Apathy in the classroom: The Death of American Education
My previous post gave some of my generic thoughts on apathy in our society and how getting involved and recognizing how each individual effects society would help address several issues of our culture.
Now let me specifically address that student’s comment about the PSAE not being important to her. Bear with me for a moment and follow this chain of command.
1. America is ranked in the bottom three of the top thirty industrialized nations in math and science.
2. The federal government enacted No Child Left Behind to help increase our competitiveness in a global market. This law established a standards-based, normalized criteria for all students in public education to help monitor deficiencies of our educational standards.
3. Colleges all across the country closely monitor and enforce “readiness standards” for entrance into their campuses. In addition to their own academic entrance requirements, they use the ACT score, which all students must take, as one component to evaluate which students are qualified to continue their studies with them.
4. State Education Departments are allotted a certain amount of money by the Federal Government to fund education to meet the expectations of educational law. The federal money plus the money raised by State revenues [sales taxes] and local communities [in many forms, including property taxes] are what pays for public education. Public education is required to educate to a certain age, and, in that process, prepare students to continue their own education somewhere. In short, prepare students to meet or exceed on the Prairie State Achievement Exam [including the ACT].
5. Local Education Departments allocate, budget, and spend that money to meet the needs in the best way possible to educate and prepare current students to be active and well prepared for their futures.
6. Superintendents, Principals, Administrators, Teachers, and all Staff Members are all held to standards to be in compliance with the demands of No Child Left Behind. This includes not only the top–down scenario [making sure students have necessary equipment {within the financial means} and as safe and healthy learning environment] but it also examines the quality of the product.
7. Students, YOU are that product. Each step of this process leads to you. It is ALL about preparing you to be competitive in the world’s market.
Now, thank you for indulging me in that chain of command. One more, but put in little more simplistic terms. Start with you and work your way up. Oh, and throw in that apathy word we are talking about. Apathetic student. No. Strike that. There is more than one. Apathetic students, like the one that prompted this conversation, have made choices NOT to take into consideration how their individual test scores effect the . . . . [now take a moment and go UP that line]. The next step is accountability. Miss the standards for a year or two, not a big deal. Miss them for several years and SOMEONE has to step in and make some adjustments. [That is where this school district is currently.] It is to the point that the federal, not state, government is going to “take over” certain schools in our district if students do not meet or exceed those standards THIS YEAR.
To be fair, I am focusing on the student here. But we all know that apathy is NOT exclusively a student quality. There is not a step in that process that is not inundated with apathetic individuals or groups. And we are ALL paying a big price for that destructive and pervasive attitude. Our backs are up against the wall. Students are not meeting the standards in sufficient numbers, teachers are ill-equipped or unwilling to prepare students sufficiently, Administrators and Superintendants are having their resources severely limited, States continually mishandle budgets, and the federal government seems to set the example of all of this. It is as if the federal government is a fat cat who has eaten all of the female mice and is now working on the males. Eventually . . . . well, who really cares anyway? “It’s not really important to me, it won’t affect me at all and I will never really use it.”
Why are we talking about this again?
This is true in many schools. There is no thirst for knowledge like there was in the past. But if we want longer school days programs to be cut well then just sit back relax and watch the the country go down the drain
ReplyDeleteCCb 3rd hour
I hate to think that our schools are practically dying!!! We have no money for anything and our test scores are terrible. How much worse could it get? If everyone took school seriously then we wouldn't have to close all of our surrounding schools. Don't get me wrong. I know there are those few people who do their best and try to achieve more, but there's a great amount of students who dont care. There's not much anyone can do about it either. They've just decided that the schools problems don't affect them. But they DO!!! If only there wasn't a need for the word apathy.
ReplyDeleteKMS 7th hour
The mess our district is in, and many others I am sure, is a result of previous years of students being lazy and uncaring about there grades or future. Now, when the district need it the most, their students are not exceeding expectations or even less meeting them. If the students don't get their act together or keep thinking its not important, they will realize eventually. If it takes a charter school (which is a last resort in my opinion)to make people realize the importance of their education and change their ways then it is necessary. I am just sorry for the people who are caring and concerned with there grades.
ReplyDeleteASC7
I agree that money is misused but there is not much we can do about that, but we can make the most of what we have. If we can be thrifty and use our money wisely maybe the "product" will be better prepared. To do this we need everyone on every step of the ladder to step up. As everyone moves up maybe just maybe we can become #1 or 2 in everything. If that happens maybe one good thing will lead to another and this chain reaction will lead to prosperity in not only the government but us too. This can all happen but will it? It is up to all of us to take the first step. It is up to all of us, the next generation, to correct the many mistakes of our forefathers. That is a really big IF. All we can do is try. Like Martin Luther King Jr "I have a dream" you should too but will you help us to achieve it?
ReplyDeletemew7
I never really thought about apathy much like this. I mean, I know there are people who are lazy or dont care, but are people really this selfish? We care only about what is good for us?
ReplyDeleteOne reason that people are apathetic is: they think that the only way to fix a problem is do something drastic. For example, if a parent wants something to be changed in their child's school, then he or she might think that the only way to fix it is to become the school board president, so why bother? Really, all they have to do is tell their child's teacher or principle. Some people just don't care enough to do anything, which is sad.
Our society has changed alot. I found a website that shows the stages that nations go through, and it is really interesting:
From Bondage to Spiritual Faith
From Spiritual Faith to Great Courage
From Courage to Liberty
From Liberty to Abundance
From Abundance to Selfishness
From Selfishness to Complacency
From Complacency to Apathy
From Apathy to Dependency
From Dependency back into Bondage
Now the question is: How do we get out of the Complacency and Apathy stages, and get back to the Liberty and Courage stages? How do we avoid the Complacency and Apathy next time?
LOK 7
to LOK:
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting to me . . . the "stages". Can you share where you found this information?
Yes, I found it on:
ReplyDeletehttp://actionamerica.org/fun/tytler.shtml
LOK 7
Apathy.... not a word I am too fond of. This society we are in right now.... has a tendacy to have the attitude of being "average" is all it takes to go far in life. Which is insanely false and aggravating to hear. Those facts.. you mentioned in this blog... let's stop and think about them for moment.. "How can I change these" .... how can you? Well there isn't much but a start could be... well we all know the government has led to issues of misused money to schools, the cut of teacher's, aids....... so let's go back to the whole average attitude. The governemnt is showing us by doing this cutting the teachers and aids this is all ok. How are students able to get the idea of education is important without the support we need of our teachers and aids.
ReplyDeleteAlrighty not all of them truly do give us support we need. We have to start working together as a team, getting our studies and make those grades, we want and most importantly making A,B,C's on big important test we like to dread. Causing that word again... APATHATHIC.... to be use a lot less. maybe not at all. We don't need the support of the goverenment anymore, we can chnage the madness! It just takes some hard work, and a good mind-set. Let's do it!
blb7