I had a terrible day teaching today.

[no_hypocrisy]

A 12/13 yo student didn't know:

1) who Patrick Henry was,
2) whether he was a colonist or British, and
3) couldn't choose when prompted with "Give me liberty or give me death".

No, she wasn't punking me (unfortunately). She honestly didn't have a clue.

Location: a suburban town in NJ.

[unblock]

1. Who is this guy and why does he have two first names?

[YOHABLO]

2. Why not just tell them who Patrick Henry was. They're not going to know. Get rote.

At that age their minds are still in development. They're thinking about music. That's all they care about. Well, that and their sexual prowess. The music industry has done a mind trip on them.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

3. Had there been a reading assignment that she didn't bother to read?

You're not giving any context, and I'm not terribly surprised that a kid that age did not have a clue who Patrick Henry was. Unless she'd already had a full year of American history. But I'm guessing she is now finally in an American history class.

While it's important (at least I think so) that she learn who he is, it's not at all shocking or even surprising that she hasn't yet heard of him. History simply isn't taught in elementary school. Maybe it should be. But it isn't.

So I'm hoping you patiently taught her and all of her classmates all about Patrick Henry today. You are a teacher.

[BigmanPigman]

4. Did you teach that in a lesson and it should have been known?

What class was this in and what were the previous lessons?

[TexasProgresive]

5. I hear you, but in my experience that age group seems to wake up in a new world every day.

What the learn is in their brain but clouded by other important (NOT) stuff. If they are taught well their minds will clear one day. That's our hope.

[NCDem777]

6. I blame the overuse of bullshit projects and the hatred of rote learning

$20 says her previous teachers spent so much time on happy-time projects that they never actually got to the Revolution. Or if they did, she got so focused on trying to make the project look nice that she forgot what the project was supposed to teach.

Education culture today says that rote learning in all its forms is evil. Everything must be a poster or group project (where inevitably one good student does ALL the work). Everything HAS to super-entertaining or the kids will just DIE of boredom. They've never been taught HOW to sit down and crack open a book. How to study even when they think it's boring.

So when they get to college, or even a class that can't be turned into one long string of projects, they're shocked when they realize the professor isn't going to stop the class for two weeks for an art project. They just keep moving forward and if ya don't adjust, you fail. Many of them do.

The problem people have is that they don't consider rote learning "true" learning, whatever in the hell that is. They brush it off as meaningless drilling. To that, I have a question.

When sports teams need to learn a new play, do they go to practice and do posters about the play for an hour?

When you want to learn an instrument, do you do a diorama about it?

No! You drill baby drill! Even when it bores you. Even when you'd rather do anything else in the world. You push forward. When teachers are turning everything into an artsy spectacle for the bulletin board to make the class "fun" you aren't teaching the kids that drive.

[CRK7376]

7. This dinosaur is a

lecturer....and students in my high school hate lectures....they and the admin want 20 min of notes max, then projects/group events/powerpoints and some reading.....so rather than become extinct, I am having to evolve and including more tech in the classroom, more projects and less lectures...grrrrrrr! Don't feel bad, my 9-12th graders don't know Patrick Henry either when I first start lecturing about him.... Some even recite his speech when assigned an oral report...memorized speech they choose from including Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, Sojourner Truth's "Aint I a Woman", Meriwether Lewis "On America", Theodore Wright, Abigail Adams"Don't Forget the Ladies" and John Brown speech before his hanging.....Lovely state of education we have......sad, sad, sad.

[NCDem777]

8. I always liked more lectures

It was easier than having to explain (for the millionth time) that cerebral palsy and arts and crafts do not mix. Particularly when arts and crafts could make or break a grade.

The lecture-based teachers saved the family lots of money too. Instead of spending a bunch of cash at Hobby Lobby, I got some extra video games for good grades.