HOW FAR DO WE LOWER THE STANDARDS?

Did you have those small notebooks with the dashed line to indicate where the top of the n's, m's, etc should be? Did you get graded on your writing? We did. My granddaughters (12 and 14) have terrible handwriting.

I want to push back on the idea that education is getting worse in the US. This is a destructive narrative. And, it is simply not true.

in 1971, less than 50% of Americans ever completed high school. Now this number is over 90%. This is a huge improvement, and it is also behind a good deal of the social progress we have seen in the US in the past 50 years.

During this time, educating many more people, reading and mathematics scores on the NAEP have stayed the same.

The big problem with our education system is one of continuing economic and racial disparities. We still see much worse performance in school districts with high poverty, and particularly in districts with large numbers of racial minorities. I have felt strongly that we weed to figure this out.

But looked on as a whole, I think it is hard to see any problem in educational trends in the US.

YES!

The funny thing is I have horrible handwriting now - I can have nice handwriting if I take my time but I don't. I did get graded on it - I honestly have no idea how I did, but I used to get good grades overall except music I cannot carry a tune.

My kids actually have better handwriting than I do. But they both had cursive as well and were graded on it.

My daughter is considering going into education. I told her she could teach now in science in some of the nearby towns - if you teach in certain towns (they need to have a certain percent of low income) - they may be able to get their student loans (or a portion of them) covered. Not sure all the details. But I think if she decides to teach she would rather teach at the elementary level.

The other thing - I would think you would prefer to teach outside of our town and some of the higher income towns also surrounding us. To me - some of these "entitled" kids and parents would be worse to deal with. Especially after experiencing her most recent nanny position.

My handwriting changes from day to day or hour to hour. Sometimes I loop lowercase letters with loops (p, f, g, j) other times I just use a line or print it. Sometimes it's tidy, other times not.

Cool Linkat.

Your daughter will probably take the same education courses I did. "Savage Inequalities" by Jonathan Sozol is required reading (and probably will be assigned by any decent ed school).

The problem is the system. Our schools are still wildly segregated by race. This is frustratating, and difficult to believe in the 21st century. We still have White Schools and Black Schools and Hispanic Schools.

Your daughter can choose to teach in a minority school district. And, she can be a great teacher. That won't change the fact that her students will have fewer resources and fewer role models than students in White schools. And even with the best teachers, the other disadvantages will result in worse results than in White Schools.

More frustrating is that political liberals are tacitly (and hypocritically) supporting school segregation by race. The answer is obvious... students should be able to go to school where they want. You shouldn't be locked into an underperforming school by your economic status or race (which dictates your zip code).

Curious - do you think most students would want to go elsewhere or their parents want them to? I am thinking more that some might need to travel further or feel they do not fit into a certain schools.

I grew up and went to a diverse school system. My kids I sent to private (when I lived in a diverse city) - more almost like you say, the academics was not considered as high. Until we moved to a less diverse town - the academics was better, but to be honest in many ways the social side was worse - more entitled kids and it seemed more bullying...

The private school was actually more diverse than the public (at least where we went) so we had the best of both.

Why shouldn't kids who live in Hyde Park (where most kids are minorities and economically disadvantaged) be able to go to school in Milton (where most kids are rich and White)? Many of these kids could walk to Milton High School, but they aren't allowed to go there.

Milton is a much better school with much better results. It is also more White and more wealthy. That's the issue.

I don't have an issue with it at all - I am asking do you think the kids and/or their parents would want to?

And Milton is not as "white and rich " as you make it out to be - at least there high school. The ultra rick in Milton go to private school. They are more diverse than you expect on the surface - much more than other what are considered wealthy communities. We have played on teams with girls from Milton including one that works in Milton schools.

But that is neither here nor there - the question is more would these kids want to go to these schools? I do think some would - but I think many would feel they would be out of place and may not want to go and others - may not want the additional travel time. So the more motivated would likely but would others?

I do think they should have the choice - it is whether they would want to or not?

There are some school districts too that accept kids from other school districts - but it is more based on if they have space. I know a family who lived in Randolph that went to Avon High School for example.

1. This is news to me.
2. I don't know of any political liberals who support school segregation by race.
3. From my own personal experience, I find your statement to be false.

What do you feel about school choice, Real Music?

Because I wouldn’t want a young person to consign herself to a lifetime of hell, I’m asking you to tell her to join teacher groups on Facebook, talk to actual veteran teachers, look at salaries and whether or not her state has a teacher’s union.

Look at trends in teachers leaving the profession in droves. There is a reason. It’s getting much worse very quickly.

I wouldn’t wish it on a young person. This month’s TikTok challenge is Slap a Teacher.

1. If school choice means that someone who has the means and transportation to go to the school of their choice, I would have to say I have a problem with that.

2. My problem with that is that there may be less fortunate students who don't have the means and transportation to go to the school of their choice.

3. Offering school choice to someone that has a way to get to school and back is unfair to the student who also wants school choice but has no way of getting to school and back.

4. The better solution would be to make all schools equal and better.

5. Integrating schools by way of busing students might be a possible solution.

6. The problem with busing is that a student who lives geographically close to the school he or she prefers,
might end up being forced to travel much further to a different school.

"Separate but equal" should be a failed policy of a shameful past. Sadly The idea that we can make schools equal without integrating them has not died.

I am not sure I follow your logic. Kids living in wealthier White neighborhoods can go to good schools, but kids living in minority neighborhoods can't because that would somehow be unfair.

The more I read your reasoning, the less it makes sense.

Anyone should be able to go to the achool of their choice.

1. If you Max, want to volunteer driving the student to school and also picking them up and returning them home after school, that would be mighty kind of you.

2. That way this particular student will have a way to get to school at the school of their choice/preference.

3. I'm sure that student would be very appreciative of having someone like you Max, to provide them transportation to the school of their choice/preference.

4. Because without your help Max, this particular student will be force to go to the school he is zoned to attend.

5. Due to not having their own own transportation this student doesn't really have a choice.

6. Due to not having anyone to drive them to school, this student has no choice.

7. School buses won't be his personal chauffeur to drive him or her to their school of preference/choice.

8. So, the real question is, would everyone truly have school choice/preference?

My reasoning doesn't make sense to you Max, because it doesn't
fit your very narrow narrative.

1. And there lies the problem.

2. Due to the issue of transportation, everyone would not be able to go to the school of their choice.

1. Can you at least tell me where you heard such nonsense?

2. Can you tell me where did you hear that political liberals support school segregation by race?

3. Are you making this up in order to create and establish some false political narrative?

4. You are making what I believe to be a false claim about political liberals.

5. Why are you doing this?

1. I was surprise when I found out that students aren't taught how to write in cursive anymore.

2. I think my school taught us cursive writing in the 3rd grade.

3. Cursive writing isn't really used in everyday life.

4. I can't remember the last time I wrote in cursive other than signing my signature.

5. With that being said, I'm still happy that schools taught us how to write in cursive.

6. Someone told me that some High Schools drivers education is now taught only with driving simulation machines.

7. And that students no longer go out on the roads and streets in Divers Ed.

8. That really shocked me when I heard that.

We definitely have unions here...to be honest in our local school system I have not seen many teachers leave that were not retiring. But I am not familiar with the public schools currently outside of our district other than a couple of teachers I know - and both seem to love teaching. Yes, of course, like many occupations they complain about certain things but they do seem to be happy with their choice.

My daughter is going to coach this year at a private school - the same school my younger daughter attended. It may give her a glimpse into teaching at least on the surface.

As far as salaries, I am resigned to the fact this daughter is unlikely to have a large salary. All the types of careers she is looking at are low salaried. I did talk to her about that - the fact she needs to realize that and as long as she is content with making a lower amount and can live off that then so be it. A teacher's salary around here is actually pretty good unless she does opt for the private school route. It would be higher than most other careers she is considering.