The Dumbing Down Of American Schools

Today in class I got my score on a Response To Literature. I gave it all my best and gave my RTL on time. However when I got it, and Why do I have a bad score? Out of a 4 the dumb teacher gave me a 2. In every single other subject, like science for instance, I have a 100.7% average. On my report card that's going to be a 99% because as the teacher says, "no body is perfect" I totally agree with him. But it's my English teacher, that's well, "ate the worm last night" if you know what I mean. (Drinking)

The teacher, who is female,specifically told everyone the Response To Literature should be done on computer paper, double spaced, and at least 3 pages. I did just that, and I spent about an average of 2 hours a day for about 3 days. I am total disbelief, out-raged to say the least. The kid who sits next to me, had his Response To Literature on some kind of boot-legged "college ruled paper" and he didn't even try. I've seen him do that paper in 5 minutes in my homeroom. How does that happen. Do you know what the worst part is? HE HAS THE SAME SCORE AS ME. IM LIKE WTH???

I think it was because I was being to smart for her a couple of days before. We are doing a topic on Global warming and she printed us out a whole bundle of paper. I finished everything what I was supposed to and then she started to complain how everyone is doing their work and before she said anything else, I said, "And fooling around. I am the only person who is not fooling around". Then she gets pissed and gives me work which is a questionnaire based on the reading. There was one question on there. In the real world, what do you think is causing Global Warming. I answered "Well, maybe if you didn't waste so much paper on printing us this work, you would save trees But now since you have decided you are going to waste trees, the trees that clean out the C02 are gone, thus you are polluting the world and contributing to global warming". The next day she pulls me out of class and tells me how arrogant and obnoxious I am. I stood there in disbelief.

The other thing is these two kids in my class. Lets name them Alex and Elizabeth. This is how it goes. Alex did the introduction just like the person who does scripts on movies. It was beyond good. Then you have Elizabeth, whose a girl, who copied from Alex. Then today guess who fails? Alex fails because the teacher thinks that he "copied" from her. So she took away like 30 points. He failed.

I am not sure if something like this is happening to you but that's not fair. She grades in a different way. She grades by the students sex and who she hates. Also there is this teacher pet, who of course gets 90% all the time.

She does not grade by our academic performance

This is something I have been talking about for some time now, to anyone who will listen.

School is no longer about educating in America. It is about creating a work force. It doesnt matter whether or not you are learning the material, it is all about learning to follow orders.

I work in a middle school, and I can tell you, first hand, that free thinkers are separated and labeled, that the questioning of authority is by far the worst thing a student can do.

Kids who ask too many questions are now grouped with autistic children. Kids who think outside of the box are removed from mainstream classess all together.

Quite scary.

Originally posted by captaintyinknots
This is something I have been talking about for some time now, to anyone who will listen.

School is no longer about educating in America. It is about creating a work force. It doesnt matter whether or not you are learning the material, it is all about learning to follow orders.

I work in a middle school, and I can tell you, first hand, that free thinkers are separated and labeled, that the questioning of authority is by far the worst thing a student can do.

Kids who ask too many questions are now grouped with autistic children. Kids who think outside of the box are removed from mainstream classess all together.

Quite scary.

Thank you, at least someone knows my pain

I do not want to work in a cubicle for the rest of my life, and get no ass
I want to live, explore, find something interesting.
I want to get a job I want. I want to become a comedian or to work in NASA and learn their secrets.

HAHA SOCIETY, did you fail again?

Well I can tell by your first post that your grammar could use some work. That will drop your grade.

Anyway, i am on your side, however. I am in college now, so believe me when I say it'll get better. My friend is studying to become an elementary teacher, so she knows a little more about public education than I do. She tells me all the time how big of a joke the education system is.

I experienced the same thing as you in high school. It was lame and I learned nothing academically that will benefit my majors in high school. Middle school, yes, but nothing in high school.

Thats why i'm becoming a professor, not a teacher.

reply to post by noobsauce13


Any chance of taking this issue up with another Educator in the same field?

Be polite, be respectful - but let the Administartion of your school know you take your grades and performance reports seriously, and get that second opinion.

Sometimes all it takes is taking to someone who isn't as "close to the problem" you are experiencing with your Teacher.

Best of luck.

Originally posted by GENERAL EYES
reply to post by noobsauce13

 

Any chance of taking this issue up with another Educator in the same field?

Be polite, be respectful - but let the Administartion of your school know you take your grades and performance reports seriously, and get that second opinion.

Sometimes all it takes is taking to someone who isn't as "close to the problem" you are experiencing with your Teacher.

Best of luck.

Thanks, I would consider that

Take it to a higher level. Speak with someone higher than she, and see if she can be made to justify her grade based on the assignment rubric (i.e. requirements and score breakdown)...

If she cannot justify it, you may see a changed score here.

On the flip side, some people are just better at certain things. I can whip up a research paper in no time (and get a nice grade on it), mostly because I enjoy research. My wife? Not so much. She's just as intelligent, if not more than I, but it just isn't her cup of tea.... Of course, on a math assignment, she'll run rings around me... (mine will still be right, just will take me longer, and I'm more prone to silly little mistakes on this)...

Unfortunately, something like "response to literature" may be a highly subjective grade vs. specific grading criteria, so this may be hard to prove, but what have you got to lose by trying?

She tells me all the time how big of a joke the education system is.

I hear this a lot, but having been in both public and private schools, I can say this....the private schools may typically have a more advanced curriculum, but it really comes down to how much the STUDENT puts into it. People who want to learn, WILL learn.... At some point, all have to realize the student's personal role in their education.

[edit on 11-1-2010 by Gazrok]