If I were King.....

[Fishteacher73]

Originally Posted by gubba

Bio: wonder what you feel is relevant in the following?

 

Parameters for public education, in no particular order except, perhaps, the first.

a. determine who is responsible for establishing the principles and running the system

b. ensuring a functional next generation

c. enhancing an individual's development, (Irish Eyes' dream)

d.trying to ensure a suitable minimum general knowledge and cultural understanding in the interests of social cohesion. The cynics might say in the interests of the elite etc.etc.

 

Some issues that need addressing:

1. Whatever the system, teacher morale.

2. Set pragmatic goals that stand a chance of being achieved.

3. Ensure variety of both goals and methods of delivery as our history shows the "one size fits all" definition of rationality is oxymoronic.

 

AS odd as it sounds, I am not really in support of a national system, state wide systems can address the specific concerns of its specific environment. In the states the constituants vary so widely that a nationally designed system would leave all locals with the short stick. The other problems invloved with a universal system is a uniform youth. This is dangerous IMO. This ties in with b, c, and d.

 

Teacher moral is being ground down by being wedged between the students and admin. Many systems have admin that are only concerned with CYA.

 

Actually stand behind such goals. I have many students that are being advance irregardless of testing scores or scores in summer school. This serves nothing but reiterating the ideal to these students that they be not concerned with performance.

 

I think this all falls in with #3.

[Biochemist]

That seems beyond the scope of the educational system and might be more appropriate in some other branch of government. I think teachers must stay focused on the students and the

curriculum. That's a teacher's job.

True, but an education system is more than teachers. It should (theoretically) be a system that educates.

 

It seems to me (per Gub's point) that we need to have some systematic mechanism to create an advocate for individual children when their parents do not do the job. (Although it is scary to think about the process to decide which parrnts do not.) Any worldwide examples of this, other than perhaps the tiny communistic settings?

[Fishteacher73]

That is the beauty of the gymanasium system. Those that do not wish to pursue academic endeavors are sidetracked into trades. Just about any student af about teen age starts to understand that money come from somewhere. Many just not see any "real world" relevance with academic subjects, but are eager to learn a "aplicable" skill in their eyes. This removes the need of a homebased motivating factor.

[Biochemist]

That is the beauty of the gymanasium system. Those that do not wish to pursue academic endeavors are sidetracked into trades. ...

Fish- It sounded like they do a better job of educating the pre-8th graders on the fundamentals. Is that true, and of so, how to they do it?

[Fishteacher73]

While I experienced the seconday portion of the sysem and not the primary, I would assume that many of the basic educational tennets stayed the same. First highly qualified teachers that were payed well. This brought those with ability into the profession. The general attidude of the community was one of respect for the teachers. This seemed to remove the middle man of the parents out of the equation, srudents gennerally were compliant and respectful. The genneral interaction between studnet and teacher oddly enough was in many ways in the terms of equals. Students had say in how and what the class did (Eaxm schedules for example). Lastly smaller class size. On average aproximately 15 students in a class (as opposed to 27 as here in the states).

[majordinkydau]

Originally Posted by Biochemist

Fish- I think you ought to start a thread with your take on the ideal school system: not so much funding (although it is hard to avoid it), but the curricula, the handling of gifted and special, and the role of testing, etc. It would get a lot of attention here.

 

 

How's that?

 

"If IIIIIIII.....were Kiiiiiiiing...of the forreeeeeeeest......; I'd rrrwoof; and Id rrwoof...":hyper:

 

"If a man says something in the forest and no woman is listening, would he still be wrong?"

 

From a sign I saw in a cafe near Clearlake Calif.

[majordinkydau]

This is a quote I found today that seems to fit.

 

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's

life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the

results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of

other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most

important, have the courage to follow your heart and

intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to

become. Everything else is secondary."

 

-- Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs speech to Stanford Graduating Class

June 2005

 

How about we try to teach people to think for themselves?

Teach a child how to read and understand mathematics and you arm them to rise to greatness. I've seen people with Phd's that could not think their way out of a paper bag. On the other hand I've seen people with Downs syndrom in possesion of great wisdom.

It is not IQ that is important, its I'm willing that counts.

[bartock]

even though the school systems may be messed up here and there, i don't see how else they would work? the kids go to school, they are given the choice to learn, so they can do their assignments and tests and progress on. as much as i couldn't stand public school, i guess that's just the way it goes.

do we have to settle for mediocrity?

[Queso]

no. we don't. that is why i dropped out of public high school and am never ever going to go back.