Let's Focus on Learning

I am the mother of two teens educated in Minnesota Public Schools, beginning with my son's Headstart class when he was three and continuing into public high school and the local community college. I have tried to always stress the importance of education, as I believe it is one of many things that lead to more options and more opportunities. But the system frustrates me, as I'm sure it frustrates many parents, their students, and their children.

Among the main problems, I believe, is the over-generalization of the needs of students and the emphasis on achievement over learning. Instead, The Almighty Standard has become the focus, which for many children is difficult to achieve, and for others is far too easy.

When my son was in HeadStart at age 3 and 4 he was "taught" material that he had mastered at age 1 and 2. By Standard testing, my son should've been "ready" for Kindergarten when he was 2. The American Heritage Dictionary defines learning as "The act, process, or experience of gaining knowledge or skill." With no new material, there was very little learning going on, but I continued to send him for the socialization aspect if nothing else.

What children do learn when trying to fit into these standard boxes is how to feel inadequate -either too smart or not smart. Many who are too far outside the box will actually dumb down. My son is now a recent high school graduate - which did not happen easily. Learning is key to education. It should not be restricted to a few "aha " moments a year. Children should be able to walk out of a classroom with a sense that they have learned. This should be a no brainer.

Now that high school is over and he's in college part time, he has started a web comic that follows a group of friends through their journey through high school. This is not the high school of Nickelodeon or The Disney Channel. It's meant to be entertaining, and it is, but I believe addresses the gaps in the system as well as anything else and with humor.

My daughter, nearly two years younger than my son, is one of the rare beneficiaries of No Child Left Behind. She has become a bit of a math whiz, and she's not too shabby in science either. In her sophomore year she is already taking college level calculus. She was part of a new group where she studied Pre-Algebra in 5^th grade, and began the standard Algebra sequence in 6^th grade rather than in 8^th or 9^th grade. This was a program very encouraged by NCLB largely because the focus on improvement in an area deemed important by our government. As these kids have advanced some of the teachers have wondered if the next step would be too much, but the kids have held their own.

She never went to Head Start. I taught her myself, based on what she was ready to learn. I taught my son too. Parents should never assume that the schools can handle teaching kids by themselves. Parents need to be involved in the process, whether that is in direct relation to what the schools are teaching, or as something supplemental, or both.

For years I worked with developmentally disabled adults in group homes. The residents had programs designed to help them to learn whatever they could. Many surpassed and surprised any that worked with them, and there was often a great deal of pride across the faces of those who mastered something that had once seemed impossible.

The innate desire to learn is present in every human being, from birth to death no matter what their capabilities might be. It is how we learn that differs. Schools need to support different learning styles. The one size fits all approach is crippling to both students and teachers. They are tests that help determine this and they are used in companies in order to maximize efficiency. It needs to be more identification and support of the preferred learning styles of all students - not just the gifted or those identified as "special needs," because when children get excited about learning they feel a whole lot better about themselves, and achievement takes care of itself.