by Dr. Pelham Mead, June 2020

With the coronavirus forcing change in the educational system in the USA and around the World, new solutions need to be applied. Here is a theoretical approach that I a teachers of 45 years experience would recommend. I call this method the one, two, three approach. One is for the Teacher involved in educating the student. Two is for the Support person or new position called a Counselor for Learning and Three is the Parent. Let me begin with the obvious three prong approach, the teacher. Teaching is more than lecturing and notes on the blackboard. Teaching is about motivating a student to read and do more than the facts taught. Learning concepts and applying them. Using facts to solve real life problems and challenges. The second position is the Counselor for Learning. This is not the traditional guidance counselor, but a professional that guides students through home assignments and projects. In addition they spend some time listening to student problems and life challenges, disagreements with parents, etc. Position number three is the parents who is the past have seen schooling as baby sitting while they work. Parents for the last few decades no longer share their child’s learning and assignments. They are too busy. They cannot understand modern Math and they do no read to keep ahead of new issues. It is the role of the Parent to provide a learning environment at home by having magazines available to read, shutting down the TV for study time, limiting video games and student addiction to fantasy shooting games with Nazis always being the bad guys. Parents that are involved with their children’s learning are the one that will have the most success. The problem in minority homes is there is no one but grandma around to teach the children anything. Alcohol in minorities and drug abuse in rich families have a direct effect on student learning.

Support institutions suc.h as temples and churches play a role in character development don’t forget. Community centers and after school sports teach good sportsmanship and positive qualities in competition. The real world is all about competition and whatevr a child can learn at a young age about dealing with competition and enjoying the challenge carries over to a work ethic. There are no free lunch in the real world. Students must learn to research, read, and apply reading lessons to real life development.

The One, Two, Three approach is pure theory, but not far from reality. Perhaps we should try it?