Why Johnny Can't Read

[Stuart Little]

Despite the technologic advancement we have seen in less than 5 years, most public school services/facilities all over the world are not getting any better. Here's a list of ideas WHY EDUCATION IS NOT GETTING ANY BETTER:

1. teachers that lack skills to teach (CORE and ELECTIVE)
2. lack of classroom management
3. no motivation programs for TEACHERS
4. no motivation programs for ADMINSTRATORS
5. LOW student moral
6. LOW teacher moral
7. substitute teachers that DON'T CARE
8. aides that don't care
9. lack of facilities and activities to keep the students busy during their break and lunch (e.g. gym/auditorium clubs/organizations/tutoring)
10. working environment is stressful



feel free to add to the list.............

[Manson]

These are some good points that need to be addressed. Some of the points are also mute.

[Unregistered]

You forgot to mention the number 1 reason....... Parents that don't care!

[Unregistered]

Hey, i am IN middle school, and it is hard, really. We usually cheer when we get subs, but the xubx at our school really don't care, maybe they should. Please e-mail back to this at:
ShortStuff52611@aol.com

[Unregistered]

Despite the technologic advancement we have seen in less than 5 years, most public school services/facilities all over the world are not getting any better. Here's a list of ideas WHY EDUCATION IS NOT GETTING ANY BETTER:

1. teachers that lack skills to teach (CORE and ELECTIVE)
2. lack of classroom management
3. no motivation programs for TEACHERS
4. no motivation programs for ADMINSTRATORS
5. LOW student moral
6. LOW teacher moral
7. substitute teachers that DON'T CARE
8. aides that don't care
9. lack of facilities and activities to keep the students busy during their break and lunch (e.g. gym/auditorium clubs/organizations/tutoring)
10. working environment is stressful



feel free to add to the list.............


On the subject of illiteracy, I believe you meant to say "morale".

[Unregistered]

Teachers and administrators that don't care
School Corporation policies that are detrimental to children

[Unregistered]

How about classroom teachers who have a third or more of their class failing and refuse to admit that they may need to change something.

[Unregistered]

It really boils down to teaching, in my opinion.

[Unregistered]

It really boils down to teaching, in my opinion.


Really? Are we magicians? Have you ever tried it?

Have you ever had 30 children in your home, some who can't read, some who can't eat peanuts, some who arrived an hour early, and two whose parents' cars broke down and were late to pick them up, some who have a caseworker, one who is homeless yet sits next to one who lives in a 3/4 million dollar home, one who needs counselling for an eating disorder and another who needs counselling for suicide, several that are taking medications for ADHD, one that is carving his/her initials in your dining room table, one who is carving his/her initials IN HIS/HER'S OWN SKIN, one who wants to go home because he/she feels like he/she is going to throw up, four who are on IEP's and can only play games that have visual cues, three that are on 504's that need work banks and vocabulary cue cards for their games, two kids whose IQ's are so low they can't even play catch but are there because they deserve to be in the same house as everyone else, five kids who can type a five page paper on mountain climbing in the Himalayas with a coordinating powerpoint presentation complete with embedded sound files and animation, and five more who don't even know how to turn one on, and one child who is, at this moment, trying to re-program your VCR to somehow receive satellite television, or pornography pay-per-view for free?

Teaching is NOT what it used to be -- speak not of what you know not.

[Unregistered]

How about classroom teachers who have a third or more of their class failing and refuse to admit that they may need to change something.

How about a third of the class getting their act together and taking responsibility for their own grades??? Or will they always walk through life blaming some one else for their failures?

[Unregistered]

On the subject of illiteracy, I believe you meant to say "morale".

Well, I hate to add on, but there is no such word as 'technologic' -- the appropriate adjective is 'technological'.

[Unregistered]

Hey, i am IN middle school, and it is hard, really. We usually cheer when we get subs, but the xubx at our school really don't care, maybe they should. Please e-mail back to this at:
ShortStuff52611@aol.com


Middle school is hard? Wait until you are juggling a full-time job, three or four kids, a mortgage, taxes, layoffs, a child's illness, a parent's death, a car payment, a cable bill, a phone bill, an oil bill, a student loan bill, a credit card statement (or three!), doctor's appointments, orthodontics, vet bills, etc. OH how I WISH I was back in middle school!!! If this is the toughest your life is, you should be so lucky.

[Unregistered]

Middle school is hard? Wait until you are juggling a full-time job, three or four kids, a mortgage, taxes, layoffs, a child's illness, a parent's death, a car payment, a cable bill, a phone bill, an oil bill, a student loan bill, a credit card statement (or three!), doctor's appointments, orthodontics, vet bills, etc. OH how I WISH I was back in middle school!!! If this is the toughest your life is, you should be so lucky.
Give the kid a break! Sure life gets harder as we get older, but Middle School can be tough for a student. Remember the student doesn't have the same experience or maturity taht you do. You chastised the student for thinking things are tough, yet you yourself basically did the same thing.

To the student:
Hang in there. I can't really give you any specific advice due to the fact that I don't have the specifics of what you are going through. That being said, try to find out exactly what your teachers expect. Ask questions if you need to. Find a friend, parent or mentor with whom you can talk about your problems. Often just saying something out loud can help a person deal with it better. I hope the school year gets better for you as you adjust to new expectations and experiences.

[Unregistered]

Middle school, I think, is about the toughest point emotionally for kids. They're not kids anymore, but they are not grown either. They don't even know how to treat themselves, and neither does anyone else.

It does get better kids. You can at least get to the point where you understand yourself more.

[Unregistered]

In searching for some answers on how to work with my sons teachers so he can get everything he needs and more I came across this discussion board for help. Understanding that teachers have my son for most of his waking hours I have been trying not to cause any tension between us (teachers, my husband and I) and be professional at the same time. I apologize for being so long.

My son attended a poor achieving school district and in elementary school, I made due because I had went to school for elementary school teaching but after my 1st student teaching assignment in an inner city soon realized that before 8am most of the children had to deal with some home situations far more than we can imagine. So getting to school safely was the highlight of the day. I switch to social work and I have been in social services for 17 yrs.

Now my 12 yr old is attending a school of excellence. The expectations are high-responsibility, accountability and challenging work. As he has been transitioning to this new system every accomplishment and extra effort seems to vanish in the wind. Assignments and test come home with 1/2 point subtracted from almost each answer he gives or projects he turn in. He is in a reading/science weekend workshop in preparation for the Spring assessment test as well as a tutor as he needs additional help.

My son is now not enjoying school anymore and is beginning to express that verbally. We have had 2 conferences with the pod of teachers all who give good comments on behavior and that he is trying. As a teacher, what are your feelings when an active/involved parent questions what is going on with their child especially as it relates to a pre-teens morale, self esteem and confidence?

Thanks for letting me share any and all advice is needed and welcomed.

Trying to be a team player not a over protective mom

[Unregistered]

I forgot my email to respond to my long post above. a5sims@bellsouth.net


Thanks again.

[louisedowling]

I am currently writting a critque of which appraoch is best for teaching children to read. It would be great to hear comments from teachers who use either Phonics or Whole Language or both.

Your truly

Louise Dlowing

[Unregistered]

How about a third of the class getting their act together and taking responsibility for their own grades??? Or will they always walk through life blaming some one else for their failures?

If you think about it doesn't that street go both ways? Isn't it the responsibility of the teacher to wonder why a third of their class is failing? Is it not their responsibility to talk the students students to see if there is something wrong? Or does the responsibility just fall on the students shoulder?

Even when a teacher has a class of 30 students there are some you know you don't have to worry about and then there are the ones who need you to be their teacher more than anything, instead of a person who complains they don't have time for one student when they have 29 other students in the classroom that they have to teach as well.

Yes I am talking from experience as a teacher as well as a mother.

On the mother side I have a son who has a disability that some of his teachers do not want to deal with because to deal with it would take time from their pets who have no problems learning and are getting A's and B's in their class.

On the teachers side of things I seem to somehow find the time to help everyone of my students who needs the help and extra attention. That is what teaching is all about. A teacher should not be there for herself/himself they should be there for all the kids not just a select few that fit into their perfect bubble.

[Unregistered]

[qoute] how about a third of the class taking responsibility for their own grades....
If you think about it doesn't that street go both ways? Isn't it the responsibility of the teacher to wonder why a third of their class is failing? Is it not their responsibility to talk the students students to see if there is something wrong? Or does the responsibility just fall on the students shoulder?

I agree with you except for one point. When that third of the class can be "A" students, but being that they are (wow! revelation) for the first time ever actually being made to think outside their usual box, but are uniterested in applying that effort to receive the desired results, then there is nothing really that the teacher can do, it's up to the student to take responsibility for their own learning (or lack thereof)

[morena231]

I feel that something happened down the line in Johnnie's education. Question is was Johnny a very good athlete, because teachers from all over seems to pass very good athletes up a grade even if they didn't truly earn the scores. There is too little to know about Johnny. I know that Johnny shouldn't be at a middle school level if he hasn't mastered a destint reading level. I mean as a high school teacher I see this happening everyday, but you can't do anything about it because you will be interfering and it could cost you your job. For example, I work in a Brand new high school here in North Carolina, and some of our best football players can't read or write on their level. In fact most of them are on a third or fourth - grade level and we are talking about high school juniors and seniors. But I know for a fact that those same boys will get scholarships to NCSTATE UNIVERSITY, UNC CHAPEL HILL, and DUKE UNIVERSITY, just to name a few. Why? Because they toke the school to the playoffs and they were really good. So, next time you want to ask how come Johnny can't read, it is because of the teachers who participated in his athletic career instead of his academic career. How do the coaches think they will make it in college if they can barely make it in high school. I guess this is something to think about TEACHERS!! You know who you are. The group I read is Middle Level Educators.

[Carrie Rodriguez]

I feel that something happened down the line in Johnnie's education. The question is, was Johnnie a very good athlete, because teachers from all over seeems to pass very good athletes up a grade even if they don't truly earn or deserve the grade. There is too little information to know about Johnnie at the moment. I know that Jonnie shouldn't be at a middle school level if he hasn't mastered a destint reading level. I mean as a high school teacher I see this happening everyday, but you can't do anything about it because it may cost you your job. For example, I work in a brand new high school here in North Carolina, and some of our best football players can't read or write on their level. In fact, most of them are on a third or fourth - grade level and we are talking about juniors and seniors in high school. But, I know for a fact that the same boys I am talking about will at the end od their high school caree will recieve a scholarship for the full four years of college to NC STATE UNIVERSITY, DUKE UNIVERSITY, AND UNC CHAPEL HILL just to name a few. Why? Because these same fellas toke the school to the playoffs and they are really good players. So, next time you want to ask, how come Johnnie can't read, it is because of the teachers who participated in his athletic career instead of his academic career. I always wondered how the coaches think the athletes will make it in college, if they are barely making it in high school. I guess this is something to think about TEACHERS!! You know who you are. The group I read from and joined was from the Middle Level Educators.

[Unregistered]

The number of students who cannot read because they can play ball at the Division I level is so small that I doubt it warrants serious concern. What about the other 99.999% of the students?

[Unregistered]

I agree with you except for one point. When that third of the class can be "A" students, but being that they are (wow! revelation) for the first time ever actually being made to think outside their usual box, but are uniterested in applying that effort to receive the desired results, then there is nothing really that the teacher can do, it's up to the student to take responsibility for their own learning (or lack thereof)

"Being made to think outside of their usual box" is often equivalent to "unable to do the academic work that I assigned because I never taught them how to do."