tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post7750127689062090895..comments2024-03-26T06:17:49.527-07:00Comments on Had Enough Therapy?: Why Johnny Doesn't Do His SchoolworkStuart Schneidermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12784043736879991769noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-44033448331507205152014-01-20T19:21:39.251-08:002014-01-20T19:21:39.251-08:00Johnny doesn't do his schoolwork because he...Johnny doesn't do his schoolwork because he's bored. Why would that be? -DGAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-65237718083339498572014-01-19T17:56:43.958-08:002014-01-19T17:56:43.958-08:0044Apparently, most children want to go thru life f...44Apparently, most children want to go thru life fat, dumb, and happy. No chance of that happening to those who want to coast thru life, unless their parents are really rich.Sam L.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00996809377798862214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-22350852488482580722014-01-19T15:17:49.744-08:002014-01-19T15:17:49.744-08:00Yes, Arne Duncan is correct. Finally, someone in t...Yes, Arne Duncan is correct. Finally, someone in the Obama Administration is stating the obvious. This is a hopeful sign.<br /><br />I expect Obama will say say something about this in his State of the Union speech. There are four excellent reasons this is likely to occur: (1) the omniscient New York Times columnist Tom Friedman said it was a good idea; (2) he gets to proclaim "It was MY Secretary of Education who said this"; (3) it allows him to do his favorite thing: blame and admonish normal, middle class, arugula-averse, "clinger" Americans for their moral failings; and (4) it will make his teachers union masters very happy. <br /><br />We are also forgetting another important person, in addition to Amy Chua, and that's Lenore Skenazy, the author of "Free Range Kids." Skenazy is an enormous threat to self-righteous, panicked, know-it-all helicopter parents everywhere. If you want to amuse yourself, read the comments on any story featuring Skenazy and her work, along with the Amazon reviews of her book. This also gives a powerful indication of everything that is awry with today's over-protective, over-involved parents and their over-programmed, coddled progeny. The feminist mantra the past 40 years has been that men are irresponsible parents who "don't get it" (never complete without the condescending head shake). Well, what happens when protective mothers take over, informed by chilling evening newscasts about the latest danger to their kid(s)? That's how you get the last 20 years.<br /><br />I must tell you that the correspondence Friedman received from the Oregon high school teacher mirrors my own experience as an adjunct instructor in the college classroom. Today's students do not want to work, they don't want to read, they have no attention span, they are addicted to the glowing box, they expect to be entertained, and they are scared. They are anxious and fearful, and it is most disconcerting to watch. I challenge my students. I ask them open-ended questions, requiring them to think. Nothing is more painful. The first four weeks of the 15-week term are living Hell. Most of them are terrified at the beginning, but thankful by the end. After doing this for a number of years, I am convinced that my students are anxious about LIFE, mostly because they are inexperienced at any non-scheduled, un-programmed, non-organizational activities. This is because they are coddled by their parents. I also believe they are over-tested... they believe there is a right and wrong answer to everything. They've never been confronted with big questions. Nay, they just look at you blankly in the face of Socratic teaching. I often get discouraged, and check my assumptions, questioning whether I've become a grumpy old man. Well, I'm only 20 years older than my students... it's not that long ago, but I assure you it is THAT different.<br /><br />The solution to this conundrum is high standards, and character (virtue) foundation. We have to stop defining standards by the average. We must challenge our kids, and support them in living a good LIFE that reflects their unique spirit (rather than their narrow interests). This begins with responsibility and making choices to gain an experiential education. Making money requires work, but there's more to life than money. Character matters. These are spiritual problems.<br /><br />TipAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-30587677514609423322014-01-19T09:08:56.759-08:002014-01-19T09:08:56.759-08:00http://isteve.blogspot.com/2013/12/pisa-reading-sc...http://isteve.blogspot.com/2013/12/pisa-reading-scores-by-race-america.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com