A lot of this semester we have dedicated our time to talking about standards in education, whether it be those met by students, their teachers, or the school board our attention has been devoted almost entirely to the concept of assessments. When we talked about charter schools, we reflected on how we can "regulate" or judge the various elements that go into teaching in that realm, one that is somewhat unfamiliar and exists mostly in areas of great need. While I think it's great to be so teacher oriented, as we will all soon be teachers, I think we are failing to really think about a lot of the students that are fighting and praying to have their number pulled in that lottery, to be taught by those teachers. While Mr. Glassman said there are issues of students being denied based on special education needs and language barriers, I had not heard this! From my point of view, many of the areas that charter schools are prevalent in are areas of lower SES with higher instances of ESL learners and students with special needs. To hear that some charter schools are attempting to weed these children out infuriates me. One of the very reasons that I was so excited by the initial idea of charter schools was because I thought they would be a place for wayward kids to come and excel. It seems that now that they are becoming so revered by the community of educational reformists, it may actually be hurting what they used to be all about!
I think that we are failing as teachers. It's scary to think of where you may be right now if you had had a string of crumby teachers throughout your elementary, middle or high school careers. It is highly likely that if you were stuck with crappy teachers, you wouldn't be sitting here contributing to this blog! We are messing up big time as a nation on the subject of education, disappointing and devastating so many students, young and old. I ran across an article today about the "G.E.D", it seems that its requirements are being overhauled. They are raising the expectations in the areas of math and English, which is striking fear in the hearts of many. What do you guys think, should these bare minimum requirements really be raised? When a degree from high school is so vital and the state of education is in such disarray, is it really necessary for us to do this to people who are already struggling, who will continue to struggle? Something about this doesn't sit well with me. Maybe we should get our act together as educators first, before we believe that our disappointed students have a new standard of evaluations to meet.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/12/education/raising-the-ged-bar-stirs-concern-for-students.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&ref=education&adxnnlx=1381966293-bn65Q/PIdtns8F1eyBmk7Q
Very interesting post! I am stuck. I love that you brought up the question of where we would all be sitting if we had different teachers. I often wonder how I would have turned out if I was a homeless youth. In one of my other class we had a lady come in and discuss her experiences as a homeless youth. She was illiterate even as a senior in high school. Luckily one teacher helped her to read, she went to college, and she now teaches elementary school. Unfortunately her story is probably not the norm so it is sad that these charter schools are denying homeless youth to enroll. As far as the GED standards, I am not sure if I would raise them or not.
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