Want your Kids to Learn US History?

[Cardinal Carminative]

Speaking of which, the service is an excellent way to teach kids responsibility, give them skills AND have a paid for education and medical benefits for eternity...

That is, if your kid is tough enough... one of mine is.....

I really liked the idea of the military providing not just opportunities for college but also training skills! That was until one of my chem techs years ago told me that her years as an air traffic controller for the Air Force on a base in Asia didn't count for civilian purposes and she would have to start at the absolute bottom if she could even get a job in the field.

So she went back to college for her degree. But it was frustrating since I thought that the ideal was to have skills that would be accepted in the real world as well.

 

[Unkotare]

...school paces teaching according to the slowest learners. ...

Not so.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

Much of what is formally taught only need to be told to kids. Also, school paces teaching according to the slowest learners. Everyone else gets bored as their time (and life) wastes away.

How long ago were you thrown out of school?

 

[Woodznutz]

How long ago were you thrown out of school?

A long time ago.

 

[Unkotare]

How long ago were you thrown out of school?

I wonder if it's longer than you've been retired and therefore NOT teaching.

 

[Woodznutz]

They probably did a better job than you are imagining. Certainly not all your teachers were equally horrible. That would be statistically unlikely.

I've had the pleasure of a full 12 years of school elementary-high school and then another 11 at university and I've seen about a billion different teachers in my day. I've seen horrible teachers (much as you describe) and I've seen brilliant teachers. Most of them are doing a pretty good job when their hands aren't tied by morons trying to turn the classroom into a new front in the "Culture War" and they'd do even better if we as a society acted like what they do is valuable.

That begs the question. Do you believe that the educational system adequately prepares students for post-school life? And how would that be determined?

 

[Unkotare]

That begs the question. Do you believe that the educational system adequately prepares students for post-school life? And how would that be determined?

Do you really think that how a person's life turns out, the culmination of all the choices he makes and opportunities or obstacles that ever arise are determined by the roughly 180 hours a year he spent in school until the age of 18? Not family? Not environment? Not personal responsibility?

 

[Woodznutz]

Do you really think that how a person's life turns out, the culmination of all the choices he makes and opportunities or obstacles that ever arise are determined by the roughly 180 hours a year he spent in school until the age of 18? Not family? Not environment? Not personal responsibility?

Those things are shaped by education aren't they? What better place to learn them than school. How many elementary kids are fed by the school/state because their parents failed to provide adequate nutrition. What else have parents, many of whom recently graduated from school, failed to do as parents because of lack of needed knowledge?

 

[Unkotare]

Those things are shaped by education aren't they? What better place to learn them than school.

School is not the only education young people (and old) receive. To look at how an individual's life turns out and say "well, that school sucks" or "gee, his school must have been awesome!" makes little sense.

 

[Woodznutz]

School is not the only education young people (and old) receive. To look at how an individual's life turns out and say "well, that school sucks" or "gee, his school must have been awesome!" makes little sense.

And yet at commencement ceremonies a bright and productive future is predicted for these kids as a result of their education. Why not track the 'success' of recent graduating classes and reveal it to the grads as well. It might open their eyes to what really lies ahead. Situations that they are abysmally unprepared for that will derail all their future hopes.

School prides itself in 'expanding' the thinking of kids when it should be narrowing down the essential knowledge that kids need to survive. Of course they might not possess this knowledge themselves.

 

[Woodznutz]

Not so.

It actually is more complicated.

The Myth of "Go As Fast as the Slowest Student" - Swift | Silent | Deadly

My recent article, “Lessons Learned as Professional Instructor” was a reasonably popular article However, it also drew some pretty vitriolic criticism. Today I’m going to respond to one particular criticism that popped up several times. Most of the jabs at my article don’t merit any response at...

swiftsilentdeadly.com

College students pay to learn. If they can't keep up, too bad. My statement refers to grades K through 12. Actually upon reflection teaching is really too fast for many kids. The teaching model needs to include mentoring of the slow learners by those who are faster.

Educators must also deal with the baggage that many kids bring into the class with them.

 

[Unkotare]

It actually is more complicated.
....

More complicated than you might imagine.

 

[Unkotare]

And yet at commencement ceremonies a bright and productive future is predicted for these kids as a result of their education. ...

Would you expect to attend a graduation and hear the keynote speaker tell you your life is going to suck? At real graduations young people aren't told to expect a bright future because of their education but because of their individual characters and the choices they will make. Education provides more opportunities, but each person must still make their own choices.

 

[Unkotare]

...

School prides itself in 'expanding' the thinking of kids when it should be narrowing down the essential knowledge that kids need ...

I could not disagree more.

 

[Woodznutz]

Would you expect to attend a graduation and hear the keynote speaker tell you your life is going to suck? At real graduations young people aren't told to expect a bright future because of their education but because of their individual characters and the choices they will make. Education provides more opportunities, but each person must still make their own choices.

Character development should be part of every curriculum. Most of our problems stem from poor character. Good character is essential to the success of any endeavor. Character development in the home usually consists of kids 'doing what they're told'.

 

[Woodznutz]

I could not disagree more.

For example, there is only one way to properly floss one's teeth. That's narrowing down essential choices to the right one.

Lots of college grads in this group.

Adult Oral Health | Basics | Division of Oral Health | CDC

Over a quarter of all adults in the United States have untreated tooth decay. Nearly half (46%) of all adults aged 30 years or older show signs of gum disease; severe gum disease affects about 9% of adults.

www.cdc.gov

Poor dental health costs employers $54 billion a year. Here’s how to fix it

The financial and health implications of unmanaged oral health are huge. But an integrated approach to dental and medical care could help prevent disease.

www.weforum.org

Then there's this.

Understaffed and ready to hire, dentists face applicant shortages as they emerge from COVID-19 pandemic

Compared with before the pandemic, more than 80% of owner dentists who are currently hiring are finding the recruitment of dental hygienists and assistants to be extremely or very challenging.

www.ada.org

This is just one of many societal problems not being addressed in our education system.

 

[Unkotare]

Character development should be part of every curriculum. Most of our problems stem from poor character. Good character is essential to the success of any endeavor. Character development in the home usually consists of kids 'doing what they're told'.

Sorry, but molding the character of a child is the family's job, not his math or English teacher. Maybe a coach, but nowhere near the extent of family. If my son's middle school (or my other son's preschool) thinks they can determine my son's character, they can kiss my ass and I have no problem telling them so. Students come to my high school classroom with whatever character they have. Not my business to change them. My job is to teach them. If you task schools with making character, you will end up with all the things (99% imaginary) that people panic about over schools.

 

[Woodznutz]

Sorry, but molding the character of a child is the family's job, not his math or English teacher. Maybe a coach, but nowhere near the extent of family. If my son's middle school (or my other son's preschool) thinks they can determine my son's character, they can kiss my ass and I have no problem telling them so. Students come to my high school classroom with whatever character they have. Not my business to change them. My job is to teach them. If you task schools with making character, you will end up with all the things (99% imaginary) that people panic about over schools.

Character training need not be that obvious. A good place to start is with dress codes. Behavior is affected by dress.

 

[Unkotare]

For example, there is only one way to properly floss one's teeth. ...

There are many ways, depending on what implement you use.

 

[Unkotare]

Character training need not be that obvious. A good place to start is with dress codes. Behavior is affected by dress.

If a mother allows her daughter to go out dressed like a whore, the Algebra teacher isn't going to stop her from acting like one.