Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am sorry these things happened to you. I think some of these issues are beyond the purview of a discussion board like this.
I don't. If we don't talk about these things that is giving all the bigots and abusers out there permission to just keep doin' their awful awful thang.
Sharing these kinds of experiences is the ONLY way to counter someone who insists they don't happen.
actually,... been discussed / and several solutions well suggested by many on this forum...
Education vs: social engineering... (USA style) ... it is very painful to watch, just had a 3 hr meeting with educators in China...not great, but certainly WAY ahead of USA) In social and academic ways.
very simple solution... Un-school... works for millions (of gifted future leaders, as well as millions of PAST leaders)
Sorry, but I absolutely would NOT want to adopt any part of the Chinese educational system. There is WAY too much emphasis on conforming to the status quo and not challenging "authority".
Unschooling is a little too vague and loosey-goosey. I've known "unschoolers" who didn't think it mattered at all whether or not their kids learned to so much as balance a checkbook. There has to be SOME guidance. Not ALL learning is fun. Just because something may be hard (which would make a kid not like it) doesn't mean its not worthwhile.
You know Katarina, with all the posts I've made over these past years, you have not understood one thing I've said. You know nothing about what I think of rural schools, or vo-tech or ag or anything else. I grew up that farm kid in a rural school. Never once have I said anything to put rural kids and schools down. What I do have is enough different experience to know that not everyone has the same dreams and aspirations. And not everyone has the same abilities. Some are interested in science. Some in working with their hands. And no, college isn't for everyone. It's utterly silly to think otherwise. It's not me deciding who it is and isn't for; everything I've said has been about providing alternatives appropriate to the population. For some reason that idea offends you greatly.
You sure have a strong reaction to vo-tech. Why are you so prejudiced against it? I knew many of my friends who became mechanics, or machinists, or welders. What is so wrong with that? I work with some incredible machinists and technicians every day. Sure I went to college, but they have skills I don't have. All the engineers and physicists where I work have the greatest respect for the skilled craftsmen who know how to actually convert ideas into hardware. Why don't you ask your husband how he feels about the craftsmen where he works? He might no share your opinion about those skilled workers be "lesser" (your words, not mine) because they didn't go to college.
I'm not the one who thinks rural kids don't deserve a decent education. My volunteer work is to bring STEM to those classrooms. That's why I found this forum in the first place, because I was right there in the reality. And that is what fuels my posts and discussions. Being right there with the people and kids who you think are "lesser" because they didn't go to college. We do not help those kids by pushing them toward college by removing their alternatives. Because that's what so many schools have done -- removed the alternatives.
You seem angry. If you want to address me, then address me. Not in a third person shot at BlessedLife who has done nothing to offend you.
Nothing set me off. It was a discussion topic. I'd love to discuss the causes and impacts, and potential solutions, do you have some to discuss?
Thanks for misrepresenting me and implying, no actually saying that I think that people who do vo-tech are lesser individuals. And since my husband does not post here, I appreciate you leaving him out of your great examples. I sometimes use his experiences in areas where I have none (IT/telecom, etc) but that's it! And because you did inappropriately bring him up, let me tell you that he's very capable as a handyman, machinist, craftsman etc himself and a strong advocate for education, coming from modest means himself to get a PhD. Here is my post, with the relevant comment highlighted since you apparently missed it last time around. My comments continue following the post.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Katarina Witt
Both. Oh, I know. You think rural schools should just teach vo-ag and the like, even though only about 2% of people work in farming, regardless of whether they live in a rural or urban area. Why, no farm kid has ever gone to college, nor should any of them aspire to do so. After all "college isn't for everyone" and it's been given to tnff to decide who it is and isn't for. We've heard that a-plenty.
You know flipping well that vocational ed is perceived as lesser than college, probably because it is. For every anecdote about some mechanic making $200K/year blah, blah that you can give, I'll post this: https://www.bls.gov/emp/chart-unempl...-education.htm
Higher education levels mean, in general, more money and less unemployment.
Not to mention, as I said above, kids in rural or blue collar areas deserve a decent education to get them into the post high school situation of their choice, not the choice of someone who thinks rural kids don't deserve college prep courses in high school.
As for "hate", even one of your acolytes said that was too strong a word. I've never seen this stuff you're talking about based on academics. I've known of kids who were bullied, in one case quite badly. But it wasn't for academics. The kid was "different" and in ironically, a blue collarish HS like the one this child went to, that's not OK. He'd have been better off at a funkier high school where there were a lot of, for the sake of clarity, "oddballs".
Let's look at this again: Definitions In Semantics: The Humpty-Dumpty Principle in Definitions "What Humpty-Dumpty is saying is that he can stipulate what the definition of a term is. . . A second point here is that if a term is to be used in a nonconventional way, then the definition should be explained up front."
"`When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, `it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less.' "
"Prejudiced" is a pretty loaded word, too. I do not think it's serving today's kids well to discourage them from any post high school education.
I'm angry at you misrepresenting me. That was dirty pool.
Yes, an article in your paper set you off. You said so in the OP.
Location: Was Midvalley Oregon; Now Eastside Seattle area
13,073 posts, read 7,511,991 times
Reputation: 9798
StealthR, does have a point about unschooling.
We kinda let our's "unschool" himself. We just couldn't keep up with him. He also had to "unschool" himself because he had already revolted in the 2nd grade when he wanted to drop out. He was set-aside in 1st grade and and again set-aside in 2nd grade. He wanted to be mainstreamed with his peer learning group. I think he soon realized that no matter what "grade" level his classroom was at, he would be ahead of that class. We thought school was not so much as learning the ABC's but learning to socialize in a controlled environment. Fortunately, he had accommodating schools and teachers.
I have another BIL who is brilliant but socially inept. He thinks he can win the Nobel Prize. He may do it too but his people skills are abrasive which doesn't win friends in areas where he needs friends.
Exactly. Selling football and basketball tickets make a whole lot more money for the schools than tickets to spelling bees.
No. Here are the ticket prices at my school district as of last year: https://boh.bvsd.org/Lists/announcem...ay.aspx?ID=116 "BVSD will start charging for soccer games this year. Ticket prices for soccer, volleyball, football, and basketball will be
Adults: $6.00
Students K-12: $4.00
Seniors (62+): $4.00"
And a few hundred people at each of about 5-6 home football games, that's really raking it in. It's a token, really. My guess is this barely, if at all, pays for the refs, security, etc for a game.
What excuse is there for a grown man to beat an 8 year old child for "reading ahead"?
Same kind of stuff happened to me, too. I didn't get beaten (well, not in school) but I was made to stay after school as punishment in 2nd grade for doing my weekly spelling test in cursive instead of printing. Served me right for trying to impress the teacher?
And my first grade teacher told me there was no such thing as an "octillion". This was a young girl right out of teachers' college in 1966 not some old battle axe; she should have known better.
If I had a nickel for every time my parents were told "Jtab4994 is not applying himself; he should be getting straight A's" I would've died of a drug overdose long ago...
Exactly. Selling football and basketball tickets make a whole lot more money for the schools than tickets to spelling bees.
Actually, lots of schools are dropping football because it's too expensive.
Honestly, how much does it cost to outfit the Spelling Bee Team?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
