edensgarden's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The secrets of Men and Women; and other things I learned. Ok--so yesterday, I sounded like a goon! I was under the captive forces of Major Migrane. I hate him, and it seems like he, along with the only other man in my life--"Bill" (you know Visa Bill, Phone Bill, Power Bill...) have been visiting an awful lot! It's like relatives that never go away....But, all is well. Although I am extremly tired, I don't feel like my head is being split open. And I'm hopeful that today the world will not end! I heard the funniest thing on the radio this morning. The DJ and the traffic lady were talking about the differences between women and men. Apparently this morning in our lovely newspaper, The Arizona Repulsive, there was an article to this effect. According to the article women are more likely to kiss and tell. Of course we are, we are in a constant 'one-up' battle with every other woman out there. Womanhood is very cut-throat. Men, on the other hand don't kiss and tell as much. Of course not, they don't want the competition to know what they've got going. It was all the same old dribble that we always here regarding men and women. But the DJ ended it by playing a Seinfeld clip. Jerry said, "I don't understand women. How is it that women are brave enough to pour boiling hot wax on their upper thighs and have their hair ripped out by the roots, and yet are still afraid of spiders?" I don't know Jerry, I just don't know... ======================================== Last night's class was intense. We had a very lively discussuion on standardized testing. I know these tests are here to stay and maybe I should accept this and move on. I really do think that we need to have standards of accountability in schools. When a person graduates he or she needs to know how to do basic things (see the 3-R's for details). I guess this is where my problem with standardized testing lies. Are we serving students, the future of our great country, best by "teaching to the test"? I don't know. There is so much out there to learn, and some of life's most valuable lessons cannot be measured by a multiple choice test. This year in Arizona, high school seniors have to pass the AIMS test to graduate. Fine, I have no problem with this. In countries all around the world exit exams, such as this are required to graduate from high school. I have seen a copy of this test however. I would have done fine on the writing and reading portions. The math portion on the other hand would be my demise, if I were a senior. There were questions relating advanced Trigonometry and Calculus on this test. Why? I don't know? I think if you are going to go into a field that uses these higher forms of math, you're going to learn it anyway. But for the rest of us, wouldn't it be more practical if the students knew how to calculate precents, balance a check book and know what variable rate credit cards are? The discussion then went in another direction. We were looking at score reports from around the state on the Staford 9 norm refrence test. This test measures students against students. I noticed a trend. In the rural districts the scores were abismal. For example, in Chinle District up on the Navajo Reservation reading scores for 4th graders were 19% of the norm. That means that 90% of 4th graders scored as well or better than them on this test, whereas in a metro distric in Tuscon the scores of 4th graders on the same test were 68% of the norm. Ms. Newspaper asked why this was. Simple, it's all about money. Money to hire and keep quality teachers, money for books, and supplies, money for the school building itself, and the money that it takes a family to send their children to school. She suggested that the schools up on the reservation pay their teachers more every year for staying longer etc. She just doesn't get it! There is just no money to be had up there, people still live miles and miles from civilization with no electricity, they still farm and live according to the traditional ways. The only way that things will improve is when we, who have much, start caring and acting for and in behalf of those who do not. I'm not talking hand outs or welfare here either. I'm talking education to improve quality of living. It's like the old addage, "If you give a man a fish, he eats for a day, if you teach him to fish he can feed himself." I know there are no easy solutions to the things that trouble me in reagards to the the state of education in this country. In my perfect world, every child would have all the tools to succeed. Parents would get involved, and work with teachers to make schools the best places for kids to be. I think I need to write a letter to my congressman, I know it probably won't make much of a difference, but at least, I'll be excercising my right to be heard. 10:14 a.m. - 2001-08-21 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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