Hechinger Report | Class sizes are increasing, but does it really matter?.
I really enjoyed this article. For those of you concerned about class size and potential budget cuts in your state that might increase class size, this article examines several aspects of the debate and is worth the read.
As a former parochial school teacher and principal, I am of the mindset that I would rather have my child in a class of 30 with an awesome teacher than in a class of 20 with a less than stellar educator. I had 37 students in my first grade class one year (w/a full time aide), and we had a ball. The kids had a blast, learned a lot and you know what, so did I!
Another layer to this debate, and one that is not often spoken about, is the value of learning in an environment where your needs are not always immediately met and where your problems are not always immediately solved. There are some social positives to learning the self-reliance that comes with a larger class. Just a thought!
Another thought…spend more time, effort and funding on ensuring that teacher preparation programs are turning out GREAT teachers. I do not believe that as a whole, teacher preparation programs in the United States are rigorous enough and demand enough from students enrolled in them. If we turned out better prepared teachers, class size would not be as much of an issue.
What does everything else think???
Kindergarten becomes more challenging – chicagotribune.com.
Interesting article. I am of the mindset that play-based Kindergarten is better and have made a deliberate choice to put my daughter in a half-day, developmental Kindergarten. However, the article also sites some positives aspects of introducing academic concepts to youngsters, especially in diverse environments. The article accurately points out that different communities and school settings need to take a variety of approaches to learning. I like the references to the German system, as Germany was the county where Kindergarten was founded, and the German root of Kindergarten actually means “children’s garden” when translated directly from the language.
I would love to know what other parents and children have experienced in Kindergarten, which is often seen as a child’s gateway to school.
I just discovered the Learning Styles Quiz on www.edutopia.org. Very cool! I’ve taken quizzes of this nature before, as they are based on Gardner’s 7 Intelligences (he’s added more since the theory’s inception, but the original 7 still stand up best) and can give you clues as to why you are drawn to certain subjects and interests. They include Naturalistic, Bodily/Kinesthetic, Musical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Visual/Spatial, Logical/Mathematical and Visual/Linguistic. I encourage you to take the quiz for yourself and for each of your school- age children. This might give you insight into how each of them learns best. Again, go to www.eutopia.org and the link to the quiz is in the center top of the page next to “most popular.” Here is how I stacked up.
Naturalistic- 50%
Bodily/Kinesthetic- 42%
Musical- 56%
Interpersonal- 100% (no surprise here!)
Intrapersonal- 94%
Visual/Spatial- 25% (no surprise- I cannot read a map for my life!)
Logical/Mathematical- 38% (math NEVER was my thing)
Visual/Linguistic- 100% (again, no surprise!)
We do cover some of this in Answer Keys: Teachers’ Lessons for Successful Parenting, but I encourage to gather more information on your own. If anything, it’s just fun to find out more about yourself and your children! I would love to hear from you and what you discovered about how you and your children learn best!
California Resets Kindergarten Entry Date.
Here is an article from Ed Week regarding the K age rollback. I did not know prior they would also have transitional Kinder programs. These could prove to be very helpful to children who are developing at a different pace. I would still love some comments about people’s or their child’s experience with Kindergarten.
In California’s latest legislative session, law makers passed a resolution moving back the entrance cut-off date for Kindergarten. It is currently December 2nd, but will now be rolled back to September 1st. As an advocate for developmental readiness, I applaud this decision. However, as California law makers have done with sooooo many other initiatives, they have managed to mess this one up too.
#1- the rollback date will not be fully initiated until 2014. Yes, you heard me correctly. Each year it will move up one month until it hits September in 2014. Confusing to say the least.
#2- there will be “exceptions” to the rule. WHAT? If you make a rule, stick to it. This will only saddle administrators with more work and a big, fat, headache. Accurately assessing whether a child is truly ready for Kindergarten is an involved process. How are over taxed teachers and principals going to be able to address each “exception request” with the care and attention it needs.
I am going to do a lot more digging into this subject and will report accordingly. In the meantime, I would love to hear from people about their experiences, thoughts and opinions regarding cut off dates for Kindergarten. If you’re new to my blog, please review smartyrulz & FAQz before commenting.
Fewer Americans Back Obama’s Education Programs.
Interesting read. However, I do believe it is NOT the federal government’s job to address issues that should be handled by the states. Education is one of those issues. While I do believe that we need a Department of Education in order to keep national issues in check, local and state educators need to look at the individual needs of schools and districts. It is impossible for anyone to expect that the Federal Government can handle all of the diverse problems facing state educators today.
I believe that education begins as home. Not just in the family room, but at the site and district level. I would, however, love to hear from you!