Education for the future

[Oldgamer]

This was sent to me by email from a dear friend:

"The truth can really be shocking sometimes.

Our struggle to educate everyone has led our education system into a pitfall. This is definitely one of the major problems I will have to deal with as I grow older, my sister too. Especially if we have kids.

It's sad because the warning signs are so clear. I mean just look at all of the diploma mills that have cropped up everywhere. Learning really has become an assembly line.

That's not to say that the passion for learning more doesn't come from within. However, it is to say that the current education system is stifling and crippling the teacher's efforts to inspire this growth within the kids they teach.

Hopefully, this will change. Teachers' really are devalued, denigrated, and for far too many despised. Especially by parents.

Poor guys."

See Link Here for the News Article Washington Post

 

[ivwshane]

There is a difference between k-12 and higher education and the problems aren't the same.

The problem with higher education is that there isn't enough quality competition. Most higher education institutions are more concerned with enrollment and ways to provide, at a price, diplomas. There is no or little competition for institutions to see who can provide the best education and the reason for that is that the only place that competition can come from are government ran schools and their budgets have been cut and will continue to be cut.
Higher education is similar to healthcare, its not in the institutions best interest to make quality education their top priority just like its not in the healthcare industry's best interest to provide the best care. The money is in the diplomas and enrollment like the money in healthcare is in the treatments not the cures.

 

[rudder]

Our struggle to educate everyone has led our education system into a pitfall. This is definitely one of the major problems I will have to deal with as I grow older, my sister too. Especially if we have kids.

Educating everyone is not the problem... teaching everyone to the lowest common denominator is the problem. The dumbing down of America... goes right along with the wussification of America. You know.. the let's not keep score and everyone gets a trophy attitude.

 

[ivwshane]

Educating everyone is not the problem... teaching everyone to the lowest common denominator is the problem. The dumbing down of America... goes right along with the wussification of America. You know.. the let's not keep score and everyone gets a trophy attitude.

I whole heartily agree (at least when it comes to k-12).

Stupidity has become acceptable in today's society, look at the popular tv shows, look at the politicians, and then look at some of the people who post on this site. Stupidity is a badge of honor to them and long gone is the shame that was once associated with it.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

There is a difference between k-12 and higher education and the problems aren't the same.

The problem with higher education is that there isn't enough quality competition. Most higher education institutions are more concerned with enrollment and ways to provide, at a price, diplomas. There is no or little competition for institutions to see who can provide the best education and the reason for that is that the only place that competition can come from are government ran schools and their budgets have been cut and will continue to be cut.
Higher education is similar to healthcare, its not in the institutions best interest to make quality education their top priority just like its not in the healthcare industry's best interest to provide the best care. The money is in the diplomas and enrollment like the money in healthcare is in the treatments not the cures.

I'm fairly certain that higher education in America is competitive with any other nation's in the world. It is ridiculously overpriced and there are obviously a lot of mediocre students just getting by, but K-12 has bigger problems than the universities do.

 

[ivwshane]

I'm fairly certain that higher education in America is competitive with any other nation's in the world. It is ridiculously overpriced and there are obviously a lot of mediocre students just getting by, but K-12 has bigger problems than the universities do.

Is that the proper way to measure quality now? How do we compare to the rest of the world? At one time schools competed against each other and it had real meaning to be tought from certain schools.

 

[michal1980]

Same old hard core unionist teacher dribble.

 

[ivwshane]

Same old hard core unionist teacher dribble.

^
My case in point.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Is that the proper way to measure quality now? How do we compare to the rest of the world? At one time schools competed against each other and it had real meaning to be tought from certain schools.

lol, are you saying American schools aren't still competitive? I think we have more applicants for both undergraduates and graduates now than ever before. To make it into a top-tier university you need a damn-excellent SAT and GPA in addition to extracurriculars and many other demonstrations of superiority.

 

[Svnla]

Remember when it was cool to be or learn to be a rocket scientist? Anyone remember the race to space in the 60s?

Now it is nerd/dweeb/uncool/sold out/<fill in the blank nasty words> to be smart in school.

If we get the best of US students vs. others around the world, we can hold our own. But if we pick randomly, especially in inner city schools, then we are horrible.

 

[ivwshane]

lol, are you saying American schools aren't still competitive? I think we have more applicants for both undergraduates and graduates now than ever before. To make it into a top-tier university you need a damn-excellent SAT and GPA in addition to extracurriculars and many other demonstrations of superiority.

Based on this response and others you have made its apparent reading comprehension isn't your strong suite and logical fallacies are.

Good day to you.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Based on this response and others you have made its apparent reading comprehension isn't your strong suite and logical fallacies are.

Good day to you.

How does stating current high standards of entry into competitive universities not directly and logically contradict "at one time schools competed against each other and it had real meaning to be tought from certain schools"?

 

[michal1980]

^
My case in point.

what exactly is your point?

Living in Wisconsin for the past 2+ years I've heard the same whining and bitching from teachers as this guy.

He introduced nothing new.

 

[ivwshane]

what exactly is your point?

Living in Wisconsin for the past 2+ years I've heard the same whining and bitching from teachers as this guy.

He introduced nothing new.

My point in the post you quoted was that your post was a perfect example of people having no shame about their stupidity.

 

[bozack]

I think it is interesting that the president and other politicians go on and on about the whole science/tech/math future focus of education when if anything it is brutally apparent we are following England's footsteps of building a "service" nation.

It has long been my belief that the majority will hold butt wipe jobs catering to a few elite that "steer the ship"

This teacher is just caught on the cusp of a shift, he is right in that what he offers no one truly cares about any longer, least not those involved in the education machine meant to conform with regulations and standardized testing.

As for the other poster above that mentioned the "space race" and the supposed "good old days" when being smart = cool = high pay/coveted job, sorry buddy but don't think that was ever the case....while there are exceptions with the self starters in the tech sector (rare), and we did have events in history that might suggest we were a nation that cared about "innovation", the reality is the "nerds" seemingly always took a back seat to the business folks and continue to do so....

This is shown in the market where the bulk of high tech, science, and other skilled jobs are being outsourced just like everything else, which is why I am surprised all of a sudden the powers that be care about (or seem to make it look like they care about) all this "STEM" hooplah

 

[ivwshane]

I think it is interesting that the president and other politicians go on and on about the whole science/tech/math future focus of education when if anything it is brutally apparent we are following England's footsteps of building a "service" nation.

It has long been my belief that the majority will hole butt wipe jobs catering to a few elite that "steer the ship"

This teacher is just caught on the cusp of a shift, he is right in that what he offers no one truly cares about any longer, least not those involved in the education machine meant to conform with regulations and standardized testing.

I can agree with that. It's a shame because we should be a power house of ingenuity and instead we import it more than we export it.

 

[michal1980]

My point in the post you quoted was that your post was a perfect example of people having no shame about their stupidity.

Ahh so your a typical leftiest hack.

have no point just go for a personal attack.


This teacher presented nothing new. no original thought. just like the unionist hack he is/was.


also suffers from a good deal of the 'back in my day' disease

 

[ivwshane]

Ahh so your a typical leftiest hack.

have no point just go for a personal attack.


This teacher presented nothing new. no original thought. just like the unionist hack he is/was.


also suffers from a good deal of the 'back in my day' disease

Are they the same personal attacks as yours or is your hackery different.

Lol

 

[Svnla]

I think it is interesting that the president and other politicians go on and on about the whole science/tech/math future focus of education when if anything it is brutally apparent we are following England's footsteps of building a "service" nation.

It has long been my belief that the majority will hole butt wipe jobs catering to a few elite that "steer the ship"

This teacher is just caught on the cusp of a shift, he is right in that what he offers no one truly cares about any longer, least not those involved in the education machine meant to conform with regulations and standardized testing.

As for the other poster above that mentioned the "space race" and the supposed "good old days" when being smart = cool = high pay/coveted job, sorry buddy but don't think that was ever the case....while there are exceptions with the self starters in the tech sector (rare), and we did have events in history that might suggest we were a nation that cared about "innovation", the reality is the "nerds" seemingly always took a back seat to the business folks and continue to do so....

This is shown in the market where the bulk of high tech, science, and other skilled jobs are being outsourced just like everything else, which is why I am surprised all of a sudden the powers that be care about (or seem to make it look like they care about) all this "STEM" hooplah

At least then we were not so sucky when compare with other developed nations in test scores. At least then being smart was not being looked down as much as it is now. At least then we did not have stupid reality shows (Housewives, Jersey Shore) and idiots so eager to get on....and so on.

 

[cubby1223]

But if we pick randomly, especially in inner city schools, then we are horrible.

Interesting. Picking randomly non-randomly. Must be a byproduct of our education system.

 

[Svnla]

Interesting. Picking randomly non-randomly. Must be a byproduct of our education system.

Let put it this way. If we pick students randomly from inner city schools, then it would be worse than randomly pick from the burb schools.