Roy Exum
In California some of the largest school districts – like Los Angeles, Oakland and San Diego – are phasing out ‘D’ and ‘F’ grades in “an attempt to reengage students” and boost entry into the state’s colleges. Instead they give a child an “incomplete.” Already some school districts have switched to “pass-fail” from letter grades. “Our hope is that students begin to see schools as a place of learning, where they can take risks and learn from mistakes, instead of a place of compliance,” said one school official in Oakland.
In my opinion this is the latest form of child abuse.
It’s almost as bad as “social promotion” where a third-grader is not proficient but is still advanced to the fourth grade – then the fifth and sixth and further -- with little chance of keeping up. The child is miserable. I think this is child abuse, too, and instead of making things easy, the lesson learned too late is that without an education, life will be very hard and never fair.
Now we’ve got a guy in the Tennessee legislature who wants to deny education to the children of illegal aliens. Can you imagine how catastrophic such nonsense could be? To deny any child a chance is child abuse and if the government cannot control a horrible influx of illegals, don’t dare take it out on children who had no choice about being here. Talk about child abuse, to deny any child an education is as un-American as anything you can name.
My dream is year-round schools. Sure, teachers can work all year just like doctors and nurses. They’ll earn more money, learn more about the students and more. Recess, sports, and fun events could take place but every day, in addition to free breakfast, free lunch and free after-school childcare in a lot of schools, they would read, study math and science and English (lord help!) until they are well equipped to move to the next grade.
I wouldn’t flinch to hold a child in the third grade for a year and a half, or even two, if it meant that the only way to advance the child must earn it. The new trade school would also be a 12-month deal, with an emphasis on computers because I know skilled tradesmen who can build or fix anything but are computer illiterate. In today’s world everything from a cash register to an auto transmission is computer oriented.
The school make-up must change. A teacher carries too much extra baggage – social worker, bus duty, janitor, juvenile detention guard, manners expert, ridiculous mounds of paperwork – it is a wonder they find time to teach. Security is a must and in-school behavior has never been a bigger problem. Man, the lessons we learned from the Oxford High shooting in Michigan are downright scary and the aftermath will be sobering.
The phasing out of ‘D’ and ‘F’ grades is partially due to the fact the state colleges in California will accept neither on a transcript but an incomplete is passable. The rub comes if a freshman gets accepted and then cannot perform, the child is still stuck with a student loan and an unsure future. He ends up costing the taxpayer.
If we ban the children of illegal immigrants from attending K-12 school, guess who must bear the cost? Trust me, the residual result will be much more than the cost to educate these children. Think of the pitfalls and perils of not being allowed to learn.
And as long as we endure “social promotions,” we’ll end up paying through the nose for some child who can neither read nor write, much less make change for a $10 bill at Wendy’s.
Now, aren’t you glad the Hamilton County School Board hired Justin Robertson instead of me?
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THE CHILD WHO DID A SELF APPRAISAL
(Note … Here's a cute story a reader shared)
A little boy went into a drug store, reached for a soda carton and pulled it over to the telephone. He climbed onto the carton so that he could reach the buttons on the phone and proceeded to punch in ten-digits (phone numbers).
The store-owner observed and listened to the conversation:
Boy: ‘Lady, Can you give me the job of cutting your lawn?
Woman: (at the other end of the phone line): ‘I already have someone to cut my lawn.’
Boy: ‘Lady, I will cut your lawn for half the price of the person who cuts your lawn now.’
Woman: I’m very satisfied with the person who is presently cutting my lawn.
Boy: (with more perseverance): ‘I’ll even sweep your curb and your sidewalk, so on Sunday you will have the prettiest lawn in all of Palm beach, Florida.’
Woman: No, thank you.
With a smile on his face, the little boy replaced the receiver.
The store-owner, who was listening to all this, walked over to the boy.
Store Owner: ‘Son... I like your attitude; I like that positive spirit and would like to offer you a job.’
Boy: ‘No thanks’.
Store Owner: But you were really pleading for one.
Boy: No Sir, I was just checking my performance at the job I already have. I am the one who is working for that lady I was talking to!'
This is what we call ‘Self Appraisal’ ...
Author unknown
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royexum@aol.com