tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677625880025493774.post3926183131554747295..comments2023-09-22T10:28:16.650-07:00Comments on America's Future: The Inside Story: Social Studies...NYC's Sad Casualty of Standardized TestingChalk Dusterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08983784261421373401noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677625880025493774.post-53629757675464714062011-05-09T06:23:21.631-07:002011-05-09T06:23:21.631-07:00I worked at a "failing" school that was ...I worked at a "failing" school that was very very test-driven. Therefore, since 5th graders do not test in history, I taught it....maybe 3x...all year. This was not my intention but with 3 hrs of ELA a day, 2.5 of math, PE, assemblies, etc we honestly only had 3 hours in the year to cover history. Such a disservice to our children, our future. But who cares, they were a failing school of immigrant children in poverty, worth only their dismal math and ela skills. The "spark" I saw in some of their eyes, the boy interested in engineering, the diplomatic child who could cheer anyone up...didn't matter to anyone but myself. :(3rseduc / handsinthesoilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03218555891546800241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677625880025493774.post-14844638599087539552011-05-02T13:52:17.433-07:002011-05-02T13:52:17.433-07:00ART-tivist--
You're so welcome...although I do...ART-tivist--<br />You're so welcome...although I don't remember emailing...I posted on a lot of Organization's Walls on FB. I'm glad you checked it out...hopefully I'll have time to write more soon..but this week is busy. STATE TEST WEEK!! aaaagh, yucky. I just told my students today, "NO MORE multiple choice for the rest of the year...I promise!" I'm going to check out your blog and post it on my list! I love having new readers :)<br /><br />Ronald...maybe when your son whent to school in NYC, that was before NCLB? Or when it was just starting? Thanks for your insights. Very interesting.<br /><br />Helen, best of luck with Jazz and Harlem! That sounds like fun to teach. Luckily, I really enjoy teaching history as it relates to literature, but it would be easier if the kids had more prior knowledge. I think the SS teachers at my school do a fantastic job of keeping their lessons engaging with the little amount of time they have.Chalk Dusterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08983784261421373401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677625880025493774.post-71918753752396347042011-05-02T01:36:39.915-07:002011-05-02T01:36:39.915-07:00Thank you for taking the time to write and spread ...Thank you for taking the time to write and spread the words about what is really going on....I am glad you sent me an email inviting me to your blog. <br /><br /><br />Miriam<br />www.mommyactivist.blogspot.comMiriam Cutelishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02039522226269542039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677625880025493774.post-55043143318767113392011-05-01T17:18:06.056-07:002011-05-01T17:18:06.056-07:00Very thought provoking...my daughter is in 7th gra...Very thought provoking...my daughter is in 7th grade in a school system outside of NYC in New Jersey. She is main streamed some of the time in Social Studies and most of the time in a small group of Learning Disabled students. She happened to walk in while I was reading this blog and asked her if she new about the Holocaust. She surprisingly couldn't tell me anything about it, but insisted she had heard of it. She was aware of the Cold War, the Great Depression, FDR and WWII. So the suburbs are doing a decent job even in the LLD classes. Hmmmm. My son went through the NYC system through 2nd Grade, loved Social Studies then and even in College. Good Luck with building this awareness!Ronaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16253079691466127790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677625880025493774.post-70321329490064637762011-05-01T12:02:01.054-07:002011-05-01T12:02:01.054-07:00I just wrote an entire response, but it got lost w...I just wrote an entire response, but it got lost when trying to post! Just want to say that I feel your pain when it comes to having to teach so much history so that the students can understand the literature. I am teaching American Lit this year and have spent plenty of time discussing history and culture so they can understand the text better. Tomorrow we return from break and will be doing the Jazz era and Harlem Renaissance. Wish me luck!Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06587218015130404382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677625880025493774.post-35068060943883831742011-05-01T08:30:49.465-07:002011-05-01T08:30:49.465-07:00Thank you! I love it when people comment on my blo...Thank you! I love it when people comment on my blog. I wish it would happen more often. because then I would know what my viewers think of it!<br />You are right, publishing online is not enough. And unfortunalely, there is this sense of apathy in my school system (at least the parts of it that I see) when it comes to fighting for emphasis on the other content areas.<br />I'm trying to arrange to go to the Save Our Schools March on Washington in late July. Come summer, I'm going to attend some school board meetings in my sons' district, but deepest my concern is for urban children.<br /><br />I think informing the parents is the first step because policymakers seem to have made up their minds about not listening to teachers. I just got some links to parent organizations on FB and I am going to plaster my blog all over them. <br /><br />I have plenty of posts that discuss all sorts of wretched problems with our Education Policies today! :)<br /><br />Thank you for reading, and for your feedback!Chalk Dusterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08983784261421373401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3677625880025493774.post-45416004255786900802011-05-01T08:10:57.071-07:002011-05-01T08:10:57.071-07:00I agree with you 100%. As a social studies teache...I agree with you 100%. As a social studies teacher, I am deeply saddened by the state of social studies in both our schools and society. We need to do something! Your blog post has done an excellent job of educating people about the problem but we need to do even more (I'm not saying you aren't doing enough, I don't know what you are doing). We need to be persistent in educating both the public and the policy makers of the problem and how to fix it. <br /><br />I really appreciate your efforts as an English teacher to educate children about other content areas because after all, every content area is connected and helps explain the world. <br /><br />Keep fighting the good fight! Your passion is contagious!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com