Off topic: Developmental education
Posted just a few minutes ago, on my favorite work-related blog: Developmental Education
This is the most eloquent thing I've read in days. I'm a community college math teacher (hence the pi user icon) and if this doesn't explain EXACTLY what we try to do there, I don't know what does.
Yes, we have low graduation rates. But you know, some days it seems like none of my students should succeed. They're disabled veterans, they live in halfway houses, dropped out of high school years ago, are raising children alone, they have no family support for their education, they are terrified of math and have had terrible experiences with it in the past. When we manage to help half of them get through? Sometimes that's a victory. Of course we want to do better than half, of course we should keep trying, but the fact is, some people really are succeeding despite all odds.
This is the most eloquent thing I've read in days. I'm a community college math teacher (hence the pi user icon) and if this doesn't explain EXACTLY what we try to do there, I don't know what does.
Yes, we have low graduation rates. But you know, some days it seems like none of my students should succeed. They're disabled veterans, they live in halfway houses, dropped out of high school years ago, are raising children alone, they have no family support for their education, they are terrified of math and have had terrible experiences with it in the past. When we manage to help half of them get through? Sometimes that's a victory. Of course we want to do better than half, of course we should keep trying, but the fact is, some people really are succeeding despite all odds.