On the topic of Education

[Gunner Recall]

I'm sure NYC teachers today WISH they could go back to the early 20th century education model. If you've got beef with that, you'd be horrified with what they are doing now.
The system, "Teachers College", is a complete scam orchestrated by Lucy Calkins and Columbia University and it's ruining the future of an entire generation.
With all this emphasis on data, time management and test taking skills, they've completely removed any aspects of anything resembling "education".

Using ELA as an example, rather than having a shared text where the children experience a novel and are guided through meanings and literary techniques (but encouraging free thought and discussion),
teachers now instruct students using blanket "skills" that are supposed to apply to EVERYTHING.
Each child is reading a different novel, and there is no way for the teacher to make sure they are understanding the material until it is too late and they fail their essay/test and it's time to move on to the next "skill/subject" on the pacing calandar.
A teacher could be reprimanded and ultimately fired for spending even an extra MINUTE on a topic, even if it is clear the students are struggling.

[elbandito]

A teacher could be reprimanded and ultimately fired for spending even an extra MINUTE on a topic, even if it is clear the students are struggling.

WHAT? That's insane! This is not an exaggeration?

[StudioShutIn]

Also, I think that educators need to know more about their students and the reasons why they act the way they do. Past experiences and current circumstances conspire to create a person's personality and determine how and why they react to certain stimuli. I believe that if teachers and students had more time together (ie: students didn't have a brand new set of teachers every semester), then educators would have a better understanding of a particular student's needs, while the student them self would have a closer bond with the teacher. Does that make sense?

^THIS x1000..If my teachers in school had understood/applied this..my school life would have been infinitely easier/more comfortable, for reasons that I don't fully feel comfortable discussing outside of, say, a PM.