School Supplies

[Granma Gertie]

I been sittin’ here on my porch lookin’ at all the sale papers that came in the mail. It’s gittin’ close to time fer the young’uns to git back in school, so they got all the school stuff on sale. I never will understand what differnce a certain kind of notebook is gonna make in the way a young’un learns.

I seen wired notebooks, zippered notebooks, colorful notebooks, plain notebooks, ones with movie stars pictures on ‘em, ones with cartoons on’em, and ones with ever color of the rainbow on ‘em! They got regler pencils and fancy pencils, regler pens and colered pens and pens with special grips. Crayons now come in big boxes of 96 differnt colors, and paper is in ever color you could want to write on. They even got special stores that sell nothin’ but school stuff!

They got them backpack things fer the young’uns to lug all this mess back and to in. The TV said the other day that doctors is worried about the young’uns back messin’ up before they even get out of school to get a job! They just ain’t no sense in any young’un totin’ that much on their back! We didn’t have to tote that much when we worked in the fields ‘till we got older and big enough to handle it.

Can anybody out there prove to me that all this new fangled stuff is teachin’ the young’uns any better? Most young’uns now ain’t got sense enough to get out of the rain unless some game tells ‘em to. The young’uns that make it to college are taking so long to graduate that they done got gray hair before they know what a job is, and when they do git a job, guess where they go first? To the store that sells all the school stuff so they can git fancy stuff fer their new jobs! ‘Cept now, they’re called “office” supplies! Don’t make no sense to me, neither.

Since we done got all the supplies, are the teachers any better? I wonder. I see on them school calendars that they schedule teacher work days. These are days that the young’uns could be in school, but today’s teachers need the time to fix up report cards. I figered it shouldn’t take ‘em as long today ‘cause they got them computers to do all the work.

In my day, the teachers had to do the figurin’ themselves, and the writin’ themselves, and there weren’t no such thing as settin’ up an appointment to see your young’uns teacher. If’n you needed to see her, you just stopped by the school when you had a minute. Boy, if you try that now, they’d have you hauled off! Yet all the time you hear the teachers whinin’ about they cain’t get the mamas and daddies involved in their young’uns schoolin’! They need to learn that you cain’t have it both ways. Either you want me there, or you don’t. They need to learn that time is important to mama’s and daddies, too. Some mama’s got jobs, and those that don’t got meals to cook, homes to clean, and probably got clothes to fold! Most daddies got jobs, too. They have to take off to go see the teacher. The least they can do is work with the man!

They need to learn that supplies don’t teach the young’uns, good teachers do. What is wrong with the good, old fashioned ways of readin’, writin’, and arithmetic, as long as you throw in some of that computer stuff so the young’uns don’t fall behind the rest of the world? Now a days, they’re a teachin’ girls how to be welders and boys how to cook. They got health and safety classes, babysittin’ classes, and picture takin’ classes. If the mama’s would teach the cookin’, and daddies would teach the weldin’, and we all raised our young’uns with a little common sense and left the picture takin’ as a hobby, they might find they could teach something that mattered.

Today’s young’uns ain’t as dumb as some of ya’ll think. They got plenty of brains to learn with. It’s just that what are we teachin’ ‘em? I was told one time to keep an open mind by some of the young’uns that I run up with. The only problem is that if your mind is always that open, there ain’t no tellin’ who is goin’ to dump what in there!

[queenbee]

Gertie you are just too smart sometimes.

And you always make sense.

[summerose]

We love ya Gertie!

[queenbee]

And look at what age they are starting school. It used to be kindergarten and age 5.
I realized the need for pre-k and such. But I can see why kids burn out before high school.

My step-mom use to kid my poor son about spending his entire life in school.

I also think they need to get back to teaching the basics.
Balance that checkbook, figure out loans and percentages, organization in your daily life, savings, etc. See if your finances can support you in your endeavors and how to save.
Things that you do daily, weekly or monthly.

Thank you Mrs. Kay Bradley.

College is great, but face the facts not everyone goes to college and the blue collar worker is the one who keeps the world turning, regardless of what people think. It the cashiers, waitresses, mechanics, garbage man, etc. if they all stopped we would be in a world of hurt.

And when you graduate from college will you be able to pay off those student loans, will you be able to do financing to a point that you calculate if you can afford that keg of beer for your friends or is electricity more important.

I wished they had taught me in school more about stocks and investing, planning for the future.
My education has worked well for me. I do not use algebra or trig in my daily life and found no need yet for the genetics of corn, but everything I received in my education has assisted me in my life.

[queenbee]

I do love the smell of a box of Crayolas.
I will miss it when I can't school supply shop anymore.
When red graduates, I will probably still school shop and just donate it.

[Granma Gertie]

Well, thank ya'll fer sayin' such nice things! It shore makes me feel good!

Babe, I reckon it's jest like I said - they jest ain't usin' common sense! Back in my day, school started the first Monday after Labor Day and ended the last Friday in May! We got ever thing learned we needed to in that time. There weren't no such thing as a teacher work day! Teachers back then actually taught! They didn't accept no excuses er no bad behavior. They got to know all the young'uns they was teachin', and most o' the time their families as well.

Now I know with the population growin' like it has that we cain't go back to the one room school house. But I jest cain't see why a young'un needs 7 er 8 differnt teachers! Is the teachers today jest not smart enough to teach ever thing? Are they so dumb they gotta specialize in jest one thing? Reminds me of doctorin'. Try findin' a doctor now that can treat the whole family with ever thing from baby with the croup to gran'ma and her arthritis. No, ya gotta "have a specialist" they tell ya. Specialist my foot!

If ya figer that each class has got 25 young'uns, and the teacher has got 6 differnt classes ever day, that's 150 differnt young'uns to keep up with! How can they be expected to get to know yer young'un when the young'un is just one in a whole wad of faces!

If'n they don't git to know the young'uns, how are they s'possed to figer out which young'un is havin' problems and which young'un is doin' good? How are they s'possed to know that the young'un is fallin' behind cause his mama has been sick er his daddy got laid off? They don't git to know the young'uns, they don't git to know the families, and the bad part is a lot of'em don't even seem to care. Just git'em in and git'em out. Like a bunch of hogs goin' to market.

As fer all the young'uns goin' to school when they ain't much more than babies, well, I jest think thats plain wrong. Kindergarten didn't start till after my young'uns was about grown. I prob'ly wouldn't have sent'em if it had! Used to, ya started first grade when you was 6 years old. Ya graduated when you was 18. Then ya went to work er went on to college if'n ya was lucky.

Then here comes kindergarten at age 5. The that pre-K stuff at age 4, now they got "nursery school" fer the 2 & 3 year olds! There jest ain't no reason fer a baby to be goin' to school! Babies aught to be in a playpen, not on a school bus! Heck, the way things is goin', I expect that before too long, they'll jest start takin' the young'uns right out of the bassinet at the hospital and returnin'em when they graduate! And sadly, people have allowed it cause they need a free babysitter! And let's not ferget to add in summer school and "after school" programs!

Now I ain't sayin' that some of these things ain't good. Summer school is a good way fer some young'uns to get caught up. And with a lot of mama's workin' now, after school programs keep a lot of young'uns from bein' at home by themselves and maybe gittin' in to things they shouldn't.

But try and think of it from the young'uns point of view - how many years do they got to go to school before they're considered smart enough to make it in the world on their own? Used to be 12 years. Now it's more like 14 er 15. Are today's young'uns too dumb to do it in 12 years? I don't think so. So how come we don't give'em the chance? Is it cause the teachers are too dumb to teach what needs to be learned in 12 years? Hmm.....maybe.

No wonder we got so many young'uns jest droppin' out and not finishin'. They're jest plum sick of school! And accordin' to all the testin' they been doin', bein' in school more years ain't makin' our young'uns no smarter. Jest the opposite it seems.

I think it's past time to go back to what worked. Start'em at age 6. Give'em 12 years. Teach'em what they need to know instead of so much junk. Make school fer learnin', not socializin'. Fix it so the teachers git to know who their teachin'. Fix it to where a mama er daddy can go see the teacher when they need to, not where it's jest convenient fer the teacher. Teach our young'uns so they can make it in the world they're gonna inherit. And quit sendin' babies to school!


And, last, I still like the smell of crayons too.

[cabinfever98]

Amen GG.My sister had told me that all the teachers do is send work home with the kids and expect her(my sister) to do the teachin.

Good Read

[2cedarschick]

Kids aren't learning what they used to because many states base everything on state testing. Florida has the FCAT's and part of every class every day is learning how to take the test. That means that if you don't understand something you better ask someone for help, make an appointment with the teacher for before/after school help, or get a tutor, cause you will not be able to go over it again in class the next day. There is no time to review or go over something you didn't quite understand. Lil2c still struggles to tell time because even in elementary school they took the FCAT and there was no time to go back and review it. Lil2c is pretty darn smart, so if she had trouble, how many others do too?

[queenbee]

Lilred does go to a one room schoolhouse.

[nikita04]

Good post Gertie!

When is the no tax weekend on school supplies?

[bessie]

Jul 17, 2008 10:23:26 GMT -4 queenbee said:

I do love the smell of a box of Crayolas.
I will miss it when I can't school supply shop anymore.
When red graduates, I will probably still school shop and just donate it.

Ye aint supposed to be a sniffen them thar school supplies. Theys dangerous to ye brain an can cause ye to be a vege table. Ye need ta respect ye mammy an ye pa and not be startin no misbehavin sniffen crayons an sech. Reckon where these kids learn ta do sech?

[bessie]

Now Gert, you know they just fancy up them supplies so them youngins'll pitch a fit on their mammy so's she'll take all her hard earned money and buy all that mess. Nope them youngins aint got no sense cause theys all ways playing them silly games on the boob toob.

I jist reckon yous fairly right on that teachin stuff. Cept now what that thar paper was a says a piece back was that them down younder in atlanter's atelling them what they gotta be a teachin them thar kids. Little miss was a tawking about fixin ye check book and folks a needin ta know how ta fix it. I reckon they outta be a teachin them not to be a usin them dang thangs anyhows.

Folks is done got skeered about school and teachers that works there. They's jest doing a job like paw usta do down at the sawmill thar in town. Problem is the local folks let them politickin folks make up what our youngins need ta konw.

Shame jest a crying shame. I bet ole Mrs. Wimpy is jest a spinnin in her grave with her lectric paddle cheer. At least when shes around younging knowed right from wrong and how to bid to the rules.

[teachingga]

Is this topic a joke? Have any of you who are bashing teachers and schools stepped foot in a classroom in the past 10 years?? According to your posts, I am assuming many of you have not. I am a teacher and proud to be one. I can vouch only for myself here, but our work hours in our contract are 7:30 to 3:30. In reality, my work hours are 7:15 to 5:30 every day. I am shocked that some of you believe the teachers are "dumber" today than before...Are there things I do not yet know? Of course; if there were not, life would be over.

The requirements for teaching have changed dramatically in the past 15 years, even in the past 5 years. When many of you were in first grade, you were just learning how to read; you were learning words like cat, dog, Dick, Jane, and Spot. Remember? Now first graders are required to read a minimum of 60 words per minute, and many are reading upwards of 90 to 100 and beyond. These are not sentences like, "Dick and Jane play with Spot." They are sentences like, "My brother and I enjoy pretending we are howling monkeys." Fifteen years ago, first graders were required to be able to count to 100, add and subtract single digit numbers, identify (but not count) U.S. coins, and identify basic shapes. Now, kindergarteners are expected to know these things before proceeding to the next grade. These things are reviewed during the first month of first grade, and are built upon throughout the year. Beginning second graders can add and subtract into the thousands, manipulate shapes, count any grouping of money, make change for purchases, do simple multiplication and division, and a plethora of other advanced skills. Are the teachers dumber? I think not. The requirements for children to learn are far greater than ever before. Teachers in first grade are required to teach a minimum of 500 State Standards in the subjects of reading, langauage arts, math, science, social studies, and health. Information and skills you learned in 2nd and 3rd grades are now being taught in first grade. The State and Federal Governments are now basically in charge of what your children are being taught, and teachers are required by law to teach all of those skills. Of course they will be measured by state tests such as the CRCT. I have heard parents complain about the teachers "giving the CRCT," like it is their choice. Personally, I hate the test; I think it's an unnecessary pressure put on teachers and students alike. Children are pressured by the teachers, who are pressured by the administrators, who are pressured by the Superintendent, etc. One test will never show how much a child knows or how successful his school year has been. I measure success in different ways: Did the child make adequate growth from where he started the year? Is she ready for the next grade level? Was the child happy and comfortable in my room? Did the child know she was loved and cared for? Did the child grow as a person and socially? Was the child comfortable taking risks in my room? Did I meet that child's needs, whether they be academic, social, emotional, or physical? Do I feel like I did everything possible to help that child be successful in life? You cannot measure that on a test.

Children are different than they used to be. Teachers now have to teach manners, social skills, socially appropriate behavior, good HEALTHY nutrition, personal hygiene, responsibility, how to be good citizens, how to be a friend, and the list goes on and on. We have to make sure each child has eaten breakfast, something many parents are too rushed to let their kids do. We have to make sure they are dressed appropriately--shorts and flip flops in winter are not appropriate, though many kids come walking in like this when it's cold enough to snow outside. We talk about their evenings, why Daddy screamed at Mommy and why Mommy slept in the child's room last night; why Brother did not go to school because he threatened to hit Mommy if she made him...on and on and on. We check homework and get excuses like "I was playing my Wii until bedtime and didn't have time," or, "Me and Mom were at her boyfriend's house until 11:00 last night and I fell asleep and didn't get it done." We have to work on their self esteem and convince them they are not dumb, like their dad or their brother told them. Don't think teachers do not get involved in their children's lives and know all about them. I get to know every single child in my room like he/she is my own, and I love them like many of you love your own. After all, they are with me 7 hours a day... I buy them shoes when their toes are curling up and blistering in their current shoes. I make sure they have winter coats, pants that fit, and shirts that cover their navels. I buy toothbrushes and toothpaste, shampoo and bubble bath. I carry their problems home with me and cry about things I cannot fix in their lives.

Parents are always welcome in my room. Setting up an appointment is appropriate, unless you are coming in during a non-instructional time, such as morning drop-off or afternoon pick-up. Time is important to us all, but your children are my number one priority, and they should be yours as well. Teachers get irritated when you walk in, unexpected, during a math lesson because it is a huge distraction. The have to stop what they're doing to talk with you, the kids lose focus and begin to play, and they have just lost what they had been teaching for the past few minutes. After you leave, it takes several minutes to get the kids back on track. One now has to go to the bathroom, one wants water, two were fighting over a pencil while your back was turned talking to the parent, one wrote on another kid's paper, etc. So that 6 minute-parent meeting turns into 20 minutes of lost time. It would be like your child's teacher walking in during your meeting at work between you and your boss, and saying, "Excuse me, I'd like to interrupt this meeting to talk about your child's progress in math." It is better for us all if we set up a time that interrupts the least number of people.

As for teacher work days, we might get 2 per year, and those are filled with meetings and trainings, and maybe an hour to work on something in your room. It's the same with pre-planning and post-planning. They are so full of meetings, community-sponsored events, and trainings, you have NO time to prepare for the year. We spend the last 2-3 weeks of the summer working in our classrooms to get everything ready for the year. Do you know why the 5-year turnover rate is so high among teachers? Because no one knows until you enter the field how stressful the job is, how long the hours really are, how much nonsense paperwork their is on every child, how much you actually have to teach in the small amount of time you have to do it, how many "other" problems you must deal with before your children are in a state of mind ready to learn, and how little support you will receive from most parents and administrators. Currently, the majority of young teachers entering the teaching field are seeking other professions within 5 years of beginning teaching; the burn-out percentage is unbelievable.

I invite you all to take an active role in your local school system this year. Be a volunteer. If you think you know all of the answers to the challenges schools face, get involved. See how things really are, and then if you still believe it's appropriate and beneficial, offer your advice to the schools and teachers; just don't do it until you've actually been there. Maybe you've had some bad experiences with previous teachers before, but please do not lump all teachers into the "lazy, dumb, and incompetent" category; it's impossible to do. When I talk about parents neglecting their children, not teaching them common skills and manners, etc., I am not talking about all parents. There are some wonderful parents out there, and their efforts show through their children. I am thankful for those parents; they are usually the ones who are the first to volunteer to listen to kids read, help with parties and crafts, and offer help in any way necessary. Some parents have to work; their dedication to their children is no less; as I said before, the amount of time and love you invest in your child is evident.

So.......lay off the teachers and schools.....give everyone a chance....and let's have a great year!

[taylor]

Dear TeachingGa,

Most of the regular posters know that I am a writer. I have written a column for a magazine for just over 5 years years now using the pen name Gran'ma Gertie. This character is based on many different people, including relatives and elderly friends of mine. Everything she speaks of in her columns is true. Events she describes are real and either happened to me or someone within my family. The column I posted first in this topic was first published in August 2004.

As for the person posting under the name "bessie", I have no idea who it is, nor do I care. Gertie is not written to portray ignorance, but rather to instill an idea in the readers mind with humor and intelligence and promote thinking. Many times my writing has been copied by others. I do not like it, I do not condone it, but on the other hand, I have always heard imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

I am acquainted with every kind of learning/teaching that you can imagine. This comes not only from my own children, but also from going to 18 different schools in 5 different states by the time I was in the 8th grade.

As for me being personally involved with my children's education, I was extremely involved. I had three children - 1 with ADD, 1 with ADHD and dygraphia, and one who had difficulty in reading. I will say this much - the school system totally failed.

My youngest son had a kindergarten teacher who was more involved in studying during class time to get her masters degree than she was teaching the children anything. At the end of the kindergarten year, my son was still unable to recognize, much less know the phonics of the alphabet. Luckily, over the summer I was able to work with him and get him up to speed before starting first grade. He continued to have problems with reading throughout his time in school, which in turn, caused his other subjects to suffer as well. He was called lazy, dumb, and singled out by a couple of the teachers he had. He finally gave up and quit at age 16. He is now aged 20 and works as a locksmith. I hope that as he grows older and matures, he will in some way continue his education.

When my ADHD/Dysgraphia child was in elementary school, (4th grade), the teachers wanted to hold him back. I told them that if the ITBS test showed he was behind, then I would agree to do so. Well, imagine their surprise when the ITBS test came back. Everything was either slightly above grade level or higher. His reading, reading comprehension and vocabulary were at college level. And they wanted to hold him back! The teachers simply didn't want to deal with a child that needed to do things in a different way. By me having both his medical charts and his testing in hand, they were forced to do what was best for him, and believe me, they didn't like it one bit. In middle school, he was always A-B Honor roll. He used tape recordings for his homework, verbal answers for test, was a peer reading tutor, and was even teamed with children who had trouble reading - he would do the reading and the other child would do the writing. It worked for him and it showed in his grades.

When he started high school, the teachers used one excuse after another. The verbal answers for test were no longer allowed because "it interrupted the class". Taped homework was no longer allowed because "we don't have the time to do this". Even with his medical records, I was told repeatedly that "He's going to have to learn how to write in order to graduate". One of his doctors had written to the teachers telling them that trying to force him to write would be the equivalent of trying to force a crippled child to run. All to no avail - he was placed in a "learning disabled" class. He didn't have a learning problem, he learned very well. He simply couldn't write it down. The last meeting I had with his teachers, he was almost 17, had no self esteem, and was still listed as being in the 9th grade. They said there was nothing they could do for him and recommended that he quit school and just go to work. I took him out of school immediately after the meeting. He's been working ever since and wants to get his GED, then possibly tech school. He is now 22.

My oldest, the ADD one, was in the gifted program. She quickly became bored because the program they had here was only for 2 hours per week and simply not challenging enough for her. When I mentioned about her being passed up a grade, I was shut down and told that "it simply wasn't done. Just because a child is in a gifted class doesn't mean they get passed up." When in high school, she changed schools from one county to another to take advantage of college prep that were available. Even though the counties are side by side, their "requirements to graduate" system didn't mesh. When she moved back to her old high school, she "lost" so many credits/units that she had to attend an additional year just to graduate. She did it, but she wasn't able to graduate with her friends, many she had been in school with since kindergarten. An additional year, just because the school systems couldn't get it together! She is now 24 and doing fine.

As for what I wrote concerning the ridiculousness of the required "school supplies", do the teachers, (or whoever is setting these requirements) , not take into the account the children whose parents may not be able to afford all the items? No - they simply fail the child because they can't do the work. Case in point - when my oldest was placed in a certain math class according to her ability, it was "required" for her to have her own specific calculator. The cost for the calculator was over $50. I had 3 kids in school and was working all the hours I could get just to survive. I couldn't afford it, I told them I couldn't afford it and I explained why. Did it help? No. She was given a failing grade for the class and the next semester, she was placed in a lower class.

See, I've dealt with the system, the teachers and the absurdity's within. Many of the posters here have children currently in school and many have expressed the problems they have had. Don't be so defensive or act so insulted when a little humor is used. I've always heard the guilty dog barks the loudest. And don't preach at me, you've not walked in my shoes and you just don't have the right.

[teachingga]

Well, Taylor, or Granma Gertie, I have not walked in your shoes, nor have you walked in mine. I am not judging your children's difficulty, I am asking you to not lump all teachers into one pile, and not use all of the generalizations. As a parent of 3 children needing special services, I will not lump all of "you" into a category either. You say you've dealt with the school system and the teachers, but I promise you, you've never dealt with me. Personally, I think schools in the past generally have not accommodated children with special needs. Teacher prep programs did not prepare teachers for differentiated instruction or teaching styles. I think we are doing a lot better now, though I cannot speak for grades 3-12, as I am not present in their environment.

As for your previous experiences, you didn't like your child's kindergarten teacher, but did you know anything about the others? I find it hard to believe a good teacher would have the time or the audacity to sit and study in class; not calling you a liar, but that is simply absurd.

"As for what I wrote concerning the ridiculousness of the required "school supplies", do the teachers, (or whoever is setting these requirements) , not take into the account the children whose parents may not be able to afford all the items? No - they simply fail the child because they can't do the work." Again, I can speak only for my grade level, but I can assure you we request only what is necessary. There are plenty of opportunities for assistance for parents who cannot/will not purchase the needed supplies. Several churches are creating "back to school" packs, and resources are also listed in the local newspapers. Every year, I buy extra packs of crayons, colored pencils, etc. for kids who do not have them, or for those who run out early. The thing that gets me is that parents complain about spending $15 or $20 on their child's supplies, but they don't realize that teachers spend money out of pocket as well. I spend between $2,000 and $3,500 per year on my class, and I have fellow teachers (we've compared receipts) who spend between $1,000 and $4,000 per year on their classes. Say I have 20 kids and I spend a minimum of $2,000 on my room; that's $100 on YOUR child that I spent out of my pocket. But, you never hear teachers complain, do you? You also never hear a "Thank you" from parents. And by the way, those supply lists are "suggested." The school can not require you to buy anything. Also, I venture to think there is more to the story than simply failing because you couldn't afford a calculator. Again, absurdity...failing a child for their SES is laughable.

I chuckle that you throw up the "guilty dog barks the loudest," cliche. It appears that no other teachers have read your posts, or I believe you would have several other replies as well. Or, they would have laughed at the apparent ignorance, and gone on. What irritates me is the fact that people sit around doing nothing productive except critiquing something they know little or nothing about. For example, when the CRCT results came out this year, parents were all over a certain teacher in the middle school. "So and so had that teacher and didn't learn anything." "This teacher should be fired!" You remember? And then a few days later, it was made known that this happened all over the state, not just at UCMS. Did any posters ever go back and say they were wrong? Of course not.

I'm certainly not preaching...just trying to instill a little "intelligence" in the reader's mind, and promote thinking, as you say.