Education
Dear All,
So I was reading about a lot of the changes that they are going to do to schools in New York. (Go New York Times!!!) And I was thinking about how more and more I hear about schools and students being tied to written SAT like tests. I personally think this is a huge mistake. I mean the more schools are tied to tests the more they will teach to the tests. I mean if my school would get a few more thousand dollars if they could get a better grade on a test, well dude of course I am going to help them study for the test. This will not be done for purely alturistic reasons either. That money will probably also flow to helping out the teachers as well. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I mean teachers are not really paid competitive rates for what they do. Considering how important teachers are you would think that really they would be paid better. They create the next generation of leaders! and we pay them nothing for their efforts! What was it I heard once... when a society pays it's garbage men more then it's teachers that says something about their priorities.
But back to those tests. I see it all the time in Japan. Here EVERYTHING IS BASED ON THE TESTS! So if a student in Jr high does badly on a test well thats it. They are done. If you fail or mess up one test when you are 13, you are just screwed. You can't get into a good high school (if you get into one at all), and just forget about college. Think about that next time these people talk about pining more importance to a test. Oh and the test scores are made public since they are part of school life and someone will talk about them eventually. So at the age of 13 a kid already thinks that they are a failure. Dude now if that isn't cruel and unusual punishment for messing up a test, then just what is?
School for me was always about trying to learn new things, or see my friends or something. It was never really about building a porfolio to get into college (but man a ton of the people I hung out with were using it for that, starting clubs they didn't care about and such). But if cool oppertunities came up I took them (trips to DC and JPL come to mind). And it was not about preforming on some test for the state. If I remember correctly most of the people in my classes (all the honors kids, the high score people) took them as a joke. Some people even made designs on their scantron sheets to pass the time. The more you add pressures to school, the more you make school time about things other then the process of growing up and learning, you are killing it. You are taking away one of the few times in life where people really are encouraged to ask questions and learn and try. School already has enough pressures (parents, peers, fitting in, making the grade....) do we really want to add more?
Enough of my rant. Things here are good. I am back in Kojo. AH my beloved Kojo. Some of the favorite characters are gone, and some changed positions but all and all good to be back. Tomoko is off teaching in the States now. She was the first teacher I really meet here. She is really cool and fun. Really helped me get used to Japan. My favorite VP is also out of here. He got promoted to City Hall and the BOE. And lastly one of the cool PE teachers got transfered. Fair enough though he had been here 7!!! years. Most teachers are transfered after 3. In changes, Utsui was promoted from a regular teacher to front desk position. He is now head of teachers or something cool and important. He really misses his classes though. And is not too thrilled I think to be moved from the gakunen group. Other then that it looks like my main teacher will be Hatachi this year. She is cool and learned a lot in her first year. But this is her second year and she is already the head of the english department. So man I am a little worried. I am trying to help as I can but man it will be a lot harder on her this year. My 2 new ones, well don't know them at all yet. One is from Korakukan (Chris' old one) and one is new to teaching. So we will see. The kids are still great so I really don't see too many problems.
I am good. Going to the gym and hanging with friends now that they are back. I am sure once all the welcome party business is done life will get back to normal. Man that would be nice. Talk to you all later.
So I was reading about a lot of the changes that they are going to do to schools in New York. (Go New York Times!!!) And I was thinking about how more and more I hear about schools and students being tied to written SAT like tests. I personally think this is a huge mistake. I mean the more schools are tied to tests the more they will teach to the tests. I mean if my school would get a few more thousand dollars if they could get a better grade on a test, well dude of course I am going to help them study for the test. This will not be done for purely alturistic reasons either. That money will probably also flow to helping out the teachers as well. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I mean teachers are not really paid competitive rates for what they do. Considering how important teachers are you would think that really they would be paid better. They create the next generation of leaders! and we pay them nothing for their efforts! What was it I heard once... when a society pays it's garbage men more then it's teachers that says something about their priorities.
But back to those tests. I see it all the time in Japan. Here EVERYTHING IS BASED ON THE TESTS! So if a student in Jr high does badly on a test well thats it. They are done. If you fail or mess up one test when you are 13, you are just screwed. You can't get into a good high school (if you get into one at all), and just forget about college. Think about that next time these people talk about pining more importance to a test. Oh and the test scores are made public since they are part of school life and someone will talk about them eventually. So at the age of 13 a kid already thinks that they are a failure. Dude now if that isn't cruel and unusual punishment for messing up a test, then just what is?
School for me was always about trying to learn new things, or see my friends or something. It was never really about building a porfolio to get into college (but man a ton of the people I hung out with were using it for that, starting clubs they didn't care about and such). But if cool oppertunities came up I took them (trips to DC and JPL come to mind). And it was not about preforming on some test for the state. If I remember correctly most of the people in my classes (all the honors kids, the high score people) took them as a joke. Some people even made designs on their scantron sheets to pass the time. The more you add pressures to school, the more you make school time about things other then the process of growing up and learning, you are killing it. You are taking away one of the few times in life where people really are encouraged to ask questions and learn and try. School already has enough pressures (parents, peers, fitting in, making the grade....) do we really want to add more?
Enough of my rant. Things here are good. I am back in Kojo. AH my beloved Kojo. Some of the favorite characters are gone, and some changed positions but all and all good to be back. Tomoko is off teaching in the States now. She was the first teacher I really meet here. She is really cool and fun. Really helped me get used to Japan. My favorite VP is also out of here. He got promoted to City Hall and the BOE. And lastly one of the cool PE teachers got transfered. Fair enough though he had been here 7!!! years. Most teachers are transfered after 3. In changes, Utsui was promoted from a regular teacher to front desk position. He is now head of teachers or something cool and important. He really misses his classes though. And is not too thrilled I think to be moved from the gakunen group. Other then that it looks like my main teacher will be Hatachi this year. She is cool and learned a lot in her first year. But this is her second year and she is already the head of the english department. So man I am a little worried. I am trying to help as I can but man it will be a lot harder on her this year. My 2 new ones, well don't know them at all yet. One is from Korakukan (Chris' old one) and one is new to teaching. So we will see. The kids are still great so I really don't see too many problems.
I am good. Going to the gym and hanging with friends now that they are back. I am sure once all the welcome party business is done life will get back to normal. Man that would be nice. Talk to you all later.