 Drama: October 12, 2005 Issue [#659] |
  Drama
This week: Edited by: InkyShadows  
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Drama occurs all around us each and every day in our ordinary lives. What we do with that drama makes all the difference in the world. As writers, we should be filling notebooks with ideas for stories based on real life happenings that we have witnessed. Then, we need to look back at those notes and mold and blend them into wonderful works of fiction for all the world to read
~InkyShadows~ |
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Last time when I wrote my letter to you, I wrote about the trials and tribulations of being a teacher. Well, one of my readers wrote back and told me that I should count myself lucky and try thinking about what it is like for the students, having deadlines to meet, papers to write and studying to do along with all the scads of homework we teachers throw at them. As I thought about what that reader had written, I realized that the reader was right. Students do have it hard these days, and even though all teachers had been students at one time or another in their lives, the demands on us were infinitely lower than those placed on children today by our educational system. And, I thought that maybe, just maybe, if I could distance myself from my teacher role long enough, I could possibly find fodder for my next story in the educational system's treatment of children now.
Thinking back on my own education, I recall having consumer math and basic math in the 7th and 8th grades. Now, there is a push to move pre-Algebra down into the 7th grade and Algebra I down into the 8th grade for every student, regardless of ability level since the high school test that is required for graduation is being given earlier in the 11th grade and students need to have Algebra II in order to pass that gatekeeper of a test. By moving Algebra I down to the 8th grade level, the thinking is that students will get Geometry in the 9th grade and that all-important Algebra II in 10th grade so that they will be fully prepared for the high school test by the beginning of 11th grade. What this fails to take into account is that there is also a state mandated test given in the 8th grade, and that by focusing solely on pre-Algebra and Algebra I in the 7th and 8th grades, the students are losing out on many of the skills that they need in order to pass the 8th grade test. So, what is the district administration's response to this complaint? They tell us to teach the new courses along with the old material at the same time!
Because of the administration's mandate that we are to teach double the course load in the same amount of time, we are in danger of burning our students out, as well as oversaturating them to the point that they simply cannot take in anymore information. And when students seem to be at the cusp or just below it for passing the 8th grade test, we are told to put them into both after school and Saturday programs to bombard them with as much math, science and language arts as we can before the testing date rolls around. I seriously doubt that I would have been able to learn, much less to enjoy learning, at the current frenetic pace that children today are forced to endure, and I was a relatively good student who strove to learn all that I could.
Then, if the students fail the 8th grade test, they are put into regular math, science and language arts classes in high school along with remedial courses in whatever test areas they were unfortunate enough to have failed...even if only by one point! And, they are kept in those remedial classes until they pass the high school test and get their diploma, or fail it and get only a certificate of attendance for their four high school years.
On top of the educational pressures, many students also face problems at home. Over the years, I have taught students whose father shot and killed their mother and then killed himself, students whose relatives abused them, students who were pregnant with twins in the 9th grade or who had multiple abortions by the age of 19, and students whose parents were in jail and who were fending for themselves in a world that just didn't seem to care about them at all. The list of things that students have told me about over the years goes on and on. I have no idea how these youngsters find the strength and resiliance to go on and not only get an education but actually go on to make something of themselves.
Talk about your basic drama! There are probably several books worth of material in what I have heard from my various students during my 20 year career as a teacher, and believe me, it isn't getting any better. One of these days, I'm going to have to sit down and jot down some notes and an outline for a book that will recount some of the more amazing stories I have heard and praising the children who overcame the odds and did become viable and influential citizens in their own right. |
Here are some dramatic pieces for you to ponder and savor. But, don't forget to rate and review any pieces that you choose to read from this list...
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#1021049 by Not Available. |
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#801337 by Not Available. |
| |  | John (ASR)
A tear-jerking tale of a father's love, and the ultimate gift before his passing.
#1020671 by Beauregard Vine |
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#1020858 by Not Available. |
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#995756 by Not Available. |
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#885924 by Not Available. |
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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Hope you found something of interest in this newsletter. If you did, please respond and tell me about it. If you didn't, please respond and tell me what you would like to see in my next newsletter. Also, let me know what pieces you would like me to highlight in my editor's picks section -- address your submissions to me so that I will be able to add them to my list.
Till next time, have fun and hope no one catches you at it
~InkyShadows~ |
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