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I could read going into kindergarten. Seems my mom took the time to read to me. I taught both my younger brothers to read by age 5. (Almost) every kid has the ability to read it just takes initiative and help. If any blame is to be placed who has been president the past 4 years?
If you don’t mind, please. They can read it just fine. The problem is that they can’t COMPREHEND a darn thing they read. Why can’t we fix things? We’re barking at the wrong problems.
No child left behind, one of the dumbest ideas ever. It’s not helping the kids, if you are not up to the rest of the class than you should be held back for another year so you do understand what your studying, and hopefully learning
If you can blame Obama for anything on this one, it is for not repealing “No Child Left Behind” and getting rid of the current standardized test systems it uses. The current crop of college students are the first to have been brought up through the NCLB era, and they are lucky to have an 8th grade reading comprehension. The biggest issue is rewarding schools for doing well on standardized testing. In order to get the money, schools only teach to pass a test, not how to critically think or problem solve, and have no idea how to approach a problem or question that does not have a direct answer. Now, colleges have had to lower their acceptance standards in order to get students into them, so campuses have become “13th grade” where instead of taking in only the brightest young minds, they take in everybody, lowering the acceptable standards in the classroom. Just like Bush’s wars, the education system in this country will take years to set right again. You complain about people still blaming Bush, but his legacy as the most collossal screw up we have ever had as a President will STILL be affecting things AFTER Obama leaves the White House.
Perhaps you’re unaware that the countries that spend more money on education are running intellectual circles around American students? Americans are being relegated to Walmart employees while most of our tech jobs, engineering jobs, and upper level management jobs are being taken by foreign workers. At this rate, we will have to amend the Constitution because we won’t have any natural born citizens qualified to be President.
While I was in training in the military, quite a few were set back in their training two weeks so that they could learn what they had not yet learned in the time allotted. Our drill instructor explained these set backs by asking a question. “Do you really want a guy that doesn’t know what he’s doing in a fox hole with you?” Although the consequences of not having learned the material in our education system is not as dire as not having learned the material in a military setting, the consequences have a lifetime effect. By automatically passing children from grade to grade, they are deprived of the “tools” necessary to survive well as adults. We use the term “raise children”, and that seems to be the goal of the present system of education. The goal should be to raise a functional adult. If the child hasn’t learned the material then hold them back until they do learn the material. If the child is unable to learn the material then look at some kind of alternative training for them.
For decades, this country has denigrated teachers, mocked intellectualism, and elevated celebrity and sports prowess over science and smarts. And now we wonder why our education system underperforms.
Mix a snifter of Bill Mauldin, a dash of Jeff McNelly and a very large dollop of common sense, and you begin to get an idea of Lisa Benson’s considerable talent.
Clay Bennett by Clay Bennett
Steve Benson by Steve Benson
Comments (45) (Please sign in to comment)
wmconelly said, 4 months ago
Keep the Bushmaster’s out the first grade classroom, Lisa, he’ll come along.
Gore Bane said, 4 months ago
He can’t read, but he sure knows who Captain Planet and the Planeteers are!
Ms. Ima said, 4 months ago
I could read going into kindergarten. Seems my mom took the time to read to me. I taught both my younger brothers to read by age 5. (Almost) every kid has the ability to read it just takes initiative and help.
If any blame is to be placed who has been president the past 4 years?
Dypak
said, 4 months ago
If you don’t mind, please. They can read it just fine. The problem is that they can’t COMPREHEND a darn thing they read. Why can’t we fix things? We’re barking at the wrong problems.
zoidknight said, 4 months ago
@wmconelly
You mean the liberals’ dumbing down of education so that anyone can graduate.
zoidknight said, 4 months ago
@Dypak
Sadly, they have both problems. Because we have to pass them no matter what.
russell5419 said, 4 months ago
No child left behind, one of the dumbest ideas ever. It’s not helping the kids, if you are not up to the rest of the class than you should be held back for another year so you do understand what your studying, and hopefully learning
moderateisntleft said, 4 months ago
@Ms. Ima
YAWN! all bad things are Obama’s fault – or the broken record that is Ima……
ossiningaling said, 4 months ago
@Dypak
Additionally, as evidenced by the postings from some who were admittedly home-schooled, some kids aren’t taught how to think.
SkepticCal said, 4 months ago
@ossiningaling
Have you considered eight hours a day of
Barack Obama political speeches as a means of teaching kids how to think?
Fourcrows said, 4 months ago
@HOWGOZIT
If you can blame Obama for anything on this one, it is for not repealing “No Child Left Behind” and getting rid of the current standardized test systems it uses. The current crop of college students are the first to have been brought up through the NCLB era, and they are lucky to have an 8th grade reading comprehension.
The biggest issue is rewarding schools for doing well on standardized testing. In order to get the money, schools only teach to pass a test, not how to critically think or problem solve, and have no idea how to approach a problem or question that does not have a direct answer. Now, colleges have had to lower their acceptance standards in order to get students into them, so campuses have become “13th grade” where instead of taking in only the brightest young minds, they take in everybody, lowering the acceptable standards in the classroom.
Just like Bush’s wars, the education system in this country will take years to set right again. You complain about people still blaming Bush, but his legacy as the most collossal screw up we have ever had as a President will STILL be affecting things AFTER Obama leaves the White House.
ODon said, 4 months ago
@ossiningaling
Some of those kids who didn’t learn to think are now adult posters who chose to ignore that which does not reflect their narrow “beliefs.”
Fourcrows said, 4 months ago
@ScottPM
Perhaps you’re unaware that the countries that spend more money on education are running intellectual circles around American students? Americans are being relegated to Walmart employees while most of our tech jobs, engineering jobs, and upper level management jobs are being taken by foreign workers. At this rate, we will have to amend the Constitution because we won’t have any natural born citizens qualified to be President.
mikefive said, 4 months ago
@zoidknight
While I was in training in the military, quite a few were set back in their training two weeks so that they could learn what they had not yet learned in the time allotted. Our drill instructor explained these set backs by asking a question. “Do you really want a guy that doesn’t know what he’s doing in a fox hole with you?” Although the consequences of not having learned the material in our education system is not as dire as not having learned the material in a military setting, the consequences have a lifetime effect. By automatically passing children from grade to grade, they are deprived of the “tools” necessary to survive well as adults. We use the term “raise children”, and that seems to be the goal of the present system of education. The goal should be to raise a functional adult. If the child hasn’t learned the material then hold them back until they do learn the material. If the child is unable to learn the material then look at some kind of alternative training for them.
The Wolf In Your Midst said, 4 months ago
For decades, this country has denigrated teachers, mocked intellectualism, and elevated celebrity and sports prowess over science and smarts. And now we wonder why our education system underperforms.