Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments American Education Week Experiences

Well, this week is American Education Week so many of us probably dutifully went to observe our little (or not so little) ones at school. What were your experiences? Thoughts?

I don't know whether to be happy/relieved/grateful or horrified. On the one hand, several teachers came up to volunteer complimentary comments regarding DS11/DD11 and most of the classes were conducted at a reasonable pace. On the other hand, I witnessed the disturbing "range" of ability/achievement in DD's over-inclusive pseudo-GT Pre-algebra class just as she herself is coming to realize that she probably should have chosen a one-year acceleration when DS underwent his 2nd acceleration two years ago.

Huh...never heard of it.

Nevertheless, I saw my son in action in the media center today though practicing with his math Olympiad group...they were working on the team competition part ...he did five problems with a group. It was fun listening to them work together. Tomorrow they work on individual competition.

Hmmmm - it's suppose to be national. I have been visiting schools during American Education Week since 2001. Check out the National Education Association site. www.nea.org

I've never heard of it either!

Quantum, I hope the school is flexible enough to accelerate your DD if she wants it!

The link shows AEW is an event created by a teacher's union. Therefore this event would be recognized in public schools where that teacher's union may be of strong presence. This would exclude many private, independent, and parochial schools.

The NEA website states that "American Education Week (AEW)" was founded in 1921, "with the U.S. Department of Education joining in 1922".

However the U.S. Department of Education did not exist in 1922. The U.S. Department of Education website states that "ED was created in 1980 by combining offices from several federal agencies." No doubt a predecessor agency was involved with AEW.

The NEA website further states that AEW was formed "for the purpose of informing the public of the accomplishments and needs of the public schools and to secure the cooperation and support of the public in meeting those needs". Sounds like propaganda for a tax hike?

The website of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) shows the national average expenditure of approximately $12,000 per student, with more than half of that going to teacher salaries & benefits.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) shows average salaries for 2012: Kindergarten and Elementary ($53,090), Middle($53,430), High School($55,050) teachers.

These figures exceed the 2012 median salary of $51,371 as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau. Unlike other professions, teachers have summers off, and are generally reimbursed for ongoing professional development.

Unfortunately, American Education Week does not seem to be about raising awareness of the educational needs of the gifted.

Thanks, st pauli girl!

Hmm. I am only familiar with several states and just assumed that most other states participate. I guess it's mostly an organized way for schools to accommodate parent visits with minimum disruptions by congregating most parents on the same days. Our schools always stressed that parents are welcome to visit other days and I actually had to do that one year due to my work schedule. Anyhow, it has always been a nice opportunity for parents to socialize with one another.

Thankfully, DD is the type who is fine with staying with the group and taking it easy. I have been providing challenges in the form of competition math just so she doesn't get stuck with that 100% mentality. I don't want her to skip half of Pre-Algebra (which is really Pre-Geometry as well) and half of Algebra even if it's really easy now as I am always concerned about that solid foundation. Unfortunately, it can be an extensive process getting tested first by the school and then the district and reorganizing her schedule so we are looking at 3rd quarter if we wanted a change.