Steve
June 28, 2010 / 19:40

I know what you mean. I remember once talking to a 10-year-old cousin who didn't know the months of the year and days of the week.

"What comes after February," he asks.

"March," I tell him.

"That means my birthday's soon! January...February...March...Tuesday...June...August...January..."

"I don't think you've got it quite right," I break in.

"Ok...I'll start again. March...January...Sunday..."

"What grade are you in again?"

"5."

"Wow!"

"Yup."

And off he goes to focus on something else while I try not to put my head through a window.

Steve
June 28, 2010 / 19:42

I forgot to ask. Your kids didn't try to fail, did they?

dale
June 28, 2010 / 20:41

Elementary school K-Gr8 is different than high school wereby kids do fail in high school & have to repeat courses especially in grades 11-12.

Students in K-Gr.8 is a "babysit" & just move them on & let others deal with situation later.Many kids repeat Gr. 12 as can't enroll in post secondary due to marks & all starts at Elementary grade level.

Steve
June 28, 2010 / 21:46

Which is exactly why we need to get back to holding kids back early and making sure they have the skills they need to survive in high school and beyond. It scares the hell out of me that the generation coming up is going to have to take care of me when I get old.

Frank the Tank
June 28, 2010 / 22:24

Grade failing became abolished right around the time that Ontario's common sense revolution started.

Money became tight and holding a child back costs dollars and cents. Then came standardized testing which has bastardized the education system, but that's for another time.

Then came a generational shift in a parents approach to kids and also how kids behave. As has been documented the current generation and the one coming up are the most narcissistic on record. Why? It's because every parent tells their kid they can be president and when a teacher shows that their kid might only be able to pick up garbage parents freak out. It becomes a fight to give a child a report card that truly reflects their ability. Imagine parents demanding their child's C be turned into a B in Grade 1. If anyone thinks it doesn’t happen they are oblivious. In a society where teachers are no longer allowed to use red pen because its too negative it becomes a state of pussification of this generation.

I could go on for hours, because it then moves to Principals not allowing children to fail because a fail becomes a reflection of the school and so on and so forth. Then all of a sudden failure rate sky rockets in Grade 9.… Gee I wonder why

Diz
June 28, 2010 / 23:06

When I was in grade 7, I noticed that our grade structure went from A through to E. A through D were passing grades (obviously, D was barely passing, but I digress) and E was failing.

So, I asked my teacher why it wasn't an "F" - and he said that the Scarborough Board of Education suggested that getting an "F" would be considered psychological harming, so an "E" was a nicer way of saying that YOU SUCK or whatever.

Wow.

For the record, I was in grade 7 in 1988.

jason | getyouroj.com
June 29, 2010 / 16:23

...and that's why kids in public school can't:

pay attention
spell
tell time
get a job
understand basic concepts

TCN
June 29, 2010 / 16:23

Frank and Diz have it right on.

Kids today are a product of parents who are right 'round the bend.

The entire system is chiefly concerned with the "self-esteem" of the child.

Good teachers are tiring of bashing their heads against the wall and eventually even the best of the bunch become "bad" teachers.

It's a cycle of horror.

Sky Captain
July 1, 2010 / 14:47

@Steve, Frank, Diz, TCN: I suggest that you learn about education issues first before you open your mouths, please.

@Mike: Please don't encourage them to talk about education anymore..

Alchera
February 1, 2011 / 15:20

I would love for someone to take the growing poverty level and link it to the time that kids stopped failing. A kid who can't read= an adult who can't get a job and so the cycle begins. Why do we have so many on welfare...lack of education and litteracy so the reports tell us. No kidding?!!? Isn't it time that School Boards worked on Reading and Writing and not "self-esteem" and "ability to negotiate" My children's last report card didn't even have marks just lovely things telling me that they needed work on independant study or could do better at "peer associations" ummm yeah 0.o

Alchera
February 1, 2011 / 15:20

I would love for someone to take the growing poverty level and link it to the time that kids stopped failing. A kid who can't read= an adult who can't get a job and so the cycle begins. Why do we have so many on welfare...lack of education and litteracy so the reports tell us. No kidding?!!? Isn't it time that School Boards worked on Reading and Writing and not "self-esteem" and "ability to negotiate" My children's last report card didn't even have marks just lovely things telling me that they needed work on independant study or could do better at "peer associations" ummm yeah 0.o

Slayers
January 19, 2012 / 01:31

My cousin is in grade 7. She does not know how to read. Just goes to show on how much our education system has fallen. How is it even possible for someone to go through 6 years of school and not know how to read.