New educational standards in Georgia and Arkansas - hope you’re paying attention, FCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One of my best English teachers had us do this with the Jabberwocky. I still remember snippets of it. It made the words sound like an actual thing rather than nonsense on paper.

And although I hated the public speaking part it was good practice.

Totally in favor of including this in English class. (Pp saying to do foreign language or shop instead is missing the point that this would just be a slice of English class not a whole class).

Parents can easily work with their kids to do this. Doing it in school will take away from other standards.

Other standards? What other standards? The harder teachers are working to teach, the less kids are learning.

[Anonymous]

Have your kids memorize the state capitals with the Animaniacs.

https://youtu.be/bx6c_EefZAQ

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This would be far too traumatizing for kids today due to high level of anxiety disorders. Neither of those states are beacons for inclusiveness so of course they would require this. I would opt my kid out.

Anxiety? Our kids will have even more anxiety when they can't make it through college and get a decent job to pay their bills. Oh, nevermind we'll just have to support them forever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is it important to you that your children learn how to memorize?

Because memorizing things like times tables and written work helps to develop neural pathways. Something the supports learning. Education should not be limited to memorization and memorization does not take away from developing critical thinking skills.

I suspect most kids would benefit from a certain degree of memorization given the attention span of most kids today.

I suspect this requirement would be too hard given the attention span of most kids today. They couldn't do it. They can't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had a fifth grade teacher who required us to learn a poem a week. I don't recall them all, but i remember parts of them clearly. I think it helped me appreciate literature (these were not child's poems) and helped me memorize material in later studies. It also was an exercise to stand up and repeat it.
Later, I think a history teacher required the Gettysburg address. A lit teacher had us memorize part of Canterbury Tales. I think it is quite helpful to have to do this. The most difficult memorization, however, was the chemistry teacher who had us memorize the Periodic Table.

Honestly, those were some of the best teachers I had. And, memorizing does not prevent you from learning to think critically. It is just another learning tool.

+100
My child spent a few years at a private school before we moved to the area and she started at FCPS. At the private, she was required to memorize “The Charge of the Light Brigade” (Tennyson), parts of the Gettysburg Address, “I, Too” (Langston Hughes), portions of a Shakespeare play of her choice, and “I Have a Dream” (MLK) - among others. They also had to produce constructive criticism essays of each piece. She’s in high school now and can still remember these works - however, FCPS has never given her any assignment that even comes close. Really regret that we didn’t keep her in private.

Good for Georgia and Arkansas. And how sad for those of you who don’t have the depth to recognize the importance of learning great works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:umm...Arkansas is setting your educational bar now? YIKES

NP here. I know…it’s crazy. I’ve heard Tennessee is starting to do so great things in literacy also. I’ll be watching…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Memorizing classic words doesn’t mean they understand them. I’d rather my child understand the purpose and meaning without being able to recite word for word.

Bingo!!! Memorizing is not learning! Applying knowledge show mastery in learning.

Exactly. Think about the Pledge of Allegiance. Hoe many students can recite it? Of those, how many know what it means?

Um… all of them?

[Anonymous]

JFC. I can see from some of these responses why FCPS has dumbed things down to such an extent. Dumb parents who don’t expect anything of their dumb kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is it important to you that your children learn how to memorize?

Because memorizing things like times tables and written work helps to develop neural pathways. Something the supports learning. Education should not be limited to memorization and memorization does not take away from developing critical thinking skills.

I suspect most kids would benefit from a certain degree of memorization given the attention span of most kids today.

+100
Not to mention, knowing classics works of literature by heart is part of being a well-rounded person. Life isn’t just about STEM subjects.

[Anonymous]

*classic works

[Anonymous]

Georgia and Arkansas?

Oh dear.

[Anonymous]

Somehow I read that schools these days were getting rid of teaching background knowledge. But the problem is that background knowledge is helpful to all things and the higher SES kids are getting the background knowledge at home - so it's really backfiring in trying to level the playing field.

I forget where I read that. If I can find it - I'll link.

This is one sort of similar idea but definitely not what I read before:

https://www.chalkbeat.org/2019/9/16/21108839/...e-gap-author-natalie

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:lol, no thank you. We have moved beyond this archaic method.

You mean simply googling? How creative and innovative.

[Anonymous]

I went to Catholic schools and we had to memorize a lot! I still can recite the preamble to the Constitution, lots of Shakespeare, etc. In public school, where they can't really get kids to do homework, I doubt this will be successful. We were graded on our recitations as a homework grade. None of this practice was done in class.

[Anonymous]

Me again - I really can't find what I read before - but I guess it was something similar to this:

https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/what...e-of-reading/2023/01