Re: Elementary school teachers

Nancy Sattler (nsattler@TERRA.CC.OH.US)
Tue, 4 Feb 1997 08:35:45 -0500

Bret,
Your idea of having elementary teachers specialize is used in Fremont, Ohio.
When my children were in the elementary grades they had two teachers
beginning in fourth grade. The teachers did specialize. I believe they
chose to teach whatever subjects they wanted to teach. These seemed to work
in most cases. However, some of the ideas that my children were taught in
science were as scary as the ones that have been discussed here dealing with
mathematics.

I would also like to thank Jodi for her question about mathematics.
Although I replied directly to her, I have enjoyed reading the comments
about what a person can do with a math background. My son will be
graduating from the University of Dayton in May with a dual degree in math
and economics through the college of Arts and Sciences. I told him that I
would send him some of the information that I have read from this listserve.
Thanks for all of your input! Cort (my son) has his first job interview
today with Saturn for a job as a financial analyst, another job for the
mathematician.

Nancy J. Sattler
Terra Community College
Fremont, OH 43420\
nsattler@terra.cc.oh.us

At 11:18 PM 2/3/97 -0500, you wrote:
>I've been reading with interest the thread started with the questionms about
>elementary math ed lasses. I, too, have taught that class and have become
>discouraged by the fact that the content is so "weak" that many students who
>dislike math (are math-negative) still pass the course.
>
>Someone mentioned within a response an idea that I think has merit. I
>wonder if anyone else agrees. I'd like to modify it slightly and be a
>little more specific:
>
>Why not starting in the 4th (or maybe even the third) grade, don't we
>certify elementary teachers into two "subject areas"? They could either be
>math/science teachers or English/Social science teachers. Aren't third or
>fourth graders ready to have two teachers. (I don't think first or second
>graders, in general, are.)
>
>Not much we can do about it, but does anyone else think this idea has any
>merit?
>
>
>
>Bret Taylor Lake-Sumter Community College Leesburg FL
>
>"It matters not the subject taught, nor all the books on all the shelves.
>What matters more, yes most of all, is what the teachers are themselves."
> John Wooden
>
>John 3: 33 + 3
>