The allegedly "woke" campaign to eliminate advanced classes in the name of equity has gotten out of hand.
Here's just the latest report on that issue, coming out of Virginia. This one on a plan to eliminate advanced math courses before 11th grade, all in the name of equity.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/virginia-accelerated-math-courses-equity
In the opposite side of the country, Seattle is eliminating its programs for gifted students, all in the name of "equity".
https://reason.com/2020/03/26/seattles-school-system-has-begun-dismantling-its-gifted-programs/
What's my take on all this? This is what I just posted on facebook.
I'm tired of allegedly "woke" activists who want to get rid of advanced courses in the name of "equity". Eliminating advanced courses will do 100% PURE NOTHING in achieving equity! I've been in mixed-level class and THEY ARE A MEGA-DISASTER! Smart kids get bored & frustrated, the lower-level students also get bored & frustrated, teachers have a hard time getting everyone up to speed, and classroom behavior becomes chaos! Once that happens, weaker students get bullied and so do the teachers!
I've seen this happen WAY TOO MANY TIMES as both as a student and substitute teacher! Let the advanced students have their own classes where they're surrounded by fellow students with the same interests and competence (I've seen that situation too, and it's a lot less chaotic). Let the lower-level students be in their own classes where they don't feel overwhelmed! And the students in the middle don't feel that their needs are ignored by the pandering to advanced and lower-level students!
I've seen the failure of mixed-level classes so many times, that if I'm having a bad day and somebody tells me "we need to get rid of advanced class in the name of equity", I might blow up at them and show them my middle finger! The trauma of experiences with mixed-level classes is really that bad!
============
Some of this allegedly "woke" idiocy is supposed to "help" people like me, an under-represented minority, a descendant of Latin-American immigrants. These allegedly "woke" jerks have no business speaking on my behalf! I say THE HELL WITH THIS so-called "equity" crap!
The most humane thing to do is teach the students at their level!
If the student is proven to be advanced, put them in advanced classes! It's an insult to their intelligence to be teaching them the same crap they've already learned years earlier! Also, putting them in non-advanced classes makes them targets of bullies jealous of their intellect! Some of the victims cope by pretending the be dumber than they really are! I've seen it happen way too many times to count!
If the student is proven to be a lower-level learner, put them in classes for lower-level students. Too many times, I've seen lower-level students struggle to keep up with more advanced peers! You think their peers wouldn't notice? OF COURSE, THEY WOULD! That makes them targets of bullies who can't relate to those student's learning disabilities. I've seen that happen way too many times too!
Also, my experience teaching in such classes without assistance is madness. Some students need more individualized assistance, and that's nearly impossible to do in a class of 20+ students of varying levels. When the students are in a class of similar learning & achievement levels, these classes run smoother!
It's this stupid idea of people students of various levels into one class with only one teacher that makes teachers burnout and quit! It's this kind of crap that made me not want to become a full-time teacher! The stress isn't worth the pay!
But the allegedly "woke" demand for "equity" by eliminating advanced classes will only make the problem of retaining teachers worse!
To hell with these allegedly "woke" idiots! The hell with their feelings and buzzwords. The education and mental health of our students is too important into giving in to these allegedly "woke" morons!
========
PS: The ones who I call "allegedly woke" claim to speak for the oppressed but they're making the problems worse. I'm not going to honor them by saying they are truly woke, because they're not!
