Root cause of issues at MOCO schools?

[Anonymous]

I’m shocked anyone thinks reading articles in even a high quality newspaper provides the same linguistic challenge as a high quality piece of literature.

I guarantee you every single reporter at those newspapers would tell you the same thing about the content they produce.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m shocked anyone thinks reading articles in even a high quality newspaper provides the same linguistic challenge as a high quality piece of literature.

I guarantee you every single reporter at those newspapers would tell you the same thing about the content they produce.

I'm shocked that people are framing the discussion as reading novels vs. reading news articles. Ideally, people will do both. And if they don't do both, I'd prefer for them to read news articles than novels. And I say this a devoted reader of novels. I enjoyed reading Moby Dick, but Moby Dick is not very useful as a basis for informed voting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m shocked anyone thinks reading articles in even a high quality newspaper provides the same linguistic challenge as a high quality piece of literature.

I guarantee you every single reporter at those newspapers would tell you the same thing about the content they produce.

I'm shocked that people are framing the discussion as reading novels vs. reading news articles. Ideally, people will do both. And if they don't do both, I'd prefer for them to read news articles than novels. And I say this a devoted reader of novels. I enjoyed reading Moby Dick, but Moby Dick is not very useful as a basis for informed voting.

unless they're reading CFR or Brookings instead of CNN, NYT, WaPo, etc. they aren't getting facts. Newspapers today are 95% opinion pieces, even on the front page. Try to dissent the sentences for actual data or facts, not opinions sometime. My kids' private school had them do that last year in english class. Results were pathetic. They did this after a field trip to the Newseum. The next week they had to spend a day on 'cognitive dissonance.'

My other kids are in MCPS. we're OK with it, and do a fair amount of supplementing. First kid has some ADHD issues so needs a horse and pony show entertaining educational experience that is hands on to learn anything and not push back work. Oh well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m shocked anyone thinks reading articles in even a high quality newspaper provides the same linguistic challenge as a high quality piece of literature.

I guarantee you every single reporter at those newspapers would tell you the same thing about the content they produce.

I'm shocked that people are framing the discussion as reading novels vs. reading news articles. Ideally, people will do both. And if they don't do both, I'd prefer for them to read news articles than novels. And I say this a devoted reader of novels. I enjoyed reading Moby Dick, but Moby Dick is not very useful as a basis for informed voting.

I agree people should be doing both, but a good English teacher will use classic literature to help the students better understand the world around them. Moby Dick would actually be a great basis for a lesson about today’s world.

[Anonymous]

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+100 It's important to read these works for the exposure to the language, depth, as well as history. The problem also with the "reading choices" is that the teacher chooses the few books the students read. Students should be reading at least one novel a month if not two, not two per year. My parents and the other parents never objected to the Odyssey or the Tempest. What about any Dickens? Or Mark Twain? How many MCPS students graduate without ever reading these?

Nobody is arguing against reading "classic literature".

The point is MCPS has stopped teaching them and dumbed down the curriculum vs. what used to be the standard.

DD just read Midsummer Night's Dream in 7th grade last year. She did a different Shakespeare play the year before, but I can't recall which one. They have done Call of the Wild. They do Animal Farm in 8th grade. She is not in a magnet middle school. It is -gasp- a DCC middle school. Where are your kids going to school that they are not reading classic literature?

How many novels/plays did she read 6th - 8th grade? One or two per year doesn't cover the breadth of what used to be and could be taught. That's the point.

Anyone's child read Hemmingway, Steinbeck, Maya Angelou (not really a classic but a great author), William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald (any work other than The Great Gadsby), Erich Maria Remarque (All Quiet on the Western Front)?

Anyone's child read the following Shakespeare? Really, a whole semester could be devoted to comparing and contrasting works of Shakespeare, even if it was an English elective - Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, Julius Ceasar, Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest

Many classics could be intertwined with the Social Studies curriculum. Heck, have students actually read Frederick Douglas when you are discussing him in US History.

She hasn't done 8th grade yet. On average, she reads two novels a week for pleasure. So, I am not keeping a tally of how many she rads for school. I think there were 4 big ones per year. When her literature circle didn't end up with the one she wanted on certain topics, like WWII, she read both the assigned book, and the one she wanted to read.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

unless they're reading CFR or Brookings instead of CNN, NYT, WaPo, etc. they aren't getting facts. Newspapers today are 95% opinion pieces, even on the front page. Try to dissent the sentences for actual data or facts, not opinions sometime. My kids' private school had them do that last year in english class. Results were pathetic. They did this after a field trip to the Newseum. The next week they had to spend a day on 'cognitive dissonance.'

My other kids are in MCPS. we're OK with it, and do a fair amount of supplementing. First kid has some ADHD issues so needs a horse and pony show entertaining educational experience that is hands on to learn anything and not push back work. Oh well.

Hoo boy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m shocked anyone thinks reading articles in even a high quality newspaper provides the same linguistic challenge as a high quality piece of literature.

I guarantee you every single reporter at those newspapers would tell you the same thing about the content they produce.

I'm shocked that people are framing the discussion as reading novels vs. reading news articles. Ideally, people will do both. And if they don't do both, I'd prefer for them to read news articles than novels. And I say this a devoted reader of novels. I enjoyed reading Moby Dick, but Moby Dick is not very useful as a basis for informed voting.

I agree people should be doing both, but a good English teacher will use classic literature to help the students better understand the world around them. Moby Dick would actually be a great basis for a lesson about today’s world.

How? Why?