If you’re a teacher, you’ll get this. If you’re the parent of a student, you need
to know the facts.
Question: If you
moved to another country as a young child, and did not speak the language, what
chance would you have of passing a standardized test in that country, even if
you could understand the basics of that language? You sit in class all year, the teacher works
hard to help you, but he/she has a room full of students that must be taught
"the standards". You're
intelligent, you do your best to pay attention, but the language barrier is
just overwhelming and as you’d probably expect, you fail.
Surprised? Of course
not. Not many educated adults could
achieve success in this type of setting.
Now, pretend you are teacher here in America. Let's say you have several students in your
class that struggle with English. Most
can get by conversationally, but all struggle with context and meaning at some
level. Even though these barriers exist,
these students are expected to achieve the same level of success as your native
English speaking students using the exact same writing and content
standards. If they do not, you dear
teacher have somehow failed. Your
"scores" prove your failure and may be used to make
"decisions" regarding you and your school. Not only did you fail, your school risks
being judged as not being "adequate".
Now slip back into the shoes of a child that does not
completely grasp the language being used to instruct students in class. Do you deem it to be reasonable or fair that
you are being held to the exact same standards and expectations as your
classmates?
Do you believe your teacher is somehow to blame because you
did not achieve success?
Is it possible for a teacher with 30 students to overcome
the hurdles of broken homes, poverty, language barriers, special needs, and
still somehow ensure each and every student is able to meet "standards"
that are one size fits all? No problem…if
you’re Jesus. I’m afraid the rest of us
have feet that are far too small to fill those enormous shoes!
Bottom line: I am an
educated man. I "get" most
things presented to me, but if you put me in a classroom where everything is being presented in French,
Spanish, German, or any language other than English, I can guarantee you I
would fail miserably regardless of what the teacher does to help me.
Houston, we have a problem.
It is not a local problem, nor can it be “fixed” at the local level. If it was, you can bet we could and would fix
it. The problem finds its root at the
state and more importantly federal level.
Our educational system in this country is wounded and bleeding and the
Feds are handing out Band-Aids to deal with cut arteries. The state takes the Band-Aids because they
want the goodies that come with the Band-Aids, you know money. And what about local school systems you ask?
Ah yes, well they are handed the Band-Aids (with less and less of "the money") and told "make this work and by
the way, good luck"!
I've illustrated only one of the many challenges local
school systems and educators face in this country. A country where legislators are hell bent on
standardizing every aspect of our educational system under a national umbrella that
is held in the iron tight grip of…the federal government. Surprise, Surprise!
Over the next few weeks, I will be addressing the results of
what this nationalistic approach to education is doing “to” and “for” the
students of this country.
So, hang on tight…it’s going to be a bumpy ride!
