From: "Dave Middlebrook" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Anyway, still unanswered -- for me at least -- is the question of whether
Bill's class is an anomaly or part of a tidal wave of change.
I suspect that Bill's class is more common today than just a few years ago.
I have a theory about what is causing these kids to disengage. It may or
may not apply to Bill's group, but I am fairly certain it applies to kids in
my school.
Under NCLB, we are testing kids more frequently and more intensely AND they
are facing consequences for their scores on these tests. In Florida, any
middle school student who does not score on grade level on the FCAT must be
scheduled into an intensive reading class. One of these kids told me
recently, "I've been in intensive reading since kindergarten. You don't
really think you can help me, do you?" In many cases, these kids feel the
sting of failing. They have decided that it is safer not to try and be
labeled lazy than to try and fail and feel like a loser. Breaking through
this attitude is very tough - not impossible, but extremely difficult and
fatiguing.
Diana
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