And maybe instead of standardizing mediocrity by making sure all of our kids can pass the same test, as educators we ought to think about ways to enhance their unique strengths so they can all achieve their individual amazingness.
This is what I want to do. Help all of you - and all of our students - achieve their "individual amazingness." I'm just not sure how to accomplish it, as I feel that public education is more and more about "standardizing mediocrity." People like Will are quitting their jobs to do it . . .
I am reading a book right now called "Bee Season". I just started it but already know I will like it. It speaks to this Post perfectly. Why do we "label" kids with either high, middle or low? This is so unfair and they know what is going on. By the time they reach us (most before)many of them have accepted their role in the school system. If they don't fit the "traditionl" learning/teaching, they seemed doomed for the most part. Don't they all have some unique wonderful quality?
ReplyDeleteIt seems that the further we get into NCLB, the further away from this we are getting. The are trying to push more standardized test to make sure that No Child is left behind.
ReplyDeleteI think that NCLB is a great idea on paper. What we seem to be doing with it is the wrong part. Like James says, we seem to be making sure the "standardized" students are not left behind. In that process I seem to be losing the independant thinkers in the group. That is what I am trying to fix with the Fisch's help. (I guess you could say that I am Fisching.)
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