Note to Interim Superintendent Goar, other officials of the Minneapolis Public Schools, and my other readers >>>>>>>
Please read the following seven articles for their interconnectedness of theme and purpose.
Five of these articles detail the cases of particular student participants in the New Salem Educational Initiative. These articles illustrate certain principles that undergird my program that should be extrapolated for application in the context of student academic instruction and relationships with families of students in the Minneapolis Public Schools.
The other two articles emphasize the need for officials of the Minneapolis Public Schools to assume responsibility at the level of the locally centralized school district for overhauling curriculum and thoroughly retraining teachers; and the consequences for maintaining the motif of engaging in a whirlwind of talk and an appearance of action, spouting jargon that lasts for a brief moment on the stage of putative reform, then returning to the essentially static processes that have plagued public K-12 education for at least 35 years.
The spirit that suffuses these seven articles as a unit is the optimistic view that the Minneapolis Public Schools can become a model for the provision of education by the most important conduit of K-12 education in the United States >>>>> the locally centralized school district.
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Gary, I'm interested in your opinion on teaching cursive handwriting. My grandson is learning cursive at his school, the Nova Classical Academy, in St. Paul. His mother, a former teacher in the St. Paul Public Schools, told my that cursive is not taught in that system. Please advise.
ReplyDeleteGrade 3 students have traditionally eagerly anticipated learning cursive handwriting, and I teach the skill to my students. Three or so years ago, the Minneapolis and St. Paul public schools begged off teaching cursive, claiming that they do not have time. Any such claim is ludicrous, given the amount of time that is wasted in watching videos, receiving "free days" and the like. I'm glad that your grandson is learning cursive handwriting--- which I trust delights him and makes him feel grown-up. I would surmise that he is in Grade 3--- so make sure that he knows those multiplication tables (also by convention a Grade 3 skill).
ReplyDeleteMy grandson has learned his multiplication tables. He is now learning long division.
ReplyDeleteThis LETTER TO THE EDITOR IN THE PIONEER PRESS:
The gap is parental
The achievement gap is not racial. It is not cultural. It is not socio-economic. It is parental. All children deserve the chance to learn. But how is a child supposed to achieve anything academically if he or she has never been taught any desire to learn, any manners, any respect for others? If parents show no interest in their child's education, never participate, never encourage or praise honest effort, never model acceptable behavior, how can a child be expected to behave in class, let alone learn?
A love of learning, an understanding of the lifelong value of an education, self-discipline, cooperation and respect for others are gifts any loving, responsible parent can give their child, no matter their race, culture or income. When they fail to do so, they are bitterly cheating not only their own child but every other child in that classroom where the chance to learn is spoiled.
I don't know how to solve this, but if we can't even call it by name -- inadequate parenting -- how can we even begin? This is a social problem, not an educational problem and expecting the schools to fix it is completely unreasonable. Continuously throwing good money after bad down the rathole of politically correct "cultural sensitivity" instruction, dumbing down tests and measures until the gap between learning nothing and learning almost nothing disappears or "training" the poor teachers to tolerate ever increasing levels of abuse and violence is not going to help. Meanwhile, how much of the education of children who want and deserve to learn is sacrificed every day this insanity goes on?
Casey Peterson, St. Paul
The above letter appeared on Nov. 15 in the Pioneer Press. It is an excellent example of philosophical analysis in causality: