Dr. Yvonne Fournier

Normal 0 0 1 686 3912 32 7 4804 11.1282 0 0 0 Dear Dr. Fournier: I recently volunteered for a program through the company I work for to be a mentor in an after-school program for adolescents in the Inner city. Now I'm not sure what I should be doing. I went to a training course and a lot of it was on motivation and being a role model for them. At the orientation, one political official got up and spoke of how he grew up in the housing project and he made it in life. I grew up in the same city and the housing projects when weren't the housing projects of today. I was not impressed, and I can't imagine that it has a positive effect on kids today. To be honest, there aren't many of us adults who have any idea of what these kid's lives are like. How do I become a role model for what they should do with their lives?  Jason T. Detroit, MI Dear Jason: ASSESSMENT: ... (more)

A Vision of the Schools of the Future

Dear Dr. Fournier: I read your March 8th article and agree with your advice.  I’m an architect and trying to imagine how the new technology will manifest itself in the school facilities.  If classrooms become more like wi-fi media centers (no more eggcrates) and media centers more like retail bookstore environments, what sort of resistance do you anticipate coming from educators and stakeholders?  It seems like everyone is ready for a paradigm shift, but not sure about acoustics or control over students.  What do you think? Dana D. Orlando, FL Dear Dana: ASSESSMENT: The ... (more)

Hurried Curriculum 3.0: Is It Kindergarten or Third Grade?

  Dear Dr. Fournier: I’ve read many of your articles, and know that you are not a fan of accelerated curriculums because children need to be given a chance to develop.  This article caught my eye and I thought you might be interested in commenting on it. Bridget M. Knoxville, TN Dear Bridget: Thank you for sending the article.  It is a sobering reminder that the point about hurried curriculums cannot be stressed enough. ASSESSMENT: In 1987, I was collecting data on curriculum acceleration to get a sense of the depth of the epidemic.  I drew on some past experiences with... (more)

In the Face of a Hurried Curriculum, Focus on Responsibility

Dear Dr. Fournier: My daughter started kindergarten this year, and she is doing fine. However, in looking down the road at the workload the school is expecting of the first and second graders, I cannot help but worry. I’ve heard parents talk about hours of homework, tutoring, and having their children tested. Already I hear the children called lazy and careless. Many parents of these first and second graders feel that neither they nor their children were prepared for the amount of work or the high expectations placed on their children. I don’t want to go through what I hear th... (more)

Interrupt the Pattern of Homework Despair

Normal 0 0 1 555 3165 26 6 3886 11.1282 0 0 0 Dear Dr. Fournier: Last year, both my son’s attitude and execution concerning his homework was a disaster, and I am afraid the pattern will repeat itself this year. For the homework to be neat and well done, I had to sit with him. If I didn’t have the time or energy, he would rush through. Last year, his teacher didn’t ask for his homework everyday, so my son began to gamble on not hav­ing to turn his homework in. When he did turn in his homework, he got low grades and I received notes on his messy papers as if it were my fault. I ... (more)