The Beginning (1 Viewer)

[oldmantran]

I am one to get passionate about many things, but this one topic has gotten me fired up more than any. It's criminal what we have allowed our education system to become.

I've only just watched the trailer to Waiting for Superman, because I didn't know it was a documentary on the education system. I will watch the movie ASAP, but I wanted to publicize that I'm going to begin a grassroots 'search and destroy' mission on all detrimental policies that protect the teacher's unions over children's lives and futures.

http://www.amazon.com/Waiting-for-S...s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1337890034&sr=1-1

education bureaucrats have now received their warning.

 

[TiAg]

Go get em Kevin!

 

[TiffMunchkin]

:O....

 

[fredG]

I don't think it has much to do with the teacher's unions but the polices that teachers have to abide by at work.

Have you seen how much paperwork teachers have to go through on a daily/weekly basis? Not to mention everything is limited by "funding".

Throughout my High School life (2007) graduate. I never did any experiment in any of my science classes...but yet my school was a school for math, science, and technology. As far as math??? by the time I got into my first math class in college, I was behind on the first day of class.

I could go on and on, but nothing will ever change until the people that we have running the system change or get replaced and the only way that will happen is if someone with power (money) does something about it. It is one of many things I would like to tackle if I ever win the lottery.

 

[oldmantran]

1) you don't have to win the lottery. If it's important enough that it's a top priority for you then, it's worth doing something about now.
2) those policies are all results of trickle down stupidity from the national level. teacher's unions are the most powerful lobby in the country.
3) spend $1.30 and rent Waiting for Superman from a redbox. You will learn more about how life works in those 2 hours than 2 years in public education.
4) there's a worthy fighter with power and money behind her that's taking the lead. get behind her. She's Michelle Rhee and her organization is called Students First.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1566648/

 

[fredG]

1) you don't have to win the lottery. If it's important enough that it's a top priority for you then, it's worth doing something about now.
2) those policies are all results of trickle down stupidity from the national level. teacher's unions are the most powerful lobby in the country.
3) spend $1.30 and rent Waiting for Superman from a redbox. You will learn more about how life works in those 2 hours than 2 years in public education.
4) there's a worthy fighter with power and money behind her that's taking the lead. get behind her. She's Michelle Rhee and her organization is called Students First.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1566648/

I can try as best as I can, but being in college and young (22) with a family. I spend most of my time working or studying.

Yeah I know all about where they start and teacher's unions do play a role but the upper management play a role as well. Double edge sword somewhat...

I'll view the movie as a I love to obtain more and more knowledge. My friend Codi is a professor and knows the system and he's also running for Texas legislature and is a Democrat but I feel his in the middle ground because he also has a few conservative views. He's having a hard time getting backing because he doesn't have the funds (pays for everything out of pocket) and he's also in a district that votes so conservative that they haven't even had a Democratic opponent in years. I'd love to continue to talk politics and education but I have to go to work :-(.

I'll be back later though for sure!

ps I know all about Ms. Rhee she's one of the few that are trying and may actually make things happen.

 

[Ostentum]

Here is my opinion. I do think the public education system in most school districts have taken a slide, but the parents are just as much to blame as the education thats being taught. As a society we are getting lazier by the day. Kids dont want to work and think that they should be handed everything. I can walk through any shopping center in this city and see half a dozen kids throwing a fit cause they didnt get what they wanted, and guess what in 5 of those cases the parents give in and give it to them just to shut them up. So why should they have to work hard in school if mommy and daddy are going to give it to them anyways. Teachers are wayyyyyyyy under paid also, making what 35-45k a year? With salaries like that why would anyone with half a brain want to be a teacher, other than if its truly what they want to do and have other means of income, either family money or spousal support. When I was working for the man I made twice that and still thought I was living paycheck to paycheck. I hope someone does try to get the system right, but I we also need to make sure that the kids are being taught the right values at home, and don't depend on the school system. Again just my opinion

 

[TiffMunchkin]

my boyfriends mom is a teacher. she pulls kids with learning disabilities like cannot read right or are behind in math or have other stuff which makes it hard for them to focus. so i guess they special need kids. not like mentally not there but just behind and have been tested for something. she says she gets very frustrated with some teachers because she pulls those kids gets them to the point where they really good they get send back into their class and after a year she gets those kids back in there room because their teacher are unable to teach them right. she keeps telling me she is a teacher because she wants to help children to do well in school and she never cuts them slack. she said there is no excuse to not do your work. she is not strict like a hardcore teacher she cannot stay serious she laughs when kids get in trouble...i don't know how she does it but all her kids are very respectful to her and other and have fun learning. very time i talk to her she says she is glad that she can do this job because her husband makes enough money so she can do what she loves and is best at.

 

[oldmantran]

Ok. I just finished watching the documentary 'Waiting for "Superman"' and it was eye-opening. I recommend everyone who cares about kids and the future education can offer them watch the 111 minutes to see what the kids (not us) are up against. Michelle Rhee, a 37 year old, who didn't have a PhD or even held a principal position was hired as Superintendent of the D.C. schools in 2007. She immediately fired 30 principals and closed down 23 schools. She made an offer to the teachers. The district would pay up to $125,000 per year to teachers if they would allow the system to change. The teacher's union wouldn't even allow a vote on it. When people talk about fighting the machine, this is what they meant.

Kids don't get do overs. When 700 kids apply for 30 spots in a lottery to attend a very good charter school, 670 kids are doomed to a life of failure/truancy/and crime. At the very least, we should fix the system so that it's not the SYSTEM that is causing them to fail. www.studentsfirst.org (i'm going to get involved).

 

[Diesel]

Being from The Netherlands (who has the best education in Europe) I really don't understand the system here. Although I have a HS and a JRHS running around and both have straight A's and being a member of the Honor society. And still I'm a bit worried about the their future.
I have a master engineering degree from the City of Amsterdam trough the University of Amsterdam in roadways and streets.
I started with $0,00 and built a Paver company with in 10 years to 5 mil sales a year, sold the company and moved to H-town (cause I was sick to my stomach from European politics) When I moved here I did it all over again with great succes. Now working hard on my kids future cause the schools don't do much than getting the kids ready for STAAR test only so the States education looks good.
It's the system that what we're in and won't change any time soon.
I tell my kids "school is easy but life is what you make of it"
Oh btw, my worst grade in school was English, "F"!!

 

[TiffMunchkin]

i always had to listen how y'all were kicking our german ********* over here ben. seriously i hate you...LOL

 

[Diesel]

i always had to listen how y'all were kicking our german ********* over here ben. seriously i hate you...LOL

It's in my roots can't help it to hate Germans.
In the '40-'45 WW 4 brothers of my father got shot in the street cause they didn't understood a german order.
When I was a kid and German tourists were asking us the way to the beach in Holland we always send them the wrong way, LOL
Don't hate just dislike.
It's not my business any more now that I carry a US passport.

Btw, why did you edit your origanally post, I like that one better.

 

[oldmantran]

An interesting statistic from the movie I watched. America is 25th (out of 30 developed countries) in Math scores and 21st in science scores. But we are #1 in confidence. Which means, while we're near the bottom in academics, our kids THINK they're at the top. Why is that? All this emphasis from grade school through high school that teachers and parents put on not wanting to make students feel bad, not keeping score during games, not wanting any child to feel like he/she is a loser in anything, has finally caught up with us. Our kids aren't just failing. They're being told by the adults that they're winning! Sad, very sad.