ArtsEdNet Mail for October 1999: Dumbing down is driving me NUTS!

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Dumbing down is driving me NUTS!

[ Thread ][ Subject ][ Author ][ Date ]Lisa Skeen (lpskeen@living-tree.net)
Mon, 25 Oct 1999 20:54:10 -0400

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Y'all, I confess I'm just about ready to quit this job. I have never =
been so frustrated over anything in my life as I am about having to dumb =
down (it seems like) everything I do because the kids in my school =
aren't up to grade level. Is this my fault (or that of any other =
teacher in my school)? No; we are a brand new school, and dealing with =
the product of the local public school system. Is any kid going to do =
better unless you push him to do better? No.
=20
I'm not allowed to give a student a zero (even if he's earned it), I =
have to give him a grade of sixty nine (the high end of the F grade =
range) instead, because a zero is not an F and is too hard to recover =
from. (Go figure on that one.)

I'm not allowed to give a 2 page paper assignment to 3rd grade because =
"that's too much for them." This, in a school where there's supposed to =
be 30 minutes of homework per day per subject. Last time I looked, Art =
was a subject.

Now I'm not going to be allowed to give real grades to any of the =
classes. We had agreed that K-2 would get E,S,or N grades, and 3 - 5 =
and eventually - 8 would get letter grades. Now, 3 days before report =
card day, my principal is taking a poll of the other 2 specialists, and =
asking other school principals what THEY're doing, and I'm going to end =
up having to give ESN grades to all levels. What this says to me is, =
"Art is not important enough to warrant a grade".

Supposedly there is a law that says I have to do all this dumbing down. =
Joe Kid can have a conference with his parent and the special ed teacher =
and they decide that every grade has to be curved for Joe, to whatever =
degree such that, for example, if he makes an 80 I have to call it an A. =
This is not fair to the other kids, much less to Joe, who could do the =
work if somebody would insist that he do it instead of playing around =
all the time.

I am just about ready to explode. Or maybe implode. I'm sure it'll be =
whichever does the least damage to anyone else, or the least good =
either. :(

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Y'all, I confess I'm just about ready to quit this = job. =20 I have never been so frustrated over anything in my life as I am about = having to=20 dumb down (it seems like) everything I do because the kids in my school = aren't=20 up to grade level. Is this my fault (or that of any other teacher = in my=20 school)? No; we are a brand new school, and dealing with the = product of=20 the local public school system. Is any kid going to do better = unless you=20 push him to do better? No.

I'm not allowed to give a student a zero (even if = he's earned=20 it), I have to give him a grade of sixty nine (the high end of the F = grade=20 range) instead, because a zero is not an F and is too hard to recover=20 from. (Go figure on that one.)

I'm not allowed to give a 2 page paper assignment to = 3rd grade=20 because "that's too much for them." This, in a school = where=20 there's supposed to be 30 minutes of homework per day per subject. = Last=20 time I looked, Art was a subject.

Now I'm not going to be allowed to give real grades = to any of=20 the classes. We had agreed that K-2 would get E,S,or N grades, and = 3 - 5=20 and eventually - 8 would get letter grades. Now, 3 days before = report card=20 day, my principal is taking a poll of the other 2 specialists, and = asking other=20 school principals what THEY're doing, and I'm going to end up having to = give ESN=20 grades to all levels. What this says to me is, "Art is not = important=20 enough to warrant a grade".

Supposedly there is a law that says I have to do all = this=20 dumbing down. Joe Kid can have a conference with his parent and = the=20 special ed teacher and they decide that every grade has to be curved for = Joe, to=20 whatever degree such that, for example, if he makes an 80 I have to call = it an=20 A. This is not fair to the other kids, much less to Joe, = who could do=20 the work if somebody would insist that he do it instead of playing = around=20 all the time.

I am just about ready to explode. Or maybe=20 implode. I'm sure it'll be whichever does the least damage to = anyone else,=20 or the least good either. :(