Comments on: First Day of School, 2008 http://whatever.scalzi.com/2008/08/25/first-day-of-school-2008/ I FORGET WHAT EIGHT WAS FOR Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:58:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: wendyb_09 http://whatever.scalzi.com/2008/08/25/first-day-of-school-2008/#comment-43316 Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:15:31 +0000 http://scalzi.com/whatever/?p=1454#comment-43316 Hope @ #59 – I’d like to believe that after the Olympic performance China showed the world for the last few weeks, China will be added to curriculums everywhere!

I suppose most states have even dropped the requirement that their own state history be taught at some point. I seem to remember New York state history was mandated in Jr. High when I was a kid. Which was ok, because the class trip was an overnight to a state historical site of some sort. We did Cooperstown historical restorations, and the Baseball Hall of Fame. Pretty cool for a bunch of 7th graders. Long ride though.

]]> By: Pegkitty http://whatever.scalzi.com/2008/08/25/first-day-of-school-2008/#comment-43318 Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:29:37 +0000 http://scalzi.com/whatever/?p=1454#comment-43318 @52 and 55:
Don’t forget, in western PA, we NEED to have the Monday after Thanksgiving off, for the first day of deer huntin’ season.

]]> By: Catherine Shaffer http://whatever.scalzi.com/2008/08/25/first-day-of-school-2008/#comment-43317 Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:54:59 +0000 http://scalzi.com/whatever/?p=1454#comment-43317 Here in Michigan, it’s the LAW that kids can’t go to school before labor day. How about that, eh? I like it. As to school time invading summer vacation, I think we all know what the problem is. Midwinter break! Whose idiotic idea was that? I hate midwinter break. It is ONLY fun if you can afford to travel somewhere warm. Otherwise it’s just a week of wasted time, more often than not stuck inside because of horrible weather outside. Down with midwinter break! Boo!

My son has zero enthusiasm for starting school, even the first day.

]]> By: hope http://whatever.scalzi.com/2008/08/25/first-day-of-school-2008/#comment-43315 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:44:23 +0000 http://scalzi.com/whatever/?p=1454#comment-43315 Wendy B @ 57

For a million years, since the dawn of time, sixth graders in Ohio have studied ancient civilizations–Sumer, Egypt, India, China, Greece and Rome. Guess how many questions on the standardized social studies test dealt with these topics? None. Goose-egg. So they dropped everything but Egypt, Greece and Rome, and stuffed a section on US Government into the middle of the year. They re-take Government in Middle and High School. Most of them never see anything about China.

]]> By: SF Fangirl http://whatever.scalzi.com/2008/08/25/first-day-of-school-2008/#comment-43314 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 06:09:12 +0000 http://scalzi.com/whatever/?p=1454#comment-43314 I grew up in south Louisiana. I think it’s weird to start school after Labor Day and to still be in school in June. I also find it surprising that most states don’t give a full week week off at Thanksgiving (the LA teacher’s union used to meet at the beginning of that week so no teachers) and don’t give spring break to coincide with Easter week beause for me that’s the way things were until I started moving around anf found out differently. I do not find it odd that nobody else gets off for Mardi Gras though. We knew the rest of the US didn’t celebrate it.

]]> By: Wendy B http://whatever.scalzi.com/2008/08/25/first-day-of-school-2008/#comment-43313 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 04:29:36 +0000 http://scalzi.com/whatever/?p=1454#comment-43313 aahh, Hope @56: considering the number of kids that had to unexpectedly attend summer school here in Georgia in order to retake their mandatory 8th grade math progress tests, I guess we all know how well NCLB is working in this state!!

Seems no one bothered to teach the teachers what they needed to know in order to teach the children what they would need to know in order to pass their tests. Threw out the failing Social Studies test for the same group for the same reason, but decided they all had to retake the math test. Apparently more kids failed the social studies test than the math test!

The state blamed it on teachers not being familiar with the new curriculum for the new tests.

Oh, and the state knew it was expecting a higher than normal failure rate on the new tests…Looks like the only one’s benefitting from the standardized tests in Georgia are the people creating the standardized tests…

Hey, I’ve got an idea – instead of sending millions of dollars in aid to that other Georgia, send some of it here to THIS Georgia to fix the problems the NCLB has caused!!

]]> By: hope http://whatever.scalzi.com/2008/08/25/first-day-of-school-2008/#comment-43312 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:53:06 +0000 http://scalzi.com/whatever/?p=1454#comment-43312 Has anybody mentioned that the early start to the school year is, in many cases, a side effect of No Child Left Behind? The school year in Georgia, I understand, starts earlier so that they have more time to prepare before the standardized testing. Another reason I hate NCLB.

]]> By: Adelheid http://whatever.scalzi.com/2008/08/25/first-day-of-school-2008/#comment-43311 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:03:20 +0000 http://scalzi.com/whatever/?p=1454#comment-43311 In Western PA school started today for most schools. I know, I drive to work in Pittsburgh and there were young people at bus stops and big yellow vehicles on the roads tying up traffic. :-)

In similar news, my daughter started her final term in college today. I think she would still say the same thing as Athena.

]]> By: Rob Wright http://whatever.scalzi.com/2008/08/25/first-day-of-school-2008/#comment-43310 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:46:18 +0000 http://scalzi.com/whatever/?p=1454#comment-43310 Here in New Mexico, the district my mom teaches at had the kids start back Aug 11, some districts started the week before then and others the week after. For college my first day back this semester was Aug 2, a thursday, which is weird, usually the university has the first day of classes on a wed, give everyone a half week to get back into the swing of things.

Weather wise temps have been hitting mid-upper 90′s with the humidity all over the place due to our monsoon season.

]]> By: erin http://whatever.scalzi.com/2008/08/25/first-day-of-school-2008/#comment-43280 Mon, 25 Aug 2008 23:15:42 +0000 http://scalzi.com/whatever/?p=1454#comment-43280 canada: school starts tuesday after labour day :)

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