Jan. 23, 2008 -- Ron Fletcher teacher chat
Ron_Fletcher: Welcome to the new year and a new chat. Looks like many questions await me. Let's jump in!
froshmom__Guest_: Hi - please help me try to figure out why my freshman won't do all of his homework? He'll do the big ticket items but lets the small stuff go and it's really starting to have an impact on his grades. Half of me wants to let him take the fall and the other half wants to contact the school to request progress reports and monitor the whole situation. Why can't I get him to understand that this behavior needs to change and he needs to do his job completely? Thank you!
Ron_Fletcher: I'd side with the side of you open to letting your son take the fall. If he seems beyond you're reasonable appeal to value the day-to-day as much as the momentous, a grim report card could open his eyes to the connection. Pass on the micromanaging, which tends to backfire. I know that sports analogies are cliched, but they tend to work with freshmen. Remind your son about the link between practice and performance. If that fails, one bad quarter of marks with repercussions--limiting a favorite activity, e.g.--should do the trick.
Alquimista__Guest_: Hi Ron, I see you taught with CTY. My 2nd grade daughter is taking the SCAT this weekend. We are in Newton where the curriculum is quite good but have found lack of differentiation to be quite challenging. It's still one size fits all in even the best of school systems. We've tried supplementing at Russian School of Math, and even though there standards are higher, it is still geared toward the middle. Any thoughts, ideas, comments or suggestion on how to keep a profoundly gifted child engaged from day to day? Thanks so much!
Ron_Fletcher: Too often it seems that the truly gifted child is placed on a solitatry course of independent study or finds herself spending excessive time in the company of (older)teachers/adults. My recollection of the richness of Hopkins' CTY program circles around the social piece of learning: peers of comparable ability, ambition, and curiosity sharing ideas as well as having time to be teens. I can't recommend a local program off the top of my head, but I can recommend the value of pursuing academics in the company of peers. Hope that helps.
NBCT_2000__Guest_: Do you seriously do Julius Caesar with 9th graders? How engaged are they in this play?
Ron_Fletcher: Yes, we read Caesar with our freshmen--emphasis on the collective. And, yes, the blank verse and inkhorn diction nonplusses most of them at the start, but in time they get a feel for the poetry--and the value of footnotes. More, the play's emphasis on rhetoric and political intrigue provides a well-lit window through which to view today's presidential candidates. They tend to get the connection and--in time--make some themselves. (If I had my druthers, though, we'd see it on stage before reading it.)
Consternated__Guest_: Ron, I keep hearing about studies that report that kids are reading less and less these days, but I'm sure this doesn't include all of the time they spend online. If this were taken into account, I'm sure kids are reading and writing more than ever. While online text generally doesn't qualify as literature, I imagine that it's more thought provoking than sitting in front of a television. Have you noticed any change in language skills in your students over the years, either positive or negative, that you can attribute to the time they spend on the internet? Should I be dragging me kid off the net?!
Ron_Fletcher: Great question--worthy of a book. I agree, there's no lack of reading among today's teens; and if writing and texting were synonymous, we'd be looking at a golden age for the written word. Regrettably--and I'm feeling this regret acutely as I hastily type this response--the net seems to value speed above all else. Thus, students tend to read too fast and write too fast. Worthwhile reading and writing, of course, requires patience, which is difficult to teach to the kid conditioned to double-clicking his way to gratification. So, yes, limit the time your child spends on line. Try to make the case for books read in silence, rather than alongside five open windows on the computer screen. Model the sort of patience that makes careful thought possible; your kid will get the point. Good luck!
jo__Guest_: My younger daughter has been assigned a research paper but there are few guidelines given and no due dates for specific tasks. I've tried to get the teacher to give written guidelines but to no avail. My daughter isn't learning how to go about actually doing a research report and she's in a panicked writing mode now. Instead of having a stack of notecards and an outline she has a bibliography of a few websites and an unfocused subject that keeps changing weekly. I don't know how to get either the teacher or my daughter to do this right. Middle school seems like a good time to work on these skills. Any suggestions?
Ron_Fletcher: Seems like an ambitious project for middle school. I agree that such an involved process requires a methodical, piece-meal, deadline-driven approach. Sounds like you have a sound grasp of the steps involved in writing a research paper. Pick up the slack for the teacher on this one, but make sure he or she hears your concerns/misgivings. Such instruction--or lack of instruction--is irresponsible, counter-productive, and a dreadful introduction to skill one will need for years to come.
southiescorer__Guest_: CM or BC High for Super 8?
Ron_Fletcher: BCH: three-peat!
prancy1__Guest_: Hi Ron. I was wondering if you saw the Frontline documentary on high school kids and
Ron_Fletcher: Yes, I saw last night's documentary on "Growing Up On-line," which struck me as more alarmist than illuminating. It seemed like the writer/director was too quick to ascribe a kind of monolithic power to the internet, presenting it as a juggernaut threatening harm to countless teens. I agree with my colleague, Ms. Weiss, who suggested in her review yesterday that teen problems are teen problems. Sure, the internet colors them anew, but parents who are tuned in and in meaningful conversation with their kids know well that the actual trumps the virtual. More chats, fewer chat rooms!
43__Guest_: What is with mid-year exams -- i mean, why do we need them, and do they matter in the long run?
Ron_Fletcher: A timely question. Sure, if these exams fail to rise above a mere act of psittacism, they're useless. If, however, they aim at synthesizing the skills learned and knowledge proffered throughout the opening months of school, they're valuable. More, most colleges continue to give semester exams, which often determine a student's grade. Thus, high school's bear some responsibility in preparing their charges for that task.
mamamia__Guest_: hello there. thank you for chatting! i am very sad because i love the montessori model and think it fits my family and our goals perfectly. yet to attempt to put 2 kids thru private school at least thru grade 8 would financially ruin us. the good news is we got into our local 'core knowledge' charter school. very different educational model! i feel like it is dictatorial and doesn't foster individuality. while neglecting the context of a lot of the facts they teach. how can i feel better about this?!
Ron_Fletcher: I can imagine the frustration of experiencing an effective educational model then stepping into one that seems its opposite. And I realize that even the best intentioned parents have limited time and resources to compensate for a school's shortcomings. That said, I also know that there are private schools and public schools that offer more than what your getting. Look into those possibilities. And if the private schools seems too expensive, look again. Many offer scholarships and/or work-study options for students who demonstrate true ability and potential--as well as need. If a change of schools seems unlikely, perhaps after-school or weekend programsn can compensate a bit. Good luck.
Consternated__Guest_: Ron, With regards to the internet, I've often thought that there's an opportunity for kids to post their work, such as essays and papers, on the internet for others to read. Sort of like what wikipedia does. I would imagine this might attract kids that are uninterested in grades. Has any schools explored creative outlets like this?
Ron_Fletcher: Interesting possibility. (Imagine what a student run Wikipedia would look like?) The sort of thing you describe is being done on the creative side, with many traditional student journals turning to a web-only existence. And I have to say I don't know if students are seeking out examples of scholarship from their peers. I wonder if a student's myspace profile includes essays or poems he or she has written for a class. I'll have to ask my students. Thanks for the prompt.
Bear__Guest_: My daughter loves to read books she chooses but often balks at those she is assigned.
Ron_Fletcher: Great to hear of your daughter's avidity for reading. Compliment it! Also, let her know that few in this world have the luxury of doing only that which has an immediate appeal. Use her own reading life to prove the point. Doubtless she is reading works now that she would have ignored years ago. Value her independence while encouraging her to trust the judgment of her teachers. Given her intellectual leanings, introduce her to the gratifying game of battling wits--one that requires that both sides know well the material under debate.
Ron_Fletcher: Some great questions remain; apologies for not getting to them today. I'll attempt to take them on next month or in an upcoming column. As usual, thanks for the tonic exchange!