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The Fourth Grade Syndrome- When black males decline academically

LoveSupreme

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“You don’t need a white woman, you need a psychiatrist”

“White male conspiracy to control the world”
 
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I think that conspiracy theories very rarely lean into accountability.

When will we talk about the lack of character development being taught to young children? School starts in the community.
 

Schoolmarm

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I think that conspiracy theories very rarely lean into accountability.

When will we talk about the lack of character development being taught to young children? School starts in the community.



Character development should be taught at home. Boys have to be taught that being scholarly is cool.

My nephew has 5 years on my son and said he hates to read in front of him. Now my son is saying to the same thing ! Boys are heavily influenced by their peer group.
 

DZbornak

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I don’t know. 4th grade was the first year my kids got actual grades based on work they did and my son excelled. He continues to excel in 5th grade.
 

ChihulyGlass

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This is true. There is a transition in third grade. You go from doing packets and worksheets, to managing loads or homework, having to study weekly and in some cases take notes. Higher grades are more test oriented. If you come into Kindergarten without knowing your alphabet and having reading deficits once you enter the Third and Fourth grade you're going to experience hardships. I had a coworker to do her dissertation on this very theory. Kids tend to give up after this grade. I have seen honor roll students turn into C students around this time period. Some overcome their obstacles others don't. Yet it starts with the parents. You have to work with your child at home. It can't all be the teacher's responsibility. Kids should know their numbers and letter before starting Kindergarten. If I were a parent I'd start teaching them how to read and write sight words.
 
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ChihulyGlass

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I don’t know. 4th grade was the first year my kids got actual grades based on work they did and my son excelled. He continues to excel in 5th grade.

That is because you probably put a lot of work into tutoring your child outside the classroom. Many parents do not.
 

Schoolmarm

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This is true. There is a transition in third grade. You go from doing packets and worksheets, to managing loads or homework, having to study weekly and in some cases take notes. Higher grades are more test oriented. If you come into Kindergarten without knowing your alphabet and having reading deficits once you enter the Third and Fourth grade you're going to experience hardships. I had a coworker to do her dissertation on this very theory. Kids tend to give up after this grade. I have seen honor roll students turn into C students around this time period. Some overcome their obstacles others don't. Yet it starts with the parents. You have to work with your child at home. It can't all be the teacher's responsibility. Kids should know their numbers and letter before starting Kindergarten. If I were a parent I'd start teaching them how to read and write site words.



In grade 3 you stop teaching to read and begin reading to learn.
 

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My 4th grade year was wonderful. It was my last favorite school year. I was regularly on the A Honor Roll with an exception of a few times. 5th grade is when I first started to have a few problems and then I began feeling a little discouraged. 6th - 8th grade were my junior high years and my grades took a backseat to everything else going on in my life. I was worrying more about fitting in and some moderate bullying was happening. I didn't understand math once the alphabet got involved.

In high school, I failed the ninth grade and had to repeat it.
Fortunately, I graduated on time. My best academic year was my re-fried freshman year. I was trying to makeup for my wrongs and was thinking about taking dual credit during my junior year but my mother said no. I probably could have been either a diesel mechanic or a regular auto mechanic making bukoo money.
 

Lucious Lioness

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In grade 3 you stop teaching to read and begin reading to learn.

This! 3rd grade is when the curriculum switches to a higher level of proficiency and assumed knowledge called “cognitive academic language proficiency”. What it refers to is the cultural competency, vocabulary, and literacy that a kid is expected and assumed to acquire inside and outside of school. These competencies are traditionally based on middle to upper-class whiteness, and can include basic knowledge about folklore to idioms. For this reason, many non-white students don’t have the experiences, exposure and conversations in their home environments to prepare them to communicate and comprehend effectively.

Schools, unfortunately do not fill these cultural gaps. This is why parents are supposed to expose their kids to a wide variety of material when they are young. We can fight about the fact that our academic culture is white based, but the truth of the matter is that literacy is essential no matter what culture or content you prioritize. Parents need to scaffold their children’s at home learning and reading experiences and include self-affirming and diverse materials to prepare them for the school environment. And although it is sad that we can’t rely on schools to prepare our kids, the fact is we can’t, so parents need to exert greater control and stop saying “the schools don’t” because they won’t.
 

ChihulyGlass

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This! 3rd grade is when the curriculum switches to a higher level of proficiency and assumed knowledge called “cognitive academic language proficiency”. What it refers to is the cultural competency, vocabulary, and literacy that a kid is expected and assumed to acquire inside and outside of school. These competencies are traditionally based on middle to upper-class whiteness, and can include basic knowledge about folklore to idioms. For this reason, many non-white students don’t have the experiences, exposure and conversations in their home environments to prepare them to communicate and comprehend effectively.

Schools, unfortunately do not fill these cultural gaps. This is why parents are supposed to expose their kids to a wide variety of material when they are young. We can fight about the fact that our academic culture is white based, but the truth of the matter is that literacy is essential no matter what culture or content you prioritize. Parents need to scaffold their children’s at home learning and reading experiences and include self-affirming and diverse materials to prepare them for the school environment. And although it is sad that we can’t rely on schools to prepare our kids, the fact is we can’t, so parents need to exert greater control and stop saying “the schools don’t” because they won’t.

I agree with most of your statement. I really enjoy your input. It just reads as if you're blaming the schools for not exposing children to a wide variety of curriculum. I could be wrong, but it is not that the schools aren't preparing our children. It is the parents that are not taking enough responsibility for socializing and working with their kids outside of school hours. Teachers can't do it all.
 

Lucious Lioness

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I agree with most of your statement. I really enjoy your input. It just reads as if you're blaming the schools for not exposing children to a wide variety of curriculum. I could be wrong, but it is not that the schools aren't preparing our children. It is the parents that are not taking enough responsibility for socializing and working with their kids outside of school hours. Teachers can't do it all.

I do think schools could do more to create inclusive and culturally responsive classrooms and curricula to better integrate diverse children. There is enough research available for schools to more effectively communicate with children and families so that both are more engaged. However, the buck stops with the parent in my opinion because who is going to be more concerned about your child’s success than you? But at the same time, this is America, and educators should have a better understanding of the challenges families face due to poverty and other factors that reduce their ability to be involved parents.

Bottom line, educators are like cops in that we have more power and should be held to a higher standard than everyday people when it come to how we interact with kids. There are large areas for improvement that we do have control over, and if we made them kids would do better as a whole even if most parents never get on board.
 

ChihulyGlass

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I do think schools could do more to create inclusive and culturally responsive classrooms and curricula to better integrate diverse children. There is enough research available for schools to more effectively communicate with children and families so that both are more engaged. However, the buck stops with the parent in my opinion because who is going to be more concerned about your child’s success than you? But at the same time, this is America, and educators should have a better understanding of the challenges families face due to poverty and other factors that reduce their ability to be involved parents.

Bottom line, educators are like cops in that we have more power and should be held to a higher standard than everyday people when it come to how we interact with kids. There are large areas for improvement that we do have control over, and if we made them kids would do better as a whole even if most parents never get on board.

I'll take that. There is always room for improvement. Yes, the curriculum could stand to be more culturally diverse. Also, there are parents who really can't be involved. That puts students behind. Maybe I am just being biased and venting my own frustrations. I just feel like teachers try, but when you have kids that come into the class being disruptive, or parents who feel like everyone owes them something, it is hard to teach to the best of your ability, because you have to discipline or dumb down the lesson for kids who are in the 10 grade but read on the level of a 3rd grader. I get hear you are saying. Don't think it is going in one ear and out the other.
 

StarlessSky

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I agree with most of your statement. I really enjoy your input. It just reads as if you're blaming the schools for not exposing children to a wide variety of curriculum. I could be wrong, but it is not that the schools aren't preparing our children. It is the parents that are not taking enough responsibility for socializing and working with their kids outside of school hours. Teachers can't do it all.

Agreed. Most of these public schools are barely making financially. So they don’t have the money to offer robust curriculum. And the teachers are overwhelmed. Not only with teaching, but the pressures of ensuring their students pass standardized tests, otherwise their jobs could be in jeopardy. And don’t even get me started on dealing with children who have emotional problems due to serious issues at home. It’s a lot that the school cannot take on.

School is not what it used to be and really is just a supplement to what you’re teaching your kid at home. If you’re not putting in the extra work with them after hours to provide the learning they need. Then they’ll likely struggle.
 

ChihulyGlass

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What would you recommend parents do to help their kids succeed?

I suggest placing your child in a good preschool or pre kindergarten program before they start school. It helps kids get acclimated to school and many of the children I've seen graduate from good programs are ahead before they enter Kindergarten. Also, parents have to practice concepts with their children. Teach them how to write their name, teach them their colors, shapes and alphabet. Don't just rely on school.
 
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ChihulyGlass

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Agreed. Most of these public schools are barely making financially. So they don’t have the money to offer robust curriculum. And the teachers are overwhelmed. Not only with teaching, but the pressures of ensuring their students pass standardized tests, otherwise their jobs could be in jeopardy. And don’t even get me started on dealing with children who have emotional problems due to serious issues at home. It’s a lot that the school cannot take on.

School is not what it used to be and really is just a supplement to what you’re teaching your kid at home. If you’re not putting in the extra work with them after hours to provide the learning they need. Then they’ll likely struggle.

It is really behavioral issues that prevent learning. I hate saying this all the time, but some schools are just dangerous. You have issues like kids selling and taking drugs inside the school, that weighs heavy on managing the classroom. There is often no administrative support. So teachers are on their own. Often times, you'll see an educator who has the students sitting in their seats doing busy work, in an effort to manage poor behavior.
 

Lucious Lioness

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I'll take that. There is always room for improvement. Yes, the curriculum could stand to be more culturally diverse. Also, there are parents who really can't be involved. That puts students behind. Maybe I am just being biased and venting my own frustrations. I just feel like teachers try, but when you have kids that come into the class being disruptive, or parents who feel like everyone owes them something, it is hard to teach to the best of your ability, because you have to discipline or dumb down the lesson for kids who are in the 10 grade but read on the level of a 3rd grader. I get hear you are saying. Don't think it is going in one ear and out the other.

I understand, and when I say schools, I don’t mean just teachers. A lot of decisions are made without children or staff in mind. A lot of kids are pushed through when they should not be due to fear of stats or negative interactions with parents, who aren’t involved otherwise. We need more people making better decisions across all levels and consistent funding.
 

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Ba collectively is at this level

If we werent we wouldnt have the "entertainers" that we have

We are in a pathetic dumbed down mind controlled state as tptb planned and executed

We are less skilled then we were in the 1920s

Ignorance abounds and is celebrated as is demontime immorality
 
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I suggest placing your child in a good preschool or pre kindergarten program before they start school. It helps kids get acclimated to school and many of the children I've seen graduate from good programs are ahead before they enter Kindergarten. Also, parents have to practice concepts with there children. Teach them how to write their name, teach them their colors, shapes and alphabet. Don't just rely on school.
Thank you. Mine are past kindergarten but most are still in elementary. I'm working with my youngest daily on reading.
 

Schoolmarm

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I do think schools could do more to create inclusive and culturally responsive classrooms and curricula to better integrate diverse children. There is enough research available for schools to more effectively communicate with children and families so that both are more engaged. However, the buck stops with the parent in my opinion because who is going to be more concerned about your child’s success than you? But at the same time, this is America, and educators should have a better understanding of the challenges families face due to poverty and other factors that reduce their ability to be involved parents.

Bottom line, educators are like cops in that we have more power and should be held to a higher standard than everyday people when it come to how we interact with kids. There are large areas for improvement that we do have control over, and if we made them kids would do better as a whole even if most parents never get on board.




Cops and teachers ( or city workers) are overwhelmed. Police officers may appear to adhere to a lot moral code but it's not authentic. Just like teachers cops become jaded. A veteran teacher I worked with used to tell me " you have to survive". When I was teaching we had to weigh and measure every child at the end of the year. I bought my scale from home and began weighing children during instructional time. My mentor came in my classroom and said " Are you nuts? "Add 5 pounds and two inches to every child and keep it moving."
She did 28 years with the NYCDOE. She survived.

Anyway, you care about the children but you learn to maintain your sanity while providing the best educational experience possible because they often ask for the impossible.

I found that black boys yearn for respect. When I subbed in junior high (blood money) the boys would straighten up when you call them young man. Elementary school are dominated by white women. I'm really for single xes education after 3 rd grade.
 

Schoolmarm

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I'll take that. There is always room for improvement. Yes, the curriculum could stand to be more culturally diverse. Also, there are parents who really can't be involved. That puts students behind. Maybe I am just being biased and venting my own frustrations. I just feel like teachers try, but when you have kids that come into the class being disruptive, or parents who feel like everyone owes them something, it is hard to teach to the best of your ability, because you have to discipline or dumb down the lesson for kids who are in the 10 grade but read on the level of a 3rd grader. I get hear you are saying. Don't think it is going in one ear and out the other.



Children who disrupt the should be pulled out. I'm sorry. Its not fair to the children who come ready to learn. Your classroom management has to be so tight with some of these boys or you won't survive. Lol.
 

ChihulyGlass

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Children who disrupt the should be pulled out. I'm sorry. Its not fair to the children who come ready to learn. Your classroom management has to be so tight with some of these boys or you won't survive. Lol.

You know policies have changed about putting children out? Kids have to kill someone to get put out these days. That's not an exaggeration. They're advocating for alternative schools. Our system's code of conduct states the student can curse the teacher out. I am serious. There was a new section added to the code of conduct. It said that certain infractions were the teacher's responsibility. One was skipping class, the other cursing a school board employee or student.
 

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