happy2bg33k

This one has been on my mind lately as in Maine it's a big deal, the federal gov't is looking at the so-called overexpenditures of special education funding and now the dept of education is trying to consolidate school administration and smaller districts. I actually have been on the other end of it where I have been the one trying to figure out how to provide services to children within the budgetary parameters and I understand the expenses.

However, now i am worried about the impact on the education of my children who are consider "gifted". They already spend a lot of time bored while teachers have to (and they DO have to, believe me) attend to children with behavioral problems and learning concerns. Now there's the added thought of having larger classes, less support for the teachers (who need it!) and some children may have travel up to two hours a day on a bus to get to school.

I worry about this trend of pushing schools to provide more with less funding. I think that in the end our children are becoming over-scheduled, less socialized and less able to think outside of the box.

Just my worries about education for the day.

mamab

Some of those reasons are partially why I homeschool. My child was never tested as being "gifted" but he was definitely in the upper group of students. He wasn't challenged and noticed that the students that were "problem" students were the ones that were paid attention to. So, he started to misbehave to get his teacher's attention.

Personally, I think classrooms are too big. They've grown greatly since I was in school. I remember having about 10 kids with me in kindergarten, not 21. It's no wonder teachers are worn out when they go home at the end of the day, and then have to take work home with them because they weren't able to do it while at work.

happy2bg33k

I absolutely agree that classes are too big. I used to be a kindergarten teacher. I taught a full-day program and by the last year I was teaching the class size was somewhere up around 22 without any assistance in the classroom. Early Childhood standards recommend no more than 16 with two adults in the classroom, especially at younger grades when the developmental curve is so varied.

SageMother

IF you haven't noticed, keeping children from developing critical thinking is EXACTLY the goal of our current political structure. To ensure there be a lower, working /servant class, our government has been making changes whenever the republicans are in office, that prevent optimum learning. Remember when the Reagan administration was in and they change th parameters of the school lunch program? They placed ketchup in with the vegetables. The food fed to studcents in public schools where I live is little more than a light snack.

There has been a program started that provides free breakfasts to students, which has been pushed as a really good thing. Now, we have students eating a breakfast of cocoa puffs with chocolate milk in it, and then expected to live up to the standards set by no child left behind.

It is a travesty but then this is a capitalistic country. The wealthy have had the ear of the federal government often enough to make sure that public schools turn out nothing but mindless workers who are easily appeased because they haven't had any education that will enable them to fully particpate in what is now loosely defined as "A Democracy". Gifted students are going to be treated just the same as the others, regardless of there abilities. The gifted programs are geared toward appeasing the parents, and keeping the students busy just long enough to slow down their speed of development.

happy2bg33k

I'm not sure that I actually agree with that philosophy. I think that the political leanings of this administration are getting in the way of learning but I don't think its a deliberate goal. The focus on standardized testing and "highly qualified teachers" has completely changed the way our classroom are taught- more teaching to tests, less critical thinking. For the most part it's a terrible time to be a teacher, because the aims of why you became why are so at odds with the reality of what you have to do.

tater03

I would agree with the above poster when you say that teachers nowadays are doing alot more than just teaching. I know teachers that are constantly doing tons of extra stuff just so they can get grants. That and alot of them spend there own money for supplies needed in the classroom. I will say so far my sons school I have had no complaints and as of right now the class size is still rather small per teacher so I cannot really complain on that front.