Gifted students need gifted teachers

Normally I defend teachers. I know that it is a tough job--way harder than an average outsider thinks it is. I've written opinion pieces for newspapers, debated with people (and parents) critical of teachers, and served as guest speaker in a few education courses in a local college.

It is also a career that I truly loved. I miss working with kids. There is nothing quite like watching a young person catch on to a difficult concept, or seeing the love of reading and books develop, or hearing someone say that you helped them understand something they never thought they could. Letters from former students thanking you for making a difference for them are worth more than gold for your heart.

However, it is much harder than it used to be. Teachers are constantly berated and criticized, blamed for things over which they had no control. Parents can be demanding and unreasonable. Government requirements and intrusion are squeezing out creativity and fun.

That said, all teachers are not good ones--especially for all students. It is unrealistic to expect a teacher with 30 students to individualize lessons in 30 different ways. Given. But, when a teacher has a class filled with mostly gifted students (tested and put there on purpose), I think the teacher should also be gifted. They know the frustrations.

Can anyone tell me the value of having a student write each of the spelling words in 8 different colors, if said student got 100% on the pretest?

Can anyone explain the value of having a parent of a second grade student (who reads comfortably at a 6th grade level) counting the number of words read in 20 minutes?

What does it benefit a talented student to spend time doing a math worksheet that contains problems he/she could do easily two years ago?

Some teachers, schools, and even school districts do a very real injustice to the capable students. They drown them with unnecessary busy work, require them to do nothing while reiterating material over and over for the struggling students, and ignore their needs for new and expanded learning.

No Child Left Behind has caused such concern about the students who need the most help, schools are seriously short-changing the gifted and talented.

Not a good trade.

I shouldn't reprint comics, I know. But sometimes they are just sooo good. Not many people are interested in reading my blog, so I think I can get away with it again.

I loved this one because it is so true. So many children now have grown up with electronic devices (my hubby calls these "glowing boxes") and they have missed the story-telling and talking that families used to do. I just heard about another study detailing how watching the fast-paced cartoons shows (they specifically mentioned Sponge Bob) have shortened toddlers' attention spans. I have noticed the difference.

I remember another comic where a smart-aleck student was relating asking his teacher what happened to Clark Kent's clothes when he left the phone booth as Superman. He said that before the teacher could formulate an answer, several students raised their hands to ask what a phone booth was. Oh, I'm getting old.

I have also watched the dip in vocabularies and reading levels. Kids today are learning too much too early about sexual things and not enough about patience, listening, and using their imaginations. I don't think it's a good trade off.

Right and wrong order.

I'm going back to my posts about the right and wrong way to do things having to do with marriage and sex. I just read an article with some real study results. The piece was written by a couple who speak about marriage and families, and just had their book published about how parents can avoid getting their children caught in the entitlement trap.

The article explains the research methods to study which relationships last the longest and are the happiest. The early sex, later marriage lost out to the marriage, then sex.

Of course there are exceptions; we all know some. The article went on to say that real life doesn't happen like it does in movies and TV programs. People don't generally end up in bed on a first date. But, we need to be careful making sure our children, and grandchildren, understand the reality and the pitfalls in believing the fantasy.

Entitlement

I like this Luann comic because it hits a problem I've posted about before. Lots of young people have come to believe that much is given but not much is required. Commercials are always telling people about the things they "deserve." Does everyone deserve a nice car, a comfortable house, a pocket full of credit cards? Why?

Hard work is for fools and those who don't know better. Work is to be avoided, gratification cannot be delayed. Parents reward their children for small tasks, until they won't perform the tasks without a reward. Why should they?

The newspaper also had a good article a few days ago titled The Entitlement Trap. Lots of today's young people are caught in it.

The way it shouldn't be.

I'm not sure what to do now. We just received a wedding invitation for a nephew, complete with a note on the announcement that they are registered at Target. It also said "There will be a Card Box." I guess that means there will be a place to put congratulatory cards, especially those containing money. I've never seen a note like that on an announcement before; there are usually places at a reception to put cards. This felt like avarice.

The wedding ceremony will be at "their house" where they have been living for more than a year. I guess I am hopelessly old fashioned, but if they already have a functioning home, why do they need a reception and gifts? Greed.

I think a standard white wedding and reception is stupid and selfish. They should get married in a simple family ceremony and then, if they want, have a party and invite friends and family to celebrate with them. Doing things this way is all wrong and I am really worried about the mind-set of so many. It's so much me, me, me, what I want, what you need to give me, what I deserve.

Mom told me she had caught some new reality show about a man, with his teenage children, looking for an engagement ring for their mother. Really? After being together long enough to have teenagers, getting all old-fashioned about proposing with a diamond? Then I imagine they'll plan a lovely traditional wedding. The media puts it on air and young people watch and learn.

I'm stopping now, so much is being lost and I feel a bit....sad.

The way it should be

I just attended a niece's wedding reception. She was beautiful, the weather was lovely, the groom was handsome, the parents were proud, and friends and family were everywhere. I have no doubt that this marriage will be successful; they did everything right. They have known each other for years, they are best friends, their families know and like each other, and they made a very serious faith-based commitment to each other.

As odd as it is nowadays, they fell in love without falling into bed. They did things in the order than was expected of young people 50 years ago. It seems pretty rare today, and I have to say it does irritate me to get a wedding reception invitation for a couple who has been living together for several years or already has a child together. If you are going to do things that way, don't expect a new toaster from me, that just seems greedy.

Most of my family members are still married to their original spouses, but there are several who have been through divorces or had children without being married. Sometimes it takes a mistake or two before you get it right, but it is sure harder that way.

Congratulations to this new couple, and best wishes for a long and happy life together.

More tales about the underchlorinated gene pool

I found myself in a position to overhear conversations between some of the very parents I am concerned about. These people hadn't met before the situation that brought them together, but they must have sensed a kinship because they talked freely for quite a while: One spent 3 1/2 years in jail, losing custody of a child born when she was 16; both had been in drug rehab--more than once--both had experience with spouses in jail and divorce. It seemed like they were trying to get their lives together, but I wondered how successful they would be. On the edge of the conversation was a teenager who, although not involved in drugs, had divorced parents she traveled between and a mom who got her boyfriend's name as a tattoo. Then, surprise, they broke up. She had a couple of stories to add.

It was all extremely sad. How do people get so messed up, and what is it doing to the children?

Shallow gene pools

I am really worried about the general intelligence of many of the people in this country. It sounds condescending, but think about this: how many really smart, accomplished people do you know who have more than one or two children (if any)? I don't know many. On the other hand, think about those who are having more than two. Utah is a bit of an anomaly, but in general the undereducated, economically depressed in this country are having the most children. That may be okay except that these same parents are often unmarried, transient, and ill-equipped to help children succeed. Many of them struggle with substance abuse, and pass that to innocent children.

There are horrendous articles in the media about abused and neglected children--and so many of those parents have several others. About a week ago there was a 3-year old girl found wandering along a street. It took police 6 hours to find out who she belonged to, then only because a "relative" recognized her picture on television. Apparently her mother dropped her off at a home with several "adults" who didn't even notice she wasn't there until contacted by police. The article mentioned that the girl had very limited verbal skills. Obviously. No one bothered to wonder about her, much less talk to her.

My friend and colleague used to say she had a sign (she'll recognize herself) that said, "The Gene Pool Needs Some Chlorine" or something to that effect. Oh, if it were that simple.