A textbook case for Junk Science

[Rust]

I don't see anything in the mentioned NAS standards that encourage shoddy fact-checking in science. Kids from poorer homes, minorities and girls *should* be encouraged to study science. So should everyone.

Oh, by the way: Edison didn't invent the light bulb. Your article could use some fact-checking.

--R.

True.

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view.php/7392

I mean Edison was a great guy, inventor, a shrewd businessman, promotor and all that; he just didn't invent some of the stuff he gets credit for.

And it *was* ironic that an article complaining about poor fact checking in science books (among other things), made an error of fact like that.

--R.

[Narrock]

Yeah, Edison was quite a remarkable guy. He had hundreds of inventions and patents. Wikipedia has a nice writeup about him.

[kaharthemad]

[Captain Insano]

Schools get too much money already.

The department of education gets over 50 Billion. Most states spend hundreds of million on education.

The cash isnt the problem. Its a combination of the asstastic National Science idiots, the teachers unions, and the waste we have in 'one size fits all' education.

Agree wholeheartedly. My public education was total shit. I spent my time on one mind numbing cut/paste/diorama hippie fucking stupid project after another.

The thing I remember most about school was that my classes were 90 percent busy work and filler and about 10 percent outdated education.

I also hated the fact that the smart kids were always being held back by either morons or the "cool" kids who were to busy being trendy to learn a fucking thing.

They need privatize education and fire the entire teacher's union. They need to segregate the dogshit out of kids based on intellect and have real merit based education..

ie: The smart kids can graduate a year early or get 15 percent off the cost of a University education. Something to that effect.

The dumb kids or fuckups all have to go into a big auditorium for classes and the doorway has a big neon sign that says "Stupid Kids Classroom". The jocks can go here too. It should be a miserable experience that makes them want to do better.

They really need to stop holding the majority of kids back so that the few weak links can keep up. I hated this so much during school. Who really gives a shit if these kids get a real education? There will always be job openings for janitorial work or in sanitation.

They also need school uniforms, regular beatings for the kids that act up (especially the wannabe gangsters), and the teachers should be able to employ tazers when nasty little black girl like to act the fool and get on the news spawning public outcry.

All it would take is one public tazering at around 2nd grade to keep our little shits in line well through highschool.

[Zanchief]

Who should run schools if not the government, Martrae?

McDonald's public school? or Disney Academy? Great way to get impartial teaching.

[Lyion]

We don't have impartial teaching now.

[Zanchief]

Political Correctness isn't impartiality.

[mappatazee]

"My public education was total shit."

I'm trying to think of something to write but since I don't like to blame people for any of my own faults...

Well I just get kind of angry thinking about the 12 years I spent in school. (12 YEARS is quite a long time, especially when you're growing up from year to year)
I might have learned some science, math and history by the time I got to highschool.

The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it seems that they teach classrooms full of kids based on their age. I didn't get a fucking thing out of school for the first 9-odd years.

[Arlos]

A lot of schools used to have Gifted programs, where the smartest kids got to go to special classes and learn at their own pace, and wouldn't have to be stuck at the pace of the stupid kids. Unfortunately, with the rise of things like Prop 13 in CA, and the whole tax-cut frenzy, most schools simply cannot afford to continue to have such programs any more. They get cut along with music, library hours, etc.

-Arlos

[Tossica]

Schools still have gifted programs. My son is in one now in Florida. The people doing all the complaining are the folks that didn't make the cut when they were younger. If any of you had attended the gifted programs, you wouldn't think so poorly on at least a few of your school years.

[Harrison]

Whoopty doo, THAT school has a "gifted program"...every single school that I have attended and everyone I know says they've never heard of it.

Honors and AP classes do not count, obviously.

We need to stop catering to the retards and let the rest of us move on. And in a completely heartless, yet pragmatic move, I would cut funding to the special education department. They shouldn't be getting MORE focus/funding than people who can actually function fully in the real world. We all know they're going to work at wal-mart pushing carts.

By all means, teach them, don't give their departments state of the art materials and what-not. That's bullshit.

And fuck the rich kid's parents whose children only get into honors/AP classes because they're the fucking selectman or some lame shit. Put those retards where they belong, in level II.

I shit on public schooling and I am so happy my children will NOT be going through that.

[Martrae]

Who should run schools if not the government, Martrae?

McDonald's public school? or Disney Academy? Great way to get impartial teaching.

Neither one of those could possibly do a worse job than our government is. Schools either all need to be privitized or allow for competition.

[Captain Insano]

Schools still have gifted programs. My son is in one now in Florida. The people doing all the complaining are the folks that didn't make the cut when they were younger. If any of you had attended the gifted programs, you wouldn't think so poorly on at least a few of your school years.

I was in those gifted programs. They were equally as stupid if not more so than the standard classes. Instead of learning more we were just given more stupid busy work/cut/paste art project crapola. The great thing was that the *gifted* teachers didn't seem to have to follow as much of the curriculum as the standard classes so the dumb hippie bitch wasted all our time learning about how the environment was doomed and how to save fucking whales.

To this day I still remember that bitches name. She was such an idiot.

[Tae-Bo]

Schools still have gifted programs. My son is in one now in Florida. The people doing all the complaining are the folks that didn't make the cut when they were younger. If any of you had attended the gifted programs, you wouldn't think so poorly on at least a few of your school years.

I was in those gifted programs. They were equally as stupid if not more so than the standard classes. Instead of learning more we were just given more stupid busy work/cut/paste art project crapola. The great thing was that the *gifted* teachers didn't seem to have to follow as much of the curriculum as the standard classes so the dumb hippie bitch wasted all our time learning about how the environment was doomed and how to save fucking whales.

To this day I still remember that bitches name. She was such an idiot.

this is pretty much how i remember them except not as harshly as ralf puts it :o

[Harrison]

Schools still have gifted programs. My son is in one now in Florida. The people doing all the complaining are the folks that didn't make the cut when they were younger. If any of you had attended the gifted programs, you wouldn't think so poorly on at least a few of your school years.

P.S. If you think for one minute that honors or AP classes are "gifted programs"...you are hereby banned from this conversation for ignorance.

[mofish]

I still think money is an issue, whether is becasue the beurocrats and the schools themselves just not getting enough or if we need to put more money into the system. What I know is that our teachers are underpayed, many of the school systems I have been around had old building that were falling apart and text books that were so old they were hard to read. The school systems were crap, if they had all this money, they sure were not using it on anything to do with the schools.

Money is most certainly a huge part of the problem, no matter the rhetoric. One problem is, schools get funded locally. If you live in a rich suburb, you have a decent school. If you live in the ghetto, your school is total shit. Schools are on a razor thin budget. Sports, Phys ed, music, all cut from lots of schools. Hmm wonder why kids are fat.

And yes, teachers are underpaid across the board. This also leads to underqualification.

I was in the gifted program also. I was lucky. Excellent teachers, excellent experience, perks other students didnt get. I wish every student got what I got. But they didnt.

[Tae-Bo]

Schools still have gifted programs. My son is in one now in Florida. The people doing all the complaining are the folks that didn't make the cut when they were younger. If any of you had attended the gifted programs, you wouldn't think so poorly on at least a few of your school years.

P.S. If you think for one minute that honors or AP classes are "gifted programs"...you are hereby banned from this conversation for ignorance.

that's not what he's talking about

take your high school angst elsewhere thx

[Yamori]

Money is most certainly a huge part of the problem, no matter the rhetoric. One problem is, schools get funded locally. If you live in a rich suburb, you have a decent school.

Totally disagree. I live in a pretty rich suburb, and my school was well funded. Always had new computers and they kept adding new stuff to the school all the time.

My education was a total waste. They didn't teach me jack crap that was important. Everything important that I have learned I have learned on my own via reading/thinking. I'm glad they taught me how to read and how to do basic maths when I was young, thats about it.

It has everything to do with what and how they teach. What good is money if they still teach useless garbage and teach it in a poor manner?

And no, there was nothing I could've gained if I had just paid a little more attention. I got all A's and took honors classes.

[Zanchief]

Who should run schools if not the government, Martrae?

McDonald's public school? or Disney Academy? Great way to get impartial teaching.

Neither one of those could possibly do a worse job than our government is.

To each his own I guess. I don't hate my government enough to think that way though.

[Mop]

I was in a gifted program, I entered junior high a year early, I attended college a year early for half of my highschool classes - the education was still shit, every child has potential we are not getting to the majority of those children though


but hey someone has to to work at McDonalds.

[Lyion]

You're too busy watching state run media that hates ours.

I had a favorable experience in my gifted program, and it was fun. Unfortunately it was a huge waste of time, also, and taught to the lowest common denominator, which were the people who shouldn't of been in the course to begin with.

Education gets an assload of money. How is it private schools can do a better job with 1/2 the funds?

[Mop]

Private schools, at least here in balto, tend to get a higher grade teacher, can hold more programs with less middle managment bullshit, parents are better at holding their child acountable, school staff are usualy happier as they get paid more... At least that is the things I hear from teachers I know.

That being said had Ireally taken advantage of my school program I would have a diferent outlook, but the fact they let me graduate after missing 70% of all my classes because I was behind 7-11 getting stoned tells me it is just a revolving door at that point.

[Lyion]

Actually private school teachers are usually paid less on average, Mop.

[Eziekial]

Lyion is correct, on average, private schools pay teachers less than public. But private school teachers are happier due to the fact they can go to work and not fear for their lives.

[Jimmy Durante]

Yes, my teachers made significantly less than the ones in public school. In addition to what Zeek said, most of my teachers were very young (early 20s-mid 30s) and had an incredible fervor for their work, so the students win as well.