I have a few days left being a 3rd Grade Teacher and maybe ever being a full time classroom teacher.  I start my journey of being a Principal soon.  So as I leave a classroom, I am going to rant a little.I am tired of parents pretending they care about their child’s education and learning process when they just want A’s on their report card.  I know this is how they grew up and how they learned.  I grew up in this same philosophy.  My parents grounded and punished me if I came home with anything lower than a B.  I will not and do not want my boys to be in an education system like that.  From the age of 2 my oldest son has played video games on the DS and Computer.  He even plays on my XBox 360 and Wii.  My son amazes me with what he can do.  He knows how to get to his favorite website on the computer, Play House Disney.  He knows how to play every game on there.  A few nights ago he was playing a game where he had to look at a picture and put objects where they were in the picture on a blank screen.  He got everyone right.  Oh and he only had like 30secs to do it.  He has beaten Lego Indiana Jones 1 and 2 on the DS without our help.  He tries something and if it doesn’t work, he tries something different.  He does get frustrated at times as we all do.

I am fed up that computer classes across the nation are 1 time a week for 45mins.  INTEGRATION!  As Chris Lehman has said many times, “Technology should be like oxygen – Ubiquitous, necessary and invisible.”  My son is learning that there are certain tools that do a job better.  Just like he knows ask mom a question about cooking and me a question about sports or technology.  My son from an early age knew that our iPod was for music and movies.  He knew that cell phones was to talk to grandma and grandpa.  My younger son is learning these tools and what they are for now.  My older son knows that my iPod touch has his spelling game on it and he knows how to unlock it and get to his game.  I do not fear he will delete anything of mine.  My son knows how to trouble shoot technology… as he knows one of his DS games you have to blow in (reminds me of my days with the original NES) to get it to work.  Each classroom should be a trouble shooting department.  We should be troubleshooting curricular issues that will touch on the main topics we want to discuss in each class.

Schools need to be rebuilt, Teachers need to be retrained, Parents need to be retaught, Students need to be the most important aspect of Education and our lives… Sorry about the Rant, I just wanted to get it off my chest.  The picture is of my older son as he graduated from Preschool last night!