A couple of thoughts that have come to my mind after reading this week’s selections are “oh, that’s why we teach that!” and “Does high school composition serve the same function as college composition?” I have begun to wonder if perhaps the secondary education system has become confused about what exactly its purpose is for today’s student. When the committee met and decided what should be taught in composition classes I think the student they anticipated would be in the classroom was one that was focused on a scholarly career and was a member of the elite group in society. Today’s student is required to be in high school and expected to attend college even if that is not where their interests or talents lie. As I look back at my first 2 years of teaching and consider what my function and purpose is as a teacher in a secondary classroom I do not think that it is easy to determine exactly what I am supposed to be doing. How do I educate students who are not interested in being in a classroom working towards a college education? How do I prepare these students who are expected to go to college how to function in the world if they choose not to follow that path? In my opinion it is a disservice to demand that a student who excels in music or perhaps a manual type job learn how to write upper level essays intended for scholarly pursuits. It has also come to my attention that the committee set forth a program that focused on teaching the students the skills of composition with the intention that then the student would apply and develop these skills in their other subjects as well.
I spent the last 4 days in a classroom with other teachers learning about a program called Laying the Foundation this week and discovered that the focus of the program is on teaching the students the skills of composition and grammar first. Programs like this are becoming more popular in school districts and I think that there is going to be a shift in the education system over the next few years to this type of teaching. By focusing on the skills of composition first I think that the students leaving secondary education will hopefully be better prepared for freshman English in college and therefore college can return to their original function of creating scholars. In order for this to truly improve the type of students entering college administrators at the college level will have to raise the expectations for the students they admit to the college, but as we all know and discussed n class on Monday night money is what education is all about at this time. The more students enrolled the more money the university or college will receive; because of this colleges will consider to lower their standards to allow the maximum number of students possible in to their programs. I believe that because of this it is my job to try as best I can to help students master at least the foundation of college composition before they leave the secondary level of school.
I understand your quandaries, Elaine. As I point out in my posting for the week, teachers at all levels are trapped in a system that doesn’t always have the students’ best interests (or the country’s) in mind. I think we’re in a transitional time that will redefine what both secondary and post-secondary educations mean. I don’t know how long our economy can exist without manufacturing or other jobs that don’t require a bachelor’s degree.
ReplyDeleteI think we’ve had to decrease the quality of all students’ educations in order to pull up the least-common denominators. I don’t think that’s an elitist position. I just think that we’ve pushed up education to the point where a master’s degree is the new bachelor’s degree. We don’t have to look far to find a proliferation of five-year master’s programs. I don’t know if that is good or bad, but from reading other’s postings and talking to colleagues, I see that colleges and universities are admitting students who don’t possess rudimentary writing skills. We can blame the secondary schools, or we can blame the colleges that allow students who aren’t prepared to write to enter their systems. But at least we understand the problems. And it looks like they haven’t change in the last century.
I'm not a teacher myself, but a lot of my family members teach high school and they often wonder how they are supposed to teach students who are not particularly interested in being there. Education definitely presents interesting challenges - how to teach students who do not want to learn along with those who do, how to teach students who are at different levels... To be quite frank, I'm not sure there is a solution to this problem, and if there is, it is probably too complicated/expensive/controversial and therefore will never be enacted. However, I do hold out hope that there are ways to at least improve the situation, and I certainly hope that these are discovered and enacted with all due haste!
ReplyDeleteCollege presents other challenges, since in many cases the problem, at least, of students who do not want to be there should be less - since students who are 1) paying for their education (or, OK, whose parents are paying) are probably more inclined to learn if only to get their money's worth and 2) students in upper-level English courses must have at least some interest in the subject. Of course freshman composition courses present many of the challenges of high school, with the added problem that many of the teacher do not want to be there either.
It's certainly a complicated conundrum.
Elaine,
ReplyDeleteI found your thoughts to be valid, but lacking a clear view of the bigger picture. Regardless of a students wishes during high school, the need for a solid english composition curriculum is essential for several reasons:
1. They will need to at least utilize such skills for basic communication regardless of which trade, craft, or professional they choose to pursue.
2. They may change their mind later in life and wish to pursue higher education coursework. A 16 year old H.S. junior can not be expected, in most cases, to understand his/her life path at that phase.
3. Composition and communication skills are a necessary part of civilization, a skill that may save his/her life. The better their self expression, the better society's interaction with them will be.
You have also exposed another problem within our educational system. We as educators are sometimes too concerned about the child having fun or not being bored. Perhaps, some tough love is in order- master this skill or be a 21 year old high school senior! Just a thought!