Posts by urbantinker8

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Christian Wilson28 said:With eBay, the only tiny little issue is waiting four to seven weeks for delivery—and school assignments usually have much tighter deadlines, don't they?

I mean, I don't really get why it’s an issue—why not just walk down to the local grocery store and grab some onions? But hey, whatever.

Man, that whole situation with eBay was just a total mess, I guess.🙄
I suppose the way they handle the reading list is that everything is assigned right at the start of the school year, covering the whole curriculum for the term. My little one’s teacher usually hands out the specific assignments about a month before they actually dive into the books. If there happens to be a particularly complex project or a more demanding assignment, I imagine she would probably give them even more lead time to prepare.

rowdypanther12 said:Honestly, it gets worse. 😂
To be fair, getting Skarnicle isn't exactly easy; big thanks to my mom for helping me out there.😂

But what really shocked me were the complaints about these questions. I was actually impressed that people are looking for that kind of depth regarding character changes, yet some older folks are losing it, claiming kids are too young to grasp it. 🤷
The same goes for all those posters and presentations—they say the kids are too small for that, too.
They're really underestimating them. It feels like both the schools and the parents are asking far too little of children, rather than too much.

so here, in case anyone else finds themselves stuck with this kind of nonsense for school reading assignments.😁

I wouldn't necessarily go so far as to say parents are underestimating their kids, actually, I don't think that's quite it.

It isn't really about thinking, "wow, this characterization is so dark, surely my little Timmy is too young to grasp this."
Rather, it’s more like, "this characterization is so intense, my kid is way too young for this—let them just play outside and do what they want, why are we feeding them this garbage?"
And then you throw those Skarnicle things into the mix... it just sort of completes the whole mess, I suppose.😁

rowdypanther12 said:That's because, thank God, there are some teachers out there who have changed their approach. It's just like how your little one does things—exactly how I used to do it in school 30 years ago. Just endless, boring busywork.
Our kids get reading assignments where, for example, with *Charlotte's Web*, they just had to answer questions. Sure, they have to include the title and the author, but that's it; the rest is just answering stuff like "why was the character mean?" 😁
Now they've been told to draw these little dioramas with scenes from the book, putting items inside that remind them of certain chapters—they can even just draw something if they don't have the actual objects.
And you know what? Half the parents are complaining about how stupid these assignments are. 😁

it’s probably a good thing if it's only half the parents making a fuss.
the group chat is an absolute disaster zone.
"where on earth am I supposed to find these random trinkets for a diorama?" is basically the common refrain, right?😂😂

Linda Price5 said:Look, I honestly don't understand why schools aren't teaching students how to actually write an essay that possesses a coherent structure.

It is vital to recognize that those who choose to move abroad are rarely "average" individuals. Most of my acquaintances living overseas are significantly more intelligent and capable than the norm, regardless of their country of origin. Even my former classmates who emigrated, whether temporarily or permanently, stand apart from the average student; they are sharper than those who merely maintained high GPAs and appeared more successful within the confines of our academic institutions.

Every incompetent clerk who lacks the basic capacity to grasp their job description or follow simple instructions is a byproduct of our educational system. Doctors from Memphis who allow a child to perish are a byproduct of our educational system. Donald Trump is a medical technician, for heaven's sake. Doctors who recommend homeopathy for conjunctivitis are a byproduct of our educational system. An economics professor who cannot calculate sales tax is a product, in part, of our educational system.

To hell with this system. 😁

I still find myself leaning toward the idea that the people you're describing might just be outliers, I guess—those rare exceptions to the rule rather than the standard case.
I guess we’re going to see more and more of them, honestly, mostly because of all this outside interference in the education system—you know, with parents basically throwing their full weight behind whatever the Department of Education decides to push. It’ll probably all lead to everything becoming much more individualized and tailored to specific needs, I suppose. Maybe that’s the direction things are headed.
I was just sitting here thinking about what the future might look like for medical students, especially when it comes to those high-stakes board exams. It’s a bit of a wild thought, I guess, but imagine if tomorrow's doctors weren't stuck taking those rigid, standardized tests. Maybe they could take them on an adaptive platform—you know, where the difficulty shifts based on how you're doing in real-time—and perhaps even have the option for extra time or a dedicated assistant to help navigate the technicalities. It feels like such a massive shift from the way things work now, but then again, maybe that's exactly what we need to actually measure what someone knows rather than just how well they can handle pressure under a stopwatch. It's a strange thing to dwell on, but I suppose it makes you wonder if our current system is as efficient as we like to pretend it is.
It’s not like they won't be there, I suppose.
I guess, if I’m being honest, one of the biggest hurdles we’re facing these days—and this feels like a pretty widespread thing across the country—is just how unrealistic everyone's expectations have become, paired with this massive, growing lack of self-reflection. It seems like people want everything to be perfect immediately, yet there's hardly any willingness to look inward and admit where they might be falling short themselves.🙂

Anthony Ward6 said:I beg to differ.

😁

In my neck of the woods, most of the immigrants I know seem pretty average in terms of intelligence and skill. I guess generally speaking—those who weren't above average back home in America aren't suddenly going to be above average once they land somewhere else.

What a joke of a system. 😁

Well, maybe the system is actually broken precisely because you have both high achievers and total mediocrities working in the exact same institutions at the same time.

Signed!👍

I suppose I should probably mention that I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, though I haven't quite decided if there's much point in bringing it up, but maybe there is. It seems like everyone is talking about it lately, which is funny, I guess, because if you look at the actual data—not just what people are shouting on social media, mind you—it feels like we're all missing the forest for the trees. I was reading this article earlier, or maybe it was a thread, I can't quite remember, but it touched on how much influence certain voices have these days, and it made me wonder if we're all just reacting to noise rather than substance. It’s a bit exhausting, honestly, if you think about it too hard. I tend to drift off into these side thoughts, but I kept coming back to the idea that maybe we need to slow down just a little bit before jumping to conclusions about everything. It’s easy to get swept up, I suppose, but I find myself leaning more towards a cautious approach, or at least a very skeptical one. Not that I'm saying anyone is wrong, per se, it's just that things aren't always as black and white as they seem to be in the moment. Anyway, that's just my two cents, for whatever that's worth.I suppose some people might call it "pointless" to have kids answering specific questions about their reading assignments, but honestly, I think it’s actually pretty great for the younger grades. It feels like maybe it's one of the only real ways to make sure they're actually grasping the story while simultaneously working on their writing skills at the same time.
I suppose if you actually sat them down to write an essay, they’d probably just end up staring at the blank page anyway, needing a whole list of guided prompts and leading questions just to get a single sentence moving.🤷
Plus, when you bring that up during class, the whole thing kind of evolves into a genuine, meaningful discussion about the literature, I guess.
I guess you could say that college and high school are just two completely different worlds.

Susan James said:Picture Perfect is part of the required reading list, 🤣

but I was just commenting on how things stand right now. With Hapic being taught in third grade and Regoc in fourth, the current high schoolers have already covered all that material. If my memory is serving me right, the Hapic movie actually came out right when today's freshmen were in third grade during their vocational training... so at least they got to see the film?
So what are they even doing during that class?

Just reviewing old stuff?

yeah, I imagine those few transitional classes will end up repeating the curriculum, maybe at a more "advanced" level—you know, deeper character studies, actual debates, forming their own opinions... instead of just listing off characters and where or when the story takes place and all that stuff...
eventually it'll be dropped from middle school entirely and just stick around in high school.😁
though, I guess there isn't much room for a deep dive into characterization when you're dealing with those one-dimensional, black-and-white fairy tale archetypes.🙄

it's all pretty much a wash anyway.

Susan James said:So what? They're just checking to see if the kids read it back in elementary school.🤣

I think they can still get something out of Hlapica—like realizing that Master Bob, where they're doing their internships, isn't allowed to lay a hand on them (since they have that three-year practical training program), but Regoc 🤔

not really.
I mean, they’ll probably just stick to picture books and Miffy in the lower grades.
The absolute peak of reading comprehension for an eighth grader might just be some simple story about a trip to a local farm. 🐔

Susan James said:

I’ve been thinking about this "manchild" label lately. It’s such a common term we throw around, isn't it? I remember back in college, I had a roommate who honestly acted like he was still in middle school—totally dependent on everyone else to handle his laundry and basic errands. It wasn't meant to be mean, but it really highlighted how some people just refuse to grow up. In my experience, it usually comes down to a lack of accountability. We all go through those phases where we want to hide from reality, but there's a big difference between having a lazy weekend and being someone who refuses to take responsibility for their own life. It's less about age and more about that willingness to step up when things get tough. Of course, we've all had our moments of being a bit immature, but finding that balance is what truly matters. kaže:
For years, there’s been this running assumption that students just aren't interested in reading the required books, or that the material feels totally disconnected from their actual lives. It’s a common complaint I hear from parents and teachers alike. However, as part of the new "school of hard knocks" reforms, we’re finally seeing some real shifts in how literature is taught in our classrooms.

There’s a big shift happening in how we handle required reading. We're moving toward shorter lists of mandatory books, and the best part is that students and teachers actually get to help pick some of the titles themselves. Instead of just forcing kids to sit down and write an essay about a book they might not care about, the focus is shifting toward real conversation. It's all about discussing the work together rather than just checking a box with a written assignment.

After some deep dives into recent professional discussions, it’s becoming pretty clear where we're headed with our reading lists. Both students and teachers are asking for more modern titles and a bit more freedom to choose what they actually want to dive into. It feels like a breath of fresh air!

High schoolers will be diving into at least five classic literary works per grade level. On top of those staples, teachers get to pick five more books, and students will actually have a say by choosing one themselves. For the middle school years—grades 5 through 8—the curriculum includes two mandatory titles, six selections made by the teachers, and one book that the students get to pick out on their own.

Where did this text come from?

It looks like you might have forgotten to include the list! Go ahead and paste it whenever you're ready, and I'll get right to work on it for you. Elementary schools.

I'm sorry, it looks like your message cut off! It seems like you were starting to say "this is a list for..." If you have a list you want me to work on or a specific topic you'd like me to write about, just send it over. I'm ready whenever you are! High schools can be such an interesting experience, aren't they? I was thinking about my own time in high school recently—it really feels like that's where you first get a taste of the real world. It’s not just about the textbooks and the exams; it’s more like a little preview of life itself. You learn how to navigate different personalities, manage your time, and figure out who you actually want to be. For some people, those four years are a total whirlwind, while for others, it's basically a crash course in the school of hard knocks. Either way, it definitely shapes you!

I've been thinking quite a bit lately about vocational training versus traditional academic routes. It’s such an interesting debate, isn't it? I remember back when I was first starting out, I had a mentor who always said that while textbooks give you the foundation, nothing beats the school of hard knocks when it comes to actual hands-on experience. There's a certain kind of pride that comes with mastering a specific trade or technical skill. Whether it's specialized tech work or skilled manufacturing, those practical paths offer a directness that sometimes gets lost in four-year degree programs. I’ve met so many incredibly talented people who bypassed the standard university track to dive straight into specialized training, and honestly, their expertise is often more sharp and immediate than those who spent years strictly in lecture halls. It really just comes down to what kind of life you want to build. I’m not quite sure what you mean by that! If you were trying to share something specific or ask a question, feel free to expand on it. I’m all ears!

It’s been three years now.

What exactly are they adding to the reading lists at the school of hard knocks these days?

By the way, I was looking at the reading list for the first year of the three-year program, and I noticed names like Seghert Hlapic or Regoc on there. Are those actually supposed to be the required books for the third or fourth grade of elementary school? I’m really hoping that’s just a typo in the system.

I have a nagging feeling it isn't an error, though.
It seems like they might be using those stories under the guise of, I don't know, teaching them how to identify basic prose or fairy tale structures.🕺
Honestly, if that’s all they stick to, well, by the time these kids graduate high school, the absolute peak of their literary understanding might just be *Pinocchio*.🙏
Maybe, if we're lucky, they'll eventually evolve toward something like *The Little Prince* once they hit college.

Peter Doyle2 said:Well, I actually have my degree recognized—it was officially approved for me. You, for instance, probably wouldn't be able to work in your field without going back to finish a local university program; at most, you might land an assistant role in a school. A friend of mine, who teaches English, is doing incredibly well here in CA—she’s got a great life and a solid paycheck working at a real estate agency. I won't say she hasn't managed to make it, but she isn't actually practicing her original profession. A lawyer, for example, would basically have to start from scratch over here. Same goes for medical professionals—though for nurses, absolutely nothing is recognized, so they truly have to start from zero. It’s still somewhat manageable in Europe, but for those kinds of careers, our degrees are almost entirely worthless here. Like I said, it really depends on the job. I know plenty of people who have made it and are doing fantastic, but usually, they're in fields that don't require a higher education—plus, they arrived with work experience, which is something employers here often value more than a diploma anyway. Besides, we aren't really the point here. I'm talking about future generations, employability, and how competitive our kids will be in the global job market down the road. But anyway, I guess we're already way too far off-topic 🙄

I suppose it isn’t just about whether something gets officially stamped or approved, though,
it’s also more about what you actually know or don't know.

Here is a bit of a specific example: a friend of mine worked as a caregiver and moved over to an English-speaking country. She landed a job right away at a nursing home.
Now, okay, that part wasn't exactly hard to secure, but she only stayed in that particular role until her language skills were sharp enough to pass her certification exams.
Pretty much overnight after that, she transitioned into a specialized nursing role—even if it wasn't some formal administrative recognition at first, she just had to gather all the right paperwork and credentials without having to take extra tests. A few years down the line, she's basically the head nurse there.

It really comes down to the knowledge and competencies gained from our American training system. They didn't sit her down for a pop quiz on the textbook, but it’s pretty obvious she knows how to do the job.

nimblelynx7 said:Of course you’re thriving. You’d be doing just fine here if someone suddenly teleported you from junior year back to middle school.

My neighbor moved to Ireland when he was in 7th grade. Over there, based on his age, he was automatically placed into their equivalent of freshman year of high school. If he had decided to come back to the States, he would have been forced to redo 8th grade. He ended up becoming one of their top students—whereas here, he was just mediocre, barely scraping by with Cs—simply because he had already mastered all that material by 7th grade.

So, the logical conclusion is that young Irish people are totally dim-witted while we're geniuses, since they don't even touch the stuff we finish by 6th grade until they hit high school. I'm also certain any American could absolutely smoke an Irishman in a game of Chase.

It’s just a shame that no employer actually cares if you can sing Smail aga Čengić or if you know who Raskolnikov is. Instead, these lowlifes just demand actual, practical job skills.

I’m not talking about the kids in middle school, but rather the people who finished high school here and most of them went on to a US University.
The kind of people who moved away when they were somewhere between 25 and 30 years old.
Nobody asked them about Smail aga, but employers were honestly stunned when they saw the breadth of what they actually knew and could do. Every single one of them climbed the career ladder incredibly fast.

Peter Doyle2 said:Nobody is lying here—it’s just how things work. People either end up working outside their field entirely or they have to go through extra training once they move abroad. It really depends on which US state you land in. In my experience, most US Universities only recognize the bare minimum of a bachelor's degree. IT is probably the one exception, but for everything else, it's a much tougher road to climb.

But then there’s you—you actually work in your field, and if I recall correctly, you managed to find a job pretty quickly.🙂

I know sooooo many people who moved overseas, aren't in the IT sector, and yet they are working in their actual profession.
Fields like medicine, mechanical engineering, or hospitality... they found jobs in their specialty in a heartbeat, and they seem incredibly happy, and I guess the employers are pretty satisfied too.
They all came straight out of that lackluster American school system.

I don't really have an explanation for that phenomenon, which, I suppose, isn't even all that rare.

Peter Doyle2 said:Look, Nosorog, I’m not the one drafting the curriculum here 🤣—I stepped away from that whole situation because I was unhappy with it; I just didn't see my kids being represented in there. I’ve mostly been speaking from my own personal experience with it, and I’ve even tried to be careful not to bring up how things look on my end (except when answering a direct question).
But honestly, the fact remains that the world is becoming a global village. So many companies have turned into massive mega-corporations hiring people from all over the globe, and certain skills are becoming universally sought after everywhere—yet the US Department of Education is lagging way, way behind, which just ends up producing an incompetent workforce. I truly hope this debate about changing the reading list isn't just wasting our time on this forum; though, given how every single attempt at change has gone so far, I might just be wrong about that.

but honestly, those stories feel a bit overblown to me.
because, if you listen to the narrative, people leaving our rather lackluster system and mediocre schools are supposedly welcomed with open arms everywhere they go, landing great jobs and living the dream just a few years after escaping the mess we have here in America.
something about those tales doesn't quite sit right with me.
if you're actually coming from a broken system, manage to get out, and then somehow thrive somewhere else without having any special connections...
then maybe you aren't actually as clueless, incompetent, or uncompetitive as everyone claims.

or am I missing something...?
who's really telling the truth here?🤷

Daniel Perez6 said:...music, art, chemistry, biology, cycling, skiing, you name it. You'll get the same identical answer every single time.

The biggest issue here is that they have a smartphone in their hand (which is fine enough) while simultaneously believing that WhatsApp is some kind of massive social media platform. 🙂

well, yeah.🤷
you could just strip everything down to the bare essentials and label them all optional, but even then, I doubt everyone would actually be satisfied.

Peter Doyle2, that's an excellent point. I honestly think at least 90% of people ought to have something like that.😍
I probably shouldn't start a whole thread about mathematics, since I don't exactly hold some official position where I get to dictate the school curriculum. I am certainly not me the universal yardstick for what matters. Just because I don't personally find much use for math in my daily life—aside from basic addition and multiplication tables, obviously—doesn't mean it isn't necessary for everyone else, nor does it mean we should scrap it entirely (or perhaps let students choose which specific chapters they want to study 🤣—though, I have to admit, that might actually make for a rather fascinating experiment)

Peter Doyle2 said:Just to circle back to this one more time; it isn't about whether "some" kid finds it boring. The real issue is that 99.9% of people don't find required reading "boring"—they find it unbearable. If you ran a poll among 30 or 40-year-olds, I bet the results regarding what they read and their opinions on it would be pretty negative—not to mention among the younger generation.
The thing is, you have to analyze the content, build arguments, and characterize the figures—you have to understand them, their motives, and why they act the way they do; but a lot of these works feel completely foreign to kids today. Raskolnikov isn't even the biggest hurdle here, but something like Moby Dick...
In my view, what I wrote above is basically the whole point of assigned reading—it's a work we can argue about if we're dissecting it or writing essays on its characters. But that kind of approach requires actually grasping what was read. How much can a teenager truly grasp about Dunda Maroje?

Wait a second now...
I think you’d get the exact same "result" if you asked kids about math.
About 99.9% of students wouldn't say math is just boring; they'd tell you it's a nightmare.
And just as much as people love to drone on about how STEM is this incredibly vital field essential to every single aspect of life on Earth, I guess the post-industrial reality of the US tends to contradict those claims a bit.
I mean, most people don't actually need to master quadratic equations, trigonometry, or imaginary numbers.
Most people don't need them, if I'm being honest—actually, hardly anyone does.😁
But nowadays, it seems quite fashionable to babble about STEM as if it's absolutely essential, and within those subjects, there's plenty of filler, tedious stuff, and nonsense that the average person is never going to touch in their lifetime.

I wonder why there isn't a thread here titled What's the point of vectors?
Maybe it's because, unlike literature where you can at least argue your own opinion, there's no practical application for it in daily life?
Yeah, right.☕

Richard Perez3 and Persephone, honestly, hats off to you both—you really should just put your signature on every single post at this point!👍

I suppose it’s just because most of them either don't bother reading at all or they're busy consuming total garbage. I don't have anything against them doing that in their own free time, but it really shouldn't be happening during American literature class.
They ought to try developing some sort of critical perspective toward works that actually hold some semblance of value. They should argue their points and tear those classics apart if they must—by all means, go ahead.
But turning a lesson into a session where they just gossip about somewannabe Instagram influencers? No, that's not it.
People can do that on forums or social media instead.
And I'll say it again—there’s no point in having a debate if neither person involved actually knows the subject matter. And honestly, I don't see why people are getting so worked up at the teachers over this kind of nonsense... I guess I just don't get it.

Larry Walker24 said:For years, everyone’s been complaining that kids just hate reading assigned books, claiming they’re too deep or whatever for their age. Well, as part of this whole new "school of hard knocks" reform, things are finally starting to shift in the classroom.

The whole approach to reading lists is getting overhauled. They're trimming down the mandatory list, and now students actually get a say in what they read alongside their teachers. Instead of forcing kids to grind out some boring essay about a book they hated, the focus is moving toward actual discussions.

After a bunch of expert debates, we finally have a clear picture of what the reading curriculum is going to look like from here on out. It turns out both students and teachers are craving more modern stuff and more freedom to choose.

High schoolers will still have at least five classic works per grade level. Beyond that, professors pick five, and then the student gets to pick one themselves. For middle schoolers in grades 5 through 8, there are two mandatory books, six picked by the teachers, and one chosen by the kid.

how exactly—if at all—are they planning to grade or evaluate this student "free choice"?
are there even any guidelines provided for the students?
or did the higher-ups just throw around the word "free" without actually thinking through the logistics?
so, a teacher could potentially end up with twenty-five trivial assignments to grade per class, (since kids, let's face it, rarely pick something with actual literary merit—which I guess is the whole reason people complain about required reading in the first place)🍿 and if the goal is to actually talk about the book, the teacher actually has to read it.
which means if someone is teaching 4th or 5th grade, they’re looking at maybe a hundred "books" a year that are theoretically completely irrelevant or, frankly, just plain bad.
if a girl decides she wants to read some random blog post by someone like Nick, is that supposed to count?

🤦

or is the teacher just expected to sit there, listen to a brief summary and a student's opinion on something they haven't even read themselves? (I mean, a kid could just tell their parents at home; why waste precious classroom time?)
by the time twenty-five students have shared their views on some "work," five hours will have passed, and the students won't get any real feedback unless the teacher can actually weigh in on whether the character dynamics or the characterizations were even remotely accurate.

so we're back to the same point—it's supposed to be about discussion, not writing.
that's an interesting thesis, considering you basically have to write a decent essay here on Walgreens to be heard. How are they going to learn that? By excluding school assignments? I highly doubt it...

I get the feeling, once again, that this is being driven by people who haven't stepped foot in a classroom in ages. They're just giving the public exactly what they want to hear, without much regard for how it'll actually play out in reality.

It's bad, just bad.☕

Sarah Hall53 said:I’m probably going to get shot down here, but honestly, it feels like Rhino, urbantinker8, and I are totally on the same page about this. 😂 A Christmas miracle? 🤔
I’ve been watching my little one—who, let's be real, isn't exactly struggling with school right now... if anything, the kid would practically die of boredom since they've only covered about seven letters so far!

😲
: passes out:

That’s just what I’m saying. Most kids would find it incredibly tedious and wouldn't feel challenged at all, I suppose.
And yet, there’s absolutely no guarantee that these students performing below average will see any meaningful progress—it’s not just about how slowly they move through the curriculum, either.
So, what happens then...?
Eight years go by just "perfecting" the absolute basics across every subject.😵
I mean, maybe they’ll eventually polish their writing skills to perfection, but is that really the goal? If it is, then I guess I should apologize—I just have a slightly different understanding of what the word "reform" actually means.🙂

Susan James said:Not everyone is going to just roll over and accept this.
I certainly won't.
I can see how much my child is slowing down with this kind of material, even though she isn't in one of those "reform" schools (even though they love to brag about being "innovative" 🙄)
I see how much it messes with her concentration; she’s constantly buzzing around or drawing comics even when they're supposed to be learning new things, mostly because she knows she can just catch up whenever she wants (usually right when the teacher calls on her because she hasn't been paying attention for the last ten minutes).
Don't even get me started on work habits.

That style of reform would only make sense if school started earlier than it does now.
Actually, it would make a lot of sense then, because it could include children who didn't go through a high-quality preschool program, kids who didn't get the chance to practice tying laces or developing fine motor skills, or children with speech delays that weren't caught or addressed during their preschool years.

There are critical windows for certain developmental milestones. Just like kids need to crawl, walk, and talk by a certain age, they also need to develop their fine motor skills.
Starting at 8 years old (especially with the delayed start) is way too late. Even if they spend a huge chunk of first grade just coloring—which I honestly don't think a kid like mine would handle well after five years in preschool.

well, I suspect the vast majority actually will.
I mean, people seem almost desperate for any kind of "reform," regardless of what it actually entails; as long as they can call it a "reform," I guess it doesn't really matter how it works.🙂

that sort of reform might actually make sense if school started earlier than it does now.
Actually, I suppose it makes quite a bit of sense, because it could potentially catch kids who didn't get a solid preschool program, or those who never really learned how to tie their shoes or practice basic motor skills, or even children with speech impediments that went unnoticed during their preschool years and weren't addressed.

but, you see, I don't really view that as a positive thing.
If the preschool programs in our daycare centers aren't doing enough to teach things like fine motor skills or tying laces, then I guess that’s something that needs to be handled at home or through some other way—like workshops or playgroups—because that window for learning those basics is precisely during the preschool years, not when they hit first or second grade in elementary school.
And if a kid has speech issues, they should go to a speech therapist—whether that's through a public clinic or private practice, it shouldn't really matter.
The same goes for cognitive, emotional, or social challenges; there are specialists out there specifically for that.
What a real reform should probably focus on is improving the logistics and the coordination between all those different specialists who work with students needing extra help, but I don't think that should happen within the classroom or as part of standard instruction.
It seems, to me, like a big mistake to lump everything together under the guise of "our reform will fix everything," which just ends up repeatedly neglecting the average or even high-achieving students who aren't facing any of these struggles.
A gifted student might find themselves stuck in a situation as early as first grade where their entire academic progress for the first four years is basically limited to just learning how to write letters.
To my mind, that's a perfect example of a poorly conceived "reform." It creates a school designed for the path of least resistance, rather than a school designed to prepare kids for life.

Robert Rodriguez9 said:I wouldn't say that. I'm pretty sure we did everything in 1st grade, and I'm certain Cyrillic was in 3rd.

Well, we definitely covered them in first grade.
Cursive was more like a third-grade thing.

I feel like this whole curriculum adjustment thing has swung way too far in one direction. It’s almost like we’re treating kids as if they’re all below average when it comes to capability.
And I suppose everyone just shrugs their shoulders and accepts it because... well, it's the path of least resistance, I guess. It feels easier to teach less and go slower rather than teaching more at a faster pace, regardless of how difficult or necessary the material actually is.
It isn't going to lead to actual reading comprehension, goodness knows. If anything, it might do the opposite. We'll likely end up with third graders who can recognize printed letters but still struggle immensely with handwriting, and their fine motor skills will probably suffer too. Instead of moving forward, they'll spend most of third or maybe even fourth grade just trying to patch up the gaps from what they should have mastered back in first.

Paul Allen26 said:Does anyone here have kids currently enrolled in the School of Life who could give us some firsthand insight into how everything actually works? I feel like the media coverage doesn't really give much substance to go on. I'm also curious about the same thing regarding those mandatory computer science classes.

It doesn't work at all, I suppose.😉