Nutritional Learning

There is no doubt that children learn best when they have healthy bodies and brains. The research has shown time and time again that by giving children the diet and opportunities for exercise that their body needs, their academic achievement will improve. I have noticed that children many times do not eat the school lunches that are provided and choose not to exercise when given the opportunity. Obesity in this country is increasing at an earlier age and at an alarming rate. What can we do to encourage our youth to change their habits and become more fit human beings?

Religion in Schools

Religion in schools is a typical debate that brings out many interesting viewpoints. I agree with the foundation that out country was built upon, the constitution, and its belief that all religions are welcome and the separation of church and state. I feel that the absence of religion in schools has created an ever increasing hostile environment that is losing grasp on discipline and values. One proposed way to remedy this problem has been through character education. Character education makes an attempt to show children ethical behavior and moral beliefs, but it fails to show a link between the teachings and a purpose. When these things are taught in a religious context, they promote a way of life that the whole in that set works towards. It is not necessarily an independent goal, but rather a collective goal. Maybe schools should look at putting all religions that harbor good character traits into schools and have them available to all students without recruitment and by choice. Some students may choose to explore the religions to see which is right for them, while other may choose to stay with the religion of their family and continue on in that direction. Those that do not believe in any religion could be given the character education training of old. I think that if it we incorporate religion in schools, many problems that we face could be resolved.

School Discipline

Times are definitely changing. Popular excuses of why adults are wanting to take time off and not provide real discipline for children are: Today’s kids are different, today’s kids don’t respond to discipline the same way we did, and today’s kids are more independent. These are all excuses and invalid reasons for adults to slack off in the teaching of one important aspect in life which is discipline. I am not talking about punishment, although it is connected to the big picture. I believe one of the biggest failures in school discipline is the lack of consequences placed on children who do not perform, create havoc, and commit crimes. I understand that kids are juveniles and deserve second chances. But they should not be allowed to continue their inappropriate behavior or poor academic performance. Children are not old enough to make proper decisions on items that will affect their lives. More and more parents are becoming less involved with their children’s lives leaving the child to make the decisions on whether they will utilize education or not. The school has become less demanding on children and therefore the child is determining whether they will learn or not. How is this fair for the child? I know educators are resentful that many parents are trying to pass the parenting responsibility off on the schools, but we as educators must teach discipline in the schools that will guide children in the right direction.

Title IX

Title IX is legislation created to enforce equal treatment for men and women in athletics. The law requires that the same funds be made available for women’s athletic facilities, equipment, and opportunities that are available for men. This is where I agree on the subject and totally support the theory. The problem that I have with Title IX is the source of the funding and the total number of population being affected. Many times, funds are utilized for equity when equity already exists. An example is that the boys need a new dressing room because participation rates have outgrown the facility size. Well, since the boys have large numbers of participation and need a new dressing facility, the girls must have one too, even though there participation may be dwindling.
Another problem I have with Title IX is the fact that it is used as a scare tactic rather than a supportive function. Many schools that follow the law are doing so as a result of their commitment to do what is right where other schools totally ignore the law. You never here of a school in the State of Georgia being fined as a result of violating Title IX and many do. This is because there is not enforcing of the law. If a law is not enforced, how can one expect it to be followed?

Circle Sixties

How affective is the circle sixty? For several years, many school systems have required their teachers to not assign any numerical score below a 60. The rational behind this unwritten policy is to not place the student in a situation that will allow them no chance of recovery. The problem arises when it is time to pass or fail the child and they have reached a passing numerical grade that promotes them to the next level but have not even come close to learning the proving the mastery of the material from the previous level. This policy in my opinion leaves educational gaps that may seem minor at the present level but will escalate to large proportions due to the lack of true representation by the numerical grade. If a student in math for example is not able to do algebra for the first semester and passes with a 60 (should be a 20), but is good at Geometry and passes the second semester with an eighty, he will move on to the next level not ready for Algebra 2. In the school system where I am employed the promoting of children that are not ready is a common occurrence and with the use of the circle sixty, the supportive evidence to do this has become less allusive. I understand that AYP and Federal funding all depend on children staying on schedule, but when do we forget about all that and make sure our kids receive the adequate education they need.

Do we really need sports in our schools?

Do we really need sports in our schools? Today's educational trend teaches to cooperate rather than to compete and to teach our children that winning is not the ultimate goal. Teachers are required in many schools to break up the rows of desks and place them in groups creating only assignments that must be completed with the help of others in the groups. Maybe team sports are only the ones that really benefit children and those individual sports such as tennis, golf, wrestling, swimming, and track and field should be discontinued. Then again, team sports do not promote the winning of both teams playing but subject students to engaging in activities where strategies are used to create a loosing team. Do we really need sports in our schools? I think competition still plays an important roll in today's life and will always be at the center of the human spirit. If we do not teach out children how to compete constructively, then they will lack the essential skills needed to continue our capitalistic society that we enjoy.