This is a cautionary tale from the Philadelphia Daily News. Yes, we're rapidly privatizing schools, building them around wealthy CEOs' uninformed wish lists designed to produce workers. They're using the kids as guinea pigs in this great capitalist experiment, carrying the torch of Ronald Reagan's conviction that public education exists primarily to fund free job training for business.
Hell, what's not to like? Especially when you get to bash teachers along the way:
When the High School of the Future opened amid the rolling green grass of Fairmount Park four years ago, many parents eagerly sought a place there for their children.
On its first day, Sept. 7, 2006, former school district superintendent Paul Vallas and former Mayor John Street rang bells outside the school in Parkside to start the new year.
It was an expansive, space-age-looking facility - dubbed the "Microsoft School" because the company helped design it - where every student was issued laptops and textbooks weren't required.
Now, Ivy Dixon, whose daughter Soleil is among the first group of seniors to graduate after spending four years there, said she and her daughter feel cheated.
"There are too many learners at the school whose college options are limited due to the lack of solid foundations in core subject matters delivered by the majority of inexperienced educators," Dixon told the School Reform Commission yesterday.
Superintendent Arlene C. Ackerman told Dixon that other parents had come to her this spring with similar concerns about students' lacking "foundational skills" as teens began getting the results of their SAT scores and applying to colleges.
"This is not the first time I've heard this," Ackerman said. "We are looking at the curriculum at High School of the Future. We'll definitely be making some changes."
Later, senior class president Quetta Fairy said students were told earlier this year that only 48 of the 120 members of the senior class would be eligible to graduate.
"Now, we can't seem to get any answers on how many will actually graduate," Fairy said.
But she said a number of students feel that low SAT scores have meant they will have to go to a community college.
According to Dixon, and several students who accompanied her yesterday, the school's focus on computer-based learning may have left some students struggling with the basics.
"We don't have any textbooks there, and we need them," Dixon told the commission.
Now, you might think this was some kind of horrible oversight. But was it? Danny Weil over at Daily Censored, a most enlightening piece on Obama's push to privatize education:
You will never see a town hall meeting on ‘standards in education’ on any corporate news channel and not much on other progressive venues either. The policies of Race to the Top are literally destroying lives in cities throughout the nation. According to the Atlantic Journal Constitution:
“Starting with the Class of 2012, every Georgia student must pass four years of math to receive a college prep diploma even if he or she plans to attend a technical school or enter the work force after graduation. Special needs students can appeal to opt out after completing Math III if they stay concurrently enrolled in math support classes and a review of their education plan makes it clear that the course would be the highest level they could achieve” (By D. Aileen Dodd and John Perry The Atlanta Journal-Constitution May 20, 2010 http://www.ajc.com/news/new-curriculum-math-anxiety-532073.htm).
The Atlantic Journal Constitution then went on to note what many of us have been saying, or screaming for years:
“When the state initiated this new era of souped-up instruction in math, pushing students to grasp complex concepts in algebra, geometry and statistics sooner than ever before, the goal was to produce a new generation of college-ready teens to compete globally” (ibid).
There you have it. It is really gets no clearer; the neo-cons are in control of the educational process for their delusional competitive free market that is failing as we read and write. So, in an effort to compete with low paid workers in China in areas of science, math and technology students, “higher standards were passed, standards so high even tutors for kids can’t do the problems. Aker says the program is so accelerated that upperclassmen that used to help her tutor can’t do the math the freshmen do (ibid).
The math overhaul was pushed by state Superintendent Kathy Cox. Now that Cox has announced she will not seek a third term, some parents and teachers wonder whether the program will continue at the same accelerated pace, be diluted or scrapped altogether by her successor. Slash and burn, Kathy and then retire on an administrator’s salary after leaving a wake of bodies and minds under nourished by your vicious policies. Don’t be surprised if old Kathy goes to work for one of the testing companies that is needed to support the curriculum she tube fed teachers and students paid for by tax dollars.
I just wonder when people will start to notice.
Private schools and public schools are disasters.
Private schools manage to teach kids all about gods, goddesses, Body Thetans, flying saucers, global floods, no end of frothingly insane shit. Public schools manage to teach kids about being sorry for themselves, doing the minimal amount of work to convince others one deserves a passing grade.
About 30% of the populace can't tell you which is closer to the Earth's surface, clouds or the Moon. The statistics for other equally depressing stupidity is rampant.
We are a nation of fucked, stupid, fat, willfully ignorant, cult-believing idiots. It doesn't matter what Microsoft does or doesn't do, the problem is pandemic across the board.
"Private schools manage to teach kids all about gods, goddesses, Body Thetans, flying saucers, global floods, no end of frothingly insane shit." LOL, sounds more like moonbat school.
Edit: did the school run OS Vista? That would explain a lot :p
Edit2: Dood, everyone in the world knows that the sun orbits the Earth. Don't call us all ignorant. ;)
Bite my shiny metal ass.
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As the Earth is flat, the sun only goes back and forth.
Wrong. The Earth is round and hollow. That's where heaven is, or a hiding place for Hitler and his Nazi bros.
The Sun going back and forth? Pfft, who are you trying to fool, like no one would notice that one day the Sun would rise from one point and the other day from the opposite point.
Bite my shiny metal ass.
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I don't give a toss.
day because it goes UNDER the flat earth. Also, hell is inside the earth. That's where the oil is coming from. That's also where Dick Cheney is going.
Don't you mock my religion you bigot. ;)
Dick Cheney is going to the 9th circle of hell :p
Bite my shiny metal ass.
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I don't give a toss.
Everyone KNOWS the worls is a Disc, resting on the backs of 4 enormoue pachyderms, who syand astride the carapace of Great A'Tuin, the Space Turtle.
And Cori Celesti, the mountian at the center of the Disc, is the home of the gods.
And the sun is in an eccentric orbit across the face of the Disc, which requires one of the pachyderms to lift its leg to let the sun pass under him.
"Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati" - Red Green
Freedom Ain't Free - Pay Your Share
Turtles all the way down ;)
Bite my shiny metal ass.
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I don't give a toss.
was a fraud.
There are reasons for these "disasters" and they all involve conscious decision-making on a policy level.
Still, I can't argue too much with your last graf. That's pretty damn true!
Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit atrocities.
Public schools work if they are funded correctly and we get teachers there that actually want to teach instead of using it for the perks. Hate to say this because I will get slammed for it but it's a fact. Public school employees go into the position because of the perks. Some of the best in the country. Yet many teachers aren't qualified to teach. The most affordable health insurance and best pensions. I believe in unions but they are hurting our education. Then we can go on with the school taxes that keeps people from owning home. Look at New Jersey. For a moderate home you pay an average of $14,000 a year in school taxes. That's not a misprint. $14,000!!!!.
Don't get me wrong, it's not the teachers fault. It's wasteful spending. Cut back on military that's not needed and it will cover educating our kids. Get a hold of health care spending. Or get rid of the crap in our government. Teachers deserve to get paid a fair wage but so do I. But what they get is some of the best perks in the country. I cannot take it when every year we hear about a teachers strike over wages or benefits when they make twice of what I make.
One of the biggest problems is most of the people on the school boards are the people who make the money in the community who can afford a school tax increase.
is intended to be a factual statement
.....
.....
...so, which is it? Are they unqualified and just there for the perks or it isn't their fault?
"When profit comes up against morality, it's rare that profit loses."~Shirley Chisholm
I find it amazing that people that have never taught can form such profound opinions about the teaching profession.
The school system is not broken, and to presume that teachers just get the job for the perks is absurd. I teach and am nearly consumed by the workload. I give all I can to my practice, and do not know any teachers that don't.
What perks by the way???? That amazing salary?
Thank you so much for your erudite rebuttal!
As a newly minted teacher, I am in awe of veteran teachers who work their asses off to create contemporary, engaging lesson plans! I am amazed at the time and energy most veteran teachers expend helping students who cannot read at grade level, or students who have serious math deficits.
If we teachers were being paid what we're worth, that would mean that this nation honestly cared about funding education at a reasonable and effective level.
One final assertion: the corporate megalomaniacs don't actually want an educated workforce; they want a compliant one.
Yes!
Most of these ignorant know nothings don't have a clue about what goes on in education. They might as well be giving their expert opinions on kidney transplants.
The fact is, most suburban and properly funded rural districts are very good. The kids in these school districts are often taking courses that we didn't take until freshman or sophomore's in college.
When I taught A.P. Calculus, my students scores were in the top 5% internationally!
As far as perks, why do many people become Dr's, Dentists, Lawyer's, Engineer's,............any college educated professional could be inserted here. And by the way, the perks ain't what they use to be.
Furthermore, I have a B.S. in Geophysics, M.S. in Physical Science, another M.A. in Science Education, and was working on my Ph.D. in Civil Engineering when my health derailed me with about 18 credits left. Why the hell would someone like me go into a profession that pays s**t, has lousy benefits, and crappy health insurance? I know, because the republican's have so decimated the working classes, that anybody (regardless of education and expertise) would be happy to make $15 an hour in these economic times.
Yeah, that will show the corporate fascists.
And finally, 13 years ago I was offered a job in the private sector making more money than I make now. I stayed however, because my job is fun, and I like teaching physics and chemistry.
All of my now unemployed republican in-laws use to laugh at me for staying in teaching. All I heard was "you could make so much more money in the private sector."
Locally, when the economy was booming in the 90's, the state GOP told us that "we didn't need to have raises, becuase we had benefits!" Then when the economy collapsed because of the GOP, we were billed as being greedy - because we had benefits!
Now, I come to so-called progressive sites like C & L, and see people spewing the same GOP talking point bulls**t about teachers, and all schools failing.
Let me tell you folks, the days of teachers sleeping in class and doing nothing but passing out ditto's ended years ago! Anyone who doesn't know this is clueless about what goes on. My kids did stuff in kindergarten, that we didn't do until 2nd grade when I was growing up - and our educational system was constantly touted as "second to none."
This is actually nothing but a GOP conservatard attack against the most caring and dedicated professionals I have ever worked with in any field. It has/and is orchestrated by the GOP for one reason: to destroy public schools - not because they are failing (some are, but most are not), but because teachers belong to unions and make a liveable wage - and we just cannot have any of that in the GOP Corporate Fascist States of America.
Thanks for going along with the GOP psycho's my fellow posters.
Rush Limbaugh is what a smart person thinks a stupid bigot sounds like.
Boom!.
When I was growing up going to school in the inner city (Mpls) in the 60s, there was never a teacher who didn't care about my education.
The problem was in the 70s that they weren't allowed to discipline the unruly ones like in the 60s where a ruler on the knuckles or a finger flick to the ear wasn't uncommon. Somehow respect/learning came easy when it was allowed.
I had also seen plenty of kids held back who didn't make the grade.
this...
"
http://thecuckingstool.blogspot.com/2010/05/c...
Afraid you are conflating two completely separate issues, and getting the most important one wrong.
Issue 1: Handing over to the private industry the content of the school curricula.
This is bad for the issues you mention: most corporations are not interested in fostering "deep thinking", and would rather have the school produce worker bees already trained to use the technology du jour. However, notice that hi-tech companies have the opposite interest: Microsoft, Genentech, etc. do want to hire well-rounded individuals for those positions that keep them competitive (i.e. alive). Unfortunately these companies haven't historically had much pull over the public education.
Issue 2: Every high school graduate should be proficient in the kind of math whose understanding fosters logical thinking (algebra, geometry, basic calculus). This is simply vital in the 21st century if this country is to remain a first world nation.
Are you kidding? The US being a first world nation is at best hyperbole. I have a secret--I love Iced Mochas from McDonalds. One day, I ordered one with skim milk. The young man who took my order informed me that they didn't have skim milk, only no fat and regular milk. At a convenience store, I gave the cashier $1.01 for something that cost $.96. She told me I gave her too much money. I told her to just give me a nickel back, and she told me I was confusing her. Now we're going to privatize public education? Oh, goody.
"skim milk, only no fat and regular milk"
What the feck is that shit? Skim milk, no fat, regular milk?
It's bloody fucking milk ffs!
Bite my shiny metal ass.
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I don't give a toss.
"regular" milk. It's "whole" milk, meaning no fat is taken out of it. Just to annoy you, limey, we also have 1% and 2% milk. Ha, ha, ha!
Woohaa, i'm baffled. Milk is what now?
Thanks for calling me a Limey. I'm upgraded. :p
Bite my shiny metal ass.
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I don't give a toss.
Milk is classified by the amount of fat in it. Skim has no fat. 1% and 2% are self-explanatory. Whole milk has all its fat as it comes from the cow, about 3% naturally. We are an anal retentive people.
Hehe, thanks for explaining.
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I don't give a toss.
Well, now, I do feel compelled to rebut your assertion that whole milk 'as it comes from the cow' has 'about 3% [fat] naturally.' Our first milk cow, a Jersey-Guernsey mix, provided upwards of three gallons per milking (as long as we kept her calf off her). When her body heat had dissipated from her milk, over a third of each gallon was thick, buttery yellow cream, the likes of which I haven't seen since.
I'm glad I wasn't the only one scratching their head. The other day I interviewed a candidate for a software engineering position who tried to convince me that when solving 1/2*3, (1/2)*3 was the same as 1/(2*3) and that any difference in the answers was due to a rounding error. Maybe these accelerated math Georgia students could have helped him out because I sure as hell couldn't.
trying to influence future idiots!
It's time to go back to the basics.
Ban calculators and computers from the classroom UNTIL students have a firm grasp of basic math and English fundamentals. Teach them how to reason, and how to come to conclusions that are greater than the sum of their previous knowledge.
If a child knows how to think, then computers and calculators are great tools for learning. If a child can only memorize, and cannot think, they are electronic crutches that will only cripple his/her mental growth.
What about cell phones? My students admitted that they text at least once per class period. They are quite good at it--they can look completely engaged, and do not have to move any part of their body except one fingertip.
Of course, my students have to put their phones in a cubby before they proceed to their desks. We play math in my classroom, not text messaging.
To stop cell phones, all the school would have to do is install a phone jammer. They are illegal in the USA, but they are readily available from many sources and there is information on the web on how to build one.
Personally I think all schools should have jammers and every class room should have constant video recording (to document student misbehavior) and any students that disrupt class should be promptly removed and isolated in a windowless room with piped in classical music (help prepare them for living in a prison cell).
Any parents that complain should be told to show up the next day and sit beside their child the whole day and discipline them appropriately.
I travel all over the world on business and the US schools are terrible by comparison. The schools in most of the rest of the world are turning out lots of well prepared engineers while many US high schools have 50% drop out rates.
Given that robots and cheap humans in other countries have taken most of the jobs the uneducated used to take, exactly what will these uneducated people do to feed themselves?
Herro police state! How are you doing?
Bite my shiny metal ass.
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I don't give a toss.
...dontcha know that there is *money* to be made on the kiddies and corporations have now figured out a way to slide their tentacles into that untapped resource? /snark
Let's see...you've had four freaking years to assess the curriculum, and you're just now going to make changes?
Is this because you've been clueless as to what constitutes a good curriculum in the first place?
Less than half of the students will graduate.
"When profit comes up against morality, it's rare that profit loses."~Shirley Chisholm
take 30% or more off the top of the property taxes that finance schools, and give back as little as possible, all the while dumbing down the general public so they won't be able to figure out how they're being used and abused.
at a loss after they milk all of the "profit" out of it. Meanwhile, the kids are out in the street.
might be made by any parent or student in a more conventional school is there any evidence at all that words read on a computer or assignments written on them cause students to learn less. And, of course, if there were too many "inexperienced teachers" then why would it be attributable to the school program itself? Finally the idea that one should teach children fundamentals that will assist them in real life, including work, is not something that I would disagree with at all. I'm not sure why you've hyperlinked to a story about an oil plume. It doesn't appear to have anything to do with teacher bashing.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
Here's the link to the Atlanta Journal Constitution story:
New curriculum: Math anxiety for students, teachers
Democracy is too important to be entrusted to politicians.
Rise Up!
Protest!
It's an interesting article and it touches on a matter dear to my heart, math. I've been doing volunteer math tutoring for years (also chemistry and physics) and my own observations lead me to believe that studies done on mathematical instruction by OISE are fundamentally sound. Only about 25 per cent of students have the innate ability to grasp mathematics, as distinct from arithmetic, a further 40 percent have some insight and the balance don't get it and never will. That doesn't mean they aren't bright. Teaching math is complicated by the fact that almost all math teachers fall into that twenty-five percent and show little sympathy for students who have poor success in grasping the subject. They attribute it to laziness or apathy. That is nonsense. Trying to improve scores by setting ever higher curriculum standards is foolish. It just increases the failure rate, frustrates students and turns them away from scientific careers or, at least, scientific and mathematical literacy when a more sensible curriculum would have served the students better.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
My students are made aware that math is the oldest game invented by our species, and that we all learn math in different ways and at different speeds. Furthermore, I encourage my students to consider that exceptional math skills can protect them from being exploited by the Corporate Megalomaniacs who would prefer that our students graduate with just enough education to perform well as factory fodder, or as service industry workers. (Of course, I use age-appropriate language to convey this to my students.)
Here in Oregon they have what are know as "unstructured schools". They advertise them as being all that and a ball of cheese. They are really dumping grounds for the kids that are problematic or get bad tests scores. The same is true of charter schools; dump the difficult kids there so they don't disrupt the normal structured school.
... direct you to this entire series of posts on education. Or even just the last half-dozen or so.
http://www.openleft.com/user/jeffbinnc
Much like the policy driven catastrophe that was Katrina, we're seeing the same thing in education. This is not mysterious. Neo-liberalism demands on an ideological level the decimation of the commons, so it naturally follows that public education (read: Liberal Education) be at the heart of that ideological attack.
When we speak of Neo-Liberalism/Conservativism, these are just two sides of the same ideological coin. Both are virulently anti-democratic. The NEO really just refers to the way these ideologies redefine the relationship between the individual and The State.
Barack Obama, just like every single one of his predecessors from Reagan, Poppy Bush, Clinton and Shrubster, were all of this same ideological mold--some Neo-Con, some Neo-Lib, but the only real difference is one of style, not substance.
At this point, I'd even call it a cult, given just how far removed they all are from reality.
In any case, that's what we're stuck with. Destroying what's left of liberal education in this country is a primary concern for Bushies and Obamas alike. Witness Arne Duncan.
Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit atrocities.
The neoconvicts are madmen , they are evil and with out conscience , Dickhead Cheney a prime example ,bottom line they are the ones behind the down fall of this country and almost all of it's current troubles , chaos and division .At best they should all be locked up for treason and sabotage just for starters , more appropriately they ought to be on the receiving end of a firing squad ... every last one of them .These are the lunatics and madmen who have hijacked and now run the Republican party which was bad enough to begin with .Reagan and the neocon , sabotage and destruction from within , probably the beginning of the end for this country . No lower life form exists .
Another point... staring at a screen all day at school and then while doing homework or playing games or whatever after school is setting these children up for a lot of eye problems in the future. It's started happening to me in my 30s and I have to watch how long I am online.
Facts not fiction please. TV gives you bad eyes...... BS
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just wear your RayBans .
8th Grade Final Exam: Salina, KS -1895
See if you can pass it. If you were 13 in 1895, you were the same generation as FDR.
http://www.nndb.com/lists/881/000105566/
Give your children this test. If they don't pass it, train them to pass it. (Give them values for bushels. etc.)
My girl did. And did it handily.
Yours can too.
=======================================================
Grammar (Time, one hour)
1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.
2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications.
3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph
4. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give principal parts of"lie,""play," and "run."
5. Define case; Illustrate each case.
6 What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of punctuation.
7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.
Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)
1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at 50cts/bushel, deducting 1050 lbs. for tare?
4 District No 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5. Find the cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per metre?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance of which is 640 rods?
10. Wr! ite a Bank Check, a! Promissory Note, and a Receipt
U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)
1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865.
Orthography (Time, one hour)
1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: Trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u.' (HUH?)
5. Give two rules for spelli! ng words with final ! 'e.' Name two exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.
Geography (Time, one hour)
1 What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?
3 Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S
7. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.
It's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.
-George Carlin
LOL, all i see are a bunch of words. On my defence i'm not a Merikan :p
And who would use that crap IRL anyway?
Bite my shiny metal ass.
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I don't give a toss.
I do not live in the USA, either. I just couldn't find a Canadian or a British 8th grade final exam from the 1890s.
Knowing how to do the above questions means you have the ability to do basic maths and have a keen understanding of grammar and a basic knowledge of geography.
If I were running the ship, I would expect everyone in 8th grade to pass this test (with modern terms instead of bushels) with at least a 70%. If you don't you repeat 8th grade until you do, or go directly into some kind of a remedial "job training" program and learn carpentry or plumbing or some other useful trade. No exceptions.
I think contemporary schools are a cruel joke training people to be consumers and dullards.
It's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.
-George Carlin
you aren't running the ship. If a kid had no mathematical talent but had excellent communication skills your system would send him to the salt mines. I see no exception in your system for kids with learning disabilities either. It's one thing to set standards that teachers can aim for and quite another to create molds into which they must cram their students.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
Where are the little bubbles to color in for the multiple choice answers?
/snark off
Only when the last tree has died
and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught
will we realize we cannot eat money.
China?
"You know what they want? They want obedient workers . . . Obedient workers, people who are just smart enough to run the machines and do the paperwork. ... And just dumb enough to passively accept all these increasingly shitty jobs with the lower pay, the longer hours, the reduced benefits, the end of overtime and vanishing pension that disappears the minute you go to collect it, and now they're coming for your ... Social Security money. ... ... ... They want your retirement money. They want it back so they can give it to their criminal friends on Wall Street, and you know something? ... ... ... They'll get it . . . they'll get it all from you sooner or later cause they own this FUCKING place! Its a big club, and you ain't in it!"
George Carlin, 'The American Dream
You should stock up on tinfoil. You need it a lot!
Bite my shiny metal ass.
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I don't give a toss.
And have never heard of George Carlin. Keep smilin' and slaving, dickhead!
Nice, getting mad?
Bite my shiny metal ass.
http://www.startalkradio.net/
I don't give a toss.
Yeah, attack me. Good move. Don't attack the oligarchs. I guess you didn't notice the George Carlin quote... Tinfoil, I leave for you, but thank you for "thinking" George Carlin's words were mine.
He was a very wise man who saw things as they are.
Oh, i noticed.
I see he's your hero. Don't say anything bad about my hero. boohoo.
Bite my shiny metal ass.
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I don't give a toss.
I don't have any heroes. And I am WAAAY to the left of anyone YOU can think of. Dennis Kucinich is to the right of me. Address the point at hand, the dumbing down of America, a pursuit which is almost complete.
"And I am WAAAY to the left of anyone YOU can think of."
You are more left than Pol Pot?
Fucking amazing!
Maybe you should think about how left you want to be?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lEko6kMfng
Bite my shiny metal ass.
http://www.startalkradio.net/
I don't give a toss.
Congratulations on still evading the point, and using idiotically false comparisons, straw men & ad hominem to do so. Nice to meet a real RWNJ/Libertardian Neocon.
Oh well, as Xavier said, "Give me the child until he is seven & I'll show you the man", and you're living proof of the success of Reich-wing brain washing, on such brains as you have, from an early age.
Like you, too many people have been rendered incapable of critical thinking, or observing the Oligarch agenda of turning free public education into worker bee factories. But unquestioning obedience is all they want. They did well with you! Obviously you're a stockholder in some of these corporate crap academies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jQT7_rVxAE
Couldn't really find anything in the original article that I was supposed to be outraged over.
I completely agree with Dom and the like noting the failure of education in america.
Yes, most folks get into teaching not because they are competent in that material (SME), but because its a sweet career move.
Long hours, low paychecks, and unruly children.... not so sure what you mean...
Only when the last tree has died
and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught
will we realize we cannot eat money.
privatizing education will lead to (again) profits over people... instead of what is in the best interest of the child, schools will act in the best interest of the corporation or the school itself... thus weeding out students that don't do well on standardized tests.
I hardly think that raising a society of drones hardly serves the greatness of the United States, but rather serves the upper 1 % and don't we already have enough of an oligarchy now?
Raising students to think for themselves and to make their own best judgment about their own lives seems to lead to happier people in general. Of course, people who think for themselves tend to question authority and that makes things difficult for those in charge, but isn't that the lofty ideals that America was truly founded upon?
Only when the last tree has died
and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught
will we realize we cannot eat money.
is most definitely leaving for a new job. She is going to be the new CEO of the U.S. Educational Delivery Institute, a D.C. non-profit. As a retired GA teacher, I can say good riddance to Cox. She wasn't doing too well in the polls, so she decided to get out while the getting is good.
As in 180 day work year with an 8-3 schedule and constantly complaining about everything (admin/parents/kids) you are supposed to be responsible for, all the while always demanding an affirmation parade for your virtuous calling.
Try "working" for a living and see how well that formula works for ya. None of this serves educating children (only creates a self-serving drone environment), and only encourages the "know the answers" (instead of critically analyzing a problem) disaster.
Don't ask your kids "what did you learn today" when they come home from school. Instead, ask them "did your teacher try to get you think or believe today?".
I'm not trying to bad mouth educators (I've worked closely with them for the last 20 years), but they are some of the most reality detached, self-centered individuals outside of politicians.
...you failed.
8-3? Are you fucking kidding me? How about 7 or 7:30 AM until 4:30 or 5 PM, then go home and grade some more papers after dinner?
Then, if you're teaching middle or high school, you've got to deal with kids learning how to socialize whilst going through puberty, emotional as all fuckin' get-out, fighting amongst themselves as well as with teachers. How many people do you know who come home from work battered and bruised because they had to intervene in a hair-pulling, earring-ripping fight between two 15 year-old girls who each think the other is trying to steal their boyfriend?
Don't try to confuse the issue with half-truths and gorilla dust.
I taught jr. high for three years, walked away from it and am now working on my master's (I might go back to teaching), and I can tell you that there were nights I came home and just curled up in a fetal position and cried. The kids have so many problems, there is nothing more brutally honest than a teenager, and the crazy extremes that hormones inspire is truly frightening. When I lived in Germany for half a year and people asked what I did, when I told them "I'm a teacher" they respected me and thought the world of me. When I say the same here, I get a reaction like Carpetbagger's and it kills a little more of me deep inside.
Aunts, uncles, cousins....I'm amazed that they haven't gone insane.
Best man I've ever known taught middle school English- AND he worked as an orderly in a hospital full time in the summers and on-call during the school year. And he still had time to help me out when my parents were fighting, or when my dad and I were fighting. Oh, and he coached wrestling at the high school...Oh, and his wife was a really good French teacher who pissed off two of her students at our local "advanced" high school by giving those students the Ds and Cs that they'd earned, and the little shits got their revenge by burning a cross (my neighbors being African-American) on their lawn while they and their 4 year-old son slept. He died about ten years ago- a stroke- when he was in his late 40s. She had a nervous breakdown after the cross-burning and retired back in the mid-'80s. God bless you, Amen and Diane Bow, wherever you are today.
Don't try to confuse the issue with half-truths and gorilla dust.
On one hand, I felt like it was an awesome burden and that here I was, barely able to manage my own life, and then I was in this position that for *some* of my students, I could make a difference. I mean more like you saying, with the "helping out when parents are fighting or something." It is really amazing to be in a position where you change a person's life just by caring, listening to what a person has to say and/or showing them compassion and understanding (when they might never get it at home). Then, when you have those moments that the "light bulbs" are going off as well (and they are *really* understanding and using their brains critically), it is addicting.
But, I will confess, there are the times when you (and they) are imperfect and the influence you have works against you. What made me walk away from it was not the long hours, or even the red tape and b.s. that I faced from administration/etc., it was that those times that I messed up (whether in presentation of the interpersonal aspect of it), it probably produced people like "Carpetbagger" who think
all teachers are lazy/self-absorbed assholes<--- poor choice of words, my fault...My best memories and feeling of greatest achievement was always when I made a positive difference in the life of one (or many) of my students. But, I can also think of times where screwing up has a negative effect on them (and it makes you think "I can't bear this much responsibility yet, when I am still struggling to figure out who I am."). I don't know, I think that I've absorbed too much of their adolescent self-angst... and one kernel of truth that I see in Carpetbagger's point is that (at times) teacher's are self-absorbed and detached from reality. I feel there are some who never "grow-up" because they've essentially been in school (whether student or teacher) their whole life. I worried that about myself so, what am I doing is walking away from the profession and... going back to schoo... hmmmm... Might need to rethink this ;)
Seriously, though... I am learning more practical skills and working on myself as a person more, but the stress of that job (and the amount of responsibility I felt pressing down on me) really pushed me to my limits. I'm glad I survived, but I wonder if it's really for me. Carpetbagger is right, I have no skills (outside of some technical knowledge of low-grade solar projects like building "batch" solar hot water pre-heater). Still, I think this country bashes teachers, and science/scientist in some sort of weird anti-intelligentsia vibe... there's aspects of it that make me consider where Hitler went, in "Mein Kampf" (chapter name was "propaganda" or maybe "war propaganda"), when critiquing the failures of German propaganda. His whole point was that state propaganda should be essentially what Faux News is (caters to the emotions and base realities of the dumbest, most gullible/easily manipulated)... forget the brainiacs!
I'm not trying to bash individuals like Carpetbagger ;) ... but, I don't like how this country is so quick to shit on teachers as the sole cause of educational problems, or scientists who support teaching the theory evolution in biology classrooms... or anybody really who seems they've had a smattering of "book learnin'." Bush was awful for so many reasons, but I hated his bluster and "jock" frat boy/texas cowboy bravado... that aspect of America that thinks learning is shit and teachers are a bunch of lazy asses (so "we're gonna smoke 'em out using this here NCLB to catch those varmint teachers, got me! Bring 'em on!"). So much of his language and the way he viewed education was addressed using the same language of the "War on Turr..."
Of course, I knew a lot of lazy teachers, but far more were hard working crazy mofo's who were doing it because they loved it, not for all those benjamins and the looooong summer. Whatever, Carpetbagger... there is some truth to what you say, but a lot of us really work hard. Maybe that's why I did walk away, maybe I was working too many hours and caring too much. Most of the people I worked with were putting in similar hours and were about as stressed as I was, though. I think it is a much harder job than what first meets the eye...
I still would like you to explain what your actual experience is for those 20 years in the classroom (or field of education)... this subject is making me depressed, time to listen to music =D
And enjoy a clip from a curtain call that I showed my students when we completed reading R+J (it's not R+J but it let them see something and have a sense of theatre in the round/the Globe versus just reading words on a page):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91wKLUCRVZA
that 8-3 schedule is for the students, not us. I was contractually required to be at school an hour before the first bell, and one hour after (it was rare when I wasn't there half an hour earlier than that, and would leave school around 5:30 or 6pm). Oh, and those hours "off contract time" don't count the 150 essays and various papers, tests, and projects that I was grading outside of class (evenings, weekends, on vacations) and the mandatory duties we are required to perform (open houses, supervising band concerts, chaperoning dances that start at 7:30pm on school nights... days that we've already worked).
Oh, and at your job where you "work" for a living you have the chance to earn overtime or time and a half for when your boss makes you work beyond the normal workday. It is just part of our contract to do so. Let's not forget that the student in my class who never shows up, or who never does his/her homework, or who doesn't give a shit and is planning on dropping out as soon as they turn 16... a lot of times we spend hours before/after school tutoring these students and trying to get them caught up on top of everything else we're supposed to be doing...
You also apparently don't know about the meetings we're always in before and after school, or that your "180 day work year" is bunk because most of us spend at least half of our summer taking classes to keep our credentials current (not to mention that NCLB has forced a lot of school districts to extend their school years despite budget shortfalls).
Then, you factor in that they are cutting teachers to the point that we teach 30+ students a period (and sometimes 40+), we have no supply budget anymore (do you realize how much paper teachers use? even when we had a supply budge I was spending ~$500 of my own money to make copies for my classroom), and this society puts so little emphasis on education and holds so little respect for its educators (like you do) that it just adds up and adds up to the point that only the most insane (and/or giving) people stay in the profession.
I'd love you to go and teach a room full of 15 year olds ANYTHING for a month solid. Having to be at your best, performing in front of a room full of many students who don't want to be there and who don't respect you because they hear the same shit you spout about what a joke education/teachers are from their parents at home... You wouldn't be able to cut it and you have NO IDEA how hard it really is.
Sure, there are sacks of crap who don't take stuff home to grade, who only put forth the bare minimum effort, who milk the system and just create a "drone" mentality in their classroom. But, those of us who care, those of us who put everything we have into it burn out and then we read shit like what you post. It's no wonder many of us seek an "affirmation parade" because after 9+ months of students/parents/administrators/the public talking about what shit you are, it wears you down.
I really wish people could experience what quality classroom teachers go through to make a difference for their students. Maybe you would be less inclined to oversimplify how cushy our jobs are compared to "working" for a living. I agree that many teachers are detached from reality and self-centered, but no more so than the corporate field. In fact, I've encountered many teachers who worked in the corporate field before and laughably said stuff like "how much harder can this be than my last job, the paperwork obviously can't be worse!" That individual had a RUDE awakening their first week on the job and almost quit. We all laughed when they said that, especially because he was going into Special Ed. (a field notorious for paperwork and long hours, what with all the IEP's and numerous meetings with parents and students outside of normal school hours).
Educators, like humans in all other professions, run the gamut from very bad to very good. Everything else about which you've whinged is too variable to make such a blanket condemnation.
You ARE bad mouthing educators, and your bigotry is showing.
BTW, I have NEVER had an 8-3 school day. I typically arrive at my classroom by 6:30 so that my students can come in for tutoring before the bell rings. My students know that if they're in my room by 3, I'll stay and tutor them until 4. I seldom have an empty classroom after 3.
Even if I don't choose to instruct in one of many summer classes, my 'long break' is heavily punctuated by in-service and continuing education classes.
Last but not least, complaining is an egregious waste of time and energy. If you're spending so much time with a bunch of whiners, perhaps you might benefit from a change of venue.
The words "always demanding an affirmation parade for your virtuous calling" and the insinuation that teachers don't really know hard work -- pretty much sum up your biased opinion.
And yes, you are bad-mouthing educators.
Your bias shows how little you know about their actual workdays.
The teachers I know are at the school sometimes as early as 7 a.m. They stay after to grade papers and/or prepare for the next school day. They have to file lesson plans that are taught according to No Child Left a Mind. Their work days are dictated by The Test.
If you have a problem with the "self-drone and the "know the answers" environment, you need to focus on NCLB, which is a micro-management of schools that emphasizes knowing answers without developing creative ability. The Arts - music and art - are relegated to "extra" status. Their value is underrated in the ability to develop critical thinking along with creative ability--the hallmarks of problem solving. It is a known fact that music can enhance math abilities...besides stirring the soul :).
"When profit comes up against morality, it's rare that profit loses."~Shirley Chisholm
privatization is complete bull. In the quantum of money available to educate children, which is not increased, privatization adds to the drain against the available money the profits of the plutocrats. Its just another scam assault of the class warfare that the plutocrats have waged against the average American since reagan.
give credit were credit is due.
the capitalists will privatize everything that is where the money is for the few.
our wars for profits are for the few why not education.
those that cannot afford an education will be sent to low income schools to prepare them to work for third world wages. pure genius.
give credit where credit is due the capitalists now control the white house, congress, supreme court, media, the reelection process and now to privitize schools.
the religious and the capitalists are in bed togather on this one. pure genius.
history shows us the stages of a nation and we are in the last stages and cannot be stopped contrary to what the capitalists tell you.
the last thing they want is for you to look at the system and to keep blaming gov. pure genius on their part.
I marvel daily at the genius of the capitalists and their ability to control the minds of most americans.
americans love affair with capitalism will end but not before most become third world citizens.
reagan should get the genius award he even sold it to the demos.
Here's a question - if you weren't teaching, what would you be qualified to do? What marketable skills do you possess other than reading and assigning out of a master book?
I'm not bad mouthing teachers, I've taught classrooms (gee, missed the part about the 20 year relationship). Your work environment can be challenging, so is a work environment. Model leadership and own your classroom. I haven't know any teacher pulling in ridiculous hours that I keep hearing about as some excuse ("we get no summers off" / "we work all day long"). Most 'real jobs' are salary, just like teachers, so there goes the overtime logic.
The teacher excuse has become tired; 'its the kids', 'its the parents', 'its the administration', 'its the government', 'its the boogie man'.....always something else for why kids have deteriorating critical thinking skills.
No critical thinking skills = feeders for 'corporate drones'
That's an F for lack of clarity and egregious bullshitting.
Don't try to confuse the issue with half-truths and gorilla dust.
and your initial post said that you've worked closely with educators for the last 20 years. For all I know, that just means you are the head custodian at the school... or were an office aide. I seriously doubt that you've taught in a classroom for twenty years and still believe what you do about the profession.
What other skills do I have besides being "able to read and assigning out of a master's book?" Are you fucking kidding me? This alone shows how clueless you are about what teachers do. Yes, some assign out of a book, but MOST have integrity and design nearly all of the lessons, materials and subject that they cover FROM THE GROUND UP. Outside of writing the text itself, I'll have you know that I made a vast majority of the materials that we used when studying mandatory curriculum (e.g., "The Odyssey," "Romeo and Juliet", short story and poetry units). What I didn't make, my colleagues made (we would split up tasks in order to get a rich array of different activities to use while working through the material).
All of the vocabulary words, the actual pace of the lessons and how you teach students to deal with new vocabulary (i.e., it goes way beyond mere dictionary definitions)... the actual reading of material (not just reading it, but performing it and using analogies and comparisons that students can relate to so that some 3,000 year old Greek epic means something to a room full of 15 year olds)... all of these things were carefully planned. Every quiz, test, project that I assigned -- it was all thought out, made by me (or a colleague) and I would say that out of all the stuff we did in class, maybe 0.5% of it was just some xerox of a worksheet. That would be something like crossword puzzles of key terms/vocabulary that I would put in the back and students could work on quietly (before a test, when they were finished with other work) for negligible extra credit.
It pains me to think of you teaching in any classroom, because if you really think that all teaching is is reading well and assigning from a master's book, then I can't even imagine how horrible of an instructor you were/are. My classroom was quite interactive and even though I would plan everything and make a majority of the materials, it was set up that the primary learning was coming from students (and they were working as semi-autonomous teams to learn a small part of our broader subject, then coming together as a whole group to share their learning and therefore, were learning the whole broader picture from each other). Even during lectures/notes (which I did too often and incorrectly, I admit) or when we were reading difficult texts like "Romeo and Juliet" and I was having to explain or clarify something, I would still make THEM give me comparable examples and to use THEIR brains to understand something that is frankly otherworldly to most teenagers/people (i.e., Shakespeare).
I'll have you know that my students understood "R+J", they could write about it, speak about it, discuss the themes of the play. They knew about the meter that Shakespeare employs, and they could even explain to you why that meter changes when nobles speak vs. commoners. They would take my vocabulary words, and even self-select their own, and I showed them how to REALLY learn new words (we'd go way beyond "look it up in the dictionary" and I would actually work with them on negotiating meanings and let them take their own stab at it first before we came together and formed a class consensus).
I will grant that many, many educators and schools are churning out worker drones, but you are a real clueless ass in the way you frame this issue. And as for my qualifications to do other things, you must be joking. Do you ask a medical doctor what they can do besides healing people based on what they've read in a book? Or how about a dentist... what qualifications do they have besides drilling people's teeth based on what they've read in a book?
What I did, even when I screwed up, meant something and I made a difference to my students. Not all of them, but I know some of them will never look at a movie, t.v. show, or book again without thinking of the plot diagram. I know that they won't ever listen to popmusic on the radio without noticing elements of poetry. I know that when their parents and others roll their eyes about the music that they listen to, my former students won't sweat it and will take pride in knowing that since time out of mind, humans have participated in a rich oral tradition of minstrel/bards and audiences... and contemporary musicians and story-tellers are just a continuation of that process.
My students, 9th graders mind you! (in a low income suburban school), were analyzing the poetic elements of 500 year old ballads next to pop songs and will be able to appreciate the beauty around them for the rest of their lives. Also, being able to read strange texts and critically respond to them is a necessary skill for all. Granted, we won't all be given 500 year old poems to analyze at our work, but those type of skills don't hurt when reading a loan document, or a newspaper article (which I also taught my journalism students all about when I taught newspaper). I don't give a shit what else I'm qualified for, because essentially you're asking me what I make... You don't mean money, exactly, but it sure seems like you don't think we make anything (and that we couldn't use the very same skills outside of education).
You want to know what I can make?
I CAN MAKE A GODDAMN DIFFERENCE, CAN YOU?
AWESOME! LMAO
While I am most grateful for your post--much of which resonates for me--I encourage you to consider your 'ignore user' option for carpetbagger and his ilk.
I am sooooo glad your students have you in their lives.
See my answer above about critical thinking skills and NCLB.
Well...for *not* bad-mouthing teachers, you sure do find a lot wrong with them...
And your blame is misplaced. A teacher is not an island unto her/himself--it takes the parents, the teacher, the principal and the superintendent to make a good school system.
Oh...and let's not forget good textbooks...:P
"When profit comes up against morality, it's rare that profit loses."~Shirley Chisholm
I travel all over the world on business and see how the school systems differ. The US school systems are pretty bad when it comes to preparing the kids to exist in the real world, let alone thrive.
Some hard realities that kids these day face:
- Robots really have eliminated many jobs. For example, the Toyota Nummi plant (before it was closed) produced three times as many cars per year as GM ever produced there, with a third of the people - most of the work was done by robots. Second example, in the average laptop, there is less than 10 minutes of human manufacturing content, the rest of the manufacturing is done by robots.
- Most labor intensive jobs that haven't been eliminated by robots, have been moved to low-cost labor places. That is, they are NOT in the US.
- Because so many things we use have embedded computer systems (the average car has over FIVE computers), most of the technician level jobs now REQUIRE a MINIMUM of a Associates degree. Most colleges are finding that over half the students MUST take lots of remedial classes BEFORE they can even begin taking classes for their degree.
- With very few non-skilled jobs and semi-skilled jobs requiring an AA degree, just exactly how are these students that are NOT getting a quality education, going to earn a living?
One of the big problems with US education is while it is pretty much all mediocre, there is a very real, documented difference in the ability of different groupings of students to learn. Why have the Hispanic and Black parents never questioned why their kids learn so poorly while Asian kids (Chinese and Indian) learn so much better? Every study I have seen shows that Black and Hispanic brains are no different from Chinese and Indian brains, so what is the reason? Cold it be a cultural difference? could it be something that is taboo to discuss? It would be easy to blame the teachers, but notice that even the worst schools still have students that excel. Could it be that the students from "bad" schools that excel have a different family culture? Could it be we don't have a school problem , but an cultural problem that we are afraid to discuss?
How on Earth would you KNOW what all Hispanic and Black parents think? That is such a loaded statement I don't even know where to begin. You paint with such a broadsweeping brush--lumping entire groups together.
Why do I have this feeling that you've studied Eugenics?
O/T - I found this link while bringing up the Eugenics link. Holy crap.
"When profit comes up against morality, it's rare that profit loses."~Shirley Chisholm
...of this "slash and burn" strategy here in Oregon. Obama is abysmal for education. "Race til you drop" is a complete give-away to corporations who want to turn out little microserfs to compete with India and China--and destroy what's left of public education in the process.
I worked to get him elected. Since I'm a teacher, I won't work to see him re-elected.
No surprise here.
Ackerman was a contentious authoritarian disaster in her previous post as Supe of San Francisco Unified.
Her 'Dream Schools' program was an abject failure. Despite being easily marketed to desperate families in search of hope.
Plus, when she bailed early on her second contract (in which she conveniently added a golden parachute to be opened at the slightest contention from a diverse Board of Ed.), she took an extra $200K with her - FOR LEAVING.
The Obama/Duncan Chi-town Charter Fetish is my greatest disappointment. Just because they think it worked in the inner city of Chicago, doesn't mean it's going to fly beyond the slick brochures and free craptops.
http://thecuckingstool.blogspot.com/2010/05/c...
Isn't it amazing how these folks always know how to cover their butts for when they fail at their jobs?
Chicago Public Schools was a colossal failure and they know it.
"When profit comes up against morality, it's rare that profit loses."~Shirley Chisholm
The single biggest failure in the educational system was when they started teaching kids what to think and they stopped teaching kids how to think.
There's no point in filling kids heads with data if they don't understand where it came from or the rational methods used to produce it. When you walk up to a kid and say, "This is true, believe it," the veracity of it doesn't matter, especially when the kids are inundated by easy answers (especially the cretinism of creationism).
Just as you can't build a solid building without a good foundation, materials and tools, you can't produce good students without teaching the basics of reading, writing, 'rithmetic and research, and encouraging curiosity. From the sounds of it, the Microshaft "school" has tried to eliminated all of those skills.
It's easier to believe lies when you don't know how to find the facts, and those who want a wealthy elite and uneducated underclass building schools to create that. They want a society of uneducated drone workers, not thinking human beings.
.
control the prison system
and the whole social system
ever since slavery....
know what I'm saying?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpipOqP_1C0
My daughter has been in a public elementary school in TN for 5 years now and has never brought a textbook home. They use worksheets for schoolwork. I remember in school when we'd work 20 of the same math problems from a textbook; now the worksheets have 10 or so math problems to work, and there usually isn't more than two of the same type.
We can't eliminate the primary causes of poor student learning, poverty and troubled family life, so the only ones left to take the blame are the teachers.
Parents who bring in 25-35k performing mindless routine tasks want to tell us that learning advanced math is a way of producing "factory drones" to go work at Microsoft (average salary, anyone? give it a guess?). Meanwhile, politicians who want to "attract" those good jobs want to tell us that our kids lack the technical skills to keep up with the rest of the world so they shove every kind of standard down teachers' throats except for the one thing that's actually required for any good job - critical thinking. The blind leading the blind.
Teachers are scapegoats in many respects.
the majority of blame goes to the system itself (NCLB for one, the crippling cartel of NEA, school board administration apathy), where the end becomes the means (standardized testing.....'Just give us the answers we want').
The point of the 'what are teachers qualified to do' question had to do with skill sets. A professional has skill sets that would fit many like professions. Unfortunately, for most American teachers, the skill sets are reading out of a Masters book, grading papers, and complaining about anything that would disrupt the comfort of their work day (here's a referal). These lymbic, vitriolic hate-filled hyperbole-laden responses to anything that questions the lack of production of competent students reads like a page of Hannity/Ailes or something.
Bob makes widgets. When the widgets don't pass QC/ don't sell, bob's ass get canned. He can't blame bad management, poor tools, and lack of vacations....his ass is fired.
Jill is a teacher. When her students can't process the lesson plan, the kids just remain stupid. Yet, its the fault of the parents for not doing Jill's job. Its the fault of her administrators who don't make her feel appreciated. Its the fault of the community for not paying her more.
Conversely, jim is the PE teacher and coaches the BB team. When the BB team doesn't perform and loses a bunch of games, he is fired. He can't cite poor booster club, lack of athletes, unsexy uniforms as the result of the losing.....it is his expectation to win games (through teaching the skill sets of the game).
Boo frapping hoo.
Are the kids given an opportunity to be challenged with processing information and guided through critical analysis?
If not, then its no wonder why they are failing (at life).
and the Mayo Clinic don't think it's BS:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/eyestrain/DS...
In my case I had to stop wearing contacts for 2 months and use eye drops for 6 months. It wasn't irreversible damage, but it was damage and it was real. So thanks for playing doctor on the Internet, but you're wrong.
jn
On edit: This was a reply to Dr. Alerta_Alerta above, not sure why it didn't post there.
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