school

One of the big changes is that the focus seems to be on test scores, statistics and standings rather than what the students actually learn. There is such a push toward learning more, earlier, faster, that the opposite is actually happening. There isn't as much of a focus on the basics, the foundation of education, like grammar, spelling, and basic math skills. They want to teach so much more, so to save time, they let kids use calculators instead of taking the time to teach them how to do those calculations on their own. The effect of these changes is that students are not as capable. They can't figure simple problems without a calculator. They can't put a coherent paragraph together without spell check. It makes them dependent on technology, and robs them of some very basic skills needed to do normal daily tasks, like make change or write a note to their child's teacher.

boy when i think of school when i first started if i tell you you'll just say i'm lying but they have really changed. the desks had a hole in them in the centre near the front about 2 and 1/2 inches wide. there were no bic pens then lol we had little sticks with a bit of a groove in the bottom for nibs, if you don't remember what that is then guess i am old. you could usually dip them and get 1 or 2 lines in of writting before had to dip them again. girls use to wear pigtails and us bad boys could dip their hair in the ink bottles, lol well just some of us could. remember when first learning to write if you tried using your left hand to write with you got a smack with a ruler and i don't mean the itty bitty ones like today but a heavy one about 5 centimeters wide 2 inches for us older people lol. like they were telling us if you were left handed you were stupid and different so everyone had to write with their right hands all the time. was stopped after a few years though too late for me couldn't change back. when you were bad you got the strap a nice thick one almost 2 inches wide 1/4 inch thick 14 inches long seen it enough times not that i was always bad though. heh heh. use to have to say a prayer too and try and sing the anthem kids today have it easy i think. i myself had to go 4 miles to get there then come home on myown and i was 5 & 6 at the time. now if you live more then 1/2 mile get the school bus what a joke that is. my own father had to go 25 miles one way so the parents took turns driving the wagons down the road and if you missed that happy walking or you went back home and did your days work on the farm. believe me you did work or you just didn't eat how fair was that.. guess it worked for a lot of people just ask your great grandparents if they are still around. you sure never got to pick your subjects like in some of the class'es today so never say us older folks had it easy when growing up cause whe you do you now know why we have that funny little grin and the twinkle in our eyes when you do... feel i've said enough on this subject for now, if you need to hear more about this best to become friends and talk about this more in depth on the side privately lol...

i definately find school different than what it was like when i was there. my son goes to the primary school that i went to, and although it is still a small school in comparison to some, it has many more children there than when i was in school (around 40 kids attended there when i went, now nearly 400). this obviously means that the whol building has changed, they have added bits on here and there to make more classes ect. they also seem to be quite alot more strict there than they was when i was a kid. my niece and nephew both go to one of the secondary schools that i went to (i went to 3 secondary schools) there have been major changes there too, the kids now get so much more homework than i ever did, alot of if needs to be completed with the aid of the internet (wow they wouldn't have dreamed of asking my generation to do homework online lol, we didn't all have it in our homes then!). also they seem to have new systems for alot of things, like my niece brought home a "conduct card" when she came to stay here one night, i asked her what it was for, and it is to be signed daily to say she has behaved/misbehaved! never had those when i went there (probably could have done with them though hehe). also alot of the basic rules that were there but were mostly ignored have now been tightened and kids get punished for breaking them (was supposed to wear a blazer at all times, never did, they did nothing about it, but they do now!). things change though lol and that's life.

Yes, I think there is a tremendous difference in school now than when I was in school back in the day. My daughter is doing things in the 8th grade that I didn't do until high school. So yeah I have to say it is much different.

Hi tina,school IS very different these days! During my era, teachers are more patient and results oriented. Our education system was much better providing better (brains) adults. Pity its all upside down now. In my country teachers does more admin than teach! N I need to send my kids (also pay extra) for extra classes (tuition).

Is school different or do we as adults just see the big picture. What is the saying? Ignorance is bliss. I remember thinking that I knew it all but now realize how much I didn't and still don't know. I think our parents thought the same thing when we were in school. It's the nature of our culture. Our generation faced the same issues our parents did but the consequences change. Kids today face the same issues that we did but the consequence can be greater. I strongly believe that if you stay active in your childs school you can avoid alot of pitfalls.