Education is the path to learnin. That simple statement boils it all down. Want to be a fireman, and accountant, an astronaut, you need to learn certain things. Education is not limited to a class room but for the purpose of this blog, lets deal with that. Especially since the United States is doing so poorly at it.
I know I keep doing this, repeating key phrases, its a method of reinforcing concepts. Some
call it brain washing, I like reinforcing myself. Reinforcing has a nicer ring to it. : )
There are very few absolutes, and pretty much everything in life is tied together. The butterfly in Tibet flaps its wings, causing air currents to create a storm that delays a ship with a cargo; so the delievery truck driver gets angry at working so late, he isnt paying attention and hits the power post that powers computer that decides who wins the Globe Awards so NJ shores sweeps the awards. Got the idea??
Everything is tied together, but dont waste alot of time working on the connections for now.
Education, this is a biggy in the list of what needs to get straightened out here.
Follow along with me, the most important issue for an industrialized society, ( Insert America) is energy. ( Its not a tangent get over it) Energy in all its forms makes our society function. Now, better ways to make and use energy come from educated people.
Educated people cure our illness, and disease. Educated people fly us across the country and Steer the cruise ships. They do NOT have to be well educated to function, but do you want some one who still believes the world is flat and the sun circles the earth piloting the air craft you just boarded, or doing the operation on your heart ?
This leads us to the subject at hand. YOU and I have to focus on education for our children, and to some extent ourselves. The link below, is a set of statistics showing the ranking of the United States as compared to other countries in the world. At first glance, it might not depress you, until you stop to think, the countries not listed are truly third world, but more important. Your children, no longer compete with Bobby and Sally down the block for jobs and careers. Your children compete with Raj and Ju Ling from on the planet for those jobs.
http://4brevard.com/choice/international-test-scores.htm
When you want your economy to grow, and you want your economy to become more self sufficient. When you want new technology and new methods to use the limited resources, etc. you need educated people. In the long term, short term, you need people who know what they are doing.
Cutting teachers jobs, is dumb. Cutting education programs is suicidal. We might as well all "suck on the end of the barrel of a gun", because our government, our elected officials have decided that the education programs can wait another 10 years, while ( wait for it ) corporations that are moving our jobs over seas, get tax breaks for moving over seas, tax breaks on their record profits. Let's not forget Tax breaks to drill for oil ????
You and I are not off the hook. Just throwing money at education is also stupid. But paying teachers and professors and eduators a good wage, no wait paying them a decent a good competitive wage, so that people want to teach, with a salary a family can live on and beneifts to help families get on in the world. That is needed.
Teachers do need to be held accountable. My job and I guess most of you, do not have a " cannot terminate employment until 2020", card. There shouldn't be a free ride, and if you can not do your job you need to be fired.
But a large majority of educators are good and deserve more money than they are currently getting paid. Teachers should be Middle Middle income working to the upper end of the middle income and the low end of the rich so "we are going to tax you to hell and back" type of incomes.
I have to confess I dont have a method to fairly evaluate a teacher, but until the major problem blocking education is addressed, the use of student test scores is not a fair method to evalute teachers.
The major problem with our schools; number one ? Pick up a mirror, look into to it, if you ever complained that 3 hours of home work is too much,,, its you, your the problem. If you complained because a teacher scolded your child for talking or jumping around, for hitting another student or the teacher, your the problem.
Yes I am one of those who walked 10 miles to school up hill both coming and going in 4 feet of snow in August. Seriously, I didnt like school. Come to think of it, I still don't, but its necessary, and taking responsibility is as important in the class room as any where. I had "bad" teachers, not all but we had some there that were shocked to learn an eclipse was not the moon goddess expressing anger. You know what, my parents made up the difference. Both my parents and later my sister helped me with school work.
We didnt blame the schools, my parents made sure I did the work, This fascination with blaming society and the government, cause your child cant read, is nonsense to the nth degree. You and your children are not so busy you cannot work on reading, and arithmatic, and what ever other lessons they have at home.
Statistically, soccer, tennis, getting your nails done and play dates will not put food on your childrens table when they grow up. If you dont understand that thought or concept and you cant read the statistics, than you should be doing much more home study and less time on facebook.
Parents need to address the issues of there childresn learning and than follow up with why they are not learning in school. ( if that is the case.)
I realize that the 30 minutes ( if you were lucky it was that long ) the 30 minutes of pleasure, did not get you ready for the life time of parent hood.... but you know what. You made the children they are your responsibility. "Never mind you pay taxes." So did I, never stopped my wife or myself for working with our children on school work. Stop and think about this, your children are the next generation. When you are old and in a nursing home, they will be taking care of you ! Or directing the people taking care of you. Wouldnt it be nice if they could read, that medicine bottle before they gave you the wrong pills? (unless you do have heart worm). If they could add without taking off their shoes and socks to count their toes?
It would just be a bonus if they knew New York was not spelled Nuw Yark and was located on the eastern coast of the United States and not in Brazil? Our test scores on average are embarrassing, but we shouldn't laugh because one day they will be incharge of us. Or the Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Swedes will be in charge of your children because your children are too dumb to function.
Any person regardless of there status who states testing is not fair... or a fair method to judge a childs progress.... stay away from them, do not support them, do not let them use your air. They are idiots most likely dropped on their heads as children. Our children, your children need to be held accountable for the next 18 or so grades, prove they learned something, and be prepared to deal with disappointments.
NO we are not all winners. Any one who claims "we are all winners" and believes that is is in the 5 percent dumber than the 85 percent dumber than a box of rocks. The constitution may have said all men are created equall, but just like the internet, you can't believe everything you read. If that statement were true I would be a multibillionair with my corporation off shore, paying 10 percent taxes and not writing a blog.
We do not need the other extreme of screaming or yelling at the child who didnt win...kind words of encouragement and a better luck next time, maybe more study, is good. There is no need to be cruel to a child that failed, but do you want the "every body is a winner even when you are dead last, and not good at being last either , removing the brain tumor from your skull??"
So lets see... we do need to fund education, but programs that work and prove they work, hard data that shows its effective. We need to pay teachers across the board. I hate people making more than me and Im not qualified to teach, but I give the devil there do.
You want to teach a room full of kids, you deserve a good salary, I dont care if they are off 3 months a year.
Parents need to takes responsibility unconditionally of there children. Until or even if the schools do a good job, you need to work with your children, making sure they get the lessons being taught in school. We also need to fund trade schools as well as colleges and grammar schools. The education does NOT have to be college level, the trades and blue collar type work are just as important to a society.
Not everyone belongs in college, but don't look down your nose at a skilled trades person. Not all professions are taught in college and some that are, are not taught well.
The next issue that most parents and teachers do not care for but must be addressed. The school year has to be longer.
Focus, I already told you, your children are no longer competing with kids down the block, the jobs are going to kids around the world. If the United States does not get better at Math, Science, languages; than we will not even be making the souveiners that your children and grand children will be selling on the road side to foreign tourist. Those tourist will be saying " Do you remember when the United States used to be a super power?"
Wait, what did Frank say, he didnt say learn english he said language... why thats un merican!!!!
Get over it "sunshine", the United States of America, needs, should be demanding , language being taught in first grade. Even if we maintain and number one status, we should be multilingual. Chinese, spanish, german, russian, french, etc. These should be taught in first grade and mandatory through to high school
Its not happening unless our system of education gets better, longer hours of actuall class room, better pay for our educator, more accountability from our educators and the parents working with the children, and accepting the responsibility that the children have to work, that work is becoming intelligent men and women. School is not supposed to be day care. It is a disgrace if any member to the team, parent, teacher , student believe school is day care. It would explain the low test scores but this isnt something to be proud off.
I once did a quick study, to pay for college for 4 years to any one for free, 2 cents on all gasoline, diseal, fuel for planes etc. 2 cents per gallon. The student buys there education that is, get a 3.8 or better gpa, your education is free. below 3.8 you get partial payment. Anything below 2.4 gpa you pay the whole bill. Major in math or science and get other bonuses. Go on to teach, and we can give you monitary rewards.
Fixing this is all do able, we just need to remember we are Americans, not republicans or democrats, we are Americans, not Catholics, Muslims, Jews, or born again....we are Americans, we were number one, we liked it, were staying, were Merica, thank you very much.
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