The number one problem with our educational system is... our diet!

[techs]

I really believe the problems we are having with our educational system is really a problem with the kids we are sending into it. And the kids we are sending to it are emotional wrecks.
You can trace the decline in our educational system to the changing of what our kids eat.
In fact as the "American" diet spreads around the world you can see the same thing happening in other countries.
It was only in the 1960's that we started serving kids sugar water with caffeine as their staple liquid. We started feeding kids candy for breakfast (Count Chocula, Pop-tarts).
Study after study shows feeding lab rats an American diet causes them to behave hyperactivly and with loss of learning skills.
Americans were the first ones on the planet, after a million years of evolution, to introduce an artificial diet. And it is having drastic results.
IMHO.

 

[RichardE]

Its true lol, when I eat clean, getting ready for season, or for boxing, or just for working out some more, I do feel much more awake/alert ect.

 

[dullard]

Go watch "Super Size Me" if you haven't seen it already. They discuss one school filled with behavior problem kids. In that school, junk food was replaced with healthy food and the behavior problems nearly vanished.

 

[Cerb]

No argument from me.
http://cerbie.livejournal.com/40750.html

 

[Rainsford]

Originally posted by: techs
I really believe the problems we are having with our educational system is really a problem with the kids we are sending into it. And the kids we are sending to it are emotional wrecks.
You can trace the decline in our educational system to the changing of what our kids eat.
In fact as the "American" diet spreads around the world you can see the same thing happening in other countries.
It was only in the 1960's that we started serving kids sugar water with caffeine as their staple liquid. We started feeding kids candy for breakfast (Count Chocula, Pop-tarts).
Study after study shows feeding lab rats an American diet causes them to behave hyperactivly and with loss of learning skills.
Americans were the first ones on the planet, after a million years of evolution, to introduce an artificial diet. And it is having drastic results.
IMHO.

Aren't almost all diets "artificial"? After all, it's not like we're hunting in the great plains or gathering berries and fruits. Our diet, like the diet of any other first world country, is formed from a very artificial selection of foods, the availability of which is well controlled. Eating what we eat is no more and no less natural than what people eat in every other country in the world.

However, we certainly have an UNHEALTHY diet. I suppose there is a degree of the artificial in the fact that most of our foods are highly processed, less simply foods cooked from basic things and more foods containing ingredients we can't pronounce. Is that what you mean? Because if so, I agree that this is a problem. It's not just that we're unhealthy in the long run, that kind of diet isn't good for you in the short run either. Same with our lack of exercise. It's not just that you'll be unhealthy when you're older, it's that you lose all the short term benefits as well.

 

[spunkz]

maybe we'll evolve into junkfoodivores

 

[raildogg]

I really don't think its the diet. Other countries have diets that are worse in that they don't provide enough nutrients or enough varieties of food. I believe that the public education system needs to be completely changed. People who run it currently are not doing their job. It is not the money that is the problem. Maybe we're spending too much money on public education.

If you look carefully, you'll find that private institutions do a much better job at running things. Private schools and other facilities are run much more efficient than do government facilities. Big government will lead to failure, like always. Give the government any control, and pretty soon, you'll see the results of that. But since Americans love to think in the short term, we have given the government far too much control to make ourselves feel better.

Countries like India, China, Singapore, Japan and some European countries have students that are outperforming our students. The kids in those countries may not have the greatest diet, but when they're in school, they learn. There is too much BS in our schools. Political correctness is one of the main reasons. Parents have gotten too much control over the teachers role in a child's development. "Over there", students are sometimes beaten with a ruler if they misbehave. I'm not a advocate of physically punishing a student, but I believe that our schools are lacking discipline.

Insert discipline, and put in a system that is leaner and efficient, and schools and the grades of students will improve.

 

[Rainsford]

Originally posted by: raildogg
I really don't think its the diet. Other countries have diets that are worse in that they don't provide enough nutrients or enough varieties of food. I believe that the public education system needs to be completely changed. People who run it currently are not doing their job. It is not the money that is the problem. Maybe we're spending too much money on public education.

If you look carefully, you'll find that private institutions do a much better job at running things. Private schools and other facilities are run much more efficient than do government facilities. Big government will lead to failure, like always. Give the government any control, and pretty soon, you'll see the results of that. But since Americans love to think in the short term, we have given the government far too much control to make ourselves feel better.

Countries like India, China, Singapore, Japan and some European countries have students that are outperforming our students. The kids in those countries may not have the greatest diet, but when they're in school, they learn. There is too much BS in our schools. Political correctness is one of the main reasons. Parents have gotten too much control over the teachers role in a child's development. "Over there", students are sometimes beaten with a ruler if they misbehave. I'm not a advocate of physically punishing a student, but I believe that our schools are lacking discipline.

Insert discipline, and put in a system that is leaner and efficient, and schools and the grades of students will improve.

I tend to agree that the school system certainly has room for improvement, especially in regards to how money is spent. Having a girlfriend who is a teacher has really been eye-opening in regard to how money is spent on public education. Teachers don't really earn enough, money for supplies is tight, yet tons and tons of money is spent on testing and "programs", as if that alone will help students learn.

However, I think the problem is larger than the school system. You sort of hinted at it, in many other countries, students really go to school to LEARN. It's not because they get hit if they don't, or even that there is some improved concept of discipline in general, it's that their culture tends to really embrace academics. I don't think the US is filled with backwards cavement or anything, but on some level I think we lack the same respect for an education. It's not as obvious as parents in Kansas ranting against evolution being taught in the classroom, it's more of a general attitude that regards education as nothing more than a means to an end...the less of it you can get away with, the better.

 

[raildogg]

Originally posted by: Rainsford

Originally posted by: raildogg
I really don't think its the diet. Other countries have diets that are worse in that they don't provide enough nutrients or enough varieties of food. I believe that the public education system needs to be completely changed. People who run it currently are not doing their job. It is not the money that is the problem. Maybe we're spending too much money on public education.

If you look carefully, you'll find that private institutions do a much better job at running things. Private schools and other facilities are run much more efficient than do government facilities. Big government will lead to failure, like always. Give the government any control, and pretty soon, you'll see the results of that. But since Americans love to think in the short term, we have given the government far too much control to make ourselves feel better.

Countries like India, China, Singapore, Japan and some European countries have students that are outperforming our students. The kids in those countries may not have the greatest diet, but when they're in school, they learn. There is too much BS in our schools. Political correctness is one of the main reasons. Parents have gotten too much control over the teachers role in a child's development. "Over there", students are sometimes beaten with a ruler if they misbehave. I'm not a advocate of physically punishing a student, but I believe that our schools are lacking discipline.

Insert discipline, and put in a system that is leaner and efficient, and schools and the grades of students will improve.

I tend to agree that the school system certainly has room for improvement, especially in regards to how money is spent. Having a girlfriend who is a teacher has really been eye-opening in regard to how money is spent on public education. Teachers don't really earn enough, money for supplies is tight, yet tons and tons of money is spent on testing and "programs", as if that alone will help students learn.

However, I think the problem is larger than the school system. You sort of hinted at it, in many other countries, students really go to school to LEARN. It's not because they get hit if they don't, or even that there is some improved concept of discipline in general, it's that their culture tends to really embrace academics. I don't think the US is filled with backwards cavement or anything, but on some level I think we lack the same respect for an education. It's not as obvious as parents in Kansas ranting against evolution being taught in the classroom, it's more of a general attitude that regards education as nothing more than a means to an end...the less of it you can get away with, the better.

The government decides the wages for its employees, right? Aren't public school teachers employed by the government? Apparently, the government feels their salaries are fine. It's not about if the amount is right or not, it's what the government feels it is.

The students in other cultures have a great incentive to learn and get good grades - because they want their parents to not punish them or the teacher or both. If our parents stressed good grades, maybe the kids would try harder. When you have students who want to learn, not even the worst school system can stop them. You're right in that regard.

Nothing is obvious. We must try to find the real reason, the root of the problem. That is something a lot of us disagree about.

 

[Agman]

Well depends on what you define as goverment. Remember that the education is run by the state goverment not national. So the problem is not only what the national goverment is doing but more specifically what the state goverment is doing.

But I do agree that the public school system in this country has a lot of flaws, and I attribute it to the whole ordeal of "political correctness" which limits how the teacher can teach things to his students, and also the dicipline issues. If you think about it there is really no REAL punishment for a kid misbehaving in school. They might get suspended for a few days, or get sent to some "alteranative" school, but in my opinion that doesn't really work because as soon as the kids come back to school they get into trouble again.

Also a VERY important aspect that many people tend to forget is that parents are highly important in their kid's education. Today parents just don't really care, they send their kids to school and thats it, are nlot really interested in what they are earning. By being interested I don't mean the nagging and complaining parent making a huge deal over creation being taught or whatever, since if they don't want their child to learn that then when the kid gets back home TALK with them and try to teach them what you want them to learn. After all its YOUR kid, why should you expect other people to follow YOUR standard over others. Parents should get involved into their kids education, enhance it. If they know their kid is taking a specific class on a subject, and if the kid enjoys the subject talk to them about it. I know I did that a lot with my dad and mom and it really helped. Since speaking about what you learn helps a lot in really learning it.

But anyways, the public school system has many many issues that sadly won't be solved anytime soon. But I beleive that there is a lot of room for improvement and parents are a key part in solving America's education problems.

 

[Rainsford]

Originally posted by: raildogg

Originally posted by: Rainsford

Originally posted by: raildogg
I really don't think its the diet. Other countries have diets that are worse in that they don't provide enough nutrients or enough varieties of food. I believe that the public education system needs to be completely changed. People who run it currently are not doing their job. It is not the money that is the problem. Maybe we're spending too much money on public education.

If you look carefully, you'll find that private institutions do a much better job at running things. Private schools and other facilities are run much more efficient than do government facilities. Big government will lead to failure, like always. Give the government any control, and pretty soon, you'll see the results of that. But since Americans love to think in the short term, we have given the government far too much control to make ourselves feel better.

Countries like India, China, Singapore, Japan and some European countries have students that are outperforming our students. The kids in those countries may not have the greatest diet, but when they're in school, they learn. There is too much BS in our schools. Political correctness is one of the main reasons. Parents have gotten too much control over the teachers role in a child's development. "Over there", students are sometimes beaten with a ruler if they misbehave. I'm not a advocate of physically punishing a student, but I believe that our schools are lacking discipline.

Insert discipline, and put in a system that is leaner and efficient, and schools and the grades of students will improve.

I tend to agree that the school system certainly has room for improvement, especially in regards to how money is spent. Having a girlfriend who is a teacher has really been eye-opening in regard to how money is spent on public education. Teachers don't really earn enough, money for supplies is tight, yet tons and tons of money is spent on testing and "programs", as if that alone will help students learn.

However, I think the problem is larger than the school system. You sort of hinted at it, in many other countries, students really go to school to LEARN. It's not because they get hit if they don't, or even that there is some improved concept of discipline in general, it's that their culture tends to really embrace academics. I don't think the US is filled with backwards cavement or anything, but on some level I think we lack the same respect for an education. It's not as obvious as parents in Kansas ranting against evolution being taught in the classroom, it's more of a general attitude that regards education as nothing more than a means to an end...the less of it you can get away with, the better.

The government decides the wages for its employees, right? Aren't public school teachers employed by the government? Apparently, the government feels their salaries are fine. It's not about if the amount is right or not, it's what the government feels it is.

The students in other cultures have a great incentive to learn and get good grades - because they want their parents to not punish them or the teacher or both. If our parents stressed good grades, maybe the kids would try harder. When you have students who want to learn, not even the worst school system can stop them. You're right in that regard.

Nothing is obvious. We must try to find the real reason, the root of the problem. That is something a lot of us disagree about.

Indeed. I think the best thing we can do is actually look at the problem, I don't think we focus enough on figuring out how to improve education. It's not a money thing, more of a factor of really caring about the problem than anything else.

 

[Agman]

Yes I agree, just dumping money on it won't help. I mean sure we can get good computers and high tech classrooms. But if the student is not willing or interested in benefiting from them they serve no purpose. Just look at how people learned before computers, they didn't need projectors or laptops. And many great minds learned by themselves just reading and studying. I can't think of a better example that Sir Isaac Newton, he never had a computer or calculator. Yet he came up with laws and theories that are the main foundation for the Physics and Calculus of today.