On 10/31/09, sav teach wrote:
> I am tired of a standards based classroom with CRAPPY
STANDARDS!!
>
> I teach 8th grade GA studies, I dare anyone who teaches or has
> a child in 8th grade to look at the standards right now...Go
> ahead I will wait.
>
>
>
> Ok, well since you didn't look. Most of the standards are based
> on the history of GA, as it relates to the rest of the United
> States, and the structure of the GA government. This is the
> ONLY course in all of K-12 instruction MANDATED by state law as
> approved by the legislature. First, most states have done away
> with the state history courses, only the backwards, retarded,
> southern hick states like GA and Texas really still have them.
>
> Problem #1-Students in 6th and 7th grade social studies learn
> very little history, only about 10% of those courses are
> history. But BAM in 8th grade 85% of the course is history, so
> talk about a wonderful ladder type focused curriculum in social
> studies.
>
> Problem #2-Who the HECK cares about these people anyway.
> Example there is NO mention in the standards of ANY founding
> father, except Washington, no Jefferson, Adams, Madison,
> Monroe, etc. Yet the kids need to know obscure people from
> Georgia. If education is about learning skills, why does GA
> force a 12 year old to know who Nacy Hart was, and then vomit
> it back to me on a CRCT test just to have it evaporate from her
> mind the second the test is over! Talk about useless
information.
>
> Problem #3 The first 9 weeks the state of GA excepts kids to
> know..the entire geography of GA physical and political, the
> first inhabitants of the area, the 5 major time periods, their
> culture and time periods. The discovery of America, and GA and
> foundation of the area by the Spanish, English and French and
> reasons why. The colonization of GA and its reasons why, the
> movement towards independence and its hundred reasons why, the
> fighting of the Revolutionary War including a look at the
> Declaration of Independence, how the war was fought, who won,
> the result. The creation of and failure of the Articles of
> Confederation, the creation of the Federal Government, and an
> extensive look at the state constitution the formation of the
> GA government and ALL the rights and responsibilities of GA
> citizens including voting, jury, taxation, etc. ALL of that in
> 9 weeks! With one week being thrown out for the first week of
> school and the last week for review for a 9 week exam. So
> really 7 weeks. HUH? Then totally skip any history from the end
> of the revolution and jump RIGHT into causes of the civil war,
> basically the Jacksonian era does not exist in GA.
>
> I could go on...these standards suck, this course sucks, this
> state sucks, I cant wait to leave, if I didnt buy a house I
> would have quit and gladly taken a job flipping hamburgers.
> What a joke.
>
> On 10/30/09, Discouraged veteran teacher wrote:
>> Is anyone else tired of all of the paperwork, data
>> collection, and non-instructional tasks associated with the
>> Standards Based classroom? In my county I are spending more
>> and more time covering my butt and doing paperwork and
>> spending less and less time teaching and enjoying my
>> students. What does posting essential questions and
>> standards in the classrooms and hallways have to do with
>> good instruction. I just want to TEACH! I think that
>> following standards is great, but the other stuff is OUT of
>> CONTROL. I would love to have the money that the individuals
>> that sold this model to the state of Georgia got. What can
>> we do as Georgia teachers to stop the slow destruction of
>> our profession?

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