What R U Thankful 4?

Photo by http://www.squawkfox.com

You are not see a typo in the title.  I intentionally typed it that way.  The reason? None, except I am tired of see all the typos in Facebook posts, tweets, you name it.   People, especially people of color should happy and proud that there is an education system that is free to all, at least in America.   I understand the occasional missteps of the "I" before "e" problem, because I do it too.  No one is a perfect speller (is that right?) (Oops, forgot to capitalize that sentence.)  I am talking about spelling "da" for "the.”  Really?  Your mama taught you better than dat (oops, I meant "that").  
For those of you who think that talking and spelling this way is "so white,” ask yourself this question: why does it seem like I am not getting ahead?   Then again, maybe you are as far as school is concern, what about getting a job and communicating with customers?  The rest of the world does not talk or write that way.

I just found out some disturbing news (and I am not trying to be funny at this moment because I am quite upset about it):  According to a recent reading practice report (as of today), 58% of third graders in my city's largest school district (Columbus City) will not pass to the fourth grade.  This is based on practice test scores.  They take the real thing in March, and I am afraid that if half of these kids do not step up and master passing this test, they will not graduate with their class years from now.  This is a test that the State of Ohio decided they needed in order to see how well they are being taught how to read in the first place.   Now here is the real kicker.   I have a friend who happens to teach third graders.   The district wants her to teach them how to read, but according to my friend, they want her to focus more on helping them to pass the third grade reading test and less about the curriculum they gave her in the first place to teach them how to get to that reading level.   So now she has to devote extra hours to tutor them after school until 6 pm for the stuff she should have taught them during regular school hours.  Then she has to go home and do lesson prep instead of attending to her own family.  Luckily and thankfully, she currently has a husband and a 2 year old child, but what if she was along with her 2 year old and did not have any help?  Where are the parents in all of this?    They should spend as much time if not more teaching their children how to read.   Why are they spending so much time on social media or any other device instead of trying to sound out words?   I have thousands of questions, and no answers.

Parents, please do not depend on your child’s teachers to teach them everything.  I know you are busy providing for your child, such as clothing, food, and entertainment.  This leads to the question:  Why does your child have to be entertained all the time?   Think about that.  Education should be one of them, and it does not have to be private.  Your teacher is also busy.  He/she has to provide lessons that will motivate and help your child to learn.   In other words, take time out to teach your child basic K-8^th grade stuff.

I was a Pre-K teacher at one time.  This meant providing a lesson plan that will stimulate the child into learning something as simple as spelling their name, tying their shoes, counting and early math (1+1=2), learning the days of the week, and so forth.   Oh how I sometimes I wished that the parents who I interacted with would have taken an interest in what their child was learning, instead of saying “hi” and “bye” to the child.   I know there are demands at work, but I was mostly talking to moms who stayed at home.  Did they really had to get rid of their child that fast?  Oh how I wished that I could have a conference with them about their child.

So, getting back to the beginning of this post with the Facebook comments.  Please use spell check, ask a friend, an elder, dictionary, or just get a clue.  Go back to school or if you are in school please ask your teacher how to spell “the”, “that,” and a whole host of often phonetically spelled words, which should be memorized by the 8^th grade.   Learn how to read, learn how to spell, and learn how to write.  A note to any parent in the Columbus, Ohio area:  please help your 3^rd grade child to reach the potential so that they can pass this reading test.  It is mandatory, and it can be the ticket to your child reaching they dreams.

So, what do you think?  Where has our education system gone?