No Child Left Inside Act and environmental education

The “No Child Left Behind Act,” has most schools so focused on new testing and curriculum requirements (in language and math) that environmental education is being pushed out of our schools. Hands-on, experience-based environmental education can reconnect kids to the natural world. It will help prepare our children for jobs in environmental fields of the future. We must demand that our children receive a well-rounded curriculum that includes real life experiences.

As a result, the U.S. Congress is working to pass the “No Child Left Inside Act” to get our young people learning outside and reconnected with nature through environmental education. Senator Jack Reed from Rhode Island and Congressman John Sarbanes from Maryland are the lead sponsors of the No Child Left Inside legislation.

The No Child Left Inside coalition also recently released a compelling video where you can see firsthand how environmental education is connecting children with the natural world. Go ahead and join the coalition today! Tell your congressmen and women how you feel about narrow focus of “No Child Left Behind.”

When children can’t tell the difference between a want and a need

Jim Fay, co-author of From Innocence to Entitlement: A love and logic cure for the tragedy of entitlement has major concerns about the rapid growth of entitlement in our young people and its threat to the American way of life. He cites the examples below as ways “entitlement beliefs” are debilitating our youth:

High need for goods and services

Low pressure to succeed or hold down jobs

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High amount of time to party

Low amount of time to devote to effort toward accomplishment

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High expectations of others

Low ambition

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High resentment for those who would require them to achieve through study and effort

Low appreciation for the opportunity for an education

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High demand for entertainment and excitement

Low awareness of the sacrifices made by their parents

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High willingness to defy society’s traditional rules and values

Low respect for adults and leaders

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High inclination to find substitute “highs” such as alcohol and drugs

Low respect for society’s traditional rules

The foundation for these beliefs start early in life and parent who fail to set reasonable limits for behavior (including character traits) start this problem. Today’s kids can’t distinguish between a “want” and a “need.”

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY MUST BE REINFORCED!

Kids need to learn how to get what they want through effort and struggle. Parents must set and enforce limits and boundaries. Early education is the key!

Learning for the sake of learning

Immediate gratification is what our children are learning to expect when we know that for all good things you must wait and work hard!

Fortunate are the kids:

• Whose parents let them struggle for, and earn, the things they want.
• Whose parents “match their funds” for large purchases after the child have worked hard to earn his portion.
• Whose parents expect them to be responsible around the house and in school.
• Whose parents set loving limits, give their children reasonable choices and allow consequences for those choices.

In many states we are paying students to learn but we aren’t even paying for professional development opportunities for teachers to learn more and do different for today’s kids. If teachers want to go over and beyond for quality professional development opportunities relative to their needs – they must PAY the conference fees, travel, hotel, meals and either are reimbursed a few weeks after returning or not be reimbursed at all.

Have we asked employers how they will feel about this new “entitlement mindset” becoming a fixture in their workplace?

• Underachievers… doing just enough to get by
• Always expecting something in return for any work done
• Always given so will more than likely wait for more and complain when it is not offered

Are we ever again going to be able to say, “She always goes over and beyond the call of duty”?

Money has a way of bringing out the worst in us… how will we handle the cheating epidemic that will arise?

Children need to learn that you get what you work for and not a check for simply attending and possibly cheating to get more.

Paying students for grades is not teaching it puts more value on money than on personal goals. The reverse of this for teachers is the same – some want to given monetary incentives to teachers for good test scores, which defeats what we know is good for students.

Students don’t go to school for that one test at the end of the year. Students go to school to learn how to study, connect information and make sense of the world we live in. Money, even for teachers, would corrupt the system.

Why is paying kids to learn so bad?

The number one trait 21^st century companies are looking for in their employees is innovation.

Innovation is a creative process where you don’t always succeed the first time. “Learn and earn” type incentive programs imply that learning and test scores are black and white. However, we know those who understand the gray are the real winners in society and in the workplace.

Monetary incentives are out of touch with one of the key factors needed to best promote achievement in children – an intrinsic desire or at least an appreciation for the endeavor of learning.

It takes building an academic culture in schools and homes to nurture this, not building a payment structure.

We must address these questions:

• Why don’t children get intrinsic satisfaction from learning in school?
• How can we fix this failing of education?

Let’s pay our children for those things that would cause them to take more pride in their schools, communities and service organizations. Things like:

• Tutoring younger children
• Cleaning up the school grounds
• Assisting with sports programs for younger students
• Researching healthier menus for our school cafeterias and create plans for implementing them

Back in the day, motivation and reward came intrinsically from a fear of failure. You studied and worked hard because failure simply wasn’t an option. Now we offer numerous choices for those who aren’t bothered by failure – GED programs, alternative schools and summer school to name just a few.

What do bribes teach children?

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The surest way to raise selfish, rude, contentious, unhelpful children is to have low expectations for what they can and should offer the family and community!

Early education is the key!  Teach them to become a responsible citizen who loves to learn and you will not need money or alternative programs for those who fail because they simply will not except failure.

Link-Ed is a great website for connecting parents with education

Their mission: 

LinkEducation connects children with education opportunities by making it possible for parents, educators, and organizations to find programs and resources in their communities.

You can find all kinds of resources and events in your local, state and national area.   This website was one of the finalists for the IDEA BLOB - $10,000.00 idea of the month competition. 

Go on over to their website and see what you can learn and if you have anything to add!  Early education is the key to success in school and life!