Originally Posted by
Ky'sMom
I also feel that many people are tricked into the "if you go to college you'll be successful" stuff. I also want my kids to go to college if they want to but I know that college is not the only way to success and that the definition of success varies from one individual to the next.
I do a lot of interviews (have some to do tomorrow ugh!!) and what I have seen is a lot of people here anyway (and this area is the main reason why I push Ky academically) do not know how to read and write proficiently. They cannot do basic math in their head like simple addition and subtraction. They do not know how to speak clearly and answer questions proficiently. A lot of our people, even some who are in positions who make more money than I do, do not know how to use Outlook, which is a vital part of our business and which I learned in high school. We have to make a lot of "incident reports" about things that go on in our apartment buildings and our property managers do not know how to write a sentence. It makes me fear the traditional education here in this state and it is the reason I do push Ky academically. I know he can do more than the general curriculum here and the standards here are below what I learned in Ohio and what my nephews are learning so I don't want to take the chance that if we move to another state (especially since we may be moving to Chicago) that he will not be behind due to the low standards of our schools here. Even in Chicago, which is known for having a poor public school district, their standards are higher than here, so basically their worse performing schools are equal to some of the best performing schools here in Atlanta.
But really on the homework thing, I just feel if you are spending time learning in school, then there isn't a need for 3-4 hours of homework. At Ky's school now, I am satisfied that he is learning at a good level. They only have 6 kids in the classroom. He gets lots of one on one instruction. They teach in very innovative ways and Ky loves his school and if you ask him what he learned today, he can spout off a lot of stuff that surprised him and that he enjoyed and how hard a concept of math was that he is learning. I feel since they are doing a good job, the teachers shouldn't have to send home a bunch of useless worksheets. I can understand that they may want him to read or do some sort of history or science project, but not worksheets and other what I consider useless work.
I also know that not everyone is made for college and I don't look down on vocational training and actually I will make sure to pay for my kids to get some vocational training in high school if need be. I am already thinking I may send Ky to a technical school to be a certified electrician. I do feel he may be college material, but he is rather lazy and that makes me have doubts about this, but regardless, I expect for him to be able to read, write, do math, and speak cohesively. I also have told him that by the age of 23 he will not be able to live with me so he needs to have a skill to take care of himself. Lots of people with vocational training make more than those with college degrees, like plumbers or electricians, or even carpenters in some instances. I also feel it gives them an opportunity to open a business if they so wish with their acquired skills. So they would be able to work for themselves if they want to or contract out their skills and not be tied down to a company. So in a way I see vocational training as making more sense than a college degree in a lot of areas since you can learn a skill quickly and come out able to take care of yourself financially in most instances. I know for my ultimate academic goal, it will take years. I do eventually want to earn a PhD. But luckily I thought about how life can take you on curves and bends along the way when I was in high school and I took vocational training at my high school in Data and Word processing and learned a lot about computer systems and how to use them. I also took accounting so have bookkeeping skills and other general skills that I have been able to use over the years with employers and through contracting out my services to local businesses.
Erin
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In all seriousness, I think we can all agree our educational system is imperfect, and even broken in the US. Whether it's perceived as too hard or too easy on kids (or both, as I see it) is largely a subjective call, and opinions on what's an acceptable level of academic pressure to place on kids will vary as widely as thoughts can on the topic of discipline.
Well said.
