Need a way to measure just how far our public school system has fallen? Check out this test!

http://www.blackinformant.com/education/are-you-smarter-than-a-1954-8th-grader

I imagine that public education has actually improved in the areas of math and science. Maybe if we got rid of some of those history COACHES and actually hired some history TEACHERS, social sciences may improve as well. English skills have probably deteriorated, but not because teachers don't teach it. English is an immersive subject; if students hears redneck speak or Spanish thier whole lives, there's not much a teacher can do about it. My children speak well because I expect them to, and I take full responsibility for that. Maybe if more parents took thier jobs more seriously, we wouldn't have a generation of lazy students who feel entitled.

I wish all parents felt as you do. Parents are their child's first teacher and their expectations for their child has to be high.

Math improved? Kids today can't count back change from a cash register correctly even with the amount showing on the machine! Happy for your kids speaking well. Would you be the one who helped them with "thier" spelling too?

So you are saying "coaches" can't teach? Are all History teachers coaches? Do coaches just teach history, or do they teach other subjects? You are uninformed and ignorant! I know this for a fact "parent", if a history teacher was to give that test to an 8th grader or even a 12th grader you "parent" would call and complain and pitch a fit. You would blame the history teacher for your child failing, just like you blame coaches when the team loses or your child doesn't play. Society today doesn't take responsibility, they want an excuse and someone else to blame.

Actually, I'm an education major who is about to graduate. My content area is history, and I have no interest in coaching -- I'll be a history teacher because I love history. That being said, I would wager a guess that 90% or maybe more of my classmates in my content area chose to teach history because it's "easy" and they can coach. They're not really shy about telling you that straight up. It really is one of the only subjects that you can get away with using worksheets and pre-made tests and not do much teaching. Think about it -- you kind of have to know what you're doing to teach science and math. English may be an option, but you'd have to go through a lot of writing classes to graduate -- something most aren't willing to do unless they truly enjoy it. I would like to say that I agree with you, but sadly, I've realized in the last few years that history is the go-to subject for people who want to coach instead of teach. There are plenty of coaches who are great teachers as well, and I certainly have no problem with coaches in general. Sports are a very important part of school, and I applaud them for donating their talents and time to coach students, often with no extra pay. But you're always a teacher first, and there are many coaches who seem to forget that -- not all, maybe not even most, but some. And that's coming from a person who has literally sat in classes listening to people who will be teaching kids in less than a year talk about how they just plan on using textbooks, worksheets, and vocab exercises and "not have to worry about it." That's just the way it is. Also, I would like to point out that, when I was in school (in Cullman), I had ONE history teacher that wasn't a coach from 7th grade forward. Aaaannnddd I barely learned anything. Just saying.

Thank you for that enlightening message. I appreciate your honesty.

In 10 years (probably less) history classes will be taught online. That's a shame because that is a subject that kids really need to learn and understand.

So true. I remember moving here from another state when my daughter was 6 years old. She asked her teacher where the bathroom was and the teacher said down yonder. Well never having heard the expression my daughter asked where is that. The teacher sent her to the principle for talking back and being a smart mouth. According to her everybody knows where down yonder is.

I remember reading some sample questions from a test kids would have to take in 1900 before graduating from eighth grade. It would be considered higher college-level work today.

Our system has fallen so far that it's scary and depressing.

..from the mouths of 'teachers' here. Too many people are of the opinion that there is actually such a thing as 'common English'.

I hope you talked to the principal and I also hope that the teacher was chastised.

that would be "principal"

..we're scoring higher in math and science, then 'imagine' is the operative word. We're not scoring higher in anything but the bar is constantly lowered to the point that our fifth graders will soon be praised for knowing their colors.

Need a way to measure just how far competitive sports have fallen? Check out this game where the loser was decapitated in a ritual sacrifice! Now that's motivation! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamerican_ballgame#Human_sacrifice