Posts by rowdypanther12

I really need to find some time to catch up on this; I accidentally slept through the broadcast 😢

Which grade level is this for?

It'll be interesting to see how this reform plays out with such a tight budget

Michelle Nelson4 said:Could someone please just give me the bottom line? I honestly don't have the energy to wade through this entire thread—are they actually introducing a standardized middle school exam or entrance tests for high school?
Because if they aren't, none of this really matters. As long as the focus for students in grades 6 through 8 remains strictly on their report card grades, we haven't changed anything. This whole idea of "flexibility" might actually end up widening the inequality gap, since an 'A' in one district won't mean nearly the same thing as an 'A' in another when it comes to actual knowledge and comprehension.
I feel like once kids realize they can just coast with a 'C' or a 'B' in subjects they find boring or difficult, they’ll stop pushing themselves. People love to make such a huge drama out of getting into vocational schools, but maybe if there were more accountability, students would actually find the motivation to dive into something they truly enjoy. Until then, they're just going to take the path of least resistance to avoid a bad grade—which, if I'm being honest, is actually pretty logical behavior given how the current system is set up.

Yeah, I'm wondering the same thing. I can't find a clear answer anywhere.

As someone who doesn't know much about this stuff, I’d say that everything you mentioned boils down to one thing: reading. It’s just constant reading, over and over.
I honestly find it hard to wrap my head around how someone could breeze through two or three books a month and still struggle with basic American syntax or common idioms.
Plus, I’m not sure how you’d even begin to "teach" that in a standard American English class.🤷

I honestly think extending the year by adding more short breaks throughout it is a pretty positive move.

I honestly think we need two different strategies for elementary versus high school. In elementary school, the goal should be to get them hooked on reading—sort of like how dealers get people addicted to substances 😁
. Once you’ve achieved that, high schoolers won't stop reading just because they're forced to pick up a book they hate, especially if they're actually allowed to voice their opinions and debate the characters and themes (I have my high school English teacher to thank for that 😂)

Susan James said:I didn't catch the broadcast last night, but honestly, after talking to so many different school administrators over the past week, my excitement about these educational reforms is starting to fade pretty fast.

Regarding required reading, I was actually incredibly lucky with my English teachers back in high school 🙏, which is a huge contrast to what my partner experienced, though we both share a deep love for literature and read constantly. I’d say that passion just runs in the family—well, in my case, it wasn't just family, but I grew up seeing adults who really valued reading and showed me how engaging it could be.

One thing that gave me such an advantage in high school was that we weren't forced to write long, tedious book reports. Instead, we had to show up prepared to actually discuss the work in class; the themes would pop up in our worksheets and show up on tests all the time. It was nearly impossible to "fake it" without having actually read the book, but we didn't have that crushing pressure to just churn out a formal essay.

Nowadays, since the era of Google, required reading in our schools has basically turned into "copying"—and let's be real, it's less even copying and more just straight-up copy-pasting from the internet.
It’s definitely a good move to introduce more contemporary works, if only to ensure there isn't some quick summary available online so students are actually forced to pick up the book and read.😬

I think I agree with Susan James on this one; we need to find a middle ground. I'm perfectly fine with a curriculum that balances the timeless classics with modern literature.

Hmm, I suppose it was possible to get by if you studied hard enough without actually reading 😁 For instance, I never actually read anything by Emily Dickinson, but I think I could have managed a class discussion on her work.😂

But seriously, the reading list needs to be adapted. Take Kafka, for example; he's a classic, but I think many teenagers would actually find him fascinating if his work were presented effectively in class. And don't even get me started on *The Stranger*—that's practically written for lost teenagers.😁
Using shorter works like those can help ensure students don't end up hating reading altogether.
We shouldn't throw out all the classics, but we should curate a list that actually interests kids rather than chasing some imaginary academic ideal.

I didn't really develop a love for poetry until long after I finished school. Sure, I read a little Baudelaire back in high school, but for the most part, poetry just wasn't my thing.
If they had actually taught us something like Kamov, maybe I would have taken an interest sooner.😁

It honestly would have been wonderful if we had studied artists like Cavea, Stulica, or even EKV in class...

I actually really loved Antigone 😂

But honestly, it’s all about finding a balance. I truly believe any teacher knows exactly which students in their class are actually going to want to read something like Antigone or maybe some Krleža. There are always a few, but it's usually just two or three kids per class.
So, why not give that one student those quotes for extra credit? For everyone else, the goal should be to spark enough interest that they actually pick up a book at all—even if it's something as rough as The Odyssey. Let them read. Let them discover what a book actually is. Maybe 10% of them will move on to Tolkien after finishing The Odyssey, and maybe 5% of those will eventually find their way to Kafka. 😁
If things unfolded like that, I’d consider it a win. 😁

Oh please, they’re just worried about our kids' futures 😁

All jokes aside, what Jergović mentioned is exactly what I was thinking about yesterday. This "modern and engaging" literature taught in high schools really needs to be revised every few years. Beyond that, the curriculum should be broad enough that a teacher can choose based on their specific class structure.
That way, one class might study something classic while another dives into something like *The Hunger Games* or whatever actually grabs their attention.

I was just following the discussion yesterday until I got a little frustrated and decided to jump in 😂
Some people seem stuck on the idea that required reading lists are meant to introduce students to the great pillars of American (and global) literature. If that’s truly the goal, then leaving out Shakespeare is a total scandal, honestly 😁
But I think everyone should have realized by now that this approach is completely counterproductive.

Anyway, this sounds a bit like something I would have written 😂
From my perspective, we always had too little required reading, and the selection was far too narrow. It was like math class—there was always way too much of it, and it felt like you needed superhuman intelligence just to pass. The end result was that I managed to escape math as my biggest life hurdle so I'd never have to deal with it again, much like how most of my peers escaped required reading by never picking up a serious book for the rest of their lives.

How can someone be a homeroom teacher if they don't actually know all their students? Not even going to get into the deeper issues here.

So, I guess it’s fine if it’s in the textbook, as long as the professor doesn't actually assign it as homework? 😁

Since we're already talking about Europe, does anyone actually know how they handle this practically?
I mean, what happens to the schedule, or where do the kids go if they don't take religious studies? How does it all work on the ground?
Also, I'm curious about other school activities—do they have religious events scattered throughout the school year, or do priests show up to give blessings at school programs? And do they ever ask students in other classes to write about things like prayer or similar topics?

Man, you have no idea how much I’d hate going back to school. 😁 Since I was such a rebel during middle school, something like this would honestly just be my dream scenario. 😂

But seriously, it's just unbelievable—and not in a good way. That's really the worst part about living in this country. 😁

While you're praying?!

😂
I'm not exactly expecting it to happen at my school, but I'd really love it if they brought it in, maybe by next year.

They mentioned yesterday that about 50 schools will be starting an experimental reform this fall. Does anyone know which specific schools those are?

Susan James said:It’s not completely out of left field, either.

Think about how we celebrate various holidays through school programs or community events.
Like blessing bread,
holding a mass to kick off the school year,
the blessing of a gym,
or even blessing sports gear and equipment.

They weave it all in through literature, music, art, history, geography, or foreign language classes... you even see it on preschool worksheets where they sneak in a little religious touch. It just gets integrated seamlessly.

At the end of the day, we ALL observe Catholic holidays.
Those are our federal holidays.
(Personally, I’d much rather have Ash Wednesday off than Juneteenth! I could really use a break in February, whereas June feels like we already have too many days off, but hey, life happens.🥳 We really need to put some pressure on the new administration to make Ash Wednesday a public holiday so people can actually stay home and observe their fast in peace.)

Okay, if it isn't "off," then I have to say this feels way worse than religion class—honestly, even sitting in the hallway during religion class was better.😁