I have students who would elect to drop any subject like English or math that they find difficult. They would prefer to spend the day playing video games. How do I know? They've told me so. I do think that students should be given some choice. But, as the adult in the classroom, I feel I have a duty to help them appreciate the need for subjects, topics they may think at 17 they do not need. I talk about knowing as much as possible about as many things as a defense for the future. You never know when knowledge about something will be useful. Sometimes it's a hard sell, but I keep trying.

I have found that the new digital technology that I've introduced these past two years in my classroom does make the medicine go down. Reading, writing and arithmetic is not as painful. Granted, I teach struggling and reluctant learners, but out of respect for them I keep encouraging them to prepare for the future.

Luckily, there are more pathways forstudents to take now- the pathway of work, the pathway to college and the pathway to university. I think with in each pathway , the choice needs to be how they will learn rather than what they will learn.

I hope that the cult of educational romanticism that I wrote about http://tinyurl.com/5njddl does not continue to set kids up for failure. Some times adults do not know best. We need educational realism. Are you asking whose realism we need? That's the difficult question.

I have students who would elect to drop any subject like English or math that they find difficult. They would prefer to spend the day playing video games. How do I know? They’ve told me so. I do think that students should be given some choice. But, as the adult in the classroom, I feel I have a duty to help them appreciate the need for subjects, topics they may think at 17 they do not need. I talk about knowing as much as possible about as many things as a defense for the future. You never know when knowledge about something will be useful. Sometimes it’s a hard sell, but I keep trying.

I have found that the new digital technology that I’ve introduced these past two years in my classroom does make the medicine go down. Reading, writing and arithmetic is not as painful. Granted, I teach struggling and reluctant learners, but out of respect for them I keep encouraging them to prepare for the future.

Luckily, there are more pathways forstudents to take now- the pathway of work, the pathway to college and the pathway to university. I think with in each pathway , the choice needs to be how they will learn rather than what they will learn.

I hope that the cult of educational romanticism that I wrote about http://tinyurl.com/5njddl does not continue to set kids up for failure. Some times adults do not know best. We need educational realism. Are you asking whose realism we need? That’s the difficult question.

I'm not going to go through your points individually as I think we generally agree.

2. no comment.

3. We know that children learn everything better when they are freshest and that they become increasingly more impatient and unfocused as the day continues. The academic teacher wants the fresh part of the day and seeing all the exit classes as vehicles for relaxed expression or energy burning activity, rather that legitimate subjects unto themselves with real rigor that requires a fresh, focused student just like any other subject. Also, scheduling is a complex art and it isn't always possible to schedule everyone into the dream slot. So… I'm in competition with the realities of scheduling, which cannot always accommodate best practices. And I'm in competition with other teachers who might also like students at their freshest and most malleable.

4. What purpose does an intervention or way of teaching serve if not to lead to better results? It should be that. The problem is that some results are not so easily measured. Depending on the student, the ability to acquire skills may be impacted by the ability to focus, delay gratification,organize materials, handle frustration, value educational objectives, manage time etc. We need multiple ways to assess all students (not just those with IEPs). That doesn't for a second mean that we don't need objective testing in place. Only that we need other types of evaluative tools that help us to identify different types of growth over time.

5. I think that we all know that there are poor teachers that can not be removed, however not unlike the criminal justice system, the guilty are sometimes protected by the same organs that protect the innocent. Education (which is about literacy AND the free flow of ideas) requires a shield to protect educators from the whims of political fashion. If teachers don't have protection in the form of tenure, the free flow of ideas is at risk and therefore the rights of citizens and the existence of open societies is also at risk.

6. Politicans aren't in control. They are controlled BY the interests of their constituents. The right of a society to measure the effective use of it's resources is fundamental. And, to be honest, if students (certainly in the USA) had basic skills in place by graduation, the government would have less reason to interfere with school structures and policies. We can not expect them to stay out of the game if we're losing it.

7. Big question for another time

8. The research that shows smaller class size? I'd like a link to that research. I've seen research that suggests that private schools are not doing better than public as an overall measure. Of course, some private schools do significantly better in all areas of measurement. What I do know is that private schools can cherry pick their students. It's easier to do well when you can remove any poor performers and send oppositional behavior problems right back into the public arena.

9. I think the idea that the learner knows what is best for them is voodoo educational philosophy. What we need to know is not instinctual. You need to have a basic understanding of the world, a developed brain, some maturity and experience to even know what there is to know… never mind whether or not you need to know it.

Therefore, a young child has no understanding of what is best for them. They should be guided in their education with adults who observe interests as a way of supporting development, but not to the exclusion of building foundation and increasing exposure. By high school, a student is moving toward control of their direction; they can choose some but not all of their direction. An entry level college student may know a direction yet still need guidance in terms of foundational aspects to a career. Eventually, the wise student begins to choose WHO will give them guidance in a what that they have determined for themselves. Mentoring can continue throughout a lifetime…

Thoughts?

I’m not going to go through your points individually as I think we generally agree. :-)