by Peter S. Pierro (Author)
The Joy of Learning is being replaced by numbers on a test sheet - We must do something about that Our Children are Children - they are not machines or chips to be used in the high-stakes testing game. Children must be Free to Learn. Teachers- the people who care about our children and know how children learn and grow must be Free to Teach. The Valued Relationships - Parent and Child; Parent and Teacher; Teacher and Child, have always been treasured. Political systems are replacing them. Maturation and Readiness - Children are being asked to learn skills before they are developmentally ready or able. "Standards" are not reachable. The Intangibles - The Arts; Music, Art, Literature, Drama; are being lost. Children's excitement in learning is not being acknowledged. The American Public School System - one of the great movements in the history of the world is in jeopardy.
Author Biography
Dr. Peter S. Pierro is a graduate of Northern Illinois University. He began teaching in a one-room rural school with 19 kids in grades one - eight. He has taught grades 4-6, junior high school mathematics, and has served as an assistant superintendent/curriculum and testing in a K-12 school system. His masters degree is in elementary education with emphasis in reading and individualized learning. His doctorate is in curriculum and testing with research in spelling and sensory learning. Dr. Pierro taught at Elmhurst College in Illinois, Langston University in Oklahoma, and the University of Oklahoma. His courses include Historical Foundations of Education, Educational Psychology, Reading and Math in the Elementary Grades, and Tests and Measurement. He has served on doctoral committees and with teacher evaluation associations. He has been the college supervisor for hundreds of student teachers and entry-year teachers. Among the books he has authored are, The Family Team, Growing and Learning, and The Coach's Toolbox.