I Guess This Would Go Here

[Annie]

Thursday night was my first for new grad class course. Title of course, "Teaching the Gifted and Talented."

The teacher is actually very nice, Phd, black,with a kindergarten daughter. Her daughter is precocious, but both parents are way overeducated, multiple PhD's both. She smacked down school that wanted to test her daughter. She was onmark, 'the parents are causative of child's behavior.' She says the daughter may be 'gifted' but hasn't shown precocity beyond what she has been well exposed to.

With that said, she wouldn't credit you and your wife or husband with as much.

While study after study has proven that 'tracking works' it was pooh poohed, even though it was illustrated in the handout by the doctor. I wonder if the public is aware that there have been a multitude of studies that confirm that girls perform at a much higher level if in an all girls school? Same with deaf kids. Same with gifted kids. Same with multi-lingual kids.

Never you mind, 'inclusion' is the way of the future, along with the slippage in ACT/SAT.

 

[insein]

makes sense to me. Girls in the local all girls High school, Villa Joseph Marie, have consistently better grades then those that attend the integrated Catholic High Schools in the area. Same with the boys. Those that attend the All boys school, Holy Ghost Prep, have higher average grades then those in the diocese.

The same can be said for the mentally disabled. they learn at their pace with similar kids. This creates and environment in which they dont feel inferior or embarrassed by their outward appearences or mental handicaps.

 

[no1tovote4]

I have always failed to understand why "mainstreaming" is a good idea. If I had a deaf child that I wanted to learn how to speak and work within a hearing society I would send them to a deaf school. The public schools don't have the experience or the trained teachers available that would allow them to teach such things.

I also have failed to understand why it would be so bad to send disruptive students to a school that is run by people trained to deal with just such students rather than let them disrupt the education of others.

 

[Merlin1047]

I have always failed to understand why "mainstreaming" is a good idea. If I had a deaf child that I wanted to learn how to speak and work within a hearing society I would send them to a deaf school. The public schools don't have the experience or the trained teachers available that would allow them to teach such things.

I also have failed to understand why it would be so bad to send disruptive students to a school that is run by people trained to deal with just such students rather than let them disrupt the education of others.

At one time reasons like these were used as smoke screens for racial discrimination. Like most things our government does, it has overshot the mark on this too. Now we cannot group children by abilities - even if it is done without regard to race or gender. Instead we throw them all into a system that is geared to produce an education where lazy or slow students can "feel good" about themselves.

 

[dilloduck]

At one time reasons like these were used as smoke screens for racial discrimination. Like most things our government does, it has overshot the mark on this too. Now we cannot group children by abilities - even if it is done without regard to race or gender. Instead we throw them all into a system that is geared to produce an education where lazy or slow students can "feel good" about themselves.

and the "system" looks SOoo much better when everyone passes. Who cares that they are still too dumb to go out and get an actual job.

 

[Annie]

Well here I am preaching to the choir. In class, well they all buy into the arguments. I made the faux pas of saying that the ACT and SAT had been 'dumbed down' since the 1960's. Needless to say, I was reamed that it was to remove bias.

Now I do understand that some 'middle class' or higher situations would be an unknown to a kid from the project, but they are removing information that any 'well educated' person would know from reading classic books. That isn't 'bias' but dumbing down.

 

[dilloduck]

Well here I am preaching to the choir.

preach away sistah---you're 30--it's acceptable---when you get to 40 you can repeat yourself often too!

 

[Annie]

preach away sistah---you're 30--it's acceptable---when you get to 40 you can repeat yourself often too!

When I get to 40, about 40 years from now, I'll repeat often! LOL

 

[manu1959]

Well here I am preaching to the choir. In class, well they all buy into the arguments. I made the faux pas of saying that the ACT and SAT had been 'dumbed down' since the 1960's. Needless to say, I was reamed that it was to remove bias.

Now I do understand that some 'middle class' or higher situations would be an unknown to a kid from the project, but they are removing information that any 'well educated' person would know from reading classic books. That isn't 'bias' but dumbing down.

now now now....you wouldn't want to discriminate against the dumb people

 

[Annie]

now now now....you wouldn't want to discriminate against the dumb people

LOL Right you are, they are the majority. j/k

 

[manu1959]

LOL Right you are, they are the majority. j/k

the community i live in looks at it this way.....teach to the smartest kid in the class.....the others can work for him/her some day....hey everyone needs someone to sign the front of their check

 

[Annie]

the community i live in looks at it this way.....teach to the smartest kid in the class.....the others can work for him/her some day....hey everyone needs someone to sign the front of their check

I make my 'lessons' towards the middle. My assignments are differentiated, to the high, middle, and low. I track. How un-pc of me!

 

[manu1959]

I make my 'lessons' towards the middle. My assignments are differentiated, to the high, middle, and low. I track. How un-pc of me!

most schools are like that....no ?

 

[Annie]

most schools are like that....no ?

not really. Aim to the low, assumption is that the rest will 'get it.' No accounting for the fact they are asleep. . .

 

[manu1959]

not really. Aim to the low, assumption is that the rest will 'get it.' No accounting for the fact they are asleep. . .

when i went to school the aimed to the low thank god i had a teacher that gave me work above my capabilites....

 

[Annie]

when i went to school the aimed to the low thank god i had a teacher that gave me work above my capabilites....

The way it should always be. That's what I try to do, sometimes more successfully than others. Give something just beyond where they are, but attainable.

 

[manu1959]

The way it should always be. That's what I try to do, sometimes more successfully than others. Give something just beyond where they are, but attainable.

what grade do you teach?

 

[Annie]

what grade do you teach?

Middle School social studies.

 

[manu1959]

Middle School social studies.

so in chicago is that 6 7 or 8?

what are the hot social studies topics these days?

 

[Annie]

so in chicago is that 6 7 or 8?

what are the hot social studies topics these days?

Yup, 6-8th. 6th is Ancient Worlds, (ie Western Civ).
7th- US history Age of Exploration-1865
8th- US history 1865-Present

Fridays are current event day!