Posted by Helen on: 08.23.2007 /
My son began high school yesterday (his first day went fine). While he’s there he’ll probably take a typical academic course load. How much of what he’s taught there will actually turn out to be useful in his life?
Earlier this year I ran across a blog article about what schools should teach students to prepare them for life:
Top 5 Things That Should Be Taught In Every School
Comment by: seekingsomething
1Yes! I’d agree with all of these.
I’d add to them a compulsory course on nutrition, food and cooking, so that kids would grow up with bodies that function at a sufficiently healthy level to take all the other stuff in.
Comment by: Pete
2I agree with the article completely–to think if the time and money I would have saved if I had been taught about personal fincances and time management before my junior year in college–and also with seeking’s assertion about nutrition. (I work as a youth pastor and my wife and I practice alot of natural foods, and a healthy eating lifestyle. Most of the students we’ve shared it with have drastically changed their eating habits, including no longer drinking soda except once a week or so).
I would also like to see personal responsibility taught…or taught better. Homework is a joke in many schools and I’ve had to work with at least 5 students (in 5 years as a youth pastor) who were sophomores but couldn’t read better than my 6 year old. How in the world did they get here?
It’s time for teachers and parents to step up and fail a kid who isn’t ready to move on. Most kids, once they fail a class or two and with encouragement from parents, teachers, etc, will shape up and get to it.
All 5 of the teens who came to me basically illiterate got tons of encouragement from myself, my pastor and–after we spoke at length with them–their parents. We showed them the consequences of not trying and got them involved in helpful prgrams for reading. And before they graduated they could all read functionally well, and usually had interest in it, picking up novels by choice.
I say that not to say “look at me!I say it to show that if they are held accountable, teenagers by and large step up. It’s time to get over this notion–this myth really–that teens are lazy, unmotivated, disrespectful bums who only want to sleep and lay around. Most of them want rules–within reason. They want to be challenged–and trusted to do the job (many of my youth get bad grades from apathy, because school is too easy and they aren’t motivated or challenged. These are kids who can udnerstand complex rules to complex games; strategy that eludes me much of the time; and the names of lists of songs, games or people that blows my mind. Yet the fail Freshman basic math.)
Anyways. I love my teens. So the subject is a passionate one for me. So I’ll stop now XD
Comment by: Stephan
3I heard a great sermon a couple of weeks ago (from a youth pastor, of course) talking about looking at teens not as kids in need of discipline, but as “adults in training”. They need to learn to be adults. It seems obvious, but I don’t think that’s the way they are treating, generally speaking.
With that in mind, I think this list is great. Show them what the real world is like and how to survive in it. Personal finance and time management are two very important (and very neglected) skills.
Comment by: Staci
4I do agree that it is good to include these things in a school setting. However, much of this is the responsibility of parents/guardians. Now, I realize not all parents are equipped and/or motivated to do this so schools often step into the gap. Playing devil’s advocate for a moment, I get annoyed when my son’s classroom time has to be wasted teaching basic social and communication skills. (Although the time is even more wasted if such things are ignored and the classroom become chaotic.)
On the other hand, his favorite class in his first year of middle school last year was Home Ec. They learned basic cooking (and clean up) skills, nutrition, “emergency sewing” skills, etc. While we’ve worked on these things at home he really seemed to get it when he was in learning mode at school.
Another thing I’ve found strange is that he will have Spanish one term and PE the next. I’m not sure how much good it does to learn a foreign language or exercise regularly only 4 months out of a year. One of my co-workers said that in her son’s high school this happens with math, language arts, etc. as well. They have longer class periods so they do a year in one semester rather than two. Has anyone else experienced this? If so, did it really work?
Comment by: David H
5At the risk of igniting a tempest, I have read some stuff that makes me think separating boys & girls in school would have huge benefits. I have also heard and seen things that make me believe school uniforms should be compulsory.
Before the citations I will offer a couple of anecdotes.
My oldest daughter had a terrible time in second grade. A group of five boys in her class so disrupted the educational setting that her teacher spent much of class time every day (some days it was almost all day) trying to control or discipline those boys. The leader of the pack was emotionally troubled (mom in jail, dad an absent drug dealer) and came from the urbanized area that made up about one-third of the district (a small city bounded by fairly affluent suburbs). But two of the other five boys came from a development with million-dollar-plus homes. Since I typically work at night, I jumped at the chance to help chaperon my daughter’s class when they took a field trip to the zoo. Each parent who went along was given a small group to supervise. Lo and behold I end up with Little Mr. Troublemaker in my group. He is loud and boisterous and bursting with energy. Much of that energy he focuses on my daughter — pulling her hair, bumping into her, etc. I’m pretty loud and energetic myself, so I was able to keep him in check and actually engage him a bit in conversation. Besides being terribly in need of attention, he really liked and wanted to impress my daughter. It would seem cute or funny or romantic if it hadn’t ruined an entire school year.
Second anecdote isn’t really a story, just an observation. My older daughter entered middle school last year. Now she is obsessed with clothes. Why? Because they are an easy way to identify those with and those without; those who are cool and those who are not; those who will be liked and those who will be ignored (or tortured). We moved from our semi-urban school district a few years ago to one that is very rural. Yet the level of fashion and the attention to appearance at the school is amazing. Kids are sent home every week for shorts and skirts that are too short and shirts that are too revealing — in middle school.
School uniforms would help to eliminate the fixation (in terms of socializing) on clothes it would seem. Perhaps it everyone has to dress alike then they will have to depend more on things like intelligence, personality and their ability to work and play well with others.
On the latter issue, separating the sexes in schools, I understand that NOW is virulently opposed to that approach. Yet their objections appear to be largely philosophical. An editorial from the president of NOW says this would be wrong because it would be a step back for women. However, there is mounting evidence in urban and rural school districts that eliminating sexual issues (even in lower elementary grades) from the classroom dramatically increases test scores, drastically lowers drop-out rates, and has an amazing affect on disciplinary problems in the school.
I heard the superintendent from Seattle public schools speaking about the situation there and he said separating students in the high schools dropped disciplinary suspensions (which had numbered more than a dozen per week) to virtually zero. This piece noted that the practice at the elementary level of Seattle schools took mandatory test scores for boys from a 25 percent passing rate to almost 75 percent in a single year.
One of the other arguments I have heard for keeping genders together in school is socialization (mentioned prominently by author of the blog referenced above). I don’t buy that argument because girls and boys have plenty of chances to mingle outside of school. My wife’s cousin brought his children as infants from Vietnam. They thought it was important for their children to learn the Vietnamese language and culture. So they forbade their children from speaking anything but Vietnamese at home. Their rationale was the the kids would speak English all day in school and at activities outside the home (both parents are also pretty fluent in English). The result was their children now speak, read and write English and Vietnamese fluently. They speak both languages better than many of their Vietnamese peers (some of whom were born in the US) speak either.
Both of parents were school teachers and I covered small and large school systems for more than 15 years as a reporter. It isn’t news to me that the US education system needs reform. I like many of the 5 things mentioned above and these two I suggested seem relatively simple steps that could reap major benefits in many (but not all) settings. Yet the fixation for so many education professionals seems to focus on computers, big-dollar buildings, and new or different methods of standardized testing.
In the end, though, it seems that the biggest hurdle to public education in the US is personal responsibility. Parents don’t want to be responsible for their kids, so they pass it off on teachers (who are neither equipped, empowered or — in many instances — prepared to share it much less bear the entire burden). The end result is students are neither taught or modeled responsibility so many falter in both education and life. I’m pretty sure my two thoughts won’t fix that problem, but they might lessen their impact enough to enable more students to get a decent education.
Comment by: seekingsomething
6On the splitting of boys and girls… my niece attends a girls only school and it seems to be working wonders… she was in a co-ed primary school and was just reaching the stage where boys were becoming a distraction and her grades were slipping. The kids still meet up on the school bus and at lunchtimes, so plenty of ’socialisation’ takes place. This isn’t a common thing in the UK and the school is considering merger with the boys’ school as population numbers are dropping, but anecdotal evidence from parents suggests that it is generally considered a helpful thing.
On the uniform issue, my niece’s school have a fabulous policy. Uniform is obligatory but fairly casual and inexpensive - plain regulation colour skirt/trousers, shirt and hooded top. As an option the ‘hoody’ may have the child’s name in large letters on the reverse… I think this is just great: it takes a cult item of clothing, makes uniform ‘cool’ and enables the school to easily identify at a distance the name of any child misbehaving… (I should add, the age of the children is beyond that stage where it might be dangerous to wear clothing that informs stranger sof their name…)
Comment by: Karen
7From what I’ve read about separating genders, it very much works to the girls’ advantage and to the boys’ disadvantage.
Girls who might be overshadowed by more assertive boys in the classroom (studies show consistently that boys get the lion’s share of teacher’s attention at every grade level) get to shine academically, the focus is much more on sports and learning - less on dating and clothes, and the atmosphere is more polite and orderly.
However, boys-only schools suffer quite a bit not only academically but socially. The girls are definitely a moderating, civilizing influence that are missed in male schools, which tend to turn into quasi-military institutions.
As a mom of two boys, I’m glad they are in co-ed public schools. However, if I had had girls I probably would have considered girls’ schools for them, though I’m committed to supporting our public schools.
In terms of curriculum, I’m a big fan of E.D. Hirsch, who promotes the idea of “core curriculum” - that all schools throughout the country should teach the same basics. You’d be shocked how much the quality of public education varies from county to county, let alone from state to state.
And yes, sometimes that means memorizing dates and authors and ideas that you forget initially, but that form the basis for being what he calls a “culturally literate” member of society.
Comment by: Doreen A Mannion
8sales? I don’t think so. I’d substitute a course in practical living that includes nutrition, how to change your oil & a flat tire, etc.
Comment by: Julie Clawson
9I agree with Staci that these are basics that kids should be learning at home. Of course memorizing stuff so that you can get a good grade on a test is a pretty messed up system too. But obviously parents aren’t going to be taking responsibility anytime soon nor teachers give up easy systems in favor of meaningful education. So we’re stuck patching a broken system…
Anyway on the uniform issue. Modern casual uniforms always seem to look like the preppy kids win. Trousers and polo shirts are what I’ve typically seen. This isn’t about getting rid of clothing issues, it is forcing unpopular subgroups that have been labeled “different” to become like the majority. What message does it really send?
Comment by: David H
10I stand corrected on the school uniform issue. Most of the current research indicates it has a negative effect on education. Still, wish there was a way to stop the cliquishness and bullying that seems rampant in the education system.
Comment by: seekingsomething
11Out of interest, what research are you referring to, David? :)
I wonder if cultural differences are at play here. In the UK, school uniform is commonplace (as is a national curriculum for pupils up to age 14). My guess is that in the UK we engage less in debate about the pros and cons of school uniform because it is just the way it has been for so long.
BTW, agree definitely with Karen about the differential effect of splitting kids by gender… ideally, I think my niece is best in a girls’ school but my nephew would do better in a co-ed ;)
Comment by: Helen
12I went to a single-sex high school then switched to a co-ed one for the last two years. The prejudice against smart girls from the boys was evident in the co-ed; I certainly appreciated its absence at the single-sex school. On the other hand the school was in transition in terms of who went there and I suspect that in the years below mine, there was a big enough group of smart students of both sexes that this would not have been the same issue it was in my year.
Doreen, if sales is looked at in the broad context of meaning ‘being able to effectively present something and show its benefits’ I do think that’s a useful life skill. In reality I think people are continually in situations where it’s helpful if we can effectively communicate what’s good about something. To me this comes under ’sales’ in the broad sense. (Or maybe it’s marketing, if that distinction matters)
The other things you listed would also be useful, though!
Comment by: David H
13I just googled school uniform student performance (or some such) and came up with several studies that claimed disciplinary problems drastically increased in several school district immediately after the imposition of school uniforms. Sorry I didn’t grab the URLs because I was a bit short of time and there were several. I checked the sources of a couple and they seemed to be legitimate. I started wading through the particulars — I’m sure there could be other factors — but in three of the studies it appeared that the uniforms were a big part of the growing problem. Perhaps the imposition of uniforms in an unwelcoming environment played a major factor that would drop over time. But the big issue for the US may simply be that we don’t have uniforms as a standard for the vast majority of schools and trying to change that may be just too big a cultural task for our educational system.
Comment by: seekingsomething
14Thanks, David. I think you’re probably nright about cultural norms/standards. In the UK there would probably be an uproar amongst those (mostly mothers)who do the laundry, if hard wearing school uniforms were suddenly abolished in favour of random fashion clothing!!!
Comment by: Laura M.
15Well, I found laundry easier to do before my kids’ school district switched to a uniform policy. White shirts and khaki bottoms are hard to keep clean.
Plus they still wear regular clothes after school, so it’s basically twice as much laundry now.