Having spent 41 years in public school,five years teaching at the college level and also conducting 40 workshops for teachers and parents, I shall now try blogging to return some sanity to our public education.

Currently we are imposing a world-class curriculum on millions of third world American kids. Born in poverty, raised with drugs and alcohol with no literacy exposure, these kids come to our schools so poorly prepared for the current system. They are told to be quiet, sit still and fill out mindless worksheets all day(even though they can't even hold a pencil). The poorest children are the most at-risk..They move right from the school system to the prison system because of the failure of the schools to change...We incarcerate more prisoners per capita than any other industrial nation on earth. As I always say, rich kids get educated, poor kids get incarcerated!!!!

Last year I spoke at Oxford University on my beliefs. My European counterparts agreed that American education is in too much of a hurry to begin literacy. In Europe they allow their children to play, laugh, dance, explore nature and sing for several years before beginning reading instruction. They do not have formal reading instruction until six or seven years of age. Many of these nations have 100% literacy rates so they cannot be all that wrong,,,
We know the kids that need more time and a completely different approach (music, movement, hands-on activities) the second week of kindergarten but we just provide our old "one size fits all" program. It is discriminatory and immoral to continue this path!!!!