Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lane3 who wrote (6174)	12/5/2005 3:39:32 PM
From: epicure	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 542232

I have found everything in that article to be true- where the author is speaking about boys learning styles, and what happens to boys in "traditional" classrooms. I've taught k-12- and been in every grade except the middle school grades (6,7,8), and 11th. I have seen boys take over a class, when their skills are played to (in which case a teacher then has to allow some room for the girls), and I have seen boys absolutely squashed (especially in elementary, where it is quite clear boys absolutely MUST have more physical breaks than they are given- and this won't be a bad thing for girls either.) We really need to do more hands on learning, but with the new emphasis on teaching to tests, my kids (my own personal kids) are learning more and more (at school) from test prep materials. I would never teach my own kids that way. It's stupid, and it's boring, and it's a sure fire way to turn a lot of kids off of school permanently.

To: Lane3 who wrote (6174)	12/5/2005 3:51:42 PM
From: epicure	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 542232

This is a little personal, but it's illustrative of the opportunities most kids miss out on. My daughter (oldest) just started singing lessons this fall, because she asked for them. She has already had flute lessons since she was small, and when she asked for saxophone lessons we ran out and rented her a sax and got her started, only to find out that if she played the sax she would develop a callous on her lip that would hurt her embrasure for flute- ok, not a problem, back to flute, but we learned that in a hands on way- and she got to try it all out. Then she started singing- she sang this: pbs.org If you want to hear it - click on "Green finch and Linnet Bird". I have heard my daughter sing around the house, but you know we're a busy family, and while I've always said "Yes, that's pretty" I never evaluated her critically. But when I heard her sing, for the first time, after having lessons- in a room full of people, I almost fell off my chair. She was amazing. And even though I'm her mother, you can trust me, because a bunch of the other mothers were blown away too. Now if we were not able to indulge our children, I would never have known this- but even worse SHE would never have known this. I think that's what gets to me most about all the children out there- all that raw potential. You KNOW they all have gifts, but it's a race to discover them, before someone turns them off of school and learning for good. Sure, some people have skills that they don't need school to develop, but most people need a teacher. It breaks my heart that there are children out there who could give so much back to society, and yet we throw them away while they are still in elementary school, because it's too much of a problem to find ways to improve the public schools (and no, I don't think eviscerating the public schools with vouchers is an answer- since one of the few common demominators we have in this country is public education- every dime that goes to religious schools is a dime toward division and fractionalism, imo- and no one interested in keeping the US together, as one people, should want to throw public money in that direction.)