Tell me what you really think.
Once again, excellent! And can I just add that if I hear another word about medicating these kids so they CAN sit still for 90 unreasonable minutes, that I just might go out of my mind?
Luv ya, and not just for tellin' the truth. Just glad that I escaped first grade before duct tape was invented, or it might have hurt when I was released from my bonds. Poor Miss Carlson had to use clothesline rope to keep me close to my chair.
I don't remember that it worked as a long-term solution, as I remember it happening only the once.
Thing was, it was a conspiracy - she had my parents' permission (it's as if they knew I could be a wandering, chatty, pain-in-the-unmentionable-here).
But she taught me to read, and I went home and taught my next-younger brother to read, and he was an entirely different sort of problem in the classroom.
No Ritalin for either of us, but that was 50's-60's. Definitely old-school.
As one of the Special Ed teachers in my school, I am the one those "wiggly little boys" are referred to. The plea is never, "What can I do to help him?", but, "When are you going to get him out of my room?" or, "How can we fix him so that he can learn?". Many teachers don't realize that we need to change (not just on the school level) meet the needs of our students; they don't always need to change to meet ours.
Love it when you talk dirty!
I am guilty of being one of those late bloomers...I don't remember ever learning to read or write, tho I do remember penmanship exercises, you know drawing circles with your pencil on and on ad infinitum.
Unfortunately, I hated skool, and would rather have slept in. Did sleep in a number of classes, and my dad forced me to go to summer skool two years in order to get HS diploma.
In 1974 I became acquainted with a new community college, and was finally able to pass algebra I, which I failed in Jr High and High.
After ten years in the Marine Corps, I knew enuff about life to appreciate being able to learn readin, writin, n rithmetic.
Conversely, my son, was reading by age three, and couldn't wait to get into skool.
In his high skool years, he was primary assistant for Spanish teacher in learning the language.
I know, he is the exception, but still, I agree with you that no two of us are the same when it comes to lurnin.
Bless you darlin, I do love ya.
Have I told you lately that I Louvre you?
Mamacita: Muy bien! Your blog has quite a favorable rep in the blogosphere, and I can see why! I always enjoy a good rant with a point. I teach high school, and I see the same kind of development over the course of a year. A boy who doesn't know the difference between his keister and a hole in the ground at the beginning of the year will suddenly wake up in the spring and ace the AP English Language exam. I'm told the frontal lobe grows quite a bit between the ages of 16 & 17, so there you go. And BTW, I have the same use as you for the superintendent/cluster administrator/I'm a Principal to Go Places type of "educator." As in no use at all.
90 MINUTES!?! Is that a new thing in the past few years? That is RI.DIC.U.LOUS!
I used to be WAY against home-schooling. But as the politicians get more and more control over the school system, and the teachers have less and less control over how they are allowed to teach... I'm thinking it may become an option for our household.
I can't even sit still for 20 minutes to listen to a sermon in church, movie, or anything pretty much for that matter.
I can not tell you how I much I agree with you. Watching my own little boys in my life that is the reason why I kept mine back a year. He will be 6 and in Kindergarten. He's brilliant...don't get me wrong. That's not it. It is exactly what you are talking about. He is a wiggly. Not only is he a wiggly but he's a brilliant wiggly. So stillness is not his thing. He's concentrating on if he's going to be Spiderman or Bibleman for recess.
Ask me how he did in school this year? He's reading. He's writing. He's doing Math. He's doing is willingly and well. Although he's only going to be in kindergarten next year and there were little kids with him all year I think it was the best decision. He's learned to be a gentle giant to the little 3 and 4 year olds. (he was 5 when he started preschool) I get a TON of grief for our decision. Especially from places that I didn't expect. I just leave it as....I think I'm doing what's best for my child.
Another take on not labeling students. I once substituted in a 4th grade bilingual class where one student, while he was well behaved and tried hard, didn’t grasp the material in Spanish. I said to myself that the boy was mentally retarded. The next year I saw him in 5th grade: on grade level AND in English. I found out that he had come to the US at age 8 with little or no previous schooling. In three years he made four to five years of academic progress. I am so glad I kept my mouth shut the previous year. I am even more glad that the student did not give up on himself.
Yes, kids need recess time to run around and get their ya yas out. Even I , a top-notch student in elementary school, felt the day was ruined when we had to stay inside for recess on rainy days.
I've been bitching about the lack of recess for years now. In 1st grade the kids got 2 15min recesses a day, and often didn't get to play at lunch. I've always believed that more would get accomplished in the classroom if there was more recess to burn off the excess energy
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