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Katy Citizen Watchdog$ |
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We’re Taxpayers. It’s Our Money. |
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Some Books For Parents |
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Most parents don’t have time to read “HOW TO” books on parenting, so my list here is short. The best reference book I’ve run across that explains the intricacies of “restructured” education is William J. Bennett’s The Educated Child: A Parent’s Guide from Preschool Through the Eighth Grade. Mr. Bennett, a former Secretary of Education, understands completely the intent, jargon, and purposes of the reform movement. If one does not know what “outcomes-based education” is, or what “teachers as facilitators” means, or what the pitfalls of “cooperative learning” are, or why “multiculturalism” is out of control, or what the “standards” movement is, one needs only to hit the Contents section to find the page number for the answers. If one has any curiosity at all about what the public schools are doing with one’s child, then this book is one to read. Mr. Bennett addresses every conceivable educational issue, and the wisdom exemplified makes this book worth the read. My other recommendation is the series of books by E. D. Hirsch, Jr. called The Core Knowledge Series. The plan was for the series to go from preschool through the sixth grade. I have the volumes beginning with What Your Kindergartner Needs To Know: Preparing Your Child for a Lifetime of Learning through the fifth grade version. They are tucked away for my grandchildren. These books are based on Hirsch’s premise that to be fundamentally educated one must acquire early on a basic grasp of the culture in which one lives. He does not dismiss other cultures; he ascertains that one’s national culture should come first. He points out that building starts with a good foundation. I have watched with interest Katy ISD’s KMAC software program that was foisted on teachers in the last few years. Like other efforts by our district, this alignment of curriculum seems much like and loosely based on Mr. Hirsch’s Core Knowledge Sequence. I suspect that Mr. Hirsch’s admonitions that curriculum driven by touchy feely quotations like “learning to learn” instead of learning factual knowledge might apply to the KMAC effort. Hirsch urges parents (without being pushy about it) to supplement the instruction their children receive at school with some parent-guided efforts at home. Sometimes such a task can be overwhelming, but Hirsch makes it appear to be fun. Spending time with one’s own children shouldn’t be too much of an effort, and if Mr. Hirsch’s instructions are followed, the time spent can be quality time. Mothers AND fathers can do the things that are necessary. My first clue (amazingly) that my Katy ISD educated kids hadn’t received a proper cultural education--at least in American culture--came when the Disney movie “Pocahontas” came out. My then 21 year old son said, as he passed through the living room where the Good Morning America Host was talking about the movie, “Who is Pocahontas?” I’m as guilty as his schools are for this lapse in his education, and I don’t want anyone else to suffer this same embarrassment. These books are all available, used, from www.Alibris.com or other used book stores. I got all of mine from Katy Budget Books, but they are cheaper on line.
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Mary McGarr, Katy Citizen Watchdog$ |
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Date: 11/12/2005 |
