Schools in America: how to fix our education system.

[Al B. Sure!]

do teachers really need to get paid more? In philly, the school district pays for your college education if you promise to work as a teacher for the public school district... we get a lot of teachers that way.

[mrmitchell]

So, Tass, the best thing we can do is to give pay raises? Good that we agree on one thing. Once teaching becomes gainful enough so that teachers can afford more than those cheap cars and tacky dresses, I'm willing to bet a lot better people will come out and say "Hey, being a teacher is cool! I wanna do that!"

(Stranger things have happened.)

And as for Americans thinking for themselves, education alone isn't going to fix that. You'd need some massive cultural upheaval. The best thing to do is just say that "Some people will be followers" until the free-thinking populaces of Russia conquer us. (You sense some sarcasm, don't you? ) Seriously, you can't make everyone think. You can try to make people think, but there are more people who would rather emulate their peers and parents than think for themselves. It's easier and, at least in the short term, always returns on the investment. In the long term it might lead to problems, but long-term thinking is not what humanity is best at.

(And some people just don't want to think. It, indeed, is easier to live a happy idiot life than worry over things like world issues and such.)

[GePap]

Originally posted by mrmitchell
Gepap
I can't agree less. Socialising is a part of being a teenager. You can't change it. You can't reduce it or you'll create a nation of little nerds (or homosexuals. Both of them usually won't reproduce. )

children are in schools (or would be in school) form about 10am to 4 pm. within that time they get to socialize at lunch, and during breaks. They also have evry other waking hour AND weekends. Anyone so pathetic that they can only socialize during times they have been mandate by the state to be somewhere doing somehting else (learning) won;t make use of what you claim anyhow. The point of school is education, everythign else is secondary.

Which, may I add, is your excuse towards no phys ed. But the Sate not only has a serious interest in an educated popuation, but a fit one. gym early on will wake them up, and start them off fit, healthy, and thnk of it, more physicaly attractive so that those times outside of shcool they can socialize all they want, maybe even have unportected teenage sex and start making babies early!

[mrmitchell]

Well, yes, as long as school becomes a vehicle for the State and not actually a learning place, phys ed makes sense.

[Nubclear]

Mrmitchell: The army of the two Choson brothers, the bear, the Buddha, and the Deutschbirdthing are coming to get you.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Defense *Insert cute smiley here*

That only works if you decide to federalize the school system, which may end up being a bigger headache than anything we are discussing here.

[Al B. Sure!]

federalizing the school districts? damn... talk about loss of community control...

[Odin]

Originally posted by Comrade Tassadar
and the Deutschbirdthing are coming to get you.

Archeopterix

Kids in my school would use the pop machines more if we were allowed to drink over carpet. Worse, the teachers are allowed to.

I have a lot of smart jocks in my school.

[Arrian]

That only works if you decide to federalize the school system, which may end up being a bigger headache than anything we are discussing here.

As much as I distrust the federal gummint, I'm not sure federalizing the schools is a bad idea.

It would get rid of property tax based school budgets, for one thing. You would get a more equal distribution of resources for the system.

It'll never happen, because parents would freak out about their kids being taught things they don't want them to learn (federalized curriculum). I, a New Englander, would fear MidWestern & Southern influence on the curriculum, and vise-versa.

-Arrian

[GePap]

Originally posted by mrmitchell
Well, yes, as long as school becomes a vehicle for the State and not actually a learning place, phys ed makes sense.

All public schools are vehicles for the state.

So let me get this straight: kids MUST socialize in school, even if it detracts from academic learning (the state could just as weel subsidize youth camps so that people only socialize), but they can;t possibly do phys ed, cause (even if it inhances learning) has nothing to do with education?

Let me guess, you liked looking at girls and hated gym?

[Kidlicious]

They just did a study that showed that kids who don't go to preschool but stay home with their parents behave better in grade school. Maybe school socializes kids the wrong way.

[mrmitchell]

Good guess.

[mrmitchell]

Kidicious--the general wisdom has been that preschool kids are smarter. They're still smarter even if they're a bunch of brats, right?

[Al B. Sure!]

archeopterix? what the **** does that lizard bird thing got to do with the Prussian eagle?

[GePap]

School should not be the central focus of a childs sociliazing. It can be an important one, but not central, and this only becomes more valid wth age.