About reading in the public high school.

[Stuart G]

An example of how big city schools work. Where I worked, in the late 70s we had 2 full time reading teachers. Both were highly qualified and taught reading to those students who were a few grads behind. It was an inner city high school so there were many students, but these two did there very best.
..In l979, the city schools (Chicago) faced severe financial problems. They literally did not have enough money to make payroll for the last pay period of 79. So we did not get our pay around Christmas time. After that, there was a work stoppage while the schools, "reorganized" and eventually got a loan from the state..I think we were out for a week or so. When we went back to work, some teachers lost their jobs, and positions were moved around..You know that is what they always do.

.. The two reading specialists who had manageable classes, special labs and were making progress, were put back into regular class rooms with 30 kids. The reading labs were dismantled, and the students who were getting special help, were put back into the large classroom situation where they could get no special help. They were lost in the crowd like they were before

Further, The reading labs were never reestablished. enough said.

[Mist]

1. Apparently, reading is not for the likes of the general populace. nt

[skooooo]

3. nope..

I'm not sure why they bother to teach it after 6th grade.

I hate the ignorance in this country. I work with college freshmen, and too many of them arrive at college with absolutely no knowledge of anything outside their little cocoon of entertainment. I won't bother with examples.

[Occulus]

4. You're *almost* correct

Reading is not to the liking of the general populace.

I cannot begin to tell you the flack and "good-natured" ribbing I get for having my nose in a book. It's sad, actually.

[MedleyMisty]

2. In my rural public high school

there were a couple of seniors who couldn't read. My husband says that here in Charlotte in his high school (which was way better than mine and had IB and was in a rich part of town) there were also seniors who couldn't read.

And I can tell you from my years of working drive-thru at Arby's that the majority of people who came through my drive-thru couldn't read the menu.

There is a reason why it was illegal to teach slaves how to read. Like Frederick Douglass said, reading is the path to freedom. And we can't have any freedom around here, you know.

[TahitiNut]

5. I was in a reading program in my high school in 1960.

It was Reading Comprehension ... including speed reading. That course increased my ability to consume vast quantities of written materials by at least 150% and I've been grateful for it countless times in my life. (Yeah... I guess it'd be called an "AP" course these days.)

:shrug: