[etni] Letter to my sons principal

From: "David R. Herz" <drh16@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2012 11:34:55 +0300
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I thought I would share this with my ETNI friends.  It is not so much about
English teaching as it is about the time wasted in test preparation, but it
might be a fun piece of writing (I'll give it a title and you can submit it
to the ministry for approval) to use/analyze in a five or seven point class.

 

Dear Principal X:

 

 I write in the spirit of dialogue that you invited at the beginning of the
year.

 

I write because I am troubled that my dear son Y does not seem to be
fulfilling the simple assignment I have set out for him, which is, each day,
to learn something and have fun.

 

I asked him yesterday what he had learned in school, and his reply was
"nothing."  While this response is not surprising for a teenager, I did not
allow the conversation to end there.

 

As we discussed his day, he indicated that in math, the class was practicing
for the Meitzav.  They were practicing something that he has known a few
years already.  When I asked why they continue practicing something they
know, he indicated that the teacher commented that when they can do it 100%,
then they can move on.

 

This troubles me on a number of levels.  The first is that understanding of
concepts in math is not correlated to perfect execution of those concepts.
Indeed even very young children are capable of understanding advanced
concepts, but at the same time are notorious for making mistakes in
calculation.  For me, it is much more important that my child learn the
concepts of math, their interplay and their beauty, than that he be able to
execute them perfectly every time.  It is true that perfection comes with
practice, but it must also be on a foundation of understanding.

 

I have repeatedly gotten the impression that my son's math classes are less
about understanding new concepts in math, and more about applying certain
formulas in certain limited contexts, especially as they may appear on
tests.  While this may be easy to measure and grade, it does nothing to
inspire a love of the subject and to cause students to want to learn more.
Instead of building on a natural curiosity, it kills it.

 

I am further troubled that valuable time that should be spent on learning
new concepts is wasted on test preparation.  The Meitzav, as its name
implies, is intended to take a snapshot of the level of student achievement
in a school.  To waste time trying to prepare for it actually reduces the
level of student achievement.  This is time spent not learning something
new.

 

It also sends a very poor message about the priorities of the school.  It
says that the school cares more about how it looks to the ministry than how
it serves its students.  If the school would care more about how it serves
its students than how it appears on an exam, student achievement would
actually be greater and exam results higher.

 

It is also highly disrespectful of the students and the parents.  I send my
dear son to school to learn and to enjoy learning.  Instead of coming into
an environment that respects those goals, he is asked to perform
mind-numbing repetition of known concepts.  Precious time is stolen from his
life for nothing.  He is too "good" and too respectful to walk out of class,
but I wish he would.

 

So on to the dialogue.  What is your vision of the purpose of this school?
How do the environment you create and the "teaching" that goes on contribute
to this purpose?

 

My vision is that school should be a place where students' curiosity is
piqued and where the space is given to explore and develop a life-long love
of learning.  When this is achieved, students will continue learning outside
of the classroom, and there will be no need to worry about how they will
look on the Meitzav, because they will on their own have advanced beyond the
basic level the Meitzav requires.  Where it is not, students come to see
school as a chore and a bore and a usually frustrating waste of their time.
This is not how I would like my children to perceive school or to view the
prospect of "learning."

 

I look forward to your reply.

 

Yours truly,

 

David R. Herz

drh16@xxxxxxxxxxx

 <mailto:davidrherz@xxxxxxxxx> davidrherz@xxxxxxxxx

 

P.S. This was sent to the principal in a particularly broken Hebrew,
assisted by Google.  If anyone would like to help me come up with a more
professional translation, I would like to submit this as a letter to the
editor.




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[etni] Letter to my sons principal

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