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Politics : To be a Liberal,you have to believe that..... -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: jlallen who wrote (27)	9/1/1999 1:31:00 PM
From: mc	Respond to of 6418

I must confess, JLA that I have to agree with the assessments that our schools need to focus much more on learning the basics and get rid of the fluff that has no place there. My wife is a teacher and everytime she is doing a lesson plan I nag her about not being too nice. I'm a firm believer in teaching the basics. She's an excellent teacher. She is always prepared, commands the respect of her students and is intelligent enough to help them learn what they need to learn. The art of keeping a disciplined class to create a quality learning environment has not been lost with her. Unfortunately we seem to cater to our children's desires in this country too much for my liking. I didn't enjoy memorizing my multiplication tables, but, I darn well learned them. Sometimes kids just have to bite the bullet and do things that have to be done; just like the rest of us. Let's get off the sexuality in the classroom stuff. It is an annoying subject that I can't really put my heart into defending and I love a good argument. How do the other topics in the list get your goat? Take care, mc

To: jlallen who wrote (27)	9/1/1999 2:16:00 PM
From: Neocon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 6418

One of the biggest difficulties is in getting agreement on "core knowledge", and insisting it be learned. It is easier in something like math, but social studies and English are all over the road, and even science is awfully disorganized. When I say "core knowledge", I mean more than topical coverage. I mean something akin to the multiplication tables: you aren't getting out of elementary school without knowing these. You aren't getting out without knowing the continents and oceans. You aren't getting out of middle school without knowing the difference between an adjective and an adverb. You aren't getting out of high school without knowing the 2nd law of thermodynamics. Core knowledge is the stuff you keep reviewing until everyone gets it, even as you move on in other areas where a C is acceptable. We should take the core knowledge approach to the most essential things, and take it upon ourselves to make sure that every kid who graduates has it.....