Materialism and Education in The US
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
I taught elementary and middle schools for 7 and a half years and am no longer in that profession. There are several reasons for my departure. I believe that too much goes on in schools that does not relate directly to the academic education of our children. It is true that children are expected to learn the culture of their society in schools, but we are not placing a strong enough emphasis on the academic portion of their education.
Ten years ago I taught fourth grade for the first time and was very surprised to find that most of the children did not have the multiplication tables memorized. I set aside ten minutes every day to practice and very soon my students all had memorized the tables. I also found that many of the students could not use basic phonetic skills to sound out words and beyond that they could not understand the words that they could read.
Now, I am certain that as some of you are reading this you are thinking that I cannot write very well. Therefore who am I to talk? Keep in mind though that this is stream of consciousness writing and has not been edited thoroughly. I am talking about the very basics of education, not the more complex skill of writing an essay.
As I see it the root of the problem is the need of American families to have two parents in the workforce.When I was a child I could not always have all of the clothes I wanted, but I always did have what I needed. I never went cold, or hungry for that matter. My mother was at home with both my younger brother and myself until we had both finished first grade. After that mile marker was met we went to the homes of our friends after school. Those homes always had an adult at home and we were supervised.
Parents are an intergral part of a child's education. They should be teaching their children the touchy-feely stuff that schools have been burdened with recently. As a teacher I was required to discuss and reinforce self-esteem as a part of the school district's curriculum. I also had to explain to parents why these items were important to their childrens' education and life in general.
That was ten years ago, today there is tobacco education, anti-drug education, and sex education, but rarely art or music education. Why are parents not discussing drugs and sex with their children. from what parents ahev told me in the past and what my friends who have children tell me, they are too tired after they get home from work. Going over homework, discussing the school day, and generally showing interest in their children are less important than having a Mercedes and a Navigator and a quarter-million dollar home. Hello out there are you hearing what I am saying? Things are more important than people. When did that happen?
This time of year materialism is even more evident than at any other time of the year. Parents are working overtime to buy expensive gifts for their children so that the children know they are loved. Why not take a hour or even a half an hour daily to interact with your child, maybe even read a bedtime story so your children know you love them.
Back to the topic. I don't teach elementary school any longer because the emphasis is not on academic education. Why not try some emphasis on children succeeding academically, musically, or artistically to increase their self-esteem instead of the activities many school counselors suggest that children know are canned. I purposefully left out athletics because that is another pet peeve entirely.
Ten years ago I taught fourth grade for the first time and was very surprised to find that most of the children did not have the multiplication tables memorized. I set aside ten minutes every day to practice and very soon my students all had memorized the tables. I also found that many of the students could not use basic phonetic skills to sound out words and beyond that they could not understand the words that they could read.
Now, I am certain that as some of you are reading this you are thinking that I cannot write very well. Therefore who am I to talk? Keep in mind though that this is stream of consciousness writing and has not been edited thoroughly. I am talking about the very basics of education, not the more complex skill of writing an essay.
As I see it the root of the problem is the need of American families to have two parents in the workforce.When I was a child I could not always have all of the clothes I wanted, but I always did have what I needed. I never went cold, or hungry for that matter. My mother was at home with both my younger brother and myself until we had both finished first grade. After that mile marker was met we went to the homes of our friends after school. Those homes always had an adult at home and we were supervised.
Parents are an intergral part of a child's education. They should be teaching their children the touchy-feely stuff that schools have been burdened with recently. As a teacher I was required to discuss and reinforce self-esteem as a part of the school district's curriculum. I also had to explain to parents why these items were important to their childrens' education and life in general.
That was ten years ago, today there is tobacco education, anti-drug education, and sex education, but rarely art or music education. Why are parents not discussing drugs and sex with their children. from what parents ahev told me in the past and what my friends who have children tell me, they are too tired after they get home from work. Going over homework, discussing the school day, and generally showing interest in their children are less important than having a Mercedes and a Navigator and a quarter-million dollar home. Hello out there are you hearing what I am saying? Things are more important than people. When did that happen?
This time of year materialism is even more evident than at any other time of the year. Parents are working overtime to buy expensive gifts for their children so that the children know they are loved. Why not take a hour or even a half an hour daily to interact with your child, maybe even read a bedtime story so your children know you love them.
Back to the topic. I don't teach elementary school any longer because the emphasis is not on academic education. Why not try some emphasis on children succeeding academically, musically, or artistically to increase their self-esteem instead of the activities many school counselors suggest that children know are canned. I purposefully left out athletics because that is another pet peeve entirely.
