comAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11564863484894692249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9209692386668184870.post-28945529794325056682012-03-29T15:10:04.689-06:002012-03-29T15:10:04.689-06:00I agree with you TangledLou, finishing up my senio...I agree with you TangledLou, finishing up my senior year in high school right now and looking back at my progress through school it makes me upset at how much it's changed, and definitely not for the better. It's just about getting the kids through the system and making a fool proof plan so they will get passing grades and move on. I thought this was beautifully written and it has definitely given me a lot to think about.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9209692386668184870.post-13987594706398000702012-03-29T14:45:06.582-06:002012-03-29T14:45:06.582-06:00These are some of my frustrations, too. You have s...These are some of my frustrations, too. You have so beautifully put the drawbacks of public education. One of the biggest and saddest facts, is that by many, education is viewed as business. A failing business at that. No "profit" in it. <br />As long as our society undervalues real education, we will send our kids to school to learn how to stand in lines, fill in the blanks, take the tests, and work the system. It is at home that they will learn art, observation, experimentation, critical thinking.TangledLouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04771682524596744447noreply@blogger.com