Education of our 5th graders

[Bish1309]

Went to my grandson's 5th grade graduation last night. Next year he attends middle school. 6-8th in my neck of the woods.

When they were called up one by one to receive their diploma the school counselor read off each students personal statement of aspirations and future plans. 

Almost all were stating how they were going to "pick up trash" or "help the environment" or " make the world a better place" or "stop bullying" and the like.

Another popular answer was what college they wanted to attend. Most said anything in Cali. Another was wanting to be You-Tubers. 

Some on the higher end want to be chemists to eliminate disease. 

There was also someone who wanted to be part of the armed services to keep America free. I liked him alot. lol 

Another was going to round up all the criminals to make the world safer.

And of course there is always the ever popular fight to end global warming. Ugh. That was my grandson's statement. I see I have a little more work to do to debrief him on his bad information.

I would sure like to follow them through life to see how their immediate environment and other factors play into their respective goals. At least no one said they wanted to go into Liberal Arts.

 

Ya gotta love the innocence. Boy are their worldly views about to change. I pray for them.

It was a shocker. 

[railfancwb]

It is challenging for parents and grandparents to overcome some of the programming by public schools.


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[janice6]

It's a problem when the schools teach them what to think rather than how to think.  I worked like hell on my kids to teach them to make up their own mind, rather than let the school teachers make it up for them.  I did succeed though.  They decide what they believe in based on the facts they uncover, not what is the popular response.

[KWalrad]

I recently attended my Godson's H.S. graduation and the speech that the Valedictorian gave was especially moving. A story of how her Grandmother came to this country as a young immigrant with a dream of being an opera singer. Multiple college scholarships for singing were offered and one was accepted. During a theatrical tour after her college graduation, the grandmother met a young man in a small desert town and the two fell in love. Six weeks later the two wed, and the young lady gave up her dream of opera singing in order to raise a family in the middle of nowhere. She and her husband became educators and moved up through the system and eventually she became the School District Superintendent. The speaker went on to note that when she asked her grandmother if she ever regretted putting her dream of professional singing behind her, the reply was that the grandmother would have regretted NOT having chosen the life she did. The young lady went on to state that she originally struggled in school and went on to mention one teacher in particular that opened her eyes and brought everything into clear view and allowed her to become the Valedictorian. How her work ethic changed and she found herself immersing in her studies, foregoing all social opportunities in her quest for knowledge. She then stated that her biggest regret was that she didn't take time over her last four years to stop and smell the roses, to make friendships, to have fun. You could have heard a pin drop in the auditorium. Not one of the seven hundred graduates or their family members made a sound. I thought to myself that this is one seventeen year old young lady that truly learned the most important lesson in education - what is truly important in life... Family, friends, and fun.

At the end of the speech, the District Superintendent presented that young lady with a certificate for a free four year ride to any college in the state that wanted to attend.

Her hard work paid off, but at what cost? Hopefully she has a long, happy, successful life ahead of her. It would be interesting to check in with her in ten years.

[janice6]

 

56 minutes ago, KWalrad said:

I recently attended my Godson's H.S. graduation and the speech that the Valedictorian gave was especially moving. A story of how her Grandmother came to this country as a young immigrant with a dream of being an opera singer. Multiple college scholarships for singing were offered and one was accepted. During a theatrical tour after her college graduation, the grandmother met a young man in a small desert town and the two fell in love. Six weeks later the two wed, and the young lady gave up her dream of opera singing in order to raise a family in the middle of nowhere. She and her husband became educators and moved up through the system and eventually she became the School District Superintendent. The speaker went on to note that when she asked her grandmother if she ever regretted putting her dream of professional singing behind her, the reply was that the grandmother would have regretted NOT having chosen the life she did. The young lady went on to state that she originally struggled in school and went on to mention one teacher in particular that opened her eyes and brought everything into clear view and allowed her to become the Valedictorian. How her work ethic changed and she found herself immersing in her studies, foregoing all social opportunities in her quest for knowledge. She then stated that her biggest regret was that she didn't take time over her last four years to stop and smell the roses, to make friendships, to have fun. You could have heard a pin drop in the auditorium. Not one of the seven hundred graduates or their family members made a sound. I thought to myself that this is one seventeen year old young lady that truly learned the most important lesson in education - what is truly important in life... Family, friends, and fun.

At the end of the speech, the District Superintendent presented that young lady with a certificate for a free four year ride to any college in the state that wanted to attend.

Her hard work paid off, but at what cost? Hopefully she has a long, happy, successful life ahead of her. It would be interesting to check in with her in ten years.

I admire and hold the utmost respect for this person.  I'm speaking from the same standpoint she stated.  Not that I excelled in scholastics, but that I made my passion to achieve my goal in my chosen vocation, at the expense of many things necessary to a full life.  It's better to learn it at the beginning of your life, rather than at the end.

A passion and determination to achieve a result must be tempered by not excluding everything else to that end.

[Huaco Kid]

From my daughter's class:

[janice6]

1 hour ago, Huaco Kid said:

From my daughter's class:

My belief is that schools should not teach children that what is done now is bad and must be abandoned. 

What they should teach children, is that with a good basis in real knowledge of all sciences, these same children will find new ways to do the things being done now, but with more finesse and less impact on our surroundings and each other. 

To preach what has gotten this country and this world to the state we are in now is bad, is in itself childness nonsense.  It's easy to complain, the challenge is to improve. 

The means to do things now  was  necessary to provide us with the means in the future, to do things in a new way that it is better for all.  Broad knowledge in science will provide us the means to do what must be done, and with the least impact on each person. 

But first children must learn to learn more about everything, not just to echo the whining and revulsion for the present, as many adults do now.  Many adults now are worse than children, by complaining, yet not knowing enough of how to find the means to improve the world they are complaining about.

It is easy to complain and condemn, it is much harder, but more rewarding, to encourage knowledge and improve upon what there is now.  

[Huaco Kid]

4 hours ago, janice6 said:

My belief is that schools should not teach children that what is done now is bad and must be abandoned.

My daughter teaches elementary.  My son-in-law teaches high school history and civics.

He he the most conservative person I have ever met.  And knows more history than anyone I ever met (Dad is a close second).  He reads a book per week. 

Go ahead, argue American politics with him, you'll lose.

The Superintendents and the School Board decide what will be taught.

Ask his opinion of them.  And then take a few steps back.

[Foxterriermom]

I work with university level students who are studying to become teachers and it is appalling how the vast majority are either unable or unwilling to think for themselves.  Many have to be guided step-by-step how to do even the simplest tasks and just want to be led instead of taking initiative to figure something out either with the directions they are given or on their own.  I can't begin to fathom how many of them will be capable of leading a classroom full of young minds or teaching our children how to become critical thinkers since they don't have the skills themselves.  It's not a wonder that so many of today's teachers just spit out whatever curriculum the administration feeds them.  The seemingly minority of truly good or exceptional teachers are out-weighed by the majority who are just going through the motions.   Certainly there are more factors that go into teaching, but what I am experiencing is that we are raising generations of ninnies.  I'm sure it figures directly into somebody's plan.

[janice6]

Until I went into the Navy, I was raised in the middle of a state teachers campus.  My father had apartment houses that rented to students in addition to others.   I went to a laboratory grade school on the campus.  Prospective teachers had to do a tour as student teachers within our school guided by our actual experienced teachers.  We were exposed to new skills and science,  while given the ability to choose some difficult courses for ourselves.  We were taught how to make decisions for our selves that would impact our future studies.

My siblings and I were often asked to visit with the professors that had homes in our neighborhood and to read texts they were writing, I was even asked to make a presentation to an electrical engineering class, on Ham Radio and what was required as general knowledge for an Amateur Radio License.  I was allowed access to the College technical library for pleasure reading and for the technical reference texts. This as an experience for his students.  I was 11 years old.  We interacted with many of the professors socially. 

I never saw anything of most of the types of modern teachers.  Our teachers were highly experienced.  They taught and expected us to learn to think for ourselves, and to dig to find solutions rather than accept some one else's opinion.  and, they didn't take any *hit from the students!  Times have really changed.

Edited June 7, 2019 by janice6

[PATCHMAN]

On 6/6/2019 at 5:29 PM, KWalrad said:

I recently attended my Godson's H.S. graduation and the speech that the Valedictorian gave was especially moving. A story of how her Grandmother came to this country as a young immigrant with a dream of being an opera singer. Multiple college scholarships for singing were offered and one was accepted. During a theatrical tour after her college graduation, the grandmother met a young man in a small desert town and the two fell in love. Six weeks later the two wed, and the young lady gave up her dream of opera singing in order to raise a family in the middle of nowhere. She and her husband became educators and moved up through the system and eventually she became the School District Superintendent. The speaker went on to note that when she asked her grandmother if she ever regretted putting her dream of professional singing behind her, the reply was that the grandmother would have regretted NOT having chosen the life she did. The young lady went on to state that she originally struggled in school and went on to mention one teacher in particular that opened her eyes and brought everything into clear view and allowed her to become the Valedictorian. How her work ethic changed and she found herself immersing in her studies, foregoing all social opportunities in her quest for knowledge. She then stated that her biggest regret was that she didn't take time over her last four years to stop and smell the roses, to make friendships, to have fun. You could have heard a pin drop in the auditorium. Not one of the seven hundred graduates or their family members made a sound. I thought to myself that this is one seventeen year old young lady that truly learned the most important lesson in education - what is truly important in life... Family, friends, and fun.

At the end of the speech, the District Superintendent presented that young lady with a certificate for a free four year ride to any college in the state that wanted to attend.

Her hard work paid off, but at what cost? Hopefully she has a long, happy, successful life ahead of her. It would be interesting to check in with her in ten years.

 

Hopefully, she learned the one most difficult lesson for a young person to learn, that is, she learned she can achieve anything she puts her mind to.    Her next lesson will be to learn balance in her life... what's important, what's priority, what's not important, what's not priority, what you can control, what you can influence, what's truly beyond your control and how to work around that, etc...    An older person with world experience to mentor her would be great.  

[railfancwb]

Are graduations so frequent these days they have lost most meaning?

It was 1-12 when I was there, no K.

First graduation available was from 8th grade - junior high it was called. And in many rural areas, eight grades was considered enough.

Then high school, and any college degrees.


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[janice6]

It seems that in the fervor to make each child's accomplishment feel significant, the system has made a "graduation ceremony" commonplace and as they go from one to the other they place less and less importance to them.  To make the ceremony significant to the participant, you must make it infrequent enough that it's a special event for everyone involved.

The desire to not disappoint the young people that are growing up is leading to minimize the accomplishment, not to bring it significance.

It's like the difference between a Purple Heart and a Medal of Honor.  One is for what happened to you, the other is for what you made happen.  One is honoring an event, the other is honoring an accomplishment.

[RenoF250]

14 hours ago, janice6 said:

It seems that in the fervor to make each child's accomplishment feel significant, the system has made a "graduation ceremony" commonplace and as they go from one to the other they place less and less importance to them.  To make the ceremony significant to the participant, you must make it infrequent enough that it's a special event for everyone involved.

The desire to not disappoint the young people that are growing up is leading to minimize the accomplishment, not to bring it significance.

It's like the difference between a Purple Heart and a Medal of Honor.  One is for what happened to you, the other is for what you made happen.  One is honoring an event, the other is honoring an accomplishment.

It is quite frustrating and from my limited viewpoint you can promote and acknowledge only real achievement with your child but if ANYONE gives them praise for nonsense they become they one they listen do and you become the mean voice of reality that gets ignored.  I have had serious challenges with my son on this. 

Another thing I see is most people avoid those that know or do more than them because they make them feel stupid or lazy.  They would rather hang around people that are dumber and lazier than they are so they can feel superior.  How do you improve that way?

People are stupid.

[janice6]

3 minutes ago, RenoF250 said:

It is quite frustrating and from my limited viewpoint you can promote and acknowledge only real achievement with your child but if ANYONE gives them praise for nonsense they become they one they listen do and you become the mean voice of reality that gets ignored.  I have had serious challenges with my son on this. 

Another thing I see is most people avoid those that know or do more than them because they make them feel stupid or lazy.  They would rather hang around people that are dumber and lazier than they are so they can feel superior.  How do you improve that way?

People are stupid.

Very early on, my father used to tell me that the difference between stupid and ignorant, is that those who are stupid don't know and don't care to know.  People that are ignorant don't know, but will find the answer.  Ignorance is forgivable, stupidity is not.

Edited June 10, 2019 by janice6

[refugeepj]

when asked 'what I aspired to be" in third grade, my response was :" a bum, smoking cigars down by the tracks."

Mrs. Flack was not amused. 

never quite made it.

??????

[janice6]

5 hours ago, refugeepj said:

when asked 'what I aspired to be" in third grade, my response was :" a bum, smoking cigars down by the tracks."

Mrs. Flack was not amused. 

never quite made it.

??????

When I was preparing to get out of the Navy, I did calculations based on the only alcoholic I knew.  He ran a body shop and his father was an insurance adjuster so he steered customers to his son's shop.  He had a liquor truck stop twice a week dropping off cases of whatever he drank.   Anyway in 1960, I figured that to be a good alcoholic like him, I would have to have at least  $400 a month income.  Back then, that much money was a decent income without being an alcoholic.  So I let the numbers decide for me and the result was that I didn't have enough income to be able to be a good alcoholic.  Therefore, I'm not to this day.  I do however, advocate to my children that, "Anything worth doing is worth doing to excess!".  They listen my advice while considering the source.