774 posts shown.
Karen Richardson3 said:The media coverage on this whole reform situation is honestly such a mess; it’s hard to tell what’s actually happening.
One minute the headlines are screaming that everything is being shut down, then they backtrack and say that's not true, and now we've got this update from Ilcic today:
He basically confirmed that the education overhaul and the development of the new curriculum aren't being halted—everything is still moving forward according to the original schedule—though he did mention they're planning to tweak certain sections.
At the end of the day, we really need to get a clear picture of the actual facts before we can make sense of any of this.😁
Michelle Nelson4 said:Look, I’m not going to go back and forth dissecting this sentence by sentence, but to put it simply: I just feel a little bummed that my kid isn't particularly interested in using the laptop yet. I’d love to spark some curiosity there, and one idea I had was getting her into google sheets—why not? Honestly, I’ve always loved data and spreadsheets; even as a kid, I was obsessed with those old-school calculators, so I figured she might enjoy the logic of it too. Beyond that, I am genuinely open to any suggestions on how to get a child interested in computers or tech in general.
Regarding your responses to me, they felt a bit much. You kept saying things like "don't force it on her," "you shouldn't push something she isn't interested in," and "at that age, there's no point in forcing her to learn things she doesn't strictly need to know right now." The word "forcing" came up quite a few times.
Anyway, I hear you loud and clear. From your perspective, trying to teach a child computer skills when they aren't interested feels like unnecessary struggle, and since it isn't an absolute necessity for her right now, you don't see the point in even trying to pique her interest. That's fine. We just have different philosophies on it. End of discussion.
Michelle Nelson4 said:Well, let's look at it this way—suppose the state and I don't see eye-to-eye on exactly when a child should start learning certain skills. I certainly wouldn't call it "torture" if a child learns something that isn't strictly part of the official curriculum. Is sending kids to a specialized music preschool, an English immersion program, or swimming lessons considered "torture" too?
And as for some parents being annoyed that their kids are learning to write numbers up to ten in Spanish, I'm not sure how that connects to my actual point. For instance, I mentioned earlier in this thread that I find it perfectly fine if my child has a dozen English words written in their workbook, though I do think playing "preschool-style" English during school hours feels a bit misplaced. So, I'm curious—where is your argument in all of this, and what kind of logic are you using to get there? 🤷
Or perhaps you're assuming that every single parent has to share the exact same opinion? If that's the case, then using the views of a few to act surprised by the views of others doesn't really hold much water.
Michelle Nelson4 said:Now, I certainly don't intend to make things difficult for my child. To say that Excel is "torture" is really just your own perception of it. My goal is simply to find something that sparks her interest, and if that happens to be Excel or some math puzzles (thanks to Majamaj), then I'll certainly try that approach. If it doesn't click, we'll move on to something else.
As I mentioned before, my focus is entirely on finding something fun. I'm not quite sure where the "torture" part comes into this...
Michelle Nelson4 said:I have to admit, I’m feeling a little bit bummed out that she isn't showing much interest in her laptop. It’s sitting there ready whenever she wants to use it, but lately, it’s mostly just been used for listening to her music CDs—both American and English hits—and occasionally working through some school subjects on a dedicated CD, though that usually only happens when we give her a little nudge rather than her doing it on her own.
I really need to come up with something fun to do over the holidays to get her actually using the computer for something more productive. She’s played a few games, but nothing has really stuck; she was mostly just obsessed with those Talking Tom and Angela apps. 🙄 She thought Microsoft Word was the coolest thing ever when she first learned how to type capital letters, but that novelty has worn off now. Same goes for MS Paint. She does seem to enjoy math, so maybe I should try introducing her to Excel? I actually considered picking up a sixth-grade computer science textbook, but once I read the curriculum and saw they refer to memory as "storage," I decided against it.
Honestly, kids these days have such a natural knack for gaming; they’re total little addicts! They’re definitely their parents' children—she can master any kind of GUI or input device, whether it's a mouse, a touchpad, the screen itself, or a controller, in a heartbeat. And don't even get me started on how quickly they learn commands like play, resume, continue, or cancel. 😍
Brenda Doyle5 said:Is there actually anything in writing regarding the specific duties and responsibilities of an after-school instructor, or what they’re supposed to be doing during those hours?
I’m not asking for myself, but for a colleague. Her kid goes to the after-school program, and honestly, it seems like they just play around and nap all day. Then the kid gets home and still has to tackle homework and studying on top of everything else.
My colleague is thinking about going to the school to have a talk about it, but is there even any point? Is that afternoon teacher actually required to lead activities, or do they follow a curriculum like the morning teachers do? Or is their whole job basically just acting as a babysitter?
frozenrider15 said:Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue. I spend half my life second-guessing whether she’s dressed too light or way too heavy (even after spending four years in preschool 😵). If you ask her, she’ll tell you she’s freezing in leggings every single morning, but she hasn't quite reached the point where she needs anything more substantial. It's been a constant struggle since she was in daycare because, clearly, I’ve produced a child who is perpetually freezing yet somehow breaks into a heavy sweat the moment she starts running. I can't afford to overdress her, or she'll overheat 🙄
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And look, I see these kids at school all the time—in the dead of winter, they're walking around in just shorts and socks. Even when there's snow on the ground! You rarely see a kid wearing thermal tights under their sweats or jeans. I don't know what's going on. Personally, I’m wearing layers or thick tights all winter long. I'm a total wimp when it comes to the cold.
northerntiger9 said:We’ll have to figure out a game plan once enrollment season rolls around. It would be perfect if we could just walk to preschool since it's on the way—but then again, I’d never make it to my office on time. We'll just cross that bridge when we get to it.
rowdypanther12 said:I'm curious about what the total cost might look like. I'm thinking about paying for someone to pick up my kid, handle meals, and help guide them through their homework 😁 while they're under supervision all day during school breaks
. I don't have all the details yet, obviously—it's hard to say how much an 8.5-year-old can actually handle, but I'm sure they won't be able to focus for ten hours straight every single day
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rowdypanther12 said:Maybe coordinate some kind of split schedule with a neighbor, or just pay a sitter or check out those local play centers that offer structured programs.
I don't see any other options.
Karen Richardson3 said:In American English, when we're talking about the official lesson plans and educational programs authorized and approved by the Department of Education, we see a mix of terms like curriculum, curricula, or even more traditional descriptions like "course of study." Out of those options, "curriculum" is the most common way we've adapted the Latin root. While some people might get technical about the Latin "-um" ending, in standard American usage, we typically stick to "curriculum" for the singular and "curricula" for the plural, though "curriculums" has become pretty common in everyday speech too. If you want to be strictly formal according to certain linguistic standards, there are specific ways to handle these loanwords, but for most of us, "curriculum" is the go-to term for what the Department of Education sets out.
wanderinggardener12 said:The Etymology behind it is actually quite straightforward: "curriculum" stems from the idea of a race, a lap around a track, or a specific course of movement. In American English, we don't typically retain those Latin suffixes when we adapt words from the original Latin roots. You see it all the time—take "atrium," which becomes "atrium" here, or how "studium" shifts to "study," or how "instrumentum" simply evolves into "instrument," meaning a tool or a means to an end. It’s a constant process of linguistic streamlining.
It becomes particularly grotesque when you start grafting American linguistic suffixes onto Latin grammatical endings.
So many teachers seem content to feed children nothing more than mindless, repetitive busywork. I recall one particular instance that was quite glaringly obvious, yet there is a much more insidious type of indoctrination happening beneath the surface in classrooms across all grade levels. Honestly, don't even suggest that I should pull my kids out of school just to escape this. What is the actual point of having a first grader draw their family four separate times—once for social studies, once for English, once for religion, and again for a foreign language class? It’s utterly redundant. And what about those endless US Army drill-style exercises scattered throughout various subjects, where students are expected to complete sentences based solely on what the textbook author deems "correct"? If a child happens to parrot a specific word directly from the prompt instead of using their own vocabulary, they are suddenly rewarded for "completing" the task. Is this truly education, or just a lesson in blind compliance?
wanderinggardener12 said:The Etymology behind it is actually quite straightforward: "curriculum" stems from the idea of a race, a lap around a track, or a specific course of movement. In American English, we don't typically retain those Latin suffixes when we adapt words from the original Latin roots. You see it all the time—take "atrium," which becomes "atrium" here, or how "studium" shifts to "study," or how "instrumentum" simply evolves into "instrument," meaning a tool or a means to an end. It’s a constant process of linguistic streamlining.
It becomes particularly grotesque when you start grafting American linguistic suffixes onto Latin grammatical endings.
So many teachers seem content to feed children nothing more than mindless, repetitive busywork. I recall one particular instance that was quite glaringly obvious, yet there is a much more insidious type of indoctrination happening beneath the surface in classrooms across all grade levels. Honestly, don't even suggest that I should pull my kids out of school just to escape this. What is the actual point of having a first grader draw their family four separate times—once for social studies, once for English, once for religion, and again for a foreign language class? It’s utterly redundant. And what about those endless US Army drill-style exercises scattered throughout various subjects, where students are expected to complete sentences based solely on what the textbook author deems "correct"? If a child happens to parrot a specific word directly from the prompt instead of using their own vocabulary, they are suddenly rewarded for "completing" the task. Is this truly education, or just a lesson in blind compliance?
I guess I should probably start by saying that I don't really have much to add to this particular thread, though I suppose there's always a way to look at things from a different angle, if you think about it long enough. It’s funny how certain topics just sort of drift into the conversation without any real anchor, almost like how people talk about a rhinoceros—just this massive, heavy presence that doesn't quite fit into the delicate ecosystem of a standard debate, I suppose. Maybe it's just me, being overly cautious with my thoughts, but I find myself wondering if we're all just circling the same large, blunt object without actually knowing what to make of it, which is a bit of a strange way to spend an afternoon, isn't it? kaže:
It’s honestly kind of tough for me to say whether it’s actually doable or not, I guess, since I didn't make it to those training sessions myself, so I'm really not quite sure what exactly they're covering in there.
It seems like people are moving on, I guess, and getting paid for it too. $833 I suppose it’s more of an upward trend, if you want to look at it that way, though I can't say for certain.
It seems like I can't go anywhere without being bombarded by advertisements for those courses; they really are shouting at you from every single corner these days.
And then you have this whole mass of parents who seem to firmly believe that this is just the way things have to be done, I guess.
I guess they'll just end up taking out loans if they don't have the cash on hand, maybe.
I suppose there isn't much to say about a rhino, really, unless you're looking at it from a certain angle, I guess. It’s just one of those creatures that exists, sort of lumbering along with its own heavy sense of purpose, which is something I find myself contemplating more often than I probably should. Maybe it's just the way they move—that slow, deliberate weightiness—that makes me think about how things just sort of happen, whether we're ready for them or not. It’s a strange thought, I know, but sometimes you just look at something like that and realize how much space it takes up without even trying. kaže:
So, I was sitting there during seventh period physics today, and I couldn't help but notice that some of the kids walked in without having any idea how to actually simplify a fraction. It’s one of those things where you just assume they've mastered the basics by now, but I guess math skills can be a bit hit or miss depending on what they picked up in elementary school, maybe. It makes things a little more complicated than they need to be when we're trying to get through the actual curriculum.
Well, I suppose you could say it’s about half the class.
It’s all the way from first grade up.
And then you've got those other two classes just absolutely tearing the place apart, I guess.
It seems like my colleagues are all staying quiet on this one.
Linda Price5 said:Of course, but if students are being shuffled into different classrooms at random, yet one group consistently outperforms the other on standardized tests—year after year, generation after generation—it is highly improbable that we are looking at mere coincidence. 😁
It goes without saying that a multitude of variables influence student performance; judging an educator’s entire career based on the outcomes of one or five specific students would be fundamentally unjust. Consequently, standardized testing applied to a sufficiently large sample size would likely yield some rather compelling data. That said, it would be sheer nonsense to attempt a direct comparison between vocational school students and those attending elite preparatory academies, where the entrance requirements are significantly more rigorous.
urbantinker8: The current situation regarding the proposed updates to the Code of Conduct is nothing short of a farce. If you look closely at the language being pushed by the U.S. Department of Education, it’s clear they aren't just refining guidelines; they are attempting to fundamentally rewrite the social contract within our schools. It reminds me of when a major tech corporation suddenly changes its terms of service overnight—suddenly, everything you thought was standard practice is now a violation. We are seeing a blatant disregard for the protections established under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Instead of fostering an environment of academic rigor, these bureaucrats seem more interested in policing thought through administrative overreach. It’s a slow-motion Revolution against parental rights and local autonomy. We should be wary of this creeping expansion of federal oversight.
If a lack of knowledge isn't considered a valid grievance, then we have to ask ourselves: what actually qualifies as a legitimate reason for dissatisfaction? It’s a bit like complaining about the menu at a high-end steakhouse when you don't even know what a ribeye is—you can be unhappy, sure, but your complaint lacks any real substance. If ignorance isn't the catalyst, then what is? Is it a failure of process, a breach of trust, or perhaps a misalignment of values? We need to dig deeper than just "I don't understand" and look at the actual mechanics of why things aren't working.
If you refuse to accept that you might be the common denominator in your students' failure, then where exactly does the fault lie? If we blame everything else—irresponsible kids, a lack of study habits, puberty, or even innate talent—we're just making excuses. If your students’ test scores are consistently lagging behind those of your colleagues across the country who teach the exact same grade levels, the data eventually tells the truth. You can't hide from the results forever.
The goal isn't to test whether a student actually turned the pages of a book; it's about assessing their reading comprehension and their ability to extract specific information from a text.
There was once an older girl at the convent who would come by every eight days to handle the laundry and cleaning. Because she was a descendant of an old noble family that lost everything during the Revolution, the Archbishop’s office provided her with special protection. This status allowed her to dine at the table reserved for the honorable sisters in the dining hall, where she would sit and gossip with them for a while before heading back to her chores. It wasn't uncommon for the students to slip out of their classrooms just to catch a glimpse of her.
Why would the schoolgirls be slipping out of their classrooms?
A. To listen to stories from the older girls
B. To gossip with the nuns
C. To flirt with the young men
D. To go for rides in carriages
American Language, advanced level. 😁 It doesn't even matter if they've actually read the assigned book; they have the excerpt right in front of them anyway.
Linda Price5 said:Of course, but if students are being shuffled into different classrooms at random, yet one group consistently outperforms the other on standardized tests—year after year, generation after generation—it is highly improbable that we are looking at mere coincidence. 😁
It goes without saying that a multitude of variables influence student performance; judging an educator’s entire career based on the outcomes of one or five specific students would be fundamentally unjust. Consequently, standardized testing applied to a sufficiently large sample size would likely yield some rather compelling data. That said, it would be sheer nonsense to attempt a direct comparison between vocational school students and those attending elite preparatory academies, where the entrance requirements are significantly more rigorous.
urbantinker8: The current situation regarding the proposed updates to the Code of Conduct is nothing short of a farce. If you look closely at the language being pushed by the U.S. Department of Education, it’s clear they aren't just refining guidelines; they are attempting to fundamentally rewrite the social contract within our schools. It reminds me of when a major tech corporation suddenly changes its terms of service overnight—suddenly, everything you thought was standard practice is now a violation. We are seeing a blatant disregard for the protections established under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Instead of fostering an environment of academic rigor, these bureaucrats seem more interested in policing thought through administrative overreach. It’s a slow-motion Revolution against parental rights and local autonomy. We should be wary of this creeping expansion of federal oversight.
If a lack of knowledge isn't considered a valid grievance, then we have to ask ourselves: what actually qualifies as a legitimate reason for dissatisfaction? It’s a bit like complaining about the menu at a high-end steakhouse when you don't even know what a ribeye is—you can be unhappy, sure, but your complaint lacks any real substance. If ignorance isn't the catalyst, then what is? Is it a failure of process, a breach of trust, or perhaps a misalignment of values? We need to dig deeper than just "I don't understand" and look at the actual mechanics of why things aren't working.
If you refuse to accept that you might be the common denominator in your students' failure, then where exactly does the fault lie? If we blame everything else—irresponsible kids, a lack of study habits, puberty, or even innate talent—we're just making excuses. If your students’ test scores are consistently lagging behind those of your colleagues across the country who teach the exact same grade levels, the data eventually tells the truth. You can't hide from the results forever.
The goal isn't to test whether a student actually turned the pages of a book; it's about assessing their reading comprehension and their ability to extract specific information from a text.
There was once an older girl at the convent who would come by every eight days to handle the laundry and cleaning. Because she was a descendant of an old noble family that lost everything during the Revolution, the Archbishop’s office provided her with special protection. This status allowed her to dine at the table reserved for the honorable sisters in the dining hall, where she would sit and gossip with them for a while before heading back to her chores. It wasn't uncommon for the students to slip out of their classrooms just to catch a glimpse of her.
Why would the schoolgirls be slipping out of their classrooms?
A. To listen to stories from the older girls
B. To gossip with the nuns
C. To flirt with the young men
D. To go for rides in carriages
American Language, advanced level. 😁 It doesn't even matter if they've actually read the assigned book; they have the excerpt right in front of them anyway.
silentraven6 said:Please, keep going, because this is honestly the most sensible thing I’ve read on this topic. We desperately lack concrete improvements, real proposals, and an actual identification of the problems within our education system.
And I am so glad to see this coming from an American literature teacher. As much as it's a core subject, so many people actually degrade it, treating it like an afterthought that everyone is just supposed to know, or just a chore involving reading boring books.
It’s also true that speaking assessments aren't performed; expression is limited to writing or testing someone on the plot of a book. There’s no verbal expression, no poetic speech, no vocabulary expansion through vocalization, and debates are rare—even if my colleagues don't bring them up.
Could you share some thoughts on assessing functional abilities? For instance, in your own subject, how do you gauge them at a functional level beyond just basic writing, if you know what I mean?
How much field-based learning is actually represented in our schools? For example, do you ever have the chance to read a book and simultaneously visit locations mentioned in it nearby? In a place like Washington, D.C., there are endless landmarks, but there are plenty of sites all across America too.
What’s the deal with this new reform? Are you involved in it, what’s your take, and do you think it’ll actually work? Has it even started yet?
swiftranger16 said:Let's be real, we're all pretty jealous of how they teach foreign languages over here 😁