Any teachers out there?

[uforgot]

If he's only 11, then I have to applaud those teachers who aren't loading him down with homework. Others may disagree, but sometimes you just have to be a kid, and I think at 11, he still needs this. After he's been in school for 7 hours, he needs to be out playing soccer or even "kick the can" with his friends. Even better, I love the fact that you are taking him to museums and other things around there. Gosh, you have no idea how much you are contributing to his education by showing him all that you can. What you are doing makes learning fun, while homework can be a real drag. Although it really depends on the teacher. Four pages of identical division problems is the drag, but a newspaper interview...fun. I certainly wouldn't worry about putting him in any educational "programs" right now unless HE is wanting them. Let him go out and build a fort, collect snakes, or ride a bike. It will actually make him a better learner. Trust me, I like the kids who can explore and think when they get to High School, rather than those who memorize and then "plug and chug".

[lyca]

Even better, I love the fact that you are taking him to museums and other things around there. Gosh, you have no idea how much you are contributing to his education by showing him all that you can.

I second these thoughts! And I'd like to throw in the possibility of getting him involved the in the arts. I'm a musician and I taught instrumental and vocal music in the public schools before heading back to University to work on a doctorate. Kids have so much fun learning to play instruments. Especially if their parents decide to learn with them!! It does all sorts of great things for the brain, too.

Good for you for being an advocate for him and for his education. Keep it up and I'll send positive thoughts your way!

[DirtDiva]

Having classes with a huge range of academic ability isn't the problem - meeting every child's needs, whatever they may be, is simply your job as a teacher. The problem comes when the curriculum doesn't have the inherent flexibility required to meet all those needs and/or you're not getting the support you need from your school to help solve whatever problems are making it most difficult to create and maintain a suitable learning environment in your classroom.

Stacie - taking your son to museums and the like is a fantastic thing to be doing for his education. I taught a lot of children from very disadvantaged backgrounds in London and the thing that worried me most was the number who missed out on even the simplest of childhood experiences (such as visiting the playground) because their parents never took them anywhere. Getting your son involved in extra-curricular activities (if he's not already), be it music, art, drama, sport or whatever takes his interest, would be great as it will teach him much better time management skills than he'll ever learn anywhere else and, of course, help foster interests he will likely hold for the rest of his life. And, for goodness sake, if you're worried about his education and want some more specific ideas about how to help your son get the most out of his classes, talk to your son about what he wants and then TALK TO HIS TEACHERS!

[Crankin]

OK, I'm going to chime in here, because it's almost time for school to start and for the first time in 30 years I am not getting ready to go back. Stacie, I was a middle school language arts teacher and i worked as a special educator for many years before that. That said, I have some pretty strong feelings about what your local schools are trying to do. Middle schools should not have leveled classes for kids, except maybe in math. I feel strongly about this and have worked in 2 places where this really worked. There is no "AP" for middle school! Come on, our kids have enough stress as it is. The problem comes from the fact that it takes a very skilled teacher to meet the needs of all learners in a classroom. This is called differentiated instruction. As a former special educator, what seemed normal to me was not education as usual for a lot of my colleagues. You have to have the ability to diagnose, prepare, and plan different levels of activities for the things you are teaching. You also need a wider range of materials. This was easy in writing and reading, where the kids worked within their own level to begin with. No more 'whole class" novels, except maybe once a year. We did independent reading, along with lit. groups, which varied between being mixed ability or like ability. Writing is just writing. Everyone worked on the same type of writing (i.e. expository essay, creative, poetry), but some kids got more time or had more lessons. The "challenge" level was always offered for major assignments and projects and was required for the academically advanced kids, who btw, did not always want to do it.
So, if your school is moving toward this type of instruction, great. It CAN be done, but it requires hard work and a lot of professional development. I found that the expectations were raised for all of my kids and more than once I had a parent ask me if we were the "gifted" team... no, I just had high expectations for everyone.
Now, I know this doesn't help you in your particular situation. I appreciate the fact that you have chosen to stay in the city. But, as long as our schools are funded by property taxes, not much is going to change. I agree NCLB su***, and I hate the testing aspects of it. But, it has raised the bar in some areas. Keep supplementing your children's education with what you are doing. Let me tell you a personal story. When we moved back to Massachusetts from AZ we could not afford to live in one of the suburbs with really good schools. So we moved to a town that was quite average, more blue collar than white. My kids were very different from the others in terms of life experience and religion (they were almost 8 and 5). We became friends with the teachers and volunteered the best we could with our work schedules. We gave small amounts of $, like 25 or 50 dollars to help buy materials. We also did all of the stuff you are doing with your kids outside of school. They went to summer camp with kids from different towns, who were probably more like them. They also made friends at religious school. In fact, when we moved after 6 years, they didn't want to leave (but we couldn't wait). Both went on to do very well in a super competitive middle school and high school where 95% of the kids go to college.
It is hard for us as a society to face the fact that social class determines what kind of education you are going to get. You might have to send your kids to private school if you are determined on staying in the city. But in reality, all kids should have an "advanced' education.

[stacie]

Robyn, I'm glad you chimed in. You've given me good advice in the past and I respect you. I disagree with you but respect you. I still feel that we are entitled to a basic education. Every kid should be given every opportunity to take the basic courses that he needs to succeed. Kids who excel and do the extra work should have an opportunity to seek out an advanced education. I realize that this is the way our society is headed but I still feel that every kid isn't going to college. My brother is an electrician. He was a lousy student. He's happy doing a trade. I was relieved when he stopped going to college because everyone expected him to go.
I"m not going to convince you just like I'm not going to convince the principal. So, how do I make this a successful for my son. How can I as a parent assist the teachers? Can I volunteer in the class and help in some way? I'm meeting with his team of teachers on Monday. What can I offer that will show this is important to me and I want to be part of the solution.

[Crankin]

Well, I found that by volunteering, the schools in general were more open to any requests we made, whether it be for a specific placement for the next year or a suggestion as to a book or other unit that they were thinking about using. Of course, this was in a small town, not a big city school, so the dynamics might be different. Generally, I think any teacher would appreciate thoughtful volunteering and might be open to anything that you request because they appreciate your effort on their behalf. It's good that you are meeting with the team. Keep an open mind and remember that most teachers are not particularly open to "change." No offense to any other teachers on the board, but this was an issue in many of the places I worked. Not knowing the particular culture of your system, I would say go in with a positive attitude and kill them with kindness. If you are worried about your child's safety, discuss this with the teachers and principal in a calm but realistic manner. Ask what the "plan" is for various situations and if they have a program for social-emotional development that often helps develop a community and stop some of the nasty things that often happen in middle school.
That said, keep looking at alternatives for your son. Are there charter schools? Private schools with scholarships? And please, another personal note, let your son know that you are trying to support him! My older son has a girfriend who was brought up in the city. She was in gifted classes through elementary school, but she failed the entrance exam for Boston Latin School by one point! (it's a public exam-entrance school). Her parents, I guess, really had no idea what this meant for her, or didn't care, so she ended up going to the first year of middle school at a regular Boston Public School. According to her, it was awful, so she got herself into a Quaker school for the rest of middle school and then she got herself a scholarship to a good arts oriented high school (private). From there, she went to a great college, but she is now saddled with debt and really is paying for her parents lack of support, both emotionally and financially. I guess what I'm saying, is that if you can bear some of the burden for private school tuition, it might be worth it in the long run. And yes, I agree that not everyone needs to go to college! But, we have generally dumbed down everything in this country, when we should be raising the bar.
Stuff like this really makes you question everything this country is supposed to stand for.

[uforgot]

Just showing up and meeting them is going to show them that you are interested in your child's education. You would be surprised how many parents don't even appear at parent teacher conferences. Then ask THEM what you can do, not us. They probably have specific ideas, or will think about it. I know I love it when parents become involved!

Meet with the teachers and quit worrying for now. You may be surprised at how positive you feel after meeting with them. Most teachers are there because they love their job, and if they are taking the time to meet with you, chances are they also want what is best for your child. I had several frustrated parents this summer because our schedule was going to make their children choose between band and Alg. I. (small school) They worried all summer, and finally at the end of the summer, they talked to me about it. I had no idea it was a problem, so I told them I would just split my 7th hour and have half of the room be Geometry and half Algebra. Yeah, it's a footrace, and a lot of extra work, but it's working and the kids didn't have to choose. They spent the summer frustrated when they should have just approached ME first.

Take a deep breath, meet with the teachers, and then report back! I hope it turns out for you.

[stacie]

For those still interested, I met with my son's teachers and the 6th grade administrator yesterday. I'd studied up on the practices and felt that I knew what to look for and what to ask. It was obvious they wanted to give me a high level explanation and hope that I would be satisfied. I hope they encourage more thought provoking conversation in the classroom. To be fair, I actually studied up on current teaching techniques, pros and cons and buzz words. I"m guessing that's outside the norm.
My overall impression was that the teachers have been coached on responses but their hearts are not in this. I do believe they want to be successful and have their students do well. The emphasis does seem to be to cover alot of material. What I missed was the indepth study of the material. I would expect advanced classes to include projects to promote better and more thorough understanding of the subjects. There was primarily, read the chapter, answer the questions, quiz, test. Both teachers had previously taught standard, advanced and honors classes. They assured me that the material covered was advanced. When I asked about the more indepth projects they'd had in the past in those classes, it was confirmed that it would be difficult to require these in this class. They would suggest them however. One teacher obviously did not want me anywhere near the class. The other said she was desperate for help and when could I start. I cancelled anything I had for the rest of the day and spent it with her. I wanted to make clear that I wasn't just saying the right things. She gave me work to grade which told me alot about where my son and his class mates were. Again, the work was multiple choice or one word answers. I didn't see anything that required any critical thinking. Just memorization.
A call to the magnet office confirmed that we are not likely to get into the program this year. The liklihood diminishes each year as they have less openings. Therefore, getting into a good high school is not likely. My choices 1. Lie AGAIN, and say I live somewhere that I don't and drive to get him into a good school. The students do well and are from households similar to ours. There are definitely more kids working at the level he is. Classes are overcrowded and we will have to drive further to drop him off and pick him up. There may be social consequences because he is further away than the kids living in this neighborhood. It may be difficult to plan activities with kids whose parents aren't willing to drive.
2. Stay where we are and plan to supplement. He currently is not getting art, so we continue to attend art walk, museums, travel, etc. No pe currently, but that's easily fixed with baseball and just getting outside in the fresh air. I can make sure he is reading books that are intrigueing and interesting and at a level that is beneficial. The book he is currently assigned is very elementary. Extra projects are difficult because school starts at 915 and ends at 415. By the time we get home it's almost dinner time. However, we can set a schedule and do science projects, and supplement the other subjects. It will take some help from his teachers as they don't currently provide information on what they are studying in school. That may change. It's still early. School releases an hour early every other week. We previously used this time for additional art music or pe. We can do some fun experiments instead or look up something he's studying in history. Fun, extra detail work. I'll volunteer weekly in the teacher's class who encourages it and continue to bring home papers to grade. This will help me be aware of what is going on.
3. There is a program that offers home schooling two days a week and private school three days per week. I don't think I could maintain my part time job due to scheduling so the cost would be very expensive. My husband thinks I may strangle our son! I'm not organized, but want the best for my son so I think I'd find a way.
I'm curious, which would you choose? Private school is out. I bargained on magnet schools and lost. I was assured we would get in if I took certain steps which I did.
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