I am writing to express my support for the changes proposed by superintendent Aderhold to de-stress our students and to discuss what I believe is one of the root causes contributing to a toxic school environment.
I have two sons, one in seventh grade at Grover and one in ninth grade at South. They have attended school in this district since kindergarten. I feel that with each passing year, the environment in this school district becomes more and more hyper-competitive and unhealthy.
I believe that the widespread use of outside educational programs plays a large role in creating this environment. These children literally are going to school 24/7 year round. Who would not be stressed out with this kind of schedule? The end result is that each year, many students show up for class having already taken that year’s work once or twice and are bored. Their parents then loudly protest that school is not challenging enough and demand higher level and harder work. Suddenly, third grade is not really third grade any more.
The adverse consequences affect all students. Students who do not take the outside enrichment route start off each year behind the students who did. The model of having students working at different levels in the same class is not the answer. Teachers are pulled in too many directions, and neither the higher level students or lower level students receive enough attention.
Children all know who is on what level and talk about it. There is teasing and condescension. The self esteem of these students suffers as many mistakenly believe that because they are not in one of the higher levels that they are not smart. They do not understand that many of their peers are in a higher reading, math, or spelling level because they have already taken the class.
Each one of my sons has said to me that they are “not smart.” When I ask them why would they say that, they will say “I am in a low level of reading” or words to that effect. I have heard other children say the same kinds of things. Other parents have also shared with me similar conversations with their children. Many of the children who do not do outside educational programs not only mistakenly believe that they are not bright but develop an active dislike for school and learning. They are being marginalized and disenfranchised.
There is a constant clamoring in this district for more and more advanced programs and a harder curriculum all designed to make school more interesting for children who are taking the course work ahead of time. I do not, by the way, consider children who are doing this to be gifted. Are some of them gifted? Of course. Gifted to me refers to someone who has a natural ability at a particular subject not someone who is tutored and has taken the class ahead of time.
In this era of budget cuts, decisions have to be made and so far all seem to be adding to the advanced programs at the expense of other children. When my oldest son was in middle school, he was struggling mightily with reading. I learned then, that the remedial reading program in middle school was cut. He needed to be pulled out to work with a reading specialist, but this was not available to him because he is not classified as having a learning disability.
I also learned that 7 of the 28 students in his class were reading below grade level and that because they were not classified, there was no meaningful help available for them. These children and others like them deserve help and should be a priority ahead of more and more advanced programs geared to students who are taking classes ahead of time. A public school education must provide a good basic education to all children.
I do not object to parents who utilize these outside educational programs. Every parent is entitled to raise their child as they see fit. I do object to this perpetual schooling being the norm and the pressure exerted that everyone’s kids must do this or fall behind. If parents choose to essentially have their children take classes in outside settings ahead of time, that is their choice. To then, however complain that a given year’s work is not challenging enough and demand harder and more advanced work is grossly unfair to my sons and the many children like them.
My wife and I, like many other parents in this district made the decision that we wanted our children to have an opportunity to be children and be able to engage in free play and creativity. We want them to develop their interests and aptitudes naturally and organically. School comes first in our house but it is not the only thing, which it is for many children in this district. All of the children in this district are being negatively affected by this dynamic.
I applaud Superintendent Aderhold for his efforts to make positive changes to our district for the well being of our students.
James Lundy
