It seems there is a push from the National Center for Time and Learning to increase the amount of time students receive instruction in science. According to THIS article, increasing science instruction is imperative if US students are going to make advancements in science. It tells of a middle school in Massachusetts where 100 minutes of instruction was added PER DAY and all of it devoted to science instruction. Now, I believe I'm devoted to my students, and I believe that teaching is a calling more than a choice, but I also have to admit that the very first thing that popped into my head upon reading that was, "Where did they get the money"? I don't know what kind of contracts teachers in Massachusetts work under, but I know MY contract and this would be an expensive thing to do! I love what I do, but I'm not doing it FOR FREE! Someone wants to increase student contact time by more than 10 minutes and we as teachers have to agree to it. Adding 100 minutes would add at least 60 minutes to the work day. You do that for the 165 real student contact days of our contract year and you are talking about serious cash!
I agree that science instruction at the elementary levels is indeed being squeezed out of the curriculum, but the fault lies with high-stakes tests, not lack of time. And why should science receive such an influx of time? I'm sure math, language arts and social studies could use some more time as well! Shouldn't having a firm grasp of society and history be important? Call me crazy, but I truly believe in the idea that a society that forgets its past is bound to repeat it. We already saw a scary flashback to McCarthyism when the reasons for going into Iraq started to unravel back in the days of ol' GWB. Wouldn't having a strong grasp of mathematics improve society's ability to combat political lies about debt and taxes? Shouldn't language arts teachers have more time to read and discuss Rev. Martin Luther Kings letters from the Birmingham jail so that students can turn a critical eye back upon themselves and their peers when confronted with homophobia, racism, violence, and hatred?
More time? Sure, I'll take it, I could use the extra cash, but time isn't going to fix the issues we face in public education. I'm facing a 7th grade class the likes of which I have NEVER seen before. Never have I encountered a lazier group of students. Never have I encountered parents more disconnected from their responsibilities as parents. Never have I seen parents blame teachers for the inability of the student to come to class with their binder and a pencil. Never have I seen so many students DO NOTHING in class and expect to receive an "A" for their troubles. It's starting to make me sick. No, not metaphorically, but physically, emotionally and mentally ill. Sorry, but neither time nor money is going to fix this problem.
Keep the faith!
I still am in shock about the article you found. I do agree that other subjects besides Science should get more time as well and what they are doing seems crazy. You see a lot of the Science, Math, and English issues in the high school especially.
ReplyDeleteI for one already do enough for free. I am the adviser for 2 additional clubs and the sponsor for the Junior class to put on Prom this year, and I do not receive any additional income for doing these. I also have the students who do absolutely nothing in class, yet I am supposed to give them the opportunity to make up the work. I completely disagree with this! I stay after school almost every day for those students who missed a day and were excused, so I can reteach the lesson. This is definitely very frustrating to say the least!
What has been seen in Las Vegas are children of undocumented illegals who before coming to the U.S. were not in school. Now that they are in the U.S. it is the law that they have to be in school, but they don't care one way or another about learning. These children are verbal about they are just there to keep the seat warm and keep the parents off of the radar. So what does a teacher do when his/her pay increase is based on performance & improvement of test scores? Math, Science, English, whatever, the kids need a good solid education so that they can be productive and contribute to society in a meaningful way.
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