Designing Lorri

Working on 3rd grade lesson plans. Much different than Kindergarten, but at least it isn’t middle school. I am excited to teach, but there is just so much to prepare. It is a little frustrating that Common Core has plagued Pinterest and other places with its filth, I have to search and search for Classical Methods. I don’t blame my dislike of Common Core on the public school teachers, I blame it on the government. No politician should ever be in control of what is taught in a school. No child should have to be bombarded with tests and so focused on passing tests that learning becomes a chore, rather than something enjoyable. I feel sorry for the teacher’s students who are suckered into believing their system is good. For those who have seen the light, welcome to the world of home school and private education.  

I have been working on lesson plans on and off all day. I am on break now. I have been remembering my own education; going between public, to private, to home school, then back to public. I have experienced all the options, and just feel that any option that pushes parents away from being involved, asks children personal questions about their homes and subjects they should not even be aware of, and focuses primarily on standardized tests is not a good option. To many parents are to comfortable with someone else teaching their children, using school as a babysitter rather than an educator. They don’t help with homework, they don’t read with their children, and they expect their kids to grow up and go to college for free. The public school system needs to be changed.

As I look over all these books that are based on Classical Methods of teaching, I realize so many skills that are being lost. Cursive is going away, memorization is not as important, and student teacher interaction is cut to a minimum.

Why is cursive important: many historical documents are written in cursive. If you can’t write it, you can’t read it. Many old letters and manuscripts were written in cursive. It is just a good skill to have.

Why memorization is important: brain power. I do not think I need to get into detail. It is like doing sudoku. Using your brain is good for your brain. Picking a poem or selection to memorize can increase the ability to recall facts when needed.

Why student teacher interaction is important: Have you ever gone by a school playground and noticed children playing? What are the teachers doing? Sitting (or standing) around and talking to each other.  They aren’t down on the ground with a stick of chalk instigating a game of hopscotch, they aren’t playing catch, and they aren’t monitoring child interactions that could prevent bullying. They are separate. They are not engaged. Why would a child sit in a classroom and listen to a person who would rather gab with other teachers than pay attention to their students?

One of the most encouraging teachers I had, ran and played with us. She read us Harry Potter and did the voices. She talked to us and asked us what we thought about things and was excited about every triumph each of us made. I never even noticed having to prepare for a test, even though we did take them. Now once again, I am not bashing public school teachers. This teacher I just spoke of was a public school teacher. The thing is, the tests have become more important to the public school system than the students.

Ah, but I digress. Back to lesson plans.