I read about fear and anger, understandably, in our comments here over what the president, his administration, and the Republican Party are doing to the government and, by extension, the country. Mostly, I am sad. Sad that a great number of Americans are so ignorant that they believe and support the nonsense the president and his team of…
I read about fear and anger, understandably, in our comments here over what the president, his administration, and the Republican Party are doing to the government and, by extension, the country. Mostly, I am sad. Sad that a great number of Americans are so ignorant that they believe and support the nonsense the president and his team of saboteurs put out. Sadder still that a number of them are in my own family. What these people are doing and thinking is pathetic. Too many failures to remember at too many levels over the past four years. That hopelessness weighs heavy on me.
I am saddened by the lack of critical thinking skills on the part of so many of our fellow Americans. To believe Trump's false claims that have no proof speaks to the lack of critical thinking by so many. It's a cult and cult followers don't think, they just follow. This is tragic.
I feel that is the major issue here. Lack of focus on education over the years has led to this. A whole population of people who cannot think. Frightening!
The whole movement to "hold teachers accountable", started I think in the 1980s, was a screen for interfering with teaching critical thinking by keeping teachers full-time teaching kids to pass tests. It seems to have worked. :(
The demonization of teachers as failing to have their students "achieve" did indeed start in the Reagan era, driven by all of those who couldn't acknowledge changing demographics and evolving understanding of what education should be preparing the next generations to address. [And yes, over the years there were any number of teachers or administrators who were stuck in their ways and loathe to change.] But the pernicious linking of "accountability" and performance on high-stakes testing began with trickles in the '90s and metastacized after the 2001 "No Child Left Behind" legislation. LCD definitions of literacy and numeracy drove instruction to the detriment of wider exploration and skill development because teachers could lose their jobs and schools could be closed or taken over due to their failures to reach statistical markers. The so-called Race to the Top in 2009 exacerbated these trends because compliance was required in order to access funding at a time when local school districts were under enormous fiscal pressures due to the cratering of local economies after the 2008 crash.
I feel the same way. But of all the moments in our lifetimes, I think this is one we cannot back away from. I am not suggesting violence, but standing up to all of our elected officials and getting loud to them about what we want and need. And never sitting back and quietly letting someone unsuitable into office. This is a pledge I make to myself and to my 4 year old granddaughters. Be strong, be loud, be persistent.
I read about fear and anger, understandably, in our comments here over what the president, his administration, and the Republican Party are doing to the government and, by extension, the country. Mostly, I am sad. Sad that a great number of Americans are so ignorant that they believe and support the nonsense the president and his team of saboteurs put out. Sadder still that a number of them are in my own family. What these people are doing and thinking is pathetic. Too many failures to remember at too many levels over the past four years. That hopelessness weighs heavy on me.
I am saddened by the lack of critical thinking skills on the part of so many of our fellow Americans. To believe Trump's false claims that have no proof speaks to the lack of critical thinking by so many. It's a cult and cult followers don't think, they just follow. This is tragic.
I feel that is the major issue here. Lack of focus on education over the years has led to this. A whole population of people who cannot think. Frightening!
The whole movement to "hold teachers accountable", started I think in the 1980s, was a screen for interfering with teaching critical thinking by keeping teachers full-time teaching kids to pass tests. It seems to have worked. :(
No Child Left With A Mind.
Very good way to put it!
The demonization of teachers as failing to have their students "achieve" did indeed start in the Reagan era, driven by all of those who couldn't acknowledge changing demographics and evolving understanding of what education should be preparing the next generations to address. [And yes, over the years there were any number of teachers or administrators who were stuck in their ways and loathe to change.] But the pernicious linking of "accountability" and performance on high-stakes testing began with trickles in the '90s and metastacized after the 2001 "No Child Left Behind" legislation. LCD definitions of literacy and numeracy drove instruction to the detriment of wider exploration and skill development because teachers could lose their jobs and schools could be closed or taken over due to their failures to reach statistical markers. The so-called Race to the Top in 2009 exacerbated these trends because compliance was required in order to access funding at a time when local school districts were under enormous fiscal pressures due to the cratering of local economies after the 2008 crash.
I feel the same way. But of all the moments in our lifetimes, I think this is one we cannot back away from. I am not suggesting violence, but standing up to all of our elected officials and getting loud to them about what we want and need. And never sitting back and quietly letting someone unsuitable into office. This is a pledge I make to myself and to my 4 year old granddaughters. Be strong, be loud, be persistent.
You are Not Alone!!😥