Long Rant and Another Post That Might Make You Mad

I must warn you that this a rant about testing, bullying, schools and parents.  It is solely my opinion based on what little I know and my limited life experiences.  You can agree or disagree - I can take it.

There is a Washington Post article going around the homeschool circles.  It's about how a school administrator, a successful human being, couldn't pass the 10th grade standardized test that students in his district are expected to pass.  Many homeschoolers are praising the article and poo-pooing standardized tests.  I don't disagree that today's standardized tests are idiotic, but can we agree we need standards in education?  Good standards, not trendy or politically correct standards.

I will admit it. I give my kids standardized tests - either California Achievement Test (1970 version) or the IOWA test.  I do so for my purposes only, and you know what?  They rarely surprise me.  As the teacher of my children, I know where they are weak and where they are strong and these tests always confirm strengths and weaknesses for me.

I like the California test because it is from a time when students were still being taught the 3 R's at a higher standard, before political correctness, and before schools decided it was their job to socially mold kids.  I like the IOWA because it includes Science and History - although the history portion is called "Social Studies," which makes me crazy and deserves a blog post all its own.

So, what's my problem with the article?  It only addresses one of the problems with standardized tests and doesn't propose any common sense solutions. I will admit I am disturbed by homeschoolers that think this article is fabulous.  I don't believe there is anything wrong with standardized tests in and of themselves, but there is a problem with how they are written and constantly changed,and thus dumbed down (and yet kids still aren't passing).  Why must the basic standards change?   Math hasn't changed.  Proper English skills haven't changed.  Sure, we rarely have a library with an actual "card" catalogue, but the Dewey system is still in place.  We have a lot more slang today and lots of acronyms (LOL, TTYL, etc.) but those have no place in a standardized test.

The main problem with the tests is that there is too much importance placed on them and in turn require teachers to "teach" kids to memorize the stuff on the test, thus "teaching to the test."  Doesn't it make more sense to teach basic skills and then test those basic skills?  Isn't that what regular tests do?  It's interesting that all (well, most) the curricula that I use have chapter tests.  Guess what each chapter test is about?  Yep, information that was learned in that chapter.  A "final" is a cumulative test.  With things like Math and English this should be simple, and I daresay the same across the country.  I am all for states rights and I don't believe there should be a Federal Department of Education.  (Again, that's a whole other blog post.)  However, Math and English have not changed, unless you count the dumbing down aspect.  Don't be fooled.  While much more pressure is being put on Kindergartners to read fluently, that doesn't negate the fact that what was once taught in 4th grade is now being taught in Jr. High or not at all.

I guess I am wondering just WHY it is so darn hard to teach kids the basics these days.  When I learned to read there were no special sessions after school, we were just encouraged to read books.   I learned to read with the Phonics method.  My oldest son was taught "whole language" and to this day he will read a word that isn't there because it has the same beginning letters as the word he learned to "read" by sight.   Math basics haven't changed, but terminology changed for some reason.  Why is borrowing and carrying now called "regrouping" in so many public school math books?  I did need a math tutor because math wasn't sinking in for me, but I wasn't failing math. 

I daresay that before P.E., Science, History, Art and Music were effectively removed from the schools, kids learned more and retained more.  When I was in school we had 2 recesses a day, P.E. was almost daily.  Science and History were daily, and we had Art and Music once a week.  Many schools do science and history, each every other week for about 30 minutes.  Several schools don't even offer Art or Music anymore.  A broad, well rounded education makes for better comprehension and cognizance of information that is disseminated.

Further, when we tie the creative hands of teachers they are limited to what they can do to teach kids and they are often forced to teach in a way that doesn't match their teaching or learning style.  I say, cut all the darn red tape and get rid of ridiculous trendy standards and let teachers teach.  Then give a simple, no nonsense test like the CAT or IOWA.  Will there still be kids that fail? Probably, but that is nothing new. The idea that we can leave NO child left behind is RIDICULOUS.  We cannot "save" everyone.  So, at the expense of every kid, we dumb down the system to try and reach the few that may not have a supportive/healthy home environment.  That makes perfect sense.  NOT.

How many, "My kid is on the honor roll" bumper stickers have you seen? Where are all these brilliant kids when the tests are taken? I know I am being anecdotal, but do you see my point? Everyone is brilliant and they are all good kids. And they know it. Yet, the tests keep being changed in hopes that all the kids will pass. It is so bad out there that administrators have committed fraud to make it look like the kids are passing. I read an article sometime this year that said American students have the lowest test scores when compared to other countries, but they have the highest self esteem. One only needs to watch auditions of American Idol to see that in action.
 
That brings me to another rant of putting the "special ed" kids in a regular classroom.  That is nothing short of disruptive and UNFAIR to the majority of students.  God forbid that "special ed" students be singled out.  What?  What is fair, is letting kids learn in an environment that is suited for them.  It isn't fair to mainstream students to have to deal with the disruptions of "special ed" students and it isn't fair to put "special ed" students in a room where they are clearly vulnerable to bullying and will be made to feel bad about not being as smart as everyone else.  What the heck is wrong with the adults in the school system that do not see this?  I am sure the terminology "special ed" isn't politically correct or even correct at all, but maybe someone will tell me what it is being called these days.

So much time is taken for social causes and every social cause today is an "epidemic."  Propaganda escalates problems and does not help or stop them.  The cause of the moment is the anti-bullying campaign.  I know I will probably get slammed for my views on this, but so be it.  Bullying is not going to stop.  The less educated the populace become, the more mean people get.  Bullying is probably more prevalent today just because there are more avenues to carry it out - IE, the Internet and social network sites.  I daresay it happens more because the more you talk about something the more appealing it becomes.  Also, bullies know they will get away with stuff because rarely can you kick a bad kid out of public school anymore. Why? Because that little jerk is just as entitled as any other kid to an education.  Well, not in my day. If you were a jerk, hit a kid or hit a teacher your butt got whooped and sent home.  The word "expelled" actually existed in the school system.  These days it is the VICTIM that needs to leave school in most cases.  Unless somebody actually kills someone, the bully stays where he is.  THIS is the problem.

I have read two articles in the last week about children who have killed themselves over bullying. That is unacceptable to me and should be to everyone.  I don't know what the exact answer is, but instead of wasting precious time with anti-bullying assemblies that only temporarily get kids to act nice to each other, how about we just EDUCATE the children? An educated population will make better choices and will KNOW that bullying isn't right.  Here's an idea, kick out the kids who can't behave!  In my town there is a small "alternative" high school that kids need to attend when they become out of control.  In my opinion it isn't utilized enough - at last count I heard they had less than 10 students there.  If there are real consequences for kids that treat people badly then they will straighten up because they won't like being on the outside looking in.

For younger grades where there isn't an alternative school, at the very least put the offenders in a separate class and make them eat together and have recess together.  Don't allow them to be with the "general population" at school.  Sounds a bit like prison, but whatever works.

I have heard story after story about people who are homeschooling their kids because their kid was being bullied.  It is maddening to me that the schools think an assembly, some billboards and a PSA are going to solve this problem. When parents are pulling their kids out of school it means their concerns were not addressed and that bullies were allowed to stay in school and disrupt classrooms, lunch rooms and school yards. WHY?  WHY are these jerks, yes jerks, allowed to stay?  I'll tell you why. Because some dumb politicians and activists along the way decided that education was a right and not a privilege.  Which leads me to saying parents are the other part of the problem.  Parents no longer seem able to take constructive criticism about their child or their parenting skills.  They react indignantly and are totally incapable about being objective about how their own child behaves.  When everyone one says they have great kids, dare I ask why so many bad things are happening if everyone has great kids? 

From Science Daily Article entitled "Bullying May Contribute to Lower Test Scores"

The study couldn't explain the reasons for a bullying climate at some schools or the causes of lower test scores at those schools, but the researchers offered several theories. The academic performance of students in schools with pervasive bullying may suffer because students are less engaged in learning due to fears about bullying or due to a greater level of school disorder associated with bullying, they said. Teachers also may be less effective because they spend more time focused on discipline, they added.

Cornell doesn't believe bullying has increased in schools, but media attention has highlighted the serious problem. "We have always had bullying in our schools. What has changed is we have become more aware of bullying due to a series of high-profile tragic cases involving school shootings and suicides," Cornell said. "Our society does not permit harassment and abuse of adults in the workplace, and the same protections should be afforded to children in school."

Exactly.  Kick out the bullies so the rest of the kids can learn.

Back to the adult that took the 10th grade test. I am going to assume that since it was 10th grade, there was probably Algebra on the test.  Is Algebra relevant for most adults in their daily life?  Probably not.  But is it relevant for a 10th grader who may want to go to college after graduating high school? Yes. Yes, it is.  Therefore, I am not surprised the adult wouldn't do well with Algebra questions, but why couldn't he pass the reading portion?  Something is terribly wrong with the questions on this test if a grown, literate man couldn't answer the questions correctly.  I ask again, what has changed about reading? The answer should be, "nothing." 

Obviously, "experts" and bureaucrats have screwed up.  While I agree that most of today's standardized tests are worthy of the bottom of a bird cage, I don't discard standardized testing altogether. I believe they serve their purpose for public schools and homeschoolers.  It worries me that so many homeschoolers don't think they have some value.  What worries me more, is that I see no forward moving change in the near future, for our public schools.  I see homeschooling on the rise, which is a good thing for most of those students who will be homeschooled, but it isn't good news for the school system. What will it take for the system to change?  I just don't know.