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Politics : Al Gore vs George Bush: the moderate's perspective -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Rarebird who wrote (725)	9/19/2000 11:04:42 PM
From: Hawkmoon	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 10042

Rarebird.. Statewide standards are not the same as NATIONAL STANDARDS. Now if we were to take a chapter from the legacy of the English school system, can you imagine US students facing an oral exam in front of a panel of teachers possessing the power to pass or fail them on the spot? Some folks say that may be just what we need... :0) And we need school uniform policies in many troubled schools that face the problem of gang violence... Take away their ability to form their own identity (when violent or disruptive) and meld them into ONE identity... That of a student who has certain expectations he must meet in order to advance in society. As for the shortage of teachers... why is that? Could it be because people don't need the BS that gets in the way of conferring one's experiences and knowledge on an school system that tolerates disruptive students? I can give you a PRIME example of this. I still remember my days as a high school freshman in Algebra class. There were several Sophmores who had previously failed the course and were retaking it. But the problem was that they were incredibly disruptive and the teacher, while knowledgable on the subject, possessed a weak character incapable of dealing with disruptive/abusive students (one of these sophmores was a football stud with a temperamental attitude). So I basically wound up learning very little and found myself joining in on these shenanigans because "hey, it's the cool thing to do and they won't kick us out of school for it"... To this day I regret my stupidity and the conditions that continued to impede my later education... (math was one of those subjects that kept me from graduating Cum Laude from college). Kids are doing poorly in math and reading because they are learning the basic. They are being told to learn "whole english" and not phonics... They are being taught in a "feel good about yourself" manner rather than demanding results... Kids are not adults.. They require structure in order to prevent them from being distracted from the goal of learning. And I know you certainly had a better educational experience than the kids today... Teachers are out there Rarebird... Many of them may be retired college professors who want to teach younger, more impressionable minds. If there is any one quality about mankind, it is the desire to confer knowledge and play a role in shaping young minds.... And these kinds of people are not the type that are necessarily concerned about getting rich being a teacher... They teach because of the personal rewards that money can never provide. But I'm all for merit pay for teachers... We lost a BRILLIANT biology teacher in my HS because they could not pay him an amount worthy of his extensive educational and life experience.. (this guy had a specimen museum that would put many university biology departments to shame)... He left and took a better paying position in Alaska.. No Rarebird, money doesn't solve the problem... Giving kids safe and productive environments in which to convey and absorb knowledge is what is required. As well as self-reponsibility for one's failure to seize educational opportunities that are provided to them. Regards, Ron