tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post3549181354042905619..comments2024-03-28T19:47:39.985-04:00Comments on CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: My Brother's Birthday Edition (3/24)Peter Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511193640285760299noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-39467366595127881462019-03-24T20:49:27.353-04:002019-03-24T20:49:27.353-04:00Excellent point! Furthermore, anyone using the wo...Excellent point! Furthermore, anyone using the word "rigorous" in connection with either art or kindergarten (much less both) should be shot.Diennehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04570040547158789834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-6540506284882807262019-03-24T17:03:49.333-04:002019-03-24T17:03:49.333-04:00From the Commonwealth article: "The National ...From the Commonwealth article: "The National Core Arts Standards provide a rigorous and developmentally appropriate set of process-oriented skills for students in grades K-12. The NCAS not only reinforce art as a standards-based subject, but the standards present flexible benchmarks to measure growth." Does that set off an alarm for you? It does for me. Nicholas Tampiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02618674843614919606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-52797742817643670632019-03-24T11:21:34.360-04:002019-03-24T11:21:34.360-04:00Excellent list this week.Excellent list this week.Gregory Sampsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15814516682004470212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-76296769918200148052019-03-24T10:42:02.341-04:002019-03-24T10:42:02.341-04:00Parents have always been part of the problem, yes....Parents have always been part of the problem, yes. There have always been too many parents who use their children's success (or "success") as a vicarious way to prove their own worth and superiority.<br /><br />With that said, however, parents are *not* responsible for the *increase* in teenage stress, depression, hospitalization and suicide. It's not like there's been a sudden groundswell of narcissistic parents demanding that kindergarten become the new first grade and fifth grade become the new high school. The number of Tiger Parents I'd wager is roughly the same, maybe even somewhat decreased as parents are the ones seeing first-hand what the pressure is doing to their children.<br /><br />The *increase* in teen stress and suicide rests on the rephormers and those in power who have allowed the rephormers to turn schools into joyless military-style, suck-it-up-and "achieve"-you-lazy-kid, gritty, play-free "academies".<br /><br />Public schools didn't used to be like that. I had three recesses a day and I went to a school that was considered very "strict". My pre-school and kindergarten teachers specifically told my parents *not* to be teaching me to read, but instead get out and play. I never had a high-stakes test until the SAT.<br /><br />But now it's not just the "no excuses" charters that are like that. I looked into our local public schools when my older daughter was ready to go off to school and was so horrified that we've since spent a fortune on a private progressive school. My younger daughter chose to go to public school for a year because she's really not into the touchy-feely, process-it-out approach to conflict at the progressive school, but she came back because the year of excessive homework and constant threat of detention and almost no lunch time/recess was too much for her (and she actually had a teacher who used to work at a progressive school and took a much more progressive approach than many of the other teachers - I can't imagine how awful my daughter's experience would have been with most of the other teachers at that school).<br /><br />These changes have not happened because parents have been clamoring for more high-stakes tests and more content-free drill-and-kill worksheets. Politicians, superintendents, principals and other "education leaders" (ahem) have made those decisions.Diennehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04570040547158789834noreply@blogger.com