The ignorance of educators.

I was talking to a friend of mine this past week. She is going to work at a school I use to teach at. She was asking me about people and so forth, and mentioned the principal. He came at the very end of my tenure. I merely met him and never got to know him. However, for what I did know, and even heard, he seems to do a pretty good job.

In the course of our conversation, she mentioned that he really wanted to emphasize science and mathematics. Which is great. However, she began mentioning some of the programs he wanted to implement and ideas he had, and I realized something inherently wrong with the plan. It was all wrong. I happened to teach science when I was at this school. Teach more science, and more mathematics isn't the answer to improving tests scores, preparedness for college, or opportunities for the kids. The reason being, they have not emphasized (particularly at the elementary level) reading, reading comprehension, phonics, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, or writing. Thirteen year old students should be capable of writing complete sentences. They should be able to spell words they use frequently in their daily vocabulary. They should be able to make subject and verbs agree, not use double negatives, and use correct verb tense.

However, 80% of the children at this school couldn't at age 13! And this is not a knock on this particular school, I am afraid this is a problem in all of our schools today. As a whole our society has a pathetic grasp upon the English language. What society and educators are failing to understand however is that, any knowledge of science and mathematics is useless if it cannot be communicated. Furthermore, learning is easier when you can audibly and visually comprehend what you are learning. Without mastery of the language in use, this is not possible.

Now how did this happen? Well good thing you asked little grass hopper.....

Roughly 15 years ago there were some studies done of various countries around the world and it compared knowledge of high school students. Some northern European countries, and most east Asian countries scored very high compared to other countries in science and mathematics. Because of this educators here in the States got flustered and decided that there had to be greater emphasis in science and mathematics in our schools. Nothing wrong with that.....oh, wait.....there is!

We were and by a just a smidgen still are the most technologically advanced country in the world. Why do we need to "keep up" with countries that are behind us? We achieved that status because we traditionally had students who learned to read and write, and because they could competently do those things, they could effectively learn. Anything!

However, because a little logic was not practiced we are on the verge of having a generation of students who can solve any math problem and are knowledgeable about a wide array of scientific facts and theories. However, they will not be able to determine when, where and how to use their math skills, and will not be able to communicate the degree of scientific knowledge that they posses because they are losing the ability to use the language, and in turn they are losing the ability to learn because of their lack of literacy.

The majority of English teachers in schools today are incompetent. I know that's a bold statement, but talk to one and listen to their butchering of the English language with grammatical mistakes and my assertion will be proved correct. Administrators, who are overpaid (if you are an administrator and read this, please feel free to email me, and I will be glad to explain why you are robbing schools!) have got to start emphasizing English language mastery in our schools. If not every problem, in every school will be magnified by 10 in the next 20 years.

I'm not anti science or math. Science was my favorite subject. However, it was enhanced by my ability to read and comprehend, and then communicate my understanding of the subject.

Furthermore, history is not being emphasized enough. 60% of students can't point out the CONTINENT, let me state that again: the CONTINENT of Africa on a map! If our knowledge of geography is that bad, is it any wonder our political landscape is as bleak as it is?

A nation unaware of it's past is doomed to repeat it. Every one has heard that old saying. The problem is, it's incorrect. The guy that said that had not studied his history either! Countries don't repeat mistakes, countries are overthrown. Perfect example" Saddam Hussein had never studied the mistakes of dictators in the past. He made some text book dictator mistakes. I've heard that he was a big fan of Hitler. I find it hard to believe he studied Hitler thoroughly.

We will get by with science and math as it is now taught, however our country is in dire straits if we do not return to an emphasis of English and History. We will begin falling even farther behind in math and science, we will keep producing unlearned, ignorant people who run for public office and make poor political decisions, and we will fall from the grace (so to speak) of being a world power. We'll simply end up like..."France." And as bad as I hate it....history will prove me right.