Expect Excellence

Are educational standards for elementary age students (or any age student) set high enough? In the few education courses I took, I saw numerous charts and lists enumerating what can reasonably be expected of children at differing ages. Certainly these have their place as useful guides in the overall picture.

But really, what can you expect of your young student? I have a classroom of 13 students - 5 first graders and 8 second graders. I am continually stunned by the work they produce. At the same time, if I push them too far, it becomes apparent that their concrete minds are no longer capable of following my lead. It can be a delicate balance, but you don't know the extent of their ability until you reach the edge of it. Don't preset their limits; challenge them, set your standards high, make them work. Just because they are 6, 7, 8 years old doesn't mean they cannot begin to comprehend excellence.

Let me share some of the things I have seen my students accomplish over the course of this school year: every one of my students writes legibly in cursive; each of my second graders is required to write out chronologies - including titles and Scripture references or dates, if applicable - for every event studied in their Bible and history courses to date on a weekly basis; first and second graders alike can identify subject nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, objects of the preposition, possessive nouns and pronouns, prepositional phrases, complete subjects and predicates, and the list goes on; each student can explain the importance of subject/verb agreement and identify singular and plural nouns and verbs; second graders answer test questions in complete sentences, giving heed to capitalization and punctuation. This is not an exhaustive list, but I dare say it is rather impressive when compared to the modified standards set forth by the latest public education experts.

My advice to parents is to push your students, no matter how young, and don't hesitate to make them work. Of course, you must be discerning to tell the difference between genuine inability and simple laziness. The discipline and good study habits you instill now will serve them well for a lifetime. The expectation of excellence in all areas, even those which require constant, instensive effort and practice, will become commonplace to the child who knows nothing of the mediocre.

A Sample of Modern Education

I recently began an online undergraduate geography course as a visiting student at a respected private university. Because the entire class is via the internet, all communication is conducted with the written word. Our first formal assignment required us to research various aspects of the Middle East - its history, politics, social climate, and dominant religion (Islam) - and to present an essay complete with references.

To my dismay, most of the work submitted was riddled with spelling and grammatical errors, sentence fragments and run-ons, factual errors, and often all of these and more. In addition, a significant number of the essays lacked any references for the information presented. Here are some excerpts from my classmates' work. I have not altered any of these.

"They will have people all over the world and us as Americans will not know exactly what Muslims believes what and does the right things."

"Even though there is abuse in America. They have to follow the laws of man. It is really crazy."

"...there are so many Islam people that live all over the world."

"The women in Israel are very missed treated. When Saddam Hussein ran the country they barely even had the right to live."

"They had muslim scholars who made many contributions to the fields of History, mathmatics, Geography and Medicene. So it is how they also spread there faith."

"Africa also a major country..."

"North Africa found only limited trading opportunities with the native inhabitants, and instead turned into colonization."

"A genuine understanding of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, its Islamic heritage and its leading role in the Arab and Muslim worlds."

"Syria While much more progressive than Saudi Arabia, women are allowed to be educated and hold jobs outside the home, still presents many challenges for women."

I admit I had some good chuckles over these, but they were quickly followed by groans and grimaces. Is this what our schools are producing today? The ages and education levels of these students varied from teenage college freshmen to seniors in their 20s to middle-aged adults returning to school at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Perhaps I could overlook the occasional minor spelling error, but with the availability of spell check that shouldn't be necessary. Writing with correct spelling, proper grammar, and complete sentences should be second nature by now. In addition, the glaring factual errors in some of these "sentences" (I'm using the term loosely) are completely unacceptable.

Many of these students have fallen victim to educational experimentation in a broken system which equates "new" with "better" and automatically discards the tried and true educational methods of time past as obsolete. Parents, remember that you play a crucial role in your child's education, and you can and should step in and see to it that they are educated properly.

Beyond Statistics

In his book Freakonomics, Stephen D. Levitt says that, statistically, the greatest indicator of the education level that a child will achieve is the mother's education level. So typically, the higher the mother's education, the higher the child's education. I don't know about you, but that sounds like a lot of responsibility that I may not be ready for! I mean, who wants to think that they may indirectly and inadvertently limit their child?

This is, of course, only a general statement. In spite of statistics, no mother should have to worry about stumping her child's academic growth. I am convinced that a parent's attitude toward education is more influential than the highest diploma they earn, and that attitude can overshadow whatever positive or negative messages they are receiving at school. Parents who are highly educated are likely to already have a positive attitude toward education. Parents without much education are still able to motivate their children to achieve more than they did by instilling a love of learning in their young ones. The key is to inspire them to want to learn new things, whether you already know those things or not.

The first step in motivating your children to learn is motivating yourself to learn. Whether you have a graduate degree or a high school diploma, take an interest in the world around you beyond pop culture. Learn the history behind your town and your state. Turn off the television and pick up a book; there are great educational books geared toward explaining various concepts to laymen. Your kids will see this and imitate you. Spark their interest by telling them all the new things you are learning, and encourage them to tell you what they are learning. Whether you like it or not, as a parent - and especially as a mother - you have a powerful sway over your children's education. Your concern for your children can be a great motivator for you to better your own education, and that will in turn motivate your children, and the cycle of learning will continue.

A Necessary Skill, A Dying Art

I think it's safe to say that the value of good penmanship is often overlooked in our day of computers and "the faster the better" attitude. According to a November Newsweek article, there is a reviving interest in handwriting skills, but as far as I can tell this is mainly for utilitarian purpose. With practice, the function of writing by hand becomes second nature. Students benefit in other areas such as math, when they do not struggle with turning letters and numbers around. Notes during class lectures are important to absorbing and retaining information.

I would go farther to say that the skill of handwriting is not limited to practical uses. For those who hold to the ideals of absolute Truth, Goodness, and Beauty, there is an aesthetic aspect to proper penmanship which is all but lost in modern education. To this day I feel a twinge of embarrassment when I have to choose between sending a thank-you note written with informal print or elementary cursive. We have all seen beautiful handwriting, but it can be easy to forget that this was learned by the author rather than a natural-born ability.

Although most schools are not giving handwriting the attention it's due, this article gives parents some pointers in working with their children. Be sure to check out the Handwriting Without Tears website mentioned in both of the above articles, as well. Their parent section contains practical suggestions for parents which can be implemented whether or not you purchase their curriculum.

Of all the skills you are sure to have your children learn, do not neglect this basic but important one. From the simplest thank-you note to the most heartfelt letter or journal entry, communication and self-expression should not be stifled by a lack of this foundational skill.

History Alive

She was only 10 that Sunday morning. The sight of low-flying planes lured her older brother to the roof of the house in curiosity and excitement, but he nervously climbed down again when he saw the pilots motioning to him in warning. In their confusion, she and some of the locals went to a nearby church, but it was early and the doors were still locked. She remembers the sounds, the smoke in the distance, the enemy plane that crashed in the sugar cane field where her family earned its livelihood. For her, the uncertain future held gas masks, air raid drills and an influx of military personnel into her quiet neighborhood. Her life changed forever that day.

Until my grandmother told me this story, December 7, 1941 was just the answer to a test question in my American History class. All of a sudden, her words connected me in a very real way to the "day of infamy" which I had only read about in textbooks. I had always found history reasonably enjoyable, but reliving the attack on Pearl Harbor through my grandmother's eyes was a lesson unlike any I had ever received in a classroom.

Not many people have such dramatic eye-witness tales, to be sure, but you have still seen history-in-the-making on the news or in the paper. Recounting your own memories for your children can spark their interest in this important area of study and give them a historical perspective they would not otherwise have. You don't need to be a history buff, either. My grandmother did not go to college, but she has experienced a lot in her lifetime. My parents have related to me their memories of the first man on the moon, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and the death of Elvis. My husband, who is 5 years my senior, recalls the destruction of the Berlin Wall, an event which I was too young to remember. Someday I will be able to tell my children about the advent of the internet, the death of Princess Diana, the events of 9/11 and how life changed in the subsequent weeks and years.

Keep telling those favorite family stories, but take time to share what you remember about important historical events. In this way, the home can be a catalyst between young children and the world around them. As their interest in and respect for history grows, they will find themselves connected to the broader realm of human history, one generation at a time.

Update

As my husband and I are in transition from Maine to Arizona, I have not had the time or opportunity to post. I am currently at a public library with time ticking away against me, but hopefully our internet will be up and running in the next few days and I can pick up where I left off on this fledgling blog. For all I know, I am the only one who ever reads my own blog, but in case anyone is interested in what I have to say, this short explanation of my absence will hopefully encourage you to return soon!

Towards an Integrated Curriculum

Understanding one subject in the context of a greater body of knowledge is essential to a good education. Growing up I went through the local public school system, and I cannot deny that I had some excellent teachers along the way. Still, one of the greates shortcomings that I have since observed was the automatic pigeonholing of the different subjects by every teacher, whether consciously or not. I drifted from one subject to the next without being aware of any common thread. I would step into science class without giving thought to the history class I just left, and it never occurred to me that there could be any link between geography and English besides the fact that I studied them in the same building. School consisted of many unrelated parts, not a continuous whole.

After years of this pigeonholed style of learning I eventually grasped the fact that subjects are related, and that it is important to recognize those relations. I can't take credit for this insight on my own, though. I distinctly remember a discussion with my grandfather after I had been taking music lessons for a few years. He explained to me how math is essential to music by detailing why "whole notes," "half notes," "quarter notes," and "eighth notes" are called what they're called. I could read music by this time and translate note values into rhythm on the piano, but I did not realize that a "half" note is called such because it is half the value of a whole note. Nor did I realize that "quarter" and "eighth" notes are always one-quarter and one-eighth the value of a whole note, respectively. Furthermore, many musical expressions are written in Italian, so reading music also includes a measure of language skills.

Although the relationship of math to musical rhythm or the Italian language to musical expression may have been more obvious to some music students, I needed guidance to see that music is not an isolated subject, separated in every way from all other areas of learning. Your children may need that guidance as well. You can help them to understand that the subjects they study in school are not meant to be solitary, unrelated pools of learning, but rather one great reservoir of interrelated knowledge from which they can benefit greatly.

Encourage your child to recognize that subjects relate to each other. Freely share your own observations and applications as my grandfather did for me. Ask questions geared at getting your kids to think along these lines on their own. And, once again, studying a subject in its historical context is an excellent way to see how it relates to other subjects. Many modern educators insist, for example, that certain debates such as evolution vs. intelligent design belong in the philosophy classroom rather than the science room. Yet, historically, science was considered as part of the realm of philosophy, not a separate, unrelated subject, making such a debate completely appropriate for a science class.

In addition to relating one subject to another, relate all subjects to every day life. Don't neglect the daily opportunities to help your child see that there are a myriad of lessons from any subject which can benefit them in non-academic settings. Something as simple as cooking a double batch of cookies can be a practical exercise of math skills. Cleaning chores can become a mini-chemistry lesson by watching the reaction of baking soda and vinegar as a basic cleaning agent, as well as learning why ammonia and bleach products should never be mixed. Economics may become an enlightening study on human nature. The discipline instilled by daily music practice can prove beneficial in helping your children achieve their goals. The possibilities are endless!

There are so many benefits to be gained from understanding how subjects relate to each other and by applying classroom lessons to every day life. Even if some teachers neglect the importance of an integrated curriculum, students can learn to integrate for themselves. Then these benefits can be theirs.