Ok, it seems that some people from Kansas think that all of the standardized tests their children take in Kansas cover the same materials that children take in other states, and that since Kansas ranks fourth, last year, I believe, that they're children are learning the same stuff as the rest of the nation's children. Let me just ask something: since both of my high schools on the East Coast offered French, Spanish, German, and Latin; and students are REQUIRED to not only take, but master, at least "first year" skills in one language, how can a Kansas student, who is not required to even enter a foreign language classroom at any time during his or her high school career, even begin to compare? You can rank fourth all you wish, but your children will not be as prepared for college or life outside of Kansas, with the pathetic offerings of your schools. And that's pretty much the whole area, not just one city or town, so please don't feel special.
On a related note, I know someone from a neighboring small town here in Northeast Kansas, who embarked upon a military career after high school. This poor man's lack of culteral skills led to a physical beating that could have cost him his life, simply because he had never met someone of a different race, and was openly and verbally unaccepting of many individuals of that race while dining in a resturant. I must give him credit; he blames himself and his big mouth for what happened......yet I'm still going to wonder if that type of violence can kill a person faster than war. I don't know......no statistics.......just a fleeting thought.
On another related note, I married a wonderful person who isn't prejudiced and would never discriminate in the manner I described in the above paragraph. His children, my stepchildren; however, do. They had never seen anyone from India, Vietnam, China, Jamaica, Russia, Indonesia, Isreal, or any African nation until he brought them to visit me. One of them comes home from school at last several times a week with prejudiced sounding guff coming out of his little mouth. When I sit down and discuss the things he states about others, the upshot is always that he wouldn't know what a person from a different background looks like ( he does not remember visiting me) and has no idea what he is really talking about. It's just guff he learned at school. At school. Now................I attended school back when the whole country was still fighting about Brown vs. the Board of Education, yet no teacher at any school I attended was ever backwards enough to make racist comments in his or her class. Not ever. Not even once. But the things my children heard many of their teachers here in Kansas say about Obama during the last presidential election, just because he does not need sunblock at the pool, are downright shameful. No; you guys are not preparing your children for anything but life in a small community in Kansas with your silly-assed daycare system that you call "school". Sorry. I'm gonna have to call it as I see it. And what's really sad is that I don't see a future in a Kansas small town for either my stepchildren or the child of whom we have guardianship. There's not a whole lot any of them can do, here in Kansas. They do deserve an education though.......how come each "community school" is really just a "training situation" for existance in it's community, and nothing else?
One more question: there is a much bigger Native American population in Kansas than anywhere I have ever lived. How come my children know as much about their cultures as they did before they moved here? How come my children have never met anyone from those cultures?
On a related note, I know someone from a neighboring small town here in Northeast Kansas, who embarked upon a military career after high school. This poor man's lack of culteral skills led to a physical beating that could have cost him his life, simply because he had never met someone of a different race, and was openly and verbally unaccepting of many individuals of that race while dining in a resturant. I must give him credit; he blames himself and his big mouth for what happened......yet I'm still going to wonder if that type of violence can kill a person faster than war. I don't know......no statistics.......just a fleeting thought.
On another related note, I married a wonderful person who isn't prejudiced and would never discriminate in the manner I described in the above paragraph. His children, my stepchildren; however, do. They had never seen anyone from India, Vietnam, China, Jamaica, Russia, Indonesia, Isreal, or any African nation until he brought them to visit me. One of them comes home from school at last several times a week with prejudiced sounding guff coming out of his little mouth. When I sit down and discuss the things he states about others, the upshot is always that he wouldn't know what a person from a different background looks like ( he does not remember visiting me) and has no idea what he is really talking about. It's just guff he learned at school. At school. Now................I attended school back when the whole country was still fighting about Brown vs. the Board of Education, yet no teacher at any school I attended was ever backwards enough to make racist comments in his or her class. Not ever. Not even once. But the things my children heard many of their teachers here in Kansas say about Obama during the last presidential election, just because he does not need sunblock at the pool, are downright shameful. No; you guys are not preparing your children for anything but life in a small community in Kansas with your silly-assed daycare system that you call "school". Sorry. I'm gonna have to call it as I see it. And what's really sad is that I don't see a future in a Kansas small town for either my stepchildren or the child of whom we have guardianship. There's not a whole lot any of them can do, here in Kansas. They do deserve an education though.......how come each "community school" is really just a "training situation" for existance in it's community, and nothing else?
One more question: there is a much bigger Native American population in Kansas than anywhere I have ever lived. How come my children know as much about their cultures as they did before they moved here? How come my children have never met anyone from those cultures?
11 comments:
ACT (American College Testing) and SAT are not State Assessments. They are national test.
Regardless of where they went to school or what curriculum they followed, students are tested on the same material, which can be loosely grouped into knowledge domains and skill sets that encompass the natural sciences, the social sciences, the humanities, reading, speaking, writing, and mathematics.
The most commonly used standardized tests are the ACT and the SAT. Generally speaking, colleges and universities will accept either one.
Looked at Requirements for Maryland to graduate
under other
2 credits of foreign language OR
2 credits of advanced technology ed. and
3 credits in electives
OR
4 credits by successfully completing a State-approved career & technology program and
1 credit in an elective
Foreign language not required in Maryland.
Connecticut requirements for graduation.
Four credits of English
3.5 credits of social studies (Courses should include: Western Humanities, US History, Area Studies, American Government and additional elective)
Three credits of mathematics
Two credits of science
0.5 credits of technology/computer science
Three credits of physical education and health (Taken all four years)
Four credits of art (Distribution: Fine Arts, Practical Arts, Human Arts and World Language)
Two credits of electives
No foreign language.
Perhaps I date myself here, but I graduated in Maryland, and back then, one needed a foriegn language to graduate. A community college would often accept a student with no foreign language,(because they accept people with GED's) but in order to transfer to most of the colleges which were looked at favorably by any of the markets in which one support oneself in that area, (the cost of living is very, very inflated there) a foriegn language was eventually required. It looks as if they have dumbed things down considerably. I remember grudgingly taking Latin, and very grudgingly taking French. Also, a kid who didn't wanna participate in gym class would find himself taking two gym classes the following year. They didn't mess around with anyone. I keep getting told how horrible it is to be the slowest, or the least coordianted, in a gym class........but that was always yours truly! Yet I went to class; I even had an ongoing health problem, but no one cut me any slack in gym class because of it. To be completely fair, I do not know how an undercoordinated child's little feelin's are dealt with nationwide in that area, but I do know that giving a kid something he/she has not earned, such as a diploma, does not prepare him for college or the real world.
I should still let you know, in case you don't already know, that in this current economic situation, an undersoicalized applicant who makes racist remarks and shows no undertanding of others and of other cultures, and who thinks Jesus is the "end all be all" and says this during an interview, is not going to stack up very well against a well traveled, well socialized, professional looking person who answers questions intelligently and dresses in something other than jeans and T shirts. Having to explain these things to my oldest daughter was a disappointment. Judging by the way some of the teachers at the school dress, I would have to surmise that Kansas lags behind in those things. And, once again, I was NOT impressed when I was told by the spec ed director person who recently resigned that no one "should have to bother learn more than one language". Kansas obviously lags behind.........
Quite sure you won't post this, but I have been following this blog for a couple of weeks now and I just have some things I have to say.
I have raised three children in this community and they have attended this school. I am proud to say that they have all been exceptional students and done well at the collegiate level. They are good people and I'm proud of not only their accomplishments in life, but of the adults they have grown into. Although they have a very strong catholic faith, they respect those that don't share their theological upbringing. They studied hard, work hard, and believe that the world is, overall, a good place. They wouldn't trade the education they received here for any other place in the country. They took foreign language for two years and had over 20 college credits when they graduated from the local high school. Sports was a part of, but not the dominating factor in, their high school careers. Their ACT scores were high and they received offers from numerous colleges, although out-of-state financing was the biggest hurdle in their being able to attend them. Due to the rural location we live in they were not exposed to the various cultures that make up our society, but they have always been open to them and view those relationships as learning experiences. Learning is a never ending cycle and I'm proud of them for recognizing that.
The high school counselor was a huge factor for them throughout, and after, their high school years. They had the advantage of being exposed to job shadowing and employment opportunities long before the time came for them to make an ultimate decision on where they would attend college and what they would major in. He has always been interested in where they are and how they are doing. On top of this, he does an outstanding job of informing all seniors of the many scholarhips, both local and national, that they are eligible to apply for. These scholarhips had a huge impact on the reduction of student loan debt my children incurred as they pursued their degrees.
I'm sorry that you have such a bitter taste in your mouth, but all your posts and negativity will never change what I (and my children) have experienced living in this community. This is "home", not just geographically, but emotionally as well. I appreciate all the faculty and staff that truly cared about my children and never wanted anything but what was best for them.
Is this school system perfect? I doubt that, as none are, but it was perfect in every way for us. My children had the benefit of growing up in a small town where "everyone knows your name", while receiving a superb education that I would compare to any school in the nation.
I hope you find some peace in your life and that someday you are able to appreciate the little things this town, community, and school have to offer that are heads and tails above the rest.
Why would I not publish your comment? You merely do not agree with me. And I am happy for you that it worked out well. But...as another poster who follows this blog pointed out, what part of "a child was abandoned four miles south of town, missing for over two hours, and never reported missin do these people not understand?" And you, apparently, are one of those people. Oh well. Yeah......that makes me think you guys should pull your heads out of the sand and look at reality, for a change.
I don't care how outstanding your counselor person is. He was very dangerous to my daughter. And my daughter mattes to me, much more than your sweet sappy sentiments. If you are willing to excuse his crap, just because you've always liked his silly ass, then you do not care about my daughter's safety, or anyone else's safety. That makes you a bad person, ultimately, even though you go to church. You are part of a nationwide problem. You are the reason children go missing. I don't care how xian you say you are, defending someone who abandons children alongside highways and, upon realizing that said children are lost, never calls the parents or the police makes you a person who uses bad judgement. Being a good person is not always comfortable, and sometimes, doing what's right involves making decisions that are not popular with the koolaide drinking masses.
There are many forms of prejudice. Not just that of ethnic backgrounds.
Parental involvement in the form of 'at-home good parenting' has a significant positive
effect on children's achievement and adjustment even after all other factors shaping
attainment have been taken out of the equation.
-Charles Desforges, 2003 in DfES Research Report 433
Agreed. But my stepson has some habits that he did not learn from his father. Unless there is something this whole town is not telling me about his biomom, he has not exposed to this type of thinking at home. That, unfortunately, leaves school. The questionable dialogues and behaviors were at their peak, seemingly, during his second grade year, and now they have abated, somewhat. Still, his antisemetic attitudes are curious, because he did not have any idea who is Jewish, or what it would mean to be Jewish, until I told him a little about that culture. I still get very tired of hearing the guff when I am out in public with him.
Diane Maluso, Associate Professor of Psychology at Elmira College emphasizes that parents play an important role in prejudice acquisition. “The relationship between parents’ and children’s attitudes toward members of outgroups is consistent. Not only do parents teach prejudice directly through reinforcement, but children often learn their parents’ prejudiced attitudes by simply observing their parents talking about and interacting with people from other groups.”
In most cases, I would have to agree, but my stepson was six when I married his dad, so I can state with certainty that he did not learn this from me. I honestly do not believe that he learned it from his dad. The only other adults with whom he has spent a significant amount of time have been teachers from his school, and the worst year we had with him inasmuch as racism is concerned was the year he was in second grade. This is the first time in my life that I have ever lived among, or even met people who had ONLY interacted with others of the same race. And this is the only community I have ever lived in that had people who "adore" my stepchildren actually warn me not to expose them to people of other races. In this case, it's the school. It's gotta be. And I think it sux, too.
I would like to say, I know for fact your oldest daughter has met and spoken fairly often to a person of Native American descent, went to school with a person of Native American descent, and sat at both the breakfast table, and the lunch table on occasion with said person. I'm not hating, I'm just saying. She has, and I highly doubt she is even aware of it. I know she never questioned the girl about it, and she very well could of, as I know the girl would have rather enjoyed telling D about her ancestors had she been asked. Also, the same daughter has a boy of Native American descent in her class I'm sure she could have asked questions of, his grandmother at the very least is a very nice, and more then likely would have indulged any curiosity. The exposure is there, it merely has to be looked for.
There's a difference between "being of descent" and identifying with the culture. There is more separation between reservations and white people here than I ever could have imagined. If that is how those who live on reservations want it, why is that? I wonder.........
I really see a lot of pressure to conform to one lifestyle here, and it is disappointing.
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