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It used to be (19th and early 20th C) that people made their money however they could. During the Industrial Revolution (and post Civil War) . . . getting a job - any job! - was admired. You did what you had to do to feed your family. You performed a service, you were paid, you kept your job as long as you were performing it well.
Somewhere in the 20th C, folks got fixated on "prestige." If you had a blue collar (working class) job, you were not as "valued" as someone who had a white collar (professional class) job. The only way to get that white collar job was to get a college degree.
White collar jobs made more money, so they were coveted by many folks - and not everyone could afford to go to college . . . so it became a big deal to get a college degree and land a white collar job.
Things have changed. A "blue collar" job - electrician, plumber, pipe fitter can be more lucrative than a "white collar job" - accountant, teacher, dental hygienist.
However, at the same time that wages were changing . . . college degrees became more accessible (student loans, community colleges). So people who really didn't have a reason (the inate ability) for a college degree felt pressured to get one, as a matter of status - they felt it was an entree into the professional class. Their skills would have been better used in the working class, and they are in over their heads in the professional class. They have trouble finding jobs they insist they are "qualified" for and can't keep a job, if they land one (unless they manage to get into a government job, LOL. Hell to fire anyone from a government job).
People have to get it straight in their heads that not everyone will even be happy in the professional class and a working class type job can be even more lucrative than a white collar job. Honest work is just that: honest work.
Skilled labor should be as revered as billable hours!!!! Europeans figured that out long ago. We are still fighting some sort of weird class war here in the USA.
We used to be a nation that created things and now we are a nation that sells illusions to children. Too many kids want to be famous...
Too bad teachers can't say "If you aren't gonna be serious about learning, get the hell outta my classroom."
Maybe if education were a privilege instead of being mandatory, it might be something parents and children saw as worth working hard for instead of sliding through.
Here's my plan: kids all start out on one track. The ones that can't keep up, get put on a remedial track. By the 7th grade, an assessment is done and all those who are college material go on the college track and those who are not, go on the vocational track.
We have to quit proselytizing that everyone needs a college degree, b/c everyone does not. And we need a mandatory class on household management, finances, taxes and investments during high school. We need to get back to basics in elementary school. Drill, drill, drill on math. Spelling, grammar and reading should be facilitated by computer programs.
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This plan is pretty much already in effect. Kids get assessed in middle school, and the top ones are placed in advanced classes, on track to take Algebra I in either 7th or 8th, they start getting highschool credits in 8th. The rest are on a normal track, some remedial. Once in highschool they DO have vocational tracts, instead of college tracks, but it is by choice, not assesment (which I think it should be). I don't know why kids are pressured to go to college and burden themselves with all that expense instead of finding a vocation that suits them. It still lies on the parent to do what is right for their child, whether that be pushing them academically or guiding them to a vocation. They DO have household management, childcare, basic finance classes, cooking classes in highschool for kids to take. The question is.... WHY AREN'T THEY?? Is the issue that society is so keen on keeping up with the Jonses that parents don't find this route acceptable?
You cannot lump all teachers like that. I am a teacher and I know plenty of great teachers, myself being one. I am good because I love what I do and seek to get batter at my craft. The main problem is disruptive students and parents who chose not to do anything to help their children or support the schools. I try to reach them all but they are going to be some that you honestly will not reach.
I say this with a hint of humor,
hopefully you are not an english teacher!
while I did not mean to lump all teachers together as bad
they do have a choice to stand together and demand
better conditions for teaching.
sometimes it seems that teachers push the responsebility over
on parents instead of dealing with the kids.
many of these younger teachers are themselves a product of
poor schools, how can they possibly be better ?
I am a firm believer in small class sizes,
putting 32 kids into a crowded room
is not a recipe for success.
again, teachers should band together with parents
and demand changes to the system.
This plan is pretty much already in effect. Kids get assessed in middle school, and the top ones are placed in advanced classes, on track to take Algebra I in either 7th or 8th, they start getting highschool credits in 8th. The rest are on a normal track, some remedial. Once in highschool they DO have vocational tracts, instead of college tracks, but it is by choice, not assesment (which I think it should be). I don't know why kids are pressured to go to college and burden themselves with all that expense instead of finding a vocation that suits them. It still lies on the parent to do what is right for their child, whether that be pushing them academically or guiding them to a vocation. They DO have household management, childcare, basic finance classes, cooking classes in highschool for kids to take. The question is.... WHY AREN'T THEY?? Is the issue that society is so keen on keeping up with the Jonses that parents don't find this route acceptable?
The "life skills management course" I envision would be mandatory for every single student and it would not be a slacker course, lol. Students would be given a "persona" with details of their lives and they would have to make decisions based on those details (including buying a house, preparing tax returns, applying for a car loan, etc) - and the course would be throughout an entire year.
As for advanced classes . . . they would no longer exist. You are either on a college track or a vocational track, with many sub-headings for choices under each track. High school would be organized more like a community college as far as course availability and selection. Courses would be taught not only by certified teachers, but by guest lecturers and with computer modules.
Remedial classes (for elementary students) would include after school mandatory tutoring, on-site.
while I did not mean to lump all teachers together as bad
they do have a choice to stand together and demand
better conditions for teaching.
sometimes it seems that teachers push the responsebility over
on parents instead of dealing with the kids.
many of these younger teachers are themselves a product of
poor schools, how can they possibly be better ?
I am a firm believer in small class sizes,
putting 32 kids into a crowded room
is not a recipe for success.
again, teachers should band together with parents
and demand changes to the system.
The problem is not "better conditions for teachers." The problem is parents who are not involved - and the ones who ARE involved cannot somehow "make up" for the ones who are not.
As far as class size . . . if we would be using other methodologies for teaching, rather than sticking to a 19th Century model . . . class size would be of little concern.
Education needs to be re-built on a new business model. Educating children is a business but it is not treated like one.
I agree with you . . . people need to want to be in school, find pride in getting an education and being successful.
We have somehow embraced a communist ideal and wrapped it in a shroud of democracy . . . that all people, being created equal, are to live identical lives of prosperity, regardless of how much effort they put into creating a life for themselves and their families. Everyone is to get the same level of public education, and those that fall by the wayside are still supposed to live a middleclass life, wh/ we will bolster by entitlements.
Well, anyone with any sense can see that this ideal was doomed to become the mark of mediocrity, as the only way to guarantee that everyone gets the same thing is to lower the bar to the extent that even those who have marginal intelligence are gonna succeed.
We need to stop it with the everyone is equal rhetoric and face facts: everyone is UNIQUE, but we are NOT all the same. We have different abilities. We have different levels of intellect. Period.
Not everyone needs to be on the same track. That makes them no less valued in society. It just means - we make sure everyone is given a challenging education, that helps them grow and become critical thinkers, not automatons . . .and those who excel in various areas are educated in those areas. Some people have athletic prowess. Some people are artists. Each person should be educated in whatever it is that will help them become a productive member of society.
And stop teaching to the lowest common denominator.
The communist (socialist) ideal or providing equal platforms is not the problem. Based on my experiences in the educational arena, up through at least the 10th grade, everyone should have similar plans of study. Schools and administraters aren't sitting idle but are instituting changes. Many schools offer various tracks of study and vocational opportunities. Students aren't confined to one school for couse work but can take courses at other schools, trade schools, etc. I think kids are just lazy and the general public is blaming the school system.
Why so lazy? Advancements in technology has changed the way information is delivered (twitter), kids have tons of gadgets to fill-in the gap time versus reading, etc.
I think it is a cultural thing, where kids are just told "do the best you can" instead of being guided and eventually pushed into how to become "the best they can be".
"Democracy" applied at kids level is never going to work, they don't yet know what is in their best interest.
Also many kids are brought up with a sense of entitlement and no respect for anything that does not benefit them.
I blame the parents! The first 7 years is what define who someone will be in life, continuing with parents involvement in the school years. Unfortunately the teachers and any school system or society are very limited into shaping an already "rotten apple".
The communist (socialist) ideal or providing equal platforms is not the problem. Based on my experiences in the educational arena, up through at least the 10th grade, everyone should have similar plans of study. Schools and administraters aren't sitting idle but are instituting changes. Many schools offer various tracks of study and vocational opportunities. Students aren't confined to one school for couse work but can take courses at other schools, trade schools, etc. I think kids are just lazy and the general public is blaming the school system.
Why so lazy? Advancements in technology has changed the way information is delivered (twitter), kids have tons of gadgets to fill-in the gap time versus reading, etc.
Kids are just lazy? Where are their parents? And why have these "lazy kids" decided they can survive, i.e. feed themselves and have a roof over their heads at 18 if they don't get an education and work skills? Hmmm. Wonder where they got that idea.
Answer that and you have the key to solving the problems.
I think it is a cultural thing, where kids are just told "do the best you can" instead of being guided and eventually pushed into how to become "the best they can be".
"Democracy" applied at kids level is never going to work, they don't yet know what is in their best interest.
Also many kids are brought up with a sense of entitlement and no respect for anything that does not benefit them.
I blame the parents! The first 7 years is what define who someone will be in life, continuing with parents involvement in the school years. Unfortunately the teachers and any school system or society are very limited into shaping an already "rotten apple".
Expect little and you will typically get very little in return.
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