Some Baltimore City Schools Now Passing All Students Who Attend Regularly

Yup, some Baltimore City Schools are passing all students with regular attendance, regardless of their academic achievement. I found this out today from a Baltimore City School teacher, so I know it's not a rumor. I'm going to find Dr.Alonso's address and send him a letter, letting him know of my passionate disapproval.

For those who don't know, I teach developmental (remedial) writing to community college students. Basically, I teach middle school level English to people with high school diplomas who somehow made it through high school without learning how to write. Here is a sample from an essay a student recently submitted. This student is not going to pass my class and came to me crying, hoping I would have sympathy. Students are conditioned that they can pass if they just present their sad story to the teacher, but that just doesn't cut it in college. Here's the writing I received:

"To receive information on how the prison system operate. Many teens have seen prison stories on TV however they have not lived them. Another way to try and rehabilitate the young teens is to allow them weekends inside of the prisons to see the daily life of a convict. Begin able to witness how their life can change for begins a ward of the state."

This is what happens when students do not receive a proper education. How can students possibly receive a proper education when grades do not matter and everyone passes? How does this benefit the student? Adults have the responsibility to be straight with kids, to tell it like it is. Kids need to be told that their skills are below-level and they need to know what to do to improve. Teachers do a great disservice by passing students along.

I have students come to me with letters they have written to the police department to complain of unnecessary verbal abuse and letters they have written to the court system. They want me to see if I can understand what they are trying to say so that their letters will be read rather than laughed at and thrown away. People can't write letters and they can't read contracts. How are we giving our students a chance at life by just passing them through? I think that's the most terrible thing we can do to youth. If they do decide to one day go to college, they'll have to suffer through the shock of realizing that they are way behind where they actually need to be in order to be admitted into credit bearing classes. I know because I teach these students that the system has failed.