NaturallyResilient

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I am taking a little introductory class in American Sign Language (ASL). It has been very interesting. ASL has its own sentence structure and is an official language. I also learned that the public school teaches sign language but it is not ASL but a mutilated version that corresponds to our English language sentence structure. Why would the schools do that? Why not teach the real thing instead of trying to pass off a version that many deaf people may not be able to read? (I just added one more point for home schooling).

In Texas, I have been seeing billboards that tout Texas Public Schools. These billboards are sponsored by Friends of Texas Public Schools (FOTPS) and most say something along the lines of ‘great things are happening within Texas Public Schools’. First I ask why does the Public School have to advertise? If they are doing a great job, it will be known.

Have you ever noticed that ads usually tout their weakness as their actual strength? It is like they think if they scream loud enough that this product does this particular thing so well that you will believe them. I have seen this with cleaning supplies, laundry soap, food items and now I am seeing it with the Texas Public School billboard campaign. There is a reason that so many people home school. I know teachers who home school. I know people who would like to home school. I know a woman who was a single mom and teacher who wished she had been able to home school her overly bright child. This child with so much potential was burned, ridiculed, and put down by the school system so much that now as a grown young man he makes a minimal living flipping hamburgers. I know of another woman whose son was salutatorian for his High School, winning over $130, 000 in scholarships but then refused to go to college because he just saw it as more of the same type of hazing and he was feed up with it.

What is our school system doing wrong that it is creating such a crisis with our children?

I think the biggest problem is that they are teaching to a test and forgetting to teach the children. This is not an indictment of the teachers. There are many teachers out there who sincerely want to help the children learn but their hands are tied with policies and procedures. The polices must be changed so the teachers may actually be able to teach again. I have seen teachers who rejoiced when the last TAKS test was complete for the year because then they were finally free to teach what they wanted the kids to learn. They only had a few weeks but they tried the best they could. What is wrong with this picture?

I am afraid I have been ranting. I meant to write about learning a new language, ASL. I guess I have a topic for tomorrow.