As the 2009-2010 school year draws to a close, I complete my most challenging and rewarding year as an educator. While I feel like I learned an immeasurable amount this year, I am certainly still a very small fish in the pond. I am currently taking a short break from calculating my grades. I believe that I will have 24 out of about 100 students failing my class for the year. I have a feeling this is not going to go over well with my principal. I honestly don't know how the students are doing so well in other classes of theirs. Part of me feels strongly that I must be the only one who is giving them realistic grades, but maybe I just don't understand the grading system yet. I don't understand how some of the students who flunked my class are able to be functional in any other class. The skill set just doesn't seem to be there for so many of these kids.
This year has made me think long and hard about education in this country. I feel like so many kids wind up going to college who maybe don't have the skills to be there. I worry that because of social promotions and classes that lack rigor create a predicament for all levels of education, from elementary to the university. Do we fail them or do we lower our standards? I fear that standards have been lowered universally by the lack of discipline and educational commitment in today's student population.
I'm going to stop myself because I sound like a bitter old man.
Gotta (try to) stay positive!
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