Some Education related news bits gleaned from Yahoo news today...
Babies Try to Help My Thoughts...
I think it's interesting that humans are naturally helpful without any coaxing or prizes... though one makes me think that maybe babies inherently expect some sort of reward of some kind- at least a smile.
I have noticed though that younger students are more eager to help for the most part- sometimes we have to fend them off and stop them from trying to be TOO helpful. In older grades there are still some students who are very eager to help, but it seems that there is a line somewhere between grades 5 and 6 where some people are just as content to have someone else do the work or helping. I hope it isn't because by that age, they have learned the "virtues" of being lazy!
ARTICLE 2
20 students suspended over website
My Thoughts...
I've always thought that it was only a matter of milliseconds before in your face bullying would reach cyberspace- matter of fact, it's been around for awhile. Therefore, I'm not too surprised that 20 students were suspended this week for what some call "flaming." Talking about someone behind their back, ganging up on someone, or being disrespectful just for the fun of it are just some of the disappointing-but-very-easy-to-do things that can be done anywhere, including the net.
While many people on sites like myspace are there for real and are genuine in their friendship, there are others who are just there because they want to cause trouble and they can. The Daily Show had a piece on how the internet can be abused (fake usernames, etc.) and it is true that this anonimity can allow people to take advantage of others. On the other hand, the benefits of the internet in terms of connecting people can't be denied. It's truly an open forum for people's voices, something that has really opened up communication.
The students, and everyone else for that matter, really need to learn that the internet is a tool and not everyone in this world sees it the way they do.
In terms of respect, just because you can say hurtful things about someone without them knowing it doesn't mean it's ok. They deserve their suspension and the teachers at that school better explain to them exactly why they do. So what if they were at home? They were flaming another student, and in this world of growing disrepectfulness and paranoia, we need to really hammer home that that sort of thing is unacceptable by anyone.
ARTICLE 3
So now homeschooling is growing in the states- not really surprised. While homeschooling allows parents some more say in what their children are learning, it also opens up problems in that how can we be sure that the children are learning all that they need to know?
As the US NCLB continues to flounder- I don't think anyone can say that the legislation has helped very much!- homeschooling was naturally set to rise as the growing number of parents getting frustrated in the education system(s) increases. Helpful and caring parents are really looking for ways to ensure that their students are being taught well. And I am sure that there are many parents who are doing a great job.
However, just as there are great teachers and not-so-great teachers [or teachers who need some fine tuning], there may be some parents who aren't quite qualified to teach their children. What happens to those?
I guess I am just hoping that the students who are being taken out of school do have great parents who care and that they are not being removed from great classrooms that also benefit from them being there. I hope they meet and exceed expectations. Now if we could so something about ensuring that the expectations are good ones...
Home-schooling growing in US
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