Now, I had seen the status originally and let it slide but I felt the urge to reply to that comment. After all, I sat through 2 days of classes where I learn about the failures of the American education system and the misconceptions about parents and communities. So after talking it over with my roommate and another few friends, I decided to respond "i really have missed arguing with you :) while i am not completely disagreeing with you that there are children who are in fact lazy, and there are parents who do better jobs than others, i think you are misinformed in your generalizations about the education system, and the source or lack thereof of student's motivations. Part of the faults of the American education system is that it IS failing to properly educate and motivate students BECAUSE it has not adapted over the years to teach things beyond algebra (which is not a topic for everyone).
i suggest watching this video for a different perspective from an education expert: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U "
i suggest watching this video for a different perspective from an education expert: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U "
Her friend John responded "I don't know, though. When kids whine about writing stuff out, reading complicated works, or doing not-very-complex maths without a calculator, that's a sure sign that something's gone dreadfully wrong. If we expect technology to do everything, we'll turn into a bunch of fat, lazy imbeciles... and god help us when the technology fails.
Now, there are those .5% that do, in fact, simply not learn well under the existing structure; they, however, are a law unto themselves. (I, for one, learned very little before eighth grade that I had not already learned myself or in the Gifted program. I did a lot of independent study, because I would say that I was highly motivated--and actively wanted to understand EVERYTHING [not to sound intentionally conceited or whatever; I won't deny that I was in a rather good school, all things considered]).
Hovever, for every one of them, there's the dozens who grew up with too much coddling or no authority figures... the ones who either expect everything to be freely given to them or taken forcibly from them. They're the vast majority of the issue."
Now, there are those .5% that do, in fact, simply not learn well under the existing structure; they, however, are a law unto themselves. (I, for one, learned very little before eighth grade that I had not already learned myself or in the Gifted program. I did a lot of independent study, because I would say that I was highly motivated--and actively wanted to understand EVERYTHING [not to sound intentionally conceited or whatever; I won't deny that I was in a rather good school, all things considered]).
Hovever, for every one of them, there's the dozens who grew up with too much coddling or no authority figures... the ones who either expect everything to be freely given to them or taken forcibly from them. They're the vast majority of the issue."
and another person Oliver posted "This is related: http://www.eastbayexpress.com/gyrobase/rich-black-flunking/Content?oid=1070459&showFullText=true "
as I started to respond I realized that I have a lot to say and decided to post it on this never-used blog. here it goes...
I wrote what I wrote to add a differing opinion. I was fortunate enough to go to one of the top 50 public schools in the country where I can absolutely agree that the parents who blamed their children's failure on the education system were typically the ones at fault themselves. I also can say that I was lazy and unmotivated in high school but it sure as hell wasn't because my parents did something wrong, and given that my school was one of the best it wasn't seen as an issue with the school. Yet, I am going to graduate in May from a top university and not any basic math, science, etc. classes that I took in high school will help me in my future work. I don't really remember basic algebra, because there is absolutely no reason for me to know basic algebra. My lack of motivation in high school didn't stem from external factors like my home but from the school's inability to provide me with educational material that I was not only interested in, but that would create a desire for me to succeed.
John, you were in a gifted program so I assume that you know that gifted students are defined as such not strictly based on standard academic ability, but in domains such as dance and art. The American education system does not provide the proper programming to students that might fall right below the gifted line but that still excel when provided the opportunity to complete assignments in a variety of manners. Allowing a student to whose strengths may lie in a more artistic domain to complete a history assignment through video rather than through a paper can change the entire basis of motivation for students in schools whether in great school districts or incredibly shitty ones. This is really the point I was trying to make.
As for your last point, I honestly have no idea where you are getting your statistics or your facts (for your .5% either… are you including students with disabilities in that grouping?). I agree to some extent that they are the vast majority in affluent school districts but to generalize and miss an entire piece of the population that are located in inner cities creates flaws to your argument.
My knowledge base really stems from my last three and a half years in college and all the experience that I have gained in the field of child development and family studies. My focus is on minority students in low-income areas and because of that I view most issues from a social-ecological model viewpoint. There are no issues that can be pinpointed to one place as every level of our being interacts in some way. However, in order to create a change in one area you must begin in another. For instance, in order to get parents more involved in their child’s education and support and motivate them outside of school, a change must be made in getting teachers in the schools to place high expectations of their students and share positive messages with family members. I have seen the difference that a positive comment about a 9th graders class work does to a parent who was previously thought to not care about how their child was doing. They essentially gave up on the system based on the feedback they were receiving from the school and community. According to research, when expectations are set high and positive feedback is extensive, students are much more highly motivated and have much higher graduation rates. Of course, this is just one example.
I really have no view on Oliver’s article as I know very little about minorities in affluent neighborhoods (and that’s a whole other issue right there) and I don’t know enough about this research that was done. I also wouldn’t take that one community and use it to generalize the attitudes of African American families in affluent neighborhoods. But definitely an interesting perspective.
Welp, now that I spent time that I should be spending sleeping writing this I think I am all out of arguments. It's very possible that this last one is completely incoherent because i am so tired. But its been fun. As for the blog, hopefully I will see you after my Rwanda trip in March!
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