Kelly Flynn Tackles the Learning Problem that Dare Not Speak its Name
Guest post by Kelly Flynn.
Teachers and corporate reformers both refuse to acknowledge the real roadblock to teaching and learning. It's an unspoken pact: teachers will not talk about the biggest roadblock to teaching and learning. They'll talk about all sorts of other things, things you've heard a million times before: that it's hard to teach a hungry child, a frightened child, or a sick child.
They'll also talk about the students they love, kids who have succeeded in spite of deplorable home lives and serious learning disabilities, kids who are kind, empathetic, funny, and wise.
But they refuse to talk about the elephant in the room because it has become politically incorrect to do so.
And that elephant is this: bad behavior, student apathy, and absenteeism are the real reasons schools "fail."
If every child listened in class and did their schoolwork, most would be