Avoiding gov't school indoctrination-
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig10/galvin1.1.1.html
Ok lets say I am going to start Homeschooling my pups.
I think I could handle the 3r's. The genius that we have available could handle the physics of electricity, drug interaction, animal husbandtry, veterinary inoculations, a&p, Catholicism, pharmacology, Geometry, Trig, accounting, tax law, HIPPA, SNAP, corporate tax law, drivers education, fork driving, 10 key, point of sale computerize inventory control, customer relations, calculus, counting change, pharmacokinetics, analytical thinking, and sex ed(we got HBO).
But what about the things I don't care to teach them any thing about.
They won't be exposed to art, art history, literature, Fox news, world history, foreign language, liberals, racists, opera, Wal-Mart, rodeo, or international foreign studies. There isn't a good racket ball court at our school. The tennis court is usually full of leaves from the yard guy, the pool is full of manganese and is chocolate brown so no back stroke, there are only three students so no volleyball, only 2on1 basketball tournaments and the oldest always wins, marching band looks like the bass drum swallowed the drummer, the football team is powder puff, the cheerleaders only know one cheer but they sure look good in camo-kevlar, the math relay team keeps dropping the baton(something about integers), who do you compete against to get to the spelling bee?, how do they learn how to conduct a meeting, and why won't herbs grow under water?
I think you would have to be pretty conceited to think that you are half as knowledgeable in all subjects as even half of the teachers at the worst public school.
Red, I have no problem at all with home schools or Charter Schools ( obviously) or private schools or alternative schools in general. Montessori schools have been around for a long time and provide a much looser curriculum, such as the writer was looking for. Considering his job, home schooling might not a problem. Not every family can do that. I do have a problem with kids who just are not ready to learn, at any age, and parents who are looking for every excuse under the sun for why their kid isn't cutting it. Many years ago, kids who quit early weren't even willing to get trade educations and once you quit there was no going back. Now kids have every opportunity to go back, take on line classes, go to night school, apprenticeship programs, what ever it takes to get a good grip on the basics. I am very pro education in whatever form it takes. I do have one question. What on earth does school have to do with tattoos and body piercing?
Quote from: pepelect on October 01, 2009, 08:50:31 PM
Ok lets say I am going to start Homeschooling my pups.
I think I could handle the 3r's. The genius that we have available could handle the physics of electricity, drug interaction, animal husbandtry, veterinary inoculations, a&p, Catholicism, pharmacology, Geometry, Trig, accounting, tax law, HIPPA, SNAP, corporate tax law, drivers education, fork driving, 10 key, point of sale computerize inventory control, customer relations, calculus, counting change, pharmacokinetics, analytical thinking, and sex ed(we got HBO).
But what about the things I don't care to teach them any thing about.
They won't be exposed to art, art history, literature, Fox news, world history, foreign language, liberals, racists, opera, Wal-Mart, rodeo, or international foreign studies. There isn't a good racket ball court at our school. The tennis court is usually full of leaves from the yard guy, the pool is full of manganese and is chocolate brown so no back stroke, there are only three students so no volleyball, only 2on1 basketball tournaments and the oldest always wins, marching band looks like the bass drum swallowed the drummer, the football team is powder puff, the cheerleaders only know one cheer but they sure look good in camo-kevlar, the math relay team keeps dropping the baton(something about integers), who do you compete against to get to the spelling bee?, how do they learn how to conduct a meeting, and why won't herbs grow under water?
I think you would have to be pretty conceited to think that you are half as knowledgeable in all subjects as even half of the teachers at the worst public school.
well the homeschoolers out there meet together and do those very things your talking about.
I am not so worried about sports as it is overrated but swimming can be conducted at the ymca, theres all kinds of sports there,
as far as art, art history,
what kind of art. There are such things as museums which the schools take kids to too, so your utilizing the same resources. But look at things that you like to do. I love woodworking. I build unique items in my spare time that could be considered art.
as far as literature,
thats easy. get them into reading. Teach them to read and let the MASTERS teach them about literature. Shakespear, edgar allen poe. I remember being 7 and reading the tale of the telltale heart. and then my next book was Ivanhoe. I got into shakespear at 10 years old. The key is introduce them to it and let them find their own interests.
as far as Fox news, commie news network and other various insidious entities, their better off not even venturing there but if they must teach them that nothing they say is valid.
On world history,
It depends on what history you wish them to learn. Some of this can be combigned with art :)
on foreign language,
That is not hard. There are various language courses you can put on computers. Rosetta stone is one of the best language courses around.
on liberals,
well if you raise them right they can recognize a liberal at 500 yards!
on racists,
They won't have a problem identifying them! They tend to stand out rather well.
On opera,
Take them to one and suffer through it if you don't like it. We all have to sacrifice at times.
on Wal-Mart, what is there to learn about walmart???
on a rodeo, take em to one.
The biggest thing about homeschooling is that it is a sacrifice to homeschool. You sacrifice your time and energies to give them the best education you can possibly give them. A homeschooler has a much better education than any institution can provide mostly because of the one on one time as well as the flexibility in teaching that you can adapt. Every trip to town can be a lesson. thats the cool thing about it.
You can also teach your kids with a TON Of curriculum available on the internet. For example, your highschoolers could start learning from MIT's online courses which are free. Imagine them turning 18 years old and having completed MIT's courses and excelliing at them. They would be years ahead of their peers and they would be ready to tackle even greater challanges.
You can't get that with canned education.
Quote from: pepelect on October 01, 2009, 08:50:31 PM
I think you would have to be pretty conceited to think that you are half as knowledgeable in all subjects as even half of the teachers at the worst public school.
Not conceited, but a good chunk of the teachers are half my age. Life experiences teach more than any 10 teachers in a school could teach.
Note that is not true in all cases. This world has raised some complete idiots.
Pep-
You seem to relish a partnership with gov't to build a "greater" school.
Good luck on that. If you win the "yes" vote, then you've successfully captured the means to tax
the community and gained the borrowing power, all in the name of education and you can call it a "political
vivtory".
We ought not to seek a bigger gov't or gov't schools - the home-schoolers don't, why not you?
I'd vote for more freedom by voting "no".
I think the best balance is a combination of both. I don't have a problem with public school.....my kids all did and do fine. I kept and keep up with what they are taught or NOT taught and fill in the blanks with the rest of the story.
Some people home-school to INCREASE their kids knowledge and then SOME home-school to do their OWN indoctrinaion.
I think this is a completely empty argument. Kind of like which church is better. That all depends on your own beliefs and abilities. We've all determined on here that not every parent is QUALIFIED to teach their kids in a homeschool atmosphere. Yes, the real-world basics, but all parents should be doing that regardless of what type of school their child attends. But those people who struggled themselves in school probably aren't real qualifed to be teaching those basics. ALSO, as also stated on here... many people struggle to keep roofs and food and clothes. They don't have the time or the money to homeschool their kids. Kids don't learn well naked and starving.
Yes, the homeschool system is good (if not great). But it takes a special kind of parent and child to make it work... just ask any parent or kid who has done this. Yes, the public school system is effective. But it also takes the involvement of parent and child to get any education out of it, too.
No one is better or worse for choosing homeschool or public school. No child is better or worse educated, either. No one is more or less "free". Yes, there are some who thrive in certain environments and learning situations... but you can also say the opposite.
Quote from: pamsback on October 02, 2009, 06:36:36 AM
I think the best balance is a combination of both. I don't have a problem with public school.....my kids all did and do fine. I kept and keep up with what they are taught or NOT taught and fill in the blanks with the rest of the story.
Pam, I think you have a good point so long as the combination is with state and local gov't and not the federal. There doesn't seem to be enough parents that keep up with their kids education. They leave it entirely up to the schools.
Quote from: Tobina+1 on October 02, 2009, 09:21:24 AM
Yes, the homeschool system is good (if not great). But it takes a special kind of parent and child to make it work... No child is better or worse educated, either.
Tobina, I see what you're saying but I don't think it takes a "special" parent or child. I believe it takes a parent that is willing and determined to make the nessecary adjustments in their life.
As for the education, the majority of homeschooled kids tend to score higher on standardized tests than public school kids.
I would be amazed if home schooled kids didn't score better than public school kids. The public schools have to work with whatever product is dropped at their door. You take whatever level they are and try to take them as far as you can. That's if they come to school at all. You can't help a child who isn't there. Most kids are great to work with. Some aren't.
That argument might hold water if homeschoolers taught the same material using the same techniques as public schools. But I don't see many homeschoolers "teaching to the test" as I do public schools.
Quote from: Diane Amberg on October 02, 2009, 12:21:46 PM
You take whatever level they are and try to take them as far as you can.
Well DUH!! Isn't that what a teacher is supposed to do?
Quote from: Varmit on October 02, 2009, 10:56:32 AM
Tobina, I see what you're saying but I don't think it takes a "special" parent or child. I believe it takes a parent that is willing and determined to make the nessecary adjustments in their life.
Nit-pickin'. "Special" definately means a parent who is "willing and determined". Why split hairs when we agree?
Quote from: Varmit on October 02, 2009, 12:50:50 PM
That argument might hold water if homeschoolers taught the same material using the same techniques as public schools. But I don't see many homeschoolers "teaching to the test" as I do public schools.
I agree (in case there's a question). Again, it's like comparing apples to oranges. The advantage of home-school is that the parents can customize the curriculum to their own childrens' levels and learning abilities. You have more of a 1-on-1 atmosphere. ANY child would learn better that way, no matter what the curriculum! I don't doubt that test scores are higher among home-schooled kids because of this type of learning/teaching atmosphere. BUT, the fact remains that not all parents are qualified or have the abilities to teach their children like this. Also, there ARE kids in public schools that would beat the test-scores off home-schooled kids any day of the week. Maybe they have smart genes. Maybe they have a dedicated teacher. Maybe they have "special" parents who took the time to do homework and reading with them and challenge them beyond school work.
I think the bottom line is that if you are a parent and can provide the education to your children, and are "willing and determined", then maybe home-school is a good option. If you are a parent that must work hard to provide necesseties to your familiy, or do not feel confident in your teaching abilities (or at least feel more confident in teachers' abilities), then public school is your option. We can't/shouldn't fault parents or kids for being one way or the other. IMHO, it's not your education who makes you who you are... it's how you USE that education for the rest of your life!
With a private school(s) in EKCO, there would be more choices and competition.
The gov't school concept seems too expensive and dependent upon taxes from
property owners.
Already there is expectancy of wind power as a source of tax revenue in EKCO.
If the wind power project happens, the gov't will be taking more income from
the wind turbine project than the landowners will receive. Another good reason
for landowners to oppose any wind turbine easements on their lands.
since you want to call me out jump off a red cliff sw
Quote from: redcliffsw on October 02, 2009, 05:14:53 AM
Pep-
You seem to relish a partnership with gov't to build a "greater" school. ( How can you be a partner with yourself I am govt.)
Good luck on that. If you win the "yes" vote, then you've successfully captured the means to tax
the community(myself) and gained the borrowing power(equity), all in the name of education ;D and you can call it a "political
vivtory".
We ought not to seek a bigger gov't or gov't schools - the home-schoolers don't, why not you? You are completely off base. We are consolidating not expanding.
I'd vote for more freedom by voting "no". This show me your ignorance on this topic. You don't understand.
So following you "logic" a lesser school is better. Forget that fact that 60% of the school system is special education for the cooperative. Not one house on one street but a multiple district venture. Don't worry about speech, physical, or developmental theraphies they aren't needed or even wanted. I don't understand the capturing of something that is not capturable. I can't tax, I won't have gained any power and political vivtory doesn't even have a difinition.... Who is we? You are confusing spending less money wisely with foolishly spending much more money. I want a smaller school because we have a smaller student base. I think that painters should paint. Farmers should farm. Teachers should teach.
The reason I won't, haven't, or ever will homeschool is I want my kids to be smarter than I am. Simply physics you can't create matter.
Blow off a cliff.....There is no tax on wind farms in Kansas..... That is the only reason they are willing to build in this area is they are still getting federal tax breaks for green power construction.
The proposed wind farm west of Howard would bring in $250million ($250,000,000) worth of valueable assets to Elk county. Potentially hundreds of temporary and at least 21 permanent jobs.
There is Payment in liew of tax(PILOT). That could be used by the county for anything.
Land owners are pretty funny bunch. They will usually do what they want to do. If someone wants to build a pipeline( taxable entity) through and has the cash they can usually get it done. If someone wants to poke holes in the ground looking for oil( oil companies don't have to pay taxes on anything pipe, jacks, its all free) and have the cash they can do that too. If a bunch of hunters want to come on to your property and hunt every year undisturbed and have the cash they can.
But what you are saying is that if someone wants to come in and build a wind farm we(as homeschooled landowners) should oppose it because they might pay the govt more than the landowners!!??
Do they teach economics in homeschools?
Does anyone have any stats as to how many private schools are opened each year? Just curious as to if that's a growing trend or not. Same goes for number of children being home-schooled.
Red, please go build a private school so you can have it however you want it. I thought a Charter School would be perfect for you, but you never even considered it. Do you really want to accomplish something or do you just want to sit on the side lines and complain as the parade passes you by. Sorry if I sound harsh but it's getting a little old.
Varmit,"teaching to the test" is an an approved way of teaching some subjects. That's how spelling lists work.You give the kids the lists, they learn it and test on it later. Multiplication tables and math basics work somewhat the same way. Critical thinking skills, no. Learning the names of all the states, yes. As far as public schools VS home schools "teaching to the test"....how could you possibly know? You are just guessing. Home schools do indeed have curriculum guides that are used at the various levels. They do have more flexibility in how they reach the goals, but there are indeed goals for each level. It doesn't just come out of thin air. I really got curious since some of you have been acting so dissatisfied, so I have asked some friends who do it how they manage. It has been very enlightening to say the least.
Pep
Sounds like you've studied Keynesian economics. Where'd
you get all that schooling? Princeton or Oxford?
Princeton or Oxford? Couldn't be, the buildings are to old! ;D
Quote from: Diane Amberg on October 02, 2009, 03:32:08 PM
Varmit,"teaching to the test" is an an approved way of teaching some subjects. That's how spelling lists work.You give the kids the lists, they learn it and test on it later. Multiplication tables and math basics work somewhat the same way. Critical thinking skills, no. Learning the names of all the states, yes. As far as public schools VS home schools "teaching to the test"....how could you possibly know? You are just guessing. Home schools do indeed have curriculum guides that are used at the various levels. They do have more flexibility in how they reach the goals, but there are indeed goals for each level. It doesn't just come out of thin air. I really got curious since some of you have been acting so dissatisfied, so I have asked some friends who do it how they manage. It has been very enlightening to say the least.
Spelling tests, multiplication tables, states names,...almost all of these unavoidably fall into the "teaching to the test" category. However, history, science, lit., english cannot. By "teaching to the test" I was referring to the teachers who spend all year teaching only the material that is covered on standardized tests, instead of giving our children a broad education.
By the way, I am not just guessing. My sister home schooled her children. She never once gave her kids a study guide with the answers to the test on it, unlike my oldest sons teacher who just last week did that very thing. My sister took a totally different approach, she made her kids actually earn their grades.
Quote from: redcliffsw on October 02, 2009, 09:26:26 PM
Pep
Sounds like you've studied Keynesian economics. Where'd
you get all that schooling? Princeton or Oxford?
You do realize that most of the conservative politicians are all fans of Keynes, right?
They ought not be fans of Keynes but they play the Keynes game quite often.
Ok Varmit...you win. All public schools stink. All public school teachers stink. That's why no Kansas kids ever go on to college because their public school education wasn't good enough. You know one person who home schooled so you are an expert. I know about 30 so of course I know nothing. Study guides with answers, so kids can check their own work is always cheating (not) How dare that teacher not check with you first.Yes, I'm being sarcastic. If you have real concerns do something about it. Just because a teacher does something that you don't understand doesn't make it "wrong" just different. There are many, many ways to get education done. Why limit them?
Quote from: Diane Amberg on October 03, 2009, 08:14:59 AM
Ok Varmit...you win. All public schools stink. All public school teachers stink. That's why no Kansas kids ever go on to college because their public school education wasn't good enough. You know one person who home schooled so you are an expert. I know about 30 so of course I know nothing. Study guides with answers, so kids can check their own work is always cheating (not) How dare that teacher not check with you first.Yes, I'm being sarcastic. If you have real concerns do something about it. Just because a teacher does something that you don't understand doesn't make it "wrong" just different. There are many, many ways to get education done. Why limit them?
I don't think giving answers to the test for kids to use accomplishes anything but the smartest thing i ever seen a teacher do was to have a copy of every test she gave mysteriously make its way to the students so they could look up the answers to the questions. She found that they actually learned the material if they had to work and look up the answers.
The kids thought they were getting some great advantage too by getting a copy of the test and they thought the teacher didn't know it.
There is also a big difference between a study guide and a true evaluation. Studying for a multiple choice test is much different from studying for fill in the blank and essay tests. Sometimes I would give several different kind of quizzes and let each child choose the format he wanted. All tested the same information but in different ways. Now some of the tests are on the computer. I really never had that choice.
If the teacher's goal is for Johnny to learn X and he does learn and remember about x and still retains and uses the information about x many months and years later, how can any method the teacher used be "wrong?"
Quote from: Diane Amberg on October 03, 2009, 08:14:59 AM
Ok Varmit...you win. All public schools stink. All public school teachers stink. That's why no Kansas kids ever go on to college because their public school education wasn't good enough.
Okay, you want to go that route....Nationwide, over one million incoming college students require remedial courses just to catch up. (according to PR Newswire "Strong American Schools Unveils New Research on the Cost of College Remediation for Unprepared U.S. Students and Taxpayer" PR Newswire-U.S. Newswire Sept. 15, 2008)
Quote from: Diane Amberg on October 03, 2009, 08:39:14 AM
If the teacher's goal is for Johnny to learn X and he does learn and remember about x and still retains and uses the information about x many months and years later, how can any method the teacher used be "wrong?"
...so much for Johnnys retention...When you consider that we now throw FOUR times the amount of money at public schools than we did forty years ago with a decrease in output I think that saying "...public school system stinks.." is a fair evaluation.
By the way, I never claimed to be an expert, you accused me of guessing as if I didn't have any experience or reference to the subject.
Quote from: Diane Amberg on October 03, 2009, 08:14:59 AM
Study guides with answers, so kids can check their own work is always cheating (not) How dare that teacher not check with you first.Yes, I'm being sarcastic. If you have real concerns do something about it. Just because a teacher does something that you don't understand doesn't make it "wrong" just different. There are many, many ways to get education done. Why limit them?
Not wrong, just diffent...Hmmm...I never had a geography teacher provide me with a study guide, yet somehow managed to get an "A" in the class. Yet suprisingly a recent poll conducted by National Geographic showed that 63% of 18 to 24 year olds could not locate Iraq on a map, 70% didn't know where Iran and Isreal were, and 90% had no clue where Afghanistan was. Granted they didn't live in the Middle East but 50% couldn't even locate New York State.
If this is the outcome of "different" teaching styles then it would be safe to say that YES I do have concerns, mainly the "many, many ways" so-called teachers choose to NOT educate our children.
Quote from: Diane Amberg on October 03, 2009, 08:39:14 AM
There is also a big difference between a study guide and a true evaluation.
You are absoloutely right. A true evaluation would not consist of lowering the standard so that schools could say that their performance has improved.
Quote from: Varmit on October 03, 2009, 12:04:27 PM
You are absoloutely right. A true evaluation would not consist of lowering the standard so that schools could say that their performance has improved.
I do agree that they have lowered the educational standards dramatically! Even the GED that they give now is dumbed down. I got 186 out of 200 on the GED when i took it and min score was 145 i think to pass. I got 1050 on SAT and I can remember it being the test from hell.
I took some other kind of test when i went back to school in 2006, ACT i think it was called and it was rediculously easy but out of 100 of us in the class only 15 got high enough on it to get into the school. AND those were the folks that were in their 40's.
And as far as tests are concerned, How many of us can pass this 8th grade final exam?? I know i can't
Grammar (Time, one hour)
1. Give nine rules for the use of Capital Letters.
2. Name the Parts of Speech and define those that have no modifications.
3. Define Verse, Stanza and Paragraph.
4. What are the Principal Parts of a verb? Give Principal Parts of do, lie, lay and run.
5. Define Case, Illustrate each Case.
6. What is Punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of Punctuation.
7-10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.
Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)
1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at 50cts. per bu, deducting 1050 lbs. for tare?
4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5. Find cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $.20 per inch?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance around which is 640 rods?
10.Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.
U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)
1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided.
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, and 1865?
Orthography (Time, one hour)
1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic orthography, etymology, syllabication?
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: Trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals?
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u'.
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e'. Name two exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: Bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, super.
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: Card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences, Cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10.Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.
Geography (Time, one hour)
1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of N.A.
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fermandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
7. Name all the republics of Europe and give capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10.Describe the movements of the earth. Give inclination of the earth.
Big whoop...I've seen that ancient old test before. So what. If an 8th grade class had been studying those things, by those names, they should have done just fine. ( I can just hear my class parents wondering why their kid was asked a question about a wagon box.) ;D The appropriate question is could you have passed it when you were in 8th grade? I rather doubt I could sit down right now and still pass my 8th grade Latin test either. What does that have to do with anything? Can you rattle off all the parts of the atomic chart? Neither can I, but I could have when I was actually taking Chemistry. So what is the point? Are you just looking for people to agree with you that there is nothing good in this country including education? To you want to be the one to tell a student who earned a scholarship to KU that it's "worthless" because it it didn't meet your standards? Sorry, it won't be me. Sounds like a case of serious depression or at least sour grapes.
Quote from: Diane Amberg on October 03, 2009, 04:29:10 PM
Big whoop...I've seen that ancient old test before. So what. If an 8th grade class had been studying those things, by those names, they should have done just fine. ( I can just hear my class parents wondering why their kid was asked a question about a wagon box.) ;D The appropriate question is could you have passed it when you were in 8th grade?
The point is that this was the graduation test, not just going from 8th grade to highschool. YOu went to college after the 8th grade. The point is that The school system has dumbed down and we can see it every day. Shoot just go into any mcdonalds and give the girl a 20 on a 10.31 order then after she punches in 20 dollars give her .31 cents so you can get a 10 dollar bill back. they will freak and call a manager.
There is a Very good reason that kids don't pass the standardized tests. They aren't being taught. IF they were, they wouldn't have to make the tests easier.
QuoteI rather doubt I could sit down right now and still pass my 8th grade Latin test either.
Well i never took latin. Picked most of the latin phrases i know from plants.
QuoteCan you rattle off all the parts of the atomic chart?
Hydrogen, helium, lithium, berillym, born, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen.... yes i can :P
QuoteNeither can I, but I could have when I was actually taking Chemistry. So what is the point? Are you just looking for people to agree with you that there is nothing good in this country including education?
No theres a ton of good but Government schools are not a bastion of learning. They are centers to make good citizens that vote the right way.
QuoteTo you want to be the one to tell a student who earned a scholarship to KU that it's "worthless" because it it didn't meet your standards? Sorry, it won't be me. Sounds like a case of serious depression or at least sour grapes.
Sorry but if a student earned a scholarship, he/she did so not by government schools but by taking the inititive to go above and beyond what they got in the government schools. They excelled because they utilized critical thinking skills to obtain the knowlege and sometimes experience to aquire such a scholarship. One thing the Government schools do NOT teach is individuality and critical thinking skills or how to aquire them.
Lucky me, I had both public schooling and homeschooling. If the teacher at the public school was lacking in the teaching or just lacking in getting it through to me, my parents stepped it up a notch at the homeschooling around the kitchen table. There was just something about when Dad decided you were going to buckle down and get it, YOU DID and pretty darn fast I. ;D ;D ;D
Quote from: greatguns on October 03, 2009, 07:21:48 PM
Lucky me, I had both public schooling and homeschooling. If the teacher at the public school was lacking in the teaching or just lacking in getting it through to me, my parents stepped it up a notch at the homeschooling around the kitchen table. There was just something about when Dad decided you were going to buckle down and get it, YOU DID and pretty darn fast I. ;D ;D ;D
yeah i had the same thing with me. And back when i went, they still gave out things like homework, projects and expected us to do them as well as they gave grades out based on performance.
i was fit to be tied when the school my boys were in sent home a letter saying they were eliminating D's in the grading system and lowering the grade standards so that a 65 was equal to a C and a 75 was a b and a A was 85 and above.
I know if i ever brought home a D or a F i was totally grounded til the next report card. All i got to do was study in my room.
Can't tell what would have happened to me. I didn't have the urge to find out. Also, I never heard my parents ever say anything negative about any of the teachers I ever had in school. I'm not saying they didn't think it, but they certainly never said it in front of me. It really bothers me that I hear so many parents speaking bad of the teachers in front of their children. That is just me.
Steve, did your boys go to school in Kansas? That grading scale isn't even close to what we have here. You must have had a lot of pushy parents wherever your boys went to school. We have lots of AP courses in high school here that didn't exist when I was in school. If "everything" is dumbed down, how do you account for those? Keep in mind we are also responsible for teaching kids who have lower ability too, not everybody is a genius.
QuoteIt really bothers me that I hear so many parents speaking bad of the teachers in front of their children.
I agree.
We taught our kids to respect their teachers. There would be times the teachers would be wrong, but they were still the teachers and in charge, so follow the rules! I don't see that "life lesson" followed nearly as much today.
Quote from: Diane Amberg on October 03, 2009, 08:23:07 PM
Steve, did your boys go to school in Kansas? That grading scale isn't even close to what we have here. You must have had a lot of pushy parents wherever your boys went to school. We have lots of AP courses in high school here that didn't exist when I was in school. If "everything" is dumbed down, how do you account for those? Keep in mind we are also responsible for teaching kids who have lower ability too, not everybody is a genius.
no they went to school in southeast. Uhm those grade changes were statewide, not just a local school. It was done in Georgia, tn, and alabama and i think south carolina.
I don't know what a AP course is. But if its a advanced course then why? When i went to school they set the bar high for us to achieve, not just a few gifted kids but every kid. And quite frankly i have found that most kids if you set the bar high, they will achieve it instead of bringing it down to the lowest level kid, set it above the highest level kid. Then you get a true education. Even the lower level kids get a top education even if they don't meet that bar.
AP courses are indeed Advanced Placement courses. Any one can apply for them.They make college cheaper per credit hour because they are college classes that that student won't have to pay for in college. Our high schools are big ( many are too big!) and are made up of many sections according to needs, wants and abilities. All get as good an education as they are willing to work for. Here, to the shock of some parents, schools didn't lower the standards, they raised them. I totally agree with setting the bar high.I did too.That's why parents asked for me for their kids. The thing I couldn't deal with well with were the truants. I couldn't help a kid who wasn't there.
I don't see how truancy would be a issue with homeschooling unless they ran away from home. Maybe that is the deal breaker.
If I have to actually get up and get my kids off to school everyday to add to the overwelming stresses of the day then I would be better off teaching them at home.
HUH???? I think I was just dissed, as the kids would say, and I'm too dumb to know it.
No you weren't I was just being funny. I will stop. This is not the place.
I'm not smart enough now.. nor have I ever been to home school my kids..
I would have loved to.. IF I had had the brains..or the time ..( running a hardware store and homeschooling doesn't exactly make for good scheduling)
Danny would have hated it.. ( he was all into school ..sports etc.. loved everything about it.. )
Derek would have liked it..( cause he hated everything about school) but he would have hated me at the end of the day.. ( IF he would still have been breathing.. hahaha..)
I hated school...and I disliked college too...
I'm a total hands on learning type person.. so all the rules, school politics and BS you have to go through to "learn" lost my interest very early on..
I would have been a nightmare to try to homeschool too...
Guess I was a lost cause for "organized schooling" from the beginning..
But I greatly admire and have high respect for those that can do it and the kids that benefit from it..