Don't Be A Teacher

Off Topic
81

[quote]InCorporeSano wrote:
None of you seem to be mentioning the distinction between private or independent schools.

I’m a product of public school, hated it, went to a very unique college that was profoundly different from every other school in this country, and won’t consider teaching in public schools. [/quote]

I teach at a public charter school. I wouldn’t teach in a traditional public school.

[quote]
Private schools don’t have to teach to tests. Private school teachers can develop challenging, intense courses that train students to think independently.[/quote]

No schools HAVE to teach to tests. Shitty teachers HAVE to teach to tests, because they do a shitty job of actually teaching the subject material and critical thinking skills. My students take the same tests as every other public school student in Texas, but I spend at most a week of class actually talking about test taking strategy. I don’t feel that is wasted time, as the kids will be taking standardized tests their entire lives.

[quote]
I don’t seem myself as imparting knowledge to my students, and I place ZERO emphasis on the rote memorization of facts. The specific material is far less important than the rhetorical, grammatical, and logical skills I help my students develop.

Before you all go off making blanket statements about ‘the education system’, maybe consider that you’re ignoring a whole class of schools that are categorically, demonstrably different. [/quote]

Until there is true open competition in public education, there will have to be standardized tests in order to have some level of accountability.

If public education was fully competitive, parents would be able to choose the schools that would best address their children’s needs.

82

Yet another reason to love public education.
Remember, we can’t turn away customers like every other business.

83

[quote]rbnlaw wrote:
Yet another reason to love public education.
Remember, we can’t turn away customers like every other business.

[/quote]

Good post! I hope that ‘troubled young man’ receives a few ‘pellets’ in the county lockup.

HH

84

[quote]Nominal Prospect wrote:
First of all, HH, I can’t believe you are or were a teacher. Even though I consider formal education to be something of an intellectual plague, it’s very difficult for me to picture someone like you teaching…anybody, frankly.

More important, however, I’d like to comment on what you wrote about the system being destroyed by politicians and bureaucrats.

In keeping with this line of thinking, I’d like to pose a few simple questions to you:

Does the government bureaucracy which you claim has ruined your profession function any better in other fields? Fields such as health care, crime prevention, border security and oh-let’s-say…the military?

Can a government that can’t properly educate it’s citizens be trusted to provide for their defense?

Can a government that can’t properly educate it’s citizens be trusted with the most powerful offensive army in history?
quote]
I am sorry my friend but you are a bit out of touch.
You asked if the gov. can excel at Health care well most doctors are coming from Asia were they have a strict education system. Also our health care system is not good by any means compaired to say Canada’s.

Crime prevention we may not be that high on kidnappings but other than that we have a huge amount of crime.

You really want to mention border control when we are building a wall across the mexican border?

The most powerful offensive army yes but also the worste led. We have technology that is years ahead of anybody elses but we are fighting a backwards war where we send troops in to battle but put retrictions on them and are setting ourselves up for failure.

People no longer want to take any reponsability and no longer want to work, while still continuing to say we are number 1 and everything we do is right.
America has turned into one of the dumber nations because we no longer innovate and try to better things we just sitt around and middle manage which is really sad.

85

Wait! Wait!

What’s this about tons of exotic, sexually-frustrated 16 year-olds who want to give their virginity to a white guy?

I’m on that like fatty on fries.

Beef

86

[quote]doogie wrote:
InCorporeSano wrote:
None of you seem to be mentioning the distinction between private or independent schools.

I’m a product of public school, hated it, went to a very unique college that was profoundly different from every other school in this country, and won’t consider teaching in public schools.

I teach at a public charter school. I wouldn’t teach in a traditional public school.

Private schools don’t have to teach to tests. Private school teachers can develop challenging, intense courses that train students to think independently.

No schools HAVE to teach to tests. Shitty teachers HAVE to teach to tests, because they do a shitty job of actually teaching the subject material and critical thinking skills. My students take the same tests as every other public school student in Texas, but I spend at most a week of class actually talking about test taking strategy. I don’t feel that is wasted time, as the kids will be taking standardized tests their entire lives.

I don’t seem myself as imparting knowledge to my students, and I place ZERO emphasis on the rote memorization of facts. The specific material is far less important than the rhetorical, grammatical, and logical skills I help my students develop.

Before you all go off making blanket statements about ‘the education system’, maybe consider that you’re ignoring a whole class of schools that are categorically, demonstrably different.

Until there is true open competition in public education, there will have to be standardized tests in order to have some level of accountability.

If public education was fully competitive, parents would be able to choose the schools that would best address their children’s needs.
[/quote]

Great point! I totally agree – the engine of true competition would foster better conditions for all!

87

[quote]Headhunter wrote:
steveo5801 wrote:

HH,

It’s not all about you…it’s about the kids…

S

You are a true gentleman whom I respect very much. Please read the thread (I know its a lot) and tell me where I am saying, “It’s all about me.” or similar. It is because of what has been done to our educational system that I am heartbroken.

What I love doing is being made progressively harder, to actually teach. The profession is being killed off by stupidity, lies, and too much bureaucracy.

Imagine if you joined the army in the young Roman republic. You then could magically fast forward and watch your country get turned into monstrosity that was the later Empire. Is that what anyone signs up for? No one fights to defend such vile crap; I’m advising young people to steer clear of the ‘Empire’. T’ain’t the Republic no mo’ !!

HH[/quote]

HH,

Sorry about that. I did misread or misconstrue your point.

Actually I do know someone who recently retired from the NYC Public Schools that speaks much as you do.

It is too bad, because ultimately, it is the kids that get hurt.

SteveO

88

[quote]Headhunter wrote:
Ummm…you don’t understand how POWER works. Power is not exercised for the good of those who are controlled by its use. Stopping a tribal chieftain from blowing up a dam or oil well is not for his benefit.

Since education is supposed to benefit the recipients, this conflicts with the above principle of power. Your arguments therefore make no sense.

Come back when you are rational, if ever.[/quote]

I would be willing to bet that I have a better conception of power dynamics than you will ever – given that this one of my fields of expertise – but your posting style leaves me unable to draw any firm conclusions besides the following:

You are supremely arrogant and overconfident in your own abilities. This, in-and-of-itself, is not a big problem. The real problem is to be found in your staunch refusal to engage in any sort of legitimate discussion, thereby exposing your massive ego to criticism which you may be unable to address. If this is not the case, and you do engage in real debates with other people, please provide a link to one such debate (and not one about some utterly benign topic, please).

You seem to be operating under the impression that the less you write, the more intelligent you will appear. I have some news for you: that rule doesn’t apply when it’s completely obvious that you are simply trying to avoid having to back up your assertions. Or, rather, the rule does apply, but in reverse: writing less makes you appear dumber.

I strongly suspect that you’re a coward who’s all show, no go. As I pointed out elsewhere, people like you are a dime a dozen on the net. The very nature of the cyber world, with its inherent anonymity, provides the perfect breeding ground for your type.

89

[quote]sob440 wrote:
stuff[/quote]

First of all, please don’t turn your entire post into a quotation, thus forcing me to dig through it in order to seperate my own writing from yours. The preview post function is there for a reason - use it before you post.

Second, I’m 98% sure that you had absolutely no idea where I was coming from with that post. Well, I won’t keep your guessing: It was written entirely from a libertarian, non-interventionist perspective. Now, in that context, allow me to address the points you raised:

You asked if the gov. can excel at Health care well most doctors are coming from Asia were they have a strict education system. Also our health care system is not good by any means compaired to say Canada’s.

You’re inadvertently supporting my argument. I was making a point about the inefficiency of government across the board, be it in education (the topic of the thread), or national defense (the pet issue of neocon posters on this board who masquerade as conservatives yet advocate a massive military-industrial complex and thus big government). Get it now?

Crime prevention we may not be that high on kidnappings but other than that we have a huge amount of crime.

Yeah, no kidding. Again, the question for the neocons is: How can the government be expected to do any better in the War on Terror than it has done in the “Wars” on Crime, Drugs, Poverty, etc…

[i]The most powerful offensive army yes but also the worste led. We have technology that is years ahead of anybody elses but we are fighting a backwards war where we send troops in to battle but put retrictions on them and are setting ourselves up for failure.

People no longer want to take any reponsability and no longer want to work, while still continuing to say we are number 1 and everything we do is right.
America has turned into one of the dumber nations because we no longer innovate and try to better things we just sitt around and middle manage which is really sad.[/i]

I don’t really know where you’re going with this, but it’s safe to say that it has nothing to do with the issue I was addressing. In terms of national defense, I stand by the statement that America has the most powerful offense in the world but very little national defense. That’s a classic Libertarian viewpoint which I strongly agree with.

I would like to see a neocon address these issues, although I doubt that I’ll get anything out of HeadHunter besides another half-assed, pseudo-intellectual ego trip devoid of any real content.

90

[quote]Nominal Prospect wrote:
Headhunter wrote:
Ummm…you don’t understand how POWER works. Power is not exercised for the good of those who are controlled by its use. Stopping a tribal chieftain from blowing up a dam or oil well is not for his benefit.

Since education is supposed to benefit the recipients, this conflicts with the above principle of power. Your arguments therefore make no sense.

Come back when you are rational, if ever.

I would be willing to bet that I have a better conception of power dynamics than you will ever – given that this one of my fields of expertise – but your posting style leaves me unable to draw any firm conclusions besides the following:

You are supremely arrogant and overconfident in your own abilities. This, in-and-of-itself, is not a big problem. The real problem is to be found in your staunch refusal to engage in any sort of legitimate discussion, thereby exposing your massive ego to criticism which you may be unable to address. If this is not the case, and you do engage in real debates with other people, please provide a link to one such debate (and not one about some utterly benign topic, please).

You seem to be operating under the impression that the less you write, the more intelligent you will appear. I have some news for you: that rule doesn’t apply when it’s completely obvious that you are simply trying to avoid having to back up your assertions. Or, rather, the rule does apply, but in reverse: writing less makes you appear dumber.

I strongly suspect that you’re a coward who’s all show, no go. As I pointed out elsewhere, people like you are a dime a dozen on the net. The very nature of the cyber world, with its inherent anonymity, provides the perfect breeding ground for your type.[/quote]

You CAN look at another member’s profile and his/previous posts. I have engaged in numerous intellectual debates, if you actually want to look (which you don’t).

I do not debate you because I will not grant you your premises. You try to argue by loading the dice in your favor — such as the pseudo-argument about how a government that can’t educate its people shouldn’t want to be a hegemonic power. Since you irrationally connect these two, it therefore makes no sense to engage in a logical argument with you. In Vegas terms, you are the ‘house’. Sorry, not playing your game, bugwit.

BTW: Your user name says it all: you ARE a nominalist.

HH

91

[quote]Headhunter wrote:
Nominal Prospect wrote:
Headhunter wrote:

Pointless non-debate.

[/quote]

HeadHunter, you’ve already stated that you no longer desire to be a Teacher.

So what are you going to do now?

92

[quote]oboffill wrote:
Headhunter wrote:
Nominal Prospect wrote:
Headhunter wrote:

Pointless non-debate.

HeadHunter, you’ve already stated that you no longer desire to be a Teacher.

So what are you going to do now?
[/quote]

I’m spending time this summer learning the ropes of a small business that my best friend owns. He is overwhelmed and was happy to add a partner. I’ll spend the summer doing that and see if it will work. If so, it is ADIOS to the game of teaching. I’m really sad to leave as I really do love teaching — but between the spies, the disrespect on the part of admin (the list is looonnnnggggg there), and so on, I’m done. The kids are great, btw. But for how much I enjoy the actual teaching, I’d have left long ago. Some of the things that are done are just not something a self-respecting man can endure.

Here’s an analogy to how I feel: you lend a lot of cash to a good friend. Later, when you want some of this paid back, he drives up in his new Caddy and says, “Uh yeah,…I’m a little short just now. Talk to me again later.” and drives away. That’s a good comparison to how I feel.

HH

93

No. Seriously. Where are these exotic teenage girls?

Beef

94

Nominal Prospect,

I am sorry about my last post for some reason I did not seperate the quoted text from my new text enough.

I did not realize you were stating these ideas more sarcastic then factual where I was agruing for the same ideas.

The way your first post sounded to me it was as a Neo Con were I was disagreeing with it. Like most of there blind following of the govenment.