2008 - Communication Across the Curriculum (CAC)

E n g l i s h
around 20-25 students, and some studies suggest that number
is too large for a teacher to effectively teach all of the students
(Gilstrap 41). Others argue that standardized testing encourages
“teaching to the test” instead of providing children with a
legitimate learning experience. This argument doesn’t seem to
make sense, though. If students were learning nothing other
than how to take achievement tests, wouldn’t they be passing
them
In trying to get at the deep determinants of student
achievement, Margaret Caspe and colleagues take some
direction from George Santayana, a philosopher who observed,
“A child educated only at school is an uneducated child.”
Schools should not be the sole institutions in which children are
expected to learn. If we look back on our own childhoods, most
of us will likely remember that our earliest lessons were learned
at home with our families. Family involvement in education
should not stop when children are sent off to school, as it is
crucial throughout a student’s entire school career. Studies
show that parents who read with their children outside of school
have children with better reading performance in the classroom.
Additionally, there is a link between children whose parents
engage with them in math-related activities and higher scores
on mathematics achievement tests (Caspe et al. 4).
When I was a child, my mother began instilling the value of
a good education before I even started school. She taught me
to read and write before entering kindergarten. She always
stressed to me the importance of completing college, even
though she had never attended college herself. She never
would have allowed me to miss school for anything other than a
serious illness. Education always came first. She found time to
assist me with my studies or find someone who could assist me
when she couldn’t, all the while working difficult jobs with long,
erratic hours in order to provide a good life for me. I understand
now that this was all because she wanted my life to be easier
than hers was. The lessons she taught me as a child are still a
major factor in my decision to still pursue my college degree. I
now have children of my own, and I intend to set as good an
example for them as she did for me.
Unfortunately, the harsh reality in today’s society is most
parents are struggling to find time to help their children achieve
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