What did you learn in school today?
Thursday, September 9, 2010 at 06:43AM An update on an old Tom Paxton song by Pikku Myy from Susan Ohanian's website. John Pederson's post, I will not look at naughty on the Internet and Will Richardson's A Parent 2.0's Back to School Dilemma somehow brought it to mind...
(I have a frog shirt too, Lars)
What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine?
What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine?
I learned that I must pass a test
To sort the learners from the rest
That winners win and losers lose
And TAKS test scores is how they choose
And that's what I learned in school today
That's what I learned in school
What did you learn in school today, dear little girl of mine?
What did you learn in school today, dear little girl of mine?
It matters what my parents earn
I'll get better grades with cash to burn
If I don't speak English I can't be smart
And no more music and no more art
And that's what I learned in school today
That's what I learned in school
What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine?
What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine?
Workbooks fill my empty mind
So that I won't be left behind
I'm learning how to play the game
And all right answers look the same
And that's what I learned in school today
That's what I learned in school
What did you learn in school today, dear little girl of mine?
What did you learn in school today, dear little girl of mine?
Learning's just a job I do
From seven thirty til half-past two
And all my interests have to wait
'Til I drop out or graduate
And that's what I learned in school today
That's what I learned in school
I hope for Lars Pederson and Tucker Richardson and my grandson Paul (above) and all the other kids starting school today, this is just nonsensical satire.
But in some schools, I am afraid it isn't.
Reader Comments (6)
A sad but true commentary on our times.
Hi Guusje,
And it seems to only be getting true-er. (Is that a word?)
Doug
While what you say here is true to some extent, there's lots of good things going on too. I'm focusing on these for a while. I love to see my at-risk students smile as I greet them at our classroom door. Those smiles help keep me going.
Hi Elona,
I agree with you. In fact my post from the day (or two days) earlier said about the same thing. I think to usually find whatever you are looking for - good or bad!
Doug
Funny how a satire can hit all of my biggest fears about my children's education.
The closer to the truth, the sharper the satire.
Doug