Submitted by ron smith (not verified) on July 14, 2006 - 22:25.
roberta-
i understand your concerns. i have thought much about them, but here's why i opted to do what i did. the students i had were, by and large, fresh from mexico. they were put in my 6th grade class because they were 11 years old, not because they had completed the first 5 grades. in fact, compulsory education in mexico only extends to the 3rd grade. these students were, and their counterparts today are, highly susceptible to the lure of drugs, crime, and gangs. their lack of language skills, in spanish and english, makes any kind of success at school nearly impossible.
having been a teacher for a long time, you know how attached we get to our students, and how much we want them to succeed. my theory is twofold: first, as i mentioned, even though they are technically cheating, they are so bad at it that they end up having to learn the material in spite of themselves; second, these kids NEED a success. they need to be good at something, otherwise, they aren't going to make it past the 8th grade. we must give them a reason to stay in school.
i don't know what grade levels you have taught, but i can tell you that middle and high schoolers, in the main, think they are much smarter than their teachers. in fact, i tell them that they are, that they will be better than me. that's what i want anyway.
leonardo da vinci said, "he is a poor pupil who does not surpass his master". i really want them to do that. if i have to bend the rules to do it, i will. we can't afford to let these kids get away.
roberta- i understand your
Submitted by ron smith (not verified) on July 14, 2006 - 22:25.
roberta-
i understand your concerns. i have thought much about them, but here's why i opted to do what i did. the students i had were, by and large, fresh from mexico. they were put in my 6th grade class because they were 11 years old, not because they had completed the first 5 grades. in fact, compulsory education in mexico only extends to the 3rd grade. these students were, and their counterparts today are, highly susceptible to the lure of drugs, crime, and gangs. their lack of language skills, in spanish and english, makes any kind of success at school nearly impossible.
having been a teacher for a long time, you know how attached we get to our students, and how much we want them to succeed. my theory is twofold: first, as i mentioned, even though they are technically cheating, they are so bad at it that they end up having to learn the material in spite of themselves; second, these kids NEED a success. they need to be good at something, otherwise, they aren't going to make it past the 8th grade. we must give them a reason to stay in school.
i don't know what grade levels you have taught, but i can tell you that middle and high schoolers, in the main, think they are much smarter than their teachers. in fact, i tell them that they are, that they will be better than me. that's what i want anyway.
leonardo da vinci said, "he is a poor pupil who does not surpass his master". i really want them to do that. if i have to bend the rules to do it, i will. we can't afford to let these kids get away.