City Schools

[Elmo-Ytown]

I was home schooled starting in the 3rd grade. I didn't learn to past tests, I learned to better my knowledge of the world. Public schools have gotten so far away from basic learning that I wonder if they'll ever go back.

I didn't have to worry about if what I was wearing looked good, or what people were saying about me. Instead I was able to concentrate on learning, and now I bet I could answer any one of Leno's quizzes.

[northside lurker]

From what I understand, what is taught, and how it is taught, is heavily controlled by the state and federal government. ("no child left behind" for example)

Because so much weight (such as school rankings and funding) is placed on the increasing number of standardized tests, teachers must spend most of their time teaching students to pass these tests.

[Towntalk]

More years have passed than I care to remember since I finished school, but a commentary in the New York Times today prompted me to ask this question, what kind of young people are our city schools here in Youngstown turning out today?

Oh, I'm not talking about good verses bad, because I suspect that the vast majority are really good kids at heart, but what I am talking about is what they are being taught.

We didn't have calculators, computers or word processors with spell check, and even if we did, the teachers I had would not have allowed them in class, and certainly they would have known that we were using them when we were doing our homework, especially when it came to test time.

And what about history, geography, and civics. Do the young people of today have a real knowledge of these subjects, especially civics, and American History?

Jay Leno often times goes out into the street and poses questions to a number of people about current events, or about civics and is amazed at how supposedly educated people can't answer simple questions, questions that are either in the news, or questions that concern our responsabilities as an American citizen, and that is really sad.

When it comes to pop culture these young people could pass a test with flying colors, but when it comes to civics, geography and American History, forget it.

Do they even teach these subjects in our city schools any longer with any degree of seriousness?