U.S. top down education reaches a snag?
When my daughter told me her g-son (my gg-son) was learning his colors and how to count at 20 months old, I related to her a story I heard long ago……..
Harvard College, founded in 1636, was the first school in America. The faculty found a need to prepare students for college work so they initiated a pre-college class later known as the twelfth grade.
They told twelfth grade teachers what they wanted students to know upon entering Harvard. A plan was made and the newly recruited twelfth grade teachers quickly discovered students with whom they were working needed more training so the eleventh grade was initiated and so forth down the educational ladder to Kindergarten classes.
About forty years ago and due to an educational program called “Head Start”, I heard of quarrelling amongst elementary school teachers. Elementary school principals and their teachers were having it hot ‘n heavy as to which teacher was to teach what and when!
It seems kindergarten grade teachers were getting students who already knew most of her curricula from Head Start Classes and therefore became bored and off’times un-manageable. In a survival situation, she was forced to teach parts of the first grade teachers’ curricula and the practice went up the educational chain to grade twelve. I was told by this time there were many “New and improved” educational approaches and confused teachers. (Perhaps some frustrated teachers and principals even wanted to go back to the one classroom system.)
There is no question in my mind my gg-son and his peers will not be geniuses! How in the world could they not be? What with learning how to read, count, recognize colors, do work on the computer and all that stuff at 20 months old, genius-hood is a slam dunk! Look out, world, here comes the Americans!!
As always,
BB :)
Americas' first college debate
Read more at:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_was_America%27s_first_f-ing_college
Harvard College, founded in 1636, was the first school in America. The faculty found a need to prepare students for college work so they initiated a pre-college class later known as the twelfth grade.
They told twelfth grade teachers what they wanted students to know upon entering Harvard. A plan was made and the newly recruited twelfth grade teachers quickly discovered students with whom they were working needed more training so the eleventh grade was initiated and so forth down the educational ladder to Kindergarten classes.
About forty years ago and due to an educational program called “Head Start”, I heard of quarrelling amongst elementary school teachers. Elementary school principals and their teachers were having it hot ‘n heavy as to which teacher was to teach what and when!
It seems kindergarten grade teachers were getting students who already knew most of her curricula from Head Start Classes and therefore became bored and off’times un-manageable. In a survival situation, she was forced to teach parts of the first grade teachers’ curricula and the practice went up the educational chain to grade twelve. I was told by this time there were many “New and improved” educational approaches and confused teachers. (Perhaps some frustrated teachers and principals even wanted to go back to the one classroom system.)
There is no question in my mind my gg-son and his peers will not be geniuses! How in the world could they not be? What with learning how to read, count, recognize colors, do work on the computer and all that stuff at 20 months old, genius-hood is a slam dunk! Look out, world, here comes the Americans!!
As always,
BB :)
Americas' first college debate
Read more at:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_was_America%27s_first_f-ing_college
posted by BB at 10:33 PM
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