Even Kids Know
My granddaughter was over at the house thisafternoon. She was busy writing a letter to two teachers that had visited her class earlier in the day. I told her it was nice that she was writing a thank you note to them. She became indignent (as only a 10 year old young lady can) and replied" "It is not a thank you note. It is an apology. All of the class has to write one. Two of her class mates had acted rudely and disrupted the presentation the visiting teachers were giving.
Her teacher instructed the entire class to write an apology to the teachers. She very politely pointed out that only two of her classmates had acted poorly and asked why the entire class had to write an apology letter. The teacher replied that it was "nice" to point out the fault of others and all needed to apologize because the entire class was present. My grand daughter also mentioned that several other classmates asked the same question.
She asked me if that was correct and the "right thing to do". I told her no it was not correct and it was not the "right thing to do". I told her that the innocent should not be punished with the guilty. Only those misbehaving should be punished. The ones behaving should not have to write the apology note.
If a ten year okd (admitted very bright :) ) can see the inequity in the situation, one would think a teacher could also.
Each person is responsible for their actions, even fifth graders. They know right from wrong, good from bad. School should engourge this rather than teach collective/group guilt.
Her teacher instructed the entire class to write an apology to the teachers. She very politely pointed out that only two of her classmates had acted poorly and asked why the entire class had to write an apology letter. The teacher replied that it was "nice" to point out the fault of others and all needed to apologize because the entire class was present. My grand daughter also mentioned that several other classmates asked the same question.
She asked me if that was correct and the "right thing to do". I told her no it was not correct and it was not the "right thing to do". I told her that the innocent should not be punished with the guilty. Only those misbehaving should be punished. The ones behaving should not have to write the apology note.
If a ten year okd (admitted very bright :) ) can see the inequity in the situation, one would think a teacher could also.
Each person is responsible for their actions, even fifth graders. They know right from wrong, good from bad. School should engourge this rather than teach collective/group guilt.
But that is pretty much the point of todays education system. To teach groupthink & groupguilt. We are supposed to all think together and work together for the common good. After all, what else is there?
I've told this story before, but I think it's relevant here.
My 1st second-grade teacher assigned the class a math problem, after teaching us how to figure it. After we turned in our results, she chose my paper, and told the class that my answer was wrong; the correct answer was something else.
I redid the problem. Got the same answer.
She turned to the class, and asked them which of us was right. The all agreed that she was right. I did the problem a 3rd time, got the same answer, and shrugged at her helplessly. Several members of the class began to roll their eyes at me.
Then she dropped her bombshell. In fact, she told them, my answer *was* right. She lectured the class on the importance of thinking for themselves, and when parent-teacher conferences came around, my mother came home beaming a proud smile at me, telling me how my teacher had bragged about me, "sticking to your guns".
That profoundly affected me the rest of my life.
Though it wasn't alone - http://humanachievementinitiative.wordpr...
That was 40+ years ago.
It is with heavy heart I pen this missive. I had the misfortune to observe your presentation on (enter date). While I'm confident your intentions meant well, obviously the result was less than optimal.
And so I feel compelled to offer my condolences on the disruption of your presentation.
I'm sorry that it was so poorly conceived that it offered opportunity for less-disciplined members of your audience to respond rudely to you, our guests.
I'm sorry that our teacher has so little authority over her class that she was incapable of controlling this rude behavior.
I'm sorry that our teacher chose to use this as a learning exercise in group-think, and therefore has inflicted this number of insincere apologies upon you.
I'm sorry to be a member of a society which places more importance upon the potential affront offered adult, educated professionals above justice for individual students.
And I'm sorry for any lasting psychological damage you may have suffered at the hands of the two members of the class who chose to respond to your presentation in a way they found appropriate, but, obviously, our teacher did not.
Good luck in your future endeavors,
mminnick's grandaughter
The teacher's position is a common mistake in business: holding someone responsible for a situation without their having authority to change it.
I would go easy on her because it's more likely a mistake than a sinister plan to promote collectivism. This won't be the last managerial mistake she encounters in life. I wouldn't consider letting this mistake dictate the content. I would write a simple thank you note. This is actually a great lesson in interacting with clients who are making mistakes.
Help her write the apology; use this as a guide as to form (rather than a template):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8vA0ANTU...
(in another reply I'll share how I'd word the reply).
mminnick, this is important, more important than you can realize now. When your granddaughter is old and gray, and looking back on the course of her life, this will be one of those turning points that determines her future, whether she ever realizes it or not. It may not affect her visibly or physically, but it will influence, deep-down, almost on an instinctive level, the decisions she makes in the future. If she does the right thing, gets slapped down, and sees no reward or value in standing up, her reflexes in the future will be to not stand up, again. It may manifest itself in a failure to achieve in college, it may manifest itself in an unwillingness to compete for a job, or a mate... if not handled well.
You know the slap is coming; the trick is to support her through it and help her understand that this is what heroes are made from, and the harshness of the counter-attack against her only proves how righteous she is.
I enjoyed re-watching the clip. Tx.
Jan
Post the address where the "apology" letters are to be mailed here, so we all can add our apologies to the pile. After all, we're all here as guilty of her classmates' rude behavior as your granddaughter is...
Dear Visiting teachers,
Thank you for your presentation to our class today on the life and customs of the ancient Mayans. I am interested in history and how other people live. I have a friend who says “history is gossip”. What is your opinion on that?
The purpose of this letter is not, unfortunately, only to compliment you on an interesting presentation. I am writing this letter as an assignment from my teacher, who has required everyone in the class to apologize for the behavior and Scott and Dylan, the 2 boys who kept rudely interrupting you. I think she should have sent them to the Dean’s office the first time they interrupted you, but she doesn’t believe in that. I am sorry your presentation was interrupted; please do not think that the opinion of 2 self-important morons is the opinion of the entire class.
I would like to know, however, what you think about my teacher’s requirement that every student present write a letter of apology to you, even if they were interested like I was. Do you think it’s fair to punish everyone because 2 people behaved rudely?
Thank you for your time,
mminnick’s granddaughter
To really understand the original intent of the Common Core Standards read Cultural Literacy by E. D. Hirsch 1987, and The Schools We Need and Why We Don't have Them by E. D. Hirsch, 1996. The Common Core Standards were originally based on the Core Knowledge Curriculum. See the website http://www.coreknowledge.org/.
The Common Core Standards are not a curriculum. School districts, and sometimes even schools select the curriculum to implement them. In our district, the elementary schools could not agree on the Math curriculum to adopt (these are the math book publishers like Pearson, Envision, Saxon etc) so the district allowed the elementary schools to select different publishers.
What concerns me the most is the interpretation of "teaching to mastery". The Common Core Standards include "teaching to mastery". "Teaching to mastery" means if you don't master the content you don't move on to the next level. The alternative is "teaching for exposure". In "teaching for exposure" if you don't get it this year you will still move on to the next level where you will be exposed to it again (usually next year). This is how some students reach high school unable to read or to do basic arithmetic.
As Common Core is implemented schools and districts interpret "teaching to mastery" in their own way. If schools are really teaching to mastery then some students would be held back in certain subjects or grades. Parents should see some evidence of this happening. This does not happen often in New Mexico. This year the New Mexico Legislature will again debate the law to hold back students in the third grade who cannot read at grade level (social promotion). For the last two years the legislature has been unable to reach agreement on this topic. (In the meantime the reported statistic is that nearly half of NM third grade students cannot read at grade level.)
What's interesting is technology enables students to progress based on mastery by subject rather than age level cohort, but the public education system has found it difficult to embrace this concept. A few charter schools have had success implementing this concept.
I was with you right up until, "The Common Core Standards are far from perfect".
The solution to our problem is very, very simple.
What we need (make a list; SMOFs always make lists):
Millions of McGuffy readers/writers/math equivalents from the turn of the 20th century.
Millions of flexible but not easily destructible rulers.
Thousands of post menopausal nuns in a bad mood.
Sit the kids down, make them memorize and learn... or bleed; their choice.
When are you people (and by you people in this context I mean anyone who doesn't agree with me on this) going to figure out that the problem was caused by us screwing with the educational system, so the most obvious solution, at least short-term, is to return to the methods and philosophies we were using prior to our screwing the system up?
I can hear the counter-arguments now.... "but... but... COMPUTERS!"
Individualized education! no "bunches' of ANYthing! kids. older kids [like 32 yrs old]. stuff. transportation. the question "What if....?"
It's also interesting that there are some not public schools that still teach this way....learn the basics or suffer the consequences.
If you mean in any way shape or form a kid touches a computer without severe damage to his fingertips.... I disagree.
After 4 years of working within the public education system, I can see that change must come through disruptive innovations. I strongly suggest avoiding public schools altogether, using either home schools, online schools, or private schools. No matter what school you choose monitor what is taught very carefully.
Read Tony Wagner's book Creating Innovators for some good ideas on how to educate your children.
Consider Ayn Rands "Open Letter to Boris Spassky" (Philosophy: Who Needs It). If you have children, one of the most important things you can do is to ensure they are not a product of public education. If you choose not to educate your children in the public education system you will be considered elitist and experience many types of social pressure. If you send your children to public school, it's very possible that they will embrace group think, and support socialism. You may think they will grow out of this once they have a job and start paying taxes...some will, many will not.
HOORAY FOR THOSE SCHOOLS.
And it's called "penmanship".
"Read Tony Wagner's book Creating Innovators for some good ideas on how to educate your children"
Better idea; pick up a textbook from before 1913.
Standards are something we ought to fight for ?
Posted by marysnow 0 minutes ago
The Common Core Standards are far from perfect. The original idea was to define what should be taught at each grade level in core subjects to create a base of shared common knowledge. This would make it easier on students who change schools. As the Common Core Standards were defined and considered by the states for adoption, it was decided that each state could make some modifications to them.
To really understand the original intent of the Common Core Standards read Cultural Literacy by E. D. Hirsch 1987, and The Schools We Need and Why We Don't have Them by E. D. Hirsch, 1996. The Common Core Standards were originally based on the Core Knowledge Curriculum. See the website http://www.coreknowledge.org/.
The Common Core Standards are not a curriculum. School districts, and sometimes even schools select the curriculum to implement them. In our district, the elementary schools could not agree on the Math curriculum to adopt (these are the math book publishers like Pearson, Envision, Saxon etc) so the district allowed the elementary schools to select different publishers.
What concerns me the most is the interpretation of "teaching to mastery". The Common Core Standards include "teaching to mastery". "Teaching to mastery" means if you don't master the content you don't move on to the next level. The alternative is "teaching for exposure". In "teaching for exposure" if you don't get it this year you will still move on to the next level where you will be exposed to it again (usually next year). This is how some students reach high school unable to read or to do basic arithmetic.
As Common Core is implemented schools and districts interpret "teaching to mastery" in their own way. If schools are really teaching to mastery then some students would be held back in certain subjects or grades. Parents should see some evidence of this happening. This does not happen often in New Mexico. This year the New Mexico Legislature will again debate the law to hold back students in the third grade who cannot read at grade level (social promotion). For the last two years the legislature has been unable to reach agreement on this topic. (In the meantime the reported statistic is that nearly half of NM third grade students cannot read at grade level.)
What's interesting is technology enables students to progress based on mastery by subject rather than age level cohort, but the public education system has found it difficult to embrace this concept. A few charter schools have had success implementing this concept.
Like our Constitution and what has happened to original intent... when the progressives get a hold of it they abuse and twist it. I do not trust them. The track record is plain.
Respectfully,
O.A.