Reporting on key Nebraska K-12 education issues on a daily basis from Susan Darst Williams, a writer who lives at the base of Mount Laundry, Nebraska. To subscribe to this blog's mailing list, and see a variety of other education features and information, visit the main education website, www.GoBigEd.com
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Friday, April 22, 2005
Posted
10:53 AM
by Susan Darst Williams
I’m always taking guff for urging schools to use Spalding Phonics and Saxon Math in the itty bitty grades. I’m convinced the traditional, back-to-the-basics approach is best. Of course, it’s cheaper and far less labor-intensive, so the unions and school officials hate it and try to discredit it.
They act like the basics are prehistoric – like those of us who advocate for them are throwbacks to the Wilma Flintstone days. Like we’re in LaLa Land when it comes to grasping the superiority of their costly, now-and-wow, guru-based, Age of Aquarius curriculum. Sigh.
So it gives me great pleasure to point out that the exemplary charter school from Thursday’s story on Go Big Ed about school choice . . . the one in Phoenix that is nationally recognized for academic excellence . . . the one that produced the winner in the recent statewide geography bee and absolutely mooshes its competition in the Phoenix area, uses . . . drum roll, please . . . Spalding Phonics and Saxon Math.
See for yourself: www.valleyacademy.com
Maybe I should quit acting like polite, reserved Wilma Flintstone in pointing out that the curriculum and methods in most Nebraska schools, K-2, is keeping our kids in caves, academically speaking.
Maybe I should be more like . . . BAM-BAM!!!
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