I'm sometimes annoying because in certain subjects I can seem like a know-it-all. I learn something about an area of interest and it sticks in my head.
I like statistics (as if you didn't already know that).
I like siting my sources ("don't believe me check here:__insert name of book or web page___").
Putting all that aside, this year my daughter has a harder teacher for language. This guy is not going to take it easy on anyone, her report card showed evidence of that.
He said he has dyslexia and he also has a child with dyslexia. He's not feeling sorry for anyone. He is pushing.
This attitude is in keeping with my brother (who also has dyslexia) who said,
"Don't feel sorry for her, make her work."
My brother also admitted to riding the wave of lower expectations as a young person and he told me not to let her get away with that.
This guy may be the best teacher she's had yet. I'm not sure but as I paint this picture for you I'm thinking this could be the case.
He explained to my husband and I the nuances of Orton Gillingham. Wow, there is a lot to know. There is a lot to be broken down into manageable pieces, and geesh, this doesn't exactly look like it's easy to teach or to learn.
I told my mom later that I know if my brother hadn't gone to the school my daughter now attends he would have been completely illiterate. He probably would have been a high school dropout. She agreed. It is hard to imagine what his life would have been like if had stayed on the course and my parents hadn't made the sacrifices they did to insist he learn to read. Instead of that life, he has a good job, is well regarded by his peers and is a hard worker. He is a great husband and father and I really love talking to him.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Back to my old theory about literacy in the U.S.
So I have this theory about the decline of literacy in the U.S. based on what I know about Whole Language and a lack of knowledge about teaching the 40% of the population who need the additional help and time to learn to read (and basically mostly don't get what they need currently).
I'm always looking out for clues that I might be right on this one.
So it's interesting to me that if you read this article signed by 132 Catholic educational professionals one of the main points of criticism for the Common Core mandates are that they are dismissive of literature.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/11/02/catholic-scholars-blast-common-core-in-letter-to-u-s-bishops/
Well, one has to be able to read to enjoy literature in all it's glory. And if a significant portion of the population doesn't or cant read well I can see how some people might think it's okay to push literature to the wayside.
So literature is seen by some as expendable. As not necessary for the future manual laborers of the world. Of course I completely disagree.
One of the things that most saddened me about my children having dyslexia was the thought that all the wonderful books that helped me cope with my childhood were not going to be as easily shared with my children. I'm not sure that this is true but for the moment no one is reading at that level in my house. It is my hope that one day they will be.
I'll never forget finding Anne of Green Gables for the first time when I was 10 or 11. A friend of mine had it on her shelf. She was not particularly interested in the series and was willing to let me borrow them (I had never seen them before in my school library). The world of Anne took me away from the neighborhood where I lived and the drudgery that I considered my life. It opened new doors for me and set a new example for how to be as a young girl.
I have waited and waited to introduce my own daughter to Anne. Thank goodness for the cartoon series (she loves that). I did try reading it aloud to her but found it very wordy (I hadn't really remembered that part).
So Common Core throws literature out (for the most part) and the Catholic educators have an issue with it. Good.
I still don't believe the federal government or the state government need to be dictating what teachers do in the classroom. We aren't all going to be suddenly better off because some elected officials with larger than life egos all decide to tell the rest of us what is important for our children. No thanks. I doubt very much that my many Greats Grandfather who fought in the Revolutionary War ever thought things would one day appear this way. I don't think freedom is about laws micromanaging teachers.
I'm always looking out for clues that I might be right on this one.
So it's interesting to me that if you read this article signed by 132 Catholic educational professionals one of the main points of criticism for the Common Core mandates are that they are dismissive of literature.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/11/02/catholic-scholars-blast-common-core-in-letter-to-u-s-bishops/
Well, one has to be able to read to enjoy literature in all it's glory. And if a significant portion of the population doesn't or cant read well I can see how some people might think it's okay to push literature to the wayside.
So literature is seen by some as expendable. As not necessary for the future manual laborers of the world. Of course I completely disagree.
One of the things that most saddened me about my children having dyslexia was the thought that all the wonderful books that helped me cope with my childhood were not going to be as easily shared with my children. I'm not sure that this is true but for the moment no one is reading at that level in my house. It is my hope that one day they will be.
I'll never forget finding Anne of Green Gables for the first time when I was 10 or 11. A friend of mine had it on her shelf. She was not particularly interested in the series and was willing to let me borrow them (I had never seen them before in my school library). The world of Anne took me away from the neighborhood where I lived and the drudgery that I considered my life. It opened new doors for me and set a new example for how to be as a young girl.
I have waited and waited to introduce my own daughter to Anne. Thank goodness for the cartoon series (she loves that). I did try reading it aloud to her but found it very wordy (I hadn't really remembered that part).
So Common Core throws literature out (for the most part) and the Catholic educators have an issue with it. Good.
I still don't believe the federal government or the state government need to be dictating what teachers do in the classroom. We aren't all going to be suddenly better off because some elected officials with larger than life egos all decide to tell the rest of us what is important for our children. No thanks. I doubt very much that my many Greats Grandfather who fought in the Revolutionary War ever thought things would one day appear this way. I don't think freedom is about laws micromanaging teachers.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Common Core and private school, Common Core and Catholic school
http://dianeravitch.net/2013/11/09/how-many-children-will-we-sacrifice-before-we-wake-up/
This article is so timely. I just had a conference for my son in Catholic school and they were asking what the private school my daughter attends does with Common Core.
I was asking them why my kindergarten child is bringing home sometimes 6 pages of work to be done. I know that this is not even close to age appropriate. I also knew some of this was new this year and they said yes. The answer: Common Core.
They asked me what my daughter's private school does with Common Core mandates. As far as I know right now, they don't use it. It's a private school. It doesn't take federal funds and therefore is not subjected to the mandates of the federal government.
They insisted that theirs also was a private school but I have a hunch that Catholic schools do take federal funds in some capacity and this fact, therefore makes them subject to Common Core. I'm going to figure this out for sure. Otherwise, I believe Common Core, just like No Child Left Behind, belongs in the scrap heap. The federal government has no business micromanaging our already well educated and knowledgeable teachers around the country.
My daughter's school meets the children where they are. Oftentimes children do not even come to her school until they are at more advanced age and almost completely illiterate because of the mediocre method of teaching children called Whole Language (and it doesn't matter if you sprinkle in some phonics, it's still whole language). This doesn't work for a significant number of children (say 40%).
Only the most diligent parents who have done a lot of research and had their child tested and have the economic means are able to take their children to her school.
It's heartbreaking to me to think of the astonishing amount of children in the world who are struggling with this and do not have the many factors in place that my own child does.
Still, I believe "to those whom much has been given much is required". To me this translates into a real need to go out and tell people our story and let them share theirs. To answer questions when they are asked of me and to be available to any parent who reaches out to me.
Right now I'm trying to get The Big Picture shown at our Catholic school. It's a long shot. Really right this moment I'm thinking the answer will be no, but at least I asked. Right?
I'm not giving up. I don't care if people don't like me. I must do this job and I must do it to the best of my ability. I must push this envelope, even if only one parent listens, even if only 1 child is helped.
This article is so timely. I just had a conference for my son in Catholic school and they were asking what the private school my daughter attends does with Common Core.
I was asking them why my kindergarten child is bringing home sometimes 6 pages of work to be done. I know that this is not even close to age appropriate. I also knew some of this was new this year and they said yes. The answer: Common Core.
They asked me what my daughter's private school does with Common Core mandates. As far as I know right now, they don't use it. It's a private school. It doesn't take federal funds and therefore is not subjected to the mandates of the federal government.
They insisted that theirs also was a private school but I have a hunch that Catholic schools do take federal funds in some capacity and this fact, therefore makes them subject to Common Core. I'm going to figure this out for sure. Otherwise, I believe Common Core, just like No Child Left Behind, belongs in the scrap heap. The federal government has no business micromanaging our already well educated and knowledgeable teachers around the country.
My daughter's school meets the children where they are. Oftentimes children do not even come to her school until they are at more advanced age and almost completely illiterate because of the mediocre method of teaching children called Whole Language (and it doesn't matter if you sprinkle in some phonics, it's still whole language). This doesn't work for a significant number of children (say 40%).
Only the most diligent parents who have done a lot of research and had their child tested and have the economic means are able to take their children to her school.
It's heartbreaking to me to think of the astonishing amount of children in the world who are struggling with this and do not have the many factors in place that my own child does.
Still, I believe "to those whom much has been given much is required". To me this translates into a real need to go out and tell people our story and let them share theirs. To answer questions when they are asked of me and to be available to any parent who reaches out to me.
Right now I'm trying to get The Big Picture shown at our Catholic school. It's a long shot. Really right this moment I'm thinking the answer will be no, but at least I asked. Right?
I'm not giving up. I don't care if people don't like me. I must do this job and I must do it to the best of my ability. I must push this envelope, even if only one parent listens, even if only 1 child is helped.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Levies defeated now back to dyslexia
While I have still been working on implementing changes at the Catholic school we are in (slowly, carefully, gently although none of that comes naturally to me), I have been putting a certain amount of time into fighting off the privatization of education movement.
I can now breathe a sigh of relief that the levies which were due to take a huge amount of tax money and put it toward charter schools has failed.
Back to a full focus on dyslexia.
Thank you God.
Not that privatization or edu-business is taking this as anything more than a minor setback, it's just that there are so many good people already in that fight. So many caring parents.
In the game of chess a part that's really important is called the end game. In the game of anything else the end game is also really important. I believe that this will ultimately work out the right way in the end game because of this one simple thought:
Never mess with a parent's love for their child.
Politicians should have known better but so often they are clueless, self serving and self absorbed. In this case it's obvious how much that is true. So many of them lost credibility on this issue that it's hard to name the ones who didn't. Not doing their job of actually representing the public good, not a wise move either. Combine that right on in there with the one simple fact above.
I'm expecting we will be seeing some change. I'm certain of it. It's in the air.
I can now breathe a sigh of relief that the levies which were due to take a huge amount of tax money and put it toward charter schools has failed.
Back to a full focus on dyslexia.
Thank you God.
Not that privatization or edu-business is taking this as anything more than a minor setback, it's just that there are so many good people already in that fight. So many caring parents.
In the game of chess a part that's really important is called the end game. In the game of anything else the end game is also really important. I believe that this will ultimately work out the right way in the end game because of this one simple thought:
Never mess with a parent's love for their child.
Politicians should have known better but so often they are clueless, self serving and self absorbed. In this case it's obvious how much that is true. So many of them lost credibility on this issue that it's hard to name the ones who didn't. Not doing their job of actually representing the public good, not a wise move either. Combine that right on in there with the one simple fact above.
I'm expecting we will be seeing some change. I'm certain of it. It's in the air.
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