The heading of this segment asks one of the most important educational questions facing the very future of our country today: Alternative to what? In a word: parenting. School should not be a place to baby-sit, which is what a lot of parents actually believe. What we need is an alternative system of education that both attempts to meet the needs of everybody, while simultaneously attempting to put value back in the notion of having an education. After all, many kids at home have no role models who value education at all. How can we even start to consider alternatives if the very core of the subject is not regarded as valuable by heads of households, older siblings, or society at large?

I am a teacher who has been in the "business" of teaching for just about two years, and I have served in classrooms both large and small. Currently, I am working in a charter school providing small group instruction for English, reading and writing. In my experience thus far, the one main thing I have discovered is that all students seem to have their own unique and individual learning styles and needs. Also, I have noticed how easily the face of a struggling student can be overlooked as it becomes lost in a sea of peers. Without a strong support at home, students such as these can be easily lost. The question is, how do we bring back the value of education, and put it front and center in the minds of our future generations? There are so many hurdles to overcome that an alternative must be found. Whether in a traditional school setting, or in an alternative environment, an alternative must be found.

Setting aside the issue of politics, (which in itself requires a huge amount of a teacher's energy), let's first focus on the traditional public school setting. I began this school year teaching two classes for sixth grade: Ancient Civilizations and Writing Comprehension. Immediately I saw how difficult it was going to be to reach every student. The class' pace was set by the principal and was the standard for each teacher teaching these courses through the entire school. The idea here was that everybody be on the same "page" for the standardized testing procedures such as mid-terms and finals. For many of the students, though, the pace was so quick that it almost felt like a frantic race just to stay afloat.

Those who were English language learners were the first to get lost in the shuffle. There are so many nuances and idioms embedded in our language

• 1
• 2
• 3
• next page >>

---

Add your voice

Know something about Alternative to what??
We want to hear your view. Write now!