Okay... previously we went through the 10 Priorities, which apparently are Laura's missives to the parents, although they are not labeled as such. They are just labeled as the 10 Priorities.
This section of the website is labeled for Educators, and here's where Malcolm takes a turn. Some of you may recognize this as having appeared elsewhere. I know that it has, I just can't remember where. Speak up, put your two cents in, and illuminate the rest of us with that info!
I almost choked on the phrase, "My twenty-five years as an educator..." Gee, where have we heard this before? We've read Dad use these lines edited to read from 20 years... to 30... to 40... to 50...
It sounds like they are really trying to capitalize on the inherent failures of "No Child Left Behind." But I'm not so sure that there is anything of substance which addresses that issue in this essay:
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A few months ago I sat in a Manhattan restaurant sharing thoughts on education with two seasoned New York City public school educators. The words of one of them have been ringing in my ears ever since we paid the check:"We started talking about improving American education back when Lyndon Johnson launched the Great Society. Since then we... put a man on the moon... we removed the beating heart from one dying person and transplanted it in another to prolong life... we can communicate instantly via computer, etc. As for our schools, well, they're worse than they were when LBJ was president!"[/list]
As a society, it is time to face up to the fact that our miraculous advances in science, medicine and technology have occurred despite a regression in our schools and families. Logic demands that we be highly suspicious of the notion of expecting to continue to enjoy the former without addressing the latter. Furthermore, we must ask the deeper question: How much can we really expect to "enjoy" these advances if the end result continues to be lifeless schools and unfulfilled families?
Meanwhile, we educators soldier on in the face of test score mania, the current educational silver bullet
du jour intended to ensure that we "Leave No Child Behind." If you are reading this, perhaps you believe that the focus on testing isn't going to get us where we want go. Maybe you've had students who:
- Work hard but do not meet the guidelines;
- Do not meet guidelines and come from families who could care less;
- Meet the guidelines but are not coming close to fulfilling their learning potential;
- Meet the guidelines but you suspect they might be cheating;
- Meet the guidelines but are not progressing in character development.
Perhaps you've observed schools that appear to manipulate who takes the tests and when they take them in order to "meet" the guidelines. We believe that it's time to face up to a simple truth:
We care more about their aptitude than their attitude... and they know it.
My twenty-five years as an educator have taught me an essential lesson:
never kid a kid. Despite the fact that they might fail to grasp the most basic math formula, they will never misread our true expectations of them. They know we have created an educational system that values their aptitude more than their attitude, their ability more than their effort, and their talent more than their character. Surrounded by signs that tell them that what they can do is more important than who they are, a growing number have come to a simple realization: If I cannot be good at being good, I might as well be good at being bad. They'd rather be bad than average.
I frequently ask high school students if they know any students at their schools who do next to no academic work and yet consistently make the honor roll. Most casually acknowledge this as common with a shrug: "Sure, some kids just have it and school rewards them." Many point admiringly to the student who is able to get the "A" with next to no effort. Furthermore, many of the students who are making the honor roll don't necessarily believe that their distinction is due to their efforts. They know that cheating is common, if not rampant, even among the top students. They know that many college-bound students, often on the advice of parents and teachers, will avoid taking a particularly challenging advanced course for fear that the low grade they might receive would hurt their chances for admission to an elite college. Regardless of their place in the hierarchy of their schools, kids know it's not about attitude. Absent an inspiring culture, the youth culture often takes over and the results sometimes turn out to be desperate, even tragic, attempts at shock-effect.
The great American movements have been fueled by the catalyst of powerful "either/or" propositions: Patriot or Tory? Blue or Gray? Equal opportunity for all OR separate but equal? For the sake of our kids, a new choice lies before us. It's time for a new view, one that values attitude over aptitude, effort over ability, and character over talent.
The Biggest Job was established to help parents and teachers move their families and their schools in directions that reflect these priorities. As we forge ahead, we remain convinced of one thing:
Character is inspired, not imparted. We don't pour it into kids; we help them pull it out of themselves. Our true beliefs and motivations set the stage. Attitude or aptitude? Choose today.
Malcolm Gauld
President, Hyde Schools
Bath, ME
Woodstock, CT
New Haven
Washington DC
