tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693471143220681808.post7618070321436444203..comments2023-12-18T07:59:16.525-05:00Comments on Hats and Rabbits: The Wrath of Ptolemy: Why "A" is the New "C" in American SchoolsChris Matarazzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885109959459471509noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693471143220681808.post-41234620956505132602013-06-02T13:09:47.555-04:002013-06-02T13:09:47.555-04:00Sad. But I guess we need to give teachers a little...Sad. But I guess we need to give teachers a little tough love here, too. Someone needs to stand up to the pressure, or nothing will change. It is annoying, too, to see As and hear the "whisper" above, too. It's just a hard tangle to untangle...Chris Matarazzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17885109959459471509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693471143220681808.post-64383254053688513782013-06-02T13:06:17.326-04:002013-06-02T13:06:17.326-04:00Jeff -- I have sat in that very chair, across from...Jeff -- I have sat in that very chair, across from that very student. So true.<br /><br />Your point is well taken on the NCLB issue. True, as well. In fact, it's amusing to note that Obama pretty much just went in and changed its name to turn down the heat, but he didn't really change much about the situation. Chris Matarazzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17885109959459471509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693471143220681808.post-22856231471506609472013-06-02T12:58:17.953-04:002013-06-02T12:58:17.953-04:00As an adjunct for a decade, I've seen how high...As an adjunct for a decade, I've seen how high this extrude-the-student-through-the-system approach can go. A few years ago, I sat across from a tough guy in his twenties who began crying. "Am I really that bad?" he asked. " I get A's in my other classes. When my friends make movies, I write the scripts!" Despite years of supposed oversight by relatives, teachers, football coaches, and even college professors, this young man was hearing for the first time, from me, that he read and wrote at a level years below his actual age.<br /><br />(One quibble: You refer to "Bush's NCLB." Bush proposed it, but it was written by two Republicans and two Democrats. I mention that not to absolve Bush of blame for his role in shaky legislation, but to make sure Ted Kennedy, John Boehner, George Miller, and Judd Gregg bear their share of the blame. Many people complain that the parties should stop bickering and work together; NCLB is what we get when that actually happens.)Jeffhttp://www.quidplura.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693471143220681808.post-26636727119736362013-06-01T07:38:58.282-04:002013-06-01T07:38:58.282-04:00I taught with someone in another state, in a Catho...I taught with someone in another state, in a Catholic school, where mostly well-to-do students attended. This man taught AP sciences--hard sciences like chem and physics. As a scientist accustomed to maintaining the integrity of data, he graded the students fairly and honestly. <br /><br />For his trouble, he was non-renewed because of low enrollment in his classes. So the honest, scholarly, low-earning person was punished for telling the truth about grades.<br /><br />He told me as he packed up his boxes that he'd not make the same mistake again--of being honest about grades.<br /><br />I weep for America sometimes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693471143220681808.post-58799710192567084742013-05-31T18:58:41.215-04:002013-05-31T18:58:41.215-04:00It's a sad state. Worse, it feels like a trap ...It's a sad state. Worse, it feels like a trap to educators around the country.Chris Matarazzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17885109959459471509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693471143220681808.post-20202118658182127712013-05-31T18:48:20.878-04:002013-05-31T18:48:20.878-04:00Thanks be to GOD that THIS WAS FINALLY SAID!Thanks be to GOD that THIS WAS FINALLY SAID!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693471143220681808.post-80030985955323138482013-05-31T18:47:15.830-04:002013-05-31T18:47:15.830-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Salmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01206913799119716624noreply@blogger.com