School's Out Forever

What a fun article in the Wall Street Journal.  I hope this is not true.  "...you're trapped inside all day reading books you don't want to be reading and learning things you don't want to be learning from teachers who often don't want to be teaching."

I know that school is not the best place for some students.  But it should be fun to learn.  I still like learning every day and if I could afford it, I might still be taking classes. (time and money)

But I am probably a school freak.  I first got a BS in Engineering from Vanderbilt.  Then I finished by MBA from Xavier University after taking a few classes at UVM.  After moving from Vermont to California I found the best job as an AA for the Liberal Studies program,  the environmental studies program, and to be part of the Eastside Union High School recuriting program to find minioririty students who want to be teachers.  It was so fun and the University allowed me to take free classes after working there one year.  It also allowed for free tution for my children to attend if they could get in.

I suppose I pushed them a bit in High School to make sure there grades were up so they could get in.  I bribed my son with a $1 a point to improve his SAT scores.  Don't believe this does not work as he increase over 100  points.  But that may have been the best money I spent as he was able to have a free college education from Santa Clara University.  

So I started taking all the classes I never had before and ended up with a Liberal Studies degree and graduated with my daughter.  She became a teacher and used a grant to have free tuition for her teaching credential.  After stating I would never be a special education teacher, I ended up pursing a Masters degree in Special Education.  And I just love it.

I had a great job at Price Middle School and had to give it up to move to San Diego.  I couldn't find work for three years and subbed on and off.  Finally I was called to HR for San Diego Unified and  after a 15 min interview I was offered a job.  And I just love it.  I work at Scripps Elementary with K - 5 students.  

I have to say, I think my students and their parents like my teaching.  Again, I love to make it fun becasue I enjoy fun things.  We have written about apples compaing two kinds.  We eat them and describe the crunch,, we loook at them and describe the differnt colors.  We write in a blog to review educational games on the iPad.  I post them on my web page.

I think student  choice is important.  I ask my students wha tthey want to learn.  I then work on games, find videos that relate, and 'voila' a fun lesson.  But then maybe I am a freak.  I still love learning and I am a grandmother.

"Schools for Wisdom" San Diego High Tech High

Interesting article from the New York times by David Brooks 10/16/15.  Basically he talks about High Tech High that uses the old idea of project based learning and 'updates it with tech clothing.'
The documentary "Most Likely to Succeed" has the premise that today all we need are relational skills to be great future workers in the world.  We need to be able to "motivate, collaborate, persevere and navigate..."

The problem with a 'tech' school that does not teach basic factual acquisition is at what point can you contribute if you don't really know anything about it.

Brooks states you must 1. know some basic facts 2. be able to see a pattern formation or be able to link facts together to make them more meaningful 3. mental reformation ie the information becomes alive for you to manipulate it.

Basically to be a new worker in the future you needs to know facts and how to work with a group.  So knowledge is still power.  Today we no longer work in a vacuum we need to have people skills as well.

So do you know what  a neutron is?  Do you know if the Progressive Era came before or after the Civil War?  Do you know what countries the refugees are coming from and going to?