tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12171673.post8771515533639853762..comments2024-02-13T01:25:33.947-05:00Comments on The Gods Are Bored: The Broad Brush Misses SometimesAnne Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15478513906953607043noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12171673.post-17935836971491334972009-05-20T00:08:19.237-04:002009-05-20T00:08:19.237-04:00which is why i bet you enjoyed my post on budda_gi...which is why i bet you enjoyed my post on budda_girl winning teacher of the year award...who teaches the old fashioned way...yellowdoggrannyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14906624317290990109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12171673.post-26279448625685051112009-05-19T12:06:00.000-04:002009-05-19T12:06:00.000-04:00I also think the "standardized tests" have decreas...I also think the "standardized tests" have decreased the knowledge our children are gaining in school. Because the school is held to a standard, and that is determined by how well the children do on the tests, school are now forced to "teach the test." This leads to our children missing many lessons, many things, because they aren't on the test. <br />One the most common examples is the name "Hess." It was my last name for a while. When introducing myself, I would occasionally joke, when asked for the spelling(which question in itself is rather mystifying...) "You know, like Uncle Rudolph..?" The number of blank stares I received after that comment was absolutely astounding! 9.5 people had no idea what I was referring to. Something that BIG, that happened less than 70 years ago - there are still people alive now that lived then - and no clue..? How scary is that..?<br />I'm just sayin'...<br />bb<br />dawtchdawtchhttp://www.awitchintime.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12171673.post-39664866121928042802009-05-19T10:46:00.000-04:002009-05-19T10:46:00.000-04:00Anne, I co-taught a remedial reading class in Tucs...Anne, I co-taught a remedial reading class in Tucson once and I LOVED the teacher's approach - find something the student is interested in...ANYTHING (fantasy, sci-fi, romance, thrillers...), and get them reading that. Any reading helps increase cognition. Maybe your student is interested in dogs, or the space shuttle, or tree frogs? Sometimes it just takes interest to help improve ability.<br /><br />Cheers,<br />M.wordwitchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00089807003206629872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12171673.post-71993855718235936132009-05-19T07:52:00.000-04:002009-05-19T07:52:00.000-04:00Well...I think that everyone who graduates from hi...Well...I think that everyone who graduates from high school should be able to read well enough to engage in normal communication. They should be able to read and understand a newspaper, be able to write a letter, be able to glean information from an article or story. High school graduates should be able to add, subtract, multiply and divide. They should be able to balance a checkbook and figure tax or tip. They should be able to understand how to apply measurements to real-world situations (ie, how much carpet do I need to buy to re-carpet the living room?) <br /><br />But I think the problem is that they're expecting students whose reading will always be minimal, or whose math will never involve abstract numbers to pass tests designed for students who will go on to study Literature or Statistics in college. <br /><br />When my parents went to high school, there were different tracks for students - vocational, college-bound, etc. Where I live, the schools seem to be heading back that way, with different magnet programs for the college-bound (my oldest is in the Arts Magnet), and trade/vocational programs (which include internships in the trade they're learning, and often are structured to allow the student to be able to hold a job while finishing high school.)harmonyfbnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12171673.post-88793681801423266762009-05-19T07:17:00.000-04:002009-05-19T07:17:00.000-04:00We were discussing this very thing yesterday- the ...We were discussing this very thing yesterday- the old paradigm of standardized tests mean 'nothing' in today's society- what with younger's choosing differently focused lifestyles and jobs, money has ceased to be the object it once was. <br /><br />Both my daughters have this outlook from different perspectives, BUT the big point is that most of our differently raised children have been allowed to make their own choices with the guidance we provide rather than what the public school system says they need. IE: minds are like parachutes.....<br /><br />These kids seem to have more compassion and awareness in their interactions than the programmed youth of the blissfully unaware masses. <br /><br />They give me hope for what's coming up next-Goat Yodahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06161189045950693399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12171673.post-29634357910380510682009-05-19T07:11:00.000-04:002009-05-19T07:11:00.000-04:00tiz a shame we thank how a bidy duz on sum test ki...tiz a shame we thank how a bidy duz on sum test kin tell ye innythang bout that bidy ceptn how he or she mite do on that test. thays other kinds of knowin thats importunt ...<br /><br />thankee fer that instructive tale, demcommie!<br /><br />my wurd fer verification is Iaillo ... is that sumbidys name?buddydonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13506384697813040090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12171673.post-9190103657276697032009-05-18T22:15:00.000-04:002009-05-18T22:15:00.000-04:00Anne:
IQ tests put me in the 99th percentile as r...Anne:<br /><br />IQ tests put me in the 99th percentile as recently as 10 years ago. They mean nothing. Being "test smart" is not at all like dealing with the real world.<br /><br />I knew a kid who dropped out of school when he was a 10th grader. He worked his ass off doing about three or four different jobs. I didn't see him for a number of years. One day a friend of mine had to have his Jaguar flatbedded to the dealer for about the fourth time because it just kept dying on the highway. When he got to the shop, he ran into the young fellow (we both knew him) and asked him what he was doing there. He announced that he was the facilities manager, asked my friend his problem, made a decision that probably cost his employer some money (and gained him a permanent customer) and smiled while doing so.<br /><br />A few years later he owned five auto dealerships and was not only successful but was genuinely liked by both his customers and his employees. He treated his employees well and they responded in kind. He died, in his 30's, after landing his private plane. He was found slumped over the controls. I don't know if there's such a thing as dying happy, but if there is I'll bet he did.<br /><br />This is a guy who would not have made it in the situation you're talking about. That is just sad.<br /><br />Word verification is "hamboli". Is that some disease you get from eating bad pork?democommiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08714733977927594559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12171673.post-65070944276058242592009-05-18T20:50:00.000-04:002009-05-18T20:50:00.000-04:00I know that there are alternatives to standardized...I know that there are alternatives to standardized tests for homeschoolers in Oregon. But, that's only for homeschoolers, and I only know it because I was homeschooled. It'd be nice if alternatives were also provided for public schoolers, too.<br /><br />You're right, though. Sometimes people who are very smart can't past tests, while those who pass the tests don't really make it in life.<br /><br />Something does need to change.Dancing With Feyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03493553137383118631noreply@blogger.com