In today's New York Times, Op-Ed columnist Thomas L. Friedman gets that it's not always educators to blame when students suck. He refers to an earlier piece by the Washington Post's Robert J. Samuelson which discusses student (lack of) motivation.
Samuelson says:
The larger cause of failure is almost unmentionable: shrunken student motivation. Students, after all, have to do the work. If they aren't motivated, even capable teachers may fail.
Motivation comes from many sources: curiosity and ambition; parental expectations; the desire to get into a "good" college; inspiring or intimidating teachers; peer pressure. The unstated assumption of much school "reform" is that if students aren't motivated, it's mainly the fault of schools and teachers. The reality is that, as high schools have become more inclusive (in 1950, 40 percent of 17-year-olds had dropped out, compared with about 25 percent today) and adolescent culture has strengthened, the authority of teachers and schools has eroded. That applies more to high schools than to elementary schools, helping explain why early achievement gains evaporate.
Motivation is weak because more students (of all races and economic classes, let it be added) don't like school, don't work hard and don't do well. In a 2008 survey of public high school teachers, 21 percent judged student absenteeism a serious problem; 29 percent cited "student apathy." The goal of expanding "access" -- giving more students more years of schooling -- tends to lower educational standards. Michael Kirst, an emeritus education professor at Stanford, estimates that 60 percent of incoming community college students and 30 percent of freshmen at four-year colleges need remedial reading and math courses.
Friedman adds:
There is a lot to Samuelson’s point — and it is a microcosm of a larger problem we have not faced honestly as we have dug out of this recession: We had a values breakdown — a national epidemic of get-rich-quickism and something-for-nothingism. Wall Street may have been dealing the dope, but our lawmakers encouraged it. And far too many of us were happy to buy the dot-com and subprime crack for quick prosperity highs.
CM readers understand that we, as educators, can only do so much to try to get Little Suzie and Johnny to learn. It's nice to see, though, that other people understand that the flakes' problems begin long before they arrive on campus.
I read this article in Newsweek magazine while waiting for an oil change, and I was amazed that someone finally got it right.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, the TV in the room was showing CNN, and they had the head of the Dept. of Education (or someone like that) on for an interview. The silly lady tried to sell us on Obama's education reform policies, and gave nothing but TOTALLY VAGUE talking points, like "improve performance," and things like that. Pathetic educrats like her are an impediment to fixing the problem.
Lack of student motivation is a MUCH greater contributor to crappy education than are crappy teachers, and lack of motivation comes from the society that surrounds the students.
And that shit AIN'T MY FAULT.
The dumbfucks at Americorp are convinced that students don't fail only teachers. We will never get to the problem until we let go of that mindset.
ReplyDeleteWe have changed everything about primary and secondary education except two things: hours spent in the classroom and days spent on instruction. We lag behind both counts compared to OECD and many Asian countries.
About absenteeism being a problem, it is not always because of apathy. I have a lot of pathy, but sometimes stuff happens. Like an act of God. Why, just last Friday I was just about to commute to uni when my nail chipped. I went back home to fix it up but realized I’m out of that nail polish. I was going to repaint all my nails a different colour, but didn’t want to waste time so I drove to the store instead to buy the colour I had on. By the time I painted my nail and waited for it to dry my first class was over.
ReplyDeleteI told my prof why I was absent. I don’t think he took me seriously at all.
Everyone talks about apathy. No one does anything about it.
ReplyDelete@texpat76--I assume by "Americorp" you mean something akin to the military-industrial-financial-megaplex-that-does-no-hiring-but-only-gutters-our-communities-of-resources-employment-and-hope as opposed to Americorps, which, through grabbing [too few] American youth and squeezing from them the excess energy AND ennui with which they are afflicted, lends succor to those in need...'cause it's a damned fine organization. I'm just sayin'...
ReplyDelete