I have seen our future and it scares me..

[SoCalDem]

I just finished watching a news program on one of our obscure pbs channels.. This channel shares time with the weather channel, so it rarely carries the most popular shows that pbs has to offer..

This was an asian/business show, and what an eye opener..

One segment was especially chilling.. The scene...Thailand

Little tiny children, around first or second grade age, in their classrooms.. There was a tour around their school and EVERY CHILD had his/her own state of the art computer..

They did their math on it, they did their reading on it, they did their history on it.. Just watching those tiny little fingers flying across those keyboards was an eye opener..

While our archaic top-heavy school boards & administrations are arguing over nativity scenes and pledge of allegiance and school prayer, a WHOLE GENERATION of Thai (and probably other) children are preparing to "eat our lunch"...

These children also learn English, and Japanese..By the time they get through school they will be totally prepared to go into the business world... Will our kids??? We already know the answer to that, don't we??

They could not get Microsoft to "play ball" with their plans for modernizing their schools, so they went to Linux.. After a few years, Microsoft DID join them, by offering Thai language versions of Windows compplete systems and sold it to them for the equivalent of US$40.00 for the entire package..

This is a great thing for THEM, but meanwhile our school kids are still back in the pencil and paper era, crowded into classrooms, often sharing textbooks (sometimes outdated by decades), and on the other side of the world, their counterparts are well into the 21st century..

The workforce of 2020 is being prepared now.. A whole generation of American children are beiing left behind..

We better wake up and finally realize, that education "on the cheap" does not save money in the long run..

With the technology available to us, our federal government should take a "walk on the moon" style approach, and they should do it NOW, before we get further behind..

The good ole boys in charge of the purse strings seem to think that we can just do things the way we have always done them, but our bag of tricks is about empty..

The governments of the "third world" have gotten the message.. The only way out of their poverty is to have an educated and healthy workforce, that moves in a constant stream.. They are doing what is necessary to achieve that, and we are NOT..

Our government insists on setting children in front of a giant maze, and only a few , by comparison, will make it to the end ..The rest find themselves stuck in the dead ends and stay there..

Thailand apparently has discovered that mazes are for laboratory animals..not children

[jeter]

1. "Eat our lunch" at 50 cents an hour

[alexwcovington]

3. And they're more than willing.

Scary, ain't it?

[SoCalDem]

6. To the corporate masters that our children will try to serve

50 cents may be the going rate by then..

What lots of younger people do not remember is this.. When I entered the workforce, I made $1.10 and hour.. The going rate for the bank I worked at in 1975 was $3.35 an hour..

The inflated wages that Americans make now , is due to the hugely rising prices..

We have let the beast out of the barn, and he won;t go back in ..

The corporations are used to making huge profits, and charging huge prices for their products.. If they can get labor or 50 cents an hour, they WILL..

So you say, "how will americans afford their products if we lose out in the wage battle?".. Their answer... There are billions of "other people" to sell their stuff to..

They are busily creating new markets abroad, while they await the collapse of our middle class here..

[OneBlueSky]

13. brings back memories . . .

when I started my first job (at a bank), I earned $65 for a 40-hour week . . . about $1.60/hour . . . and, at the time, I thought that was a fair wage . . . of course, I could buy a pair of jeans for under $10, a gallon of gas was 35 cents, and a draft beer at my local bar was a quarter . . . them were the days . . . :)

[SoCalDem]

14. Isn't it sad??

I used to pay $4.50 for levi's 501's, and of course we did not make that much,but we all seemed to have money..:(.. Now we make many times over the pay we used to get, and yet we can never catch up..

and kiddies.. Back then there were NO credit cards, except for gasoline credit cards..

Visa did not "hit the streest" until the early 70's.. There were Diners Club cards, and American Express, but those were impossible to get for the "lower classes"..:)

Individual stores had credit cards, but most of them came with a "must pay every month" rule, and the limits were understandably low..

[bearfartinthewoods]

43. re credit cards

last week i received a new issue upgrade on a mastercard. i hadn't applied for it and haven't used the card in over a year. i called to activate it because ya never know when you might need to charge 20,000 worth of stuff in a hurry <grin>. insted of it being an automatic/ punch in the numbers procedure, a person cam on line and started asking me if there was anything she could do for me. i said no, that i didn't really use the card much anymore and thank you anyway.

before i could hang up, she said "wait Wait PLease. I would like to do something for you. i would like to lower your interest from 8.99 apr to 3.99 apr. is that OK?"

i said OK...confirmed my address and hung up.

ten years ago, when we were in credit card hell, i begged the same company for a break in the interest, which because of our mishandling
of the account and our money in general, had risen to 21%. now that we have maybe 2000 dollars in total debt, they are falling all over us to get us back into hell.

my advice...
as a family, we have never grossed more that 30,000 a year and have had many years under 20,000. we own our home and 10 acres of land. two cars paid for and in six months we will trade up to a newer car and pay cash for the deal. it can be done if you just STOP USING CREDIT!!!!!!!

My grandfather told me something and i wish i had listened to him earlier. "A home is the only things worth borrowing for. Renting is for fools and salesmen <grin>."

[AP]

2. If American schools weren't paying 1 mil to Microsoft, and 6 mil for 9/11

induced security systems, and 100K for drug testing kits, and 50K to Channel One, and 5 mil to Edison, and 10 mil for standardized tests, we'd probably have the money to buy really good educations too.

Today the school systems are a conduit of taxpayer money to private hands, and the kids are the big losers.

Bush brags that he's increased school spending. What he has increased is the profits for a bunch of private companies that provide zero value for students' educations.

[AP]

5. By the way, the Oracle says that we can't see beyond a choice we don't...

...understand.

We have to start understanding choices like whether it's a waste of money for school districts to buy urine-analysis kits, and whether Republicans or Democrats are using schools to shift wealth to private companies. We need to understand these choices so that we can see which future we want to pick.

[JailBush]

4. Two coments:

1. Microsoft's involvement in one's school or education system is NOT a good thing; it's begging for trouble. Keep in mind that Microsoft is already heavily involved in America's public schools - and they continue deteriorating, as you noted in your post. Bill Gates won't even address the real issues.

2. America's public schools are DESIGNED to fail children. It's impossible to reach any other conclusion. I've heard various theories advanced to explain why, but here are my two favorites:

a) Corporations want to outsource high-tech jobs to nations with cheap labor and train Americans for service jobs.

b) Failing students give the federal government (run by corporations) an excuse to take over schools. Here in Washington State, students will have to pass our high-stakes test (the WASL) in order to graduate in just a few years. What happens if they fail? You guessed it - government takeover, charter schools, vouchers, etc. I'm not opposed to school choice in principle, but corporate school choice is a horse of another color.

It makes me sick that teachers and parents are so clueless and apathetic about these things. If they don't care about their own children, then they deserve to get screwed by teachers unions and George Bush.

[w4rma]

8. they don't deserve that

especially for that reason.

propaganda is insidious.

[DemBones DemBones]

10. Please don't group teachers' unions with George W. Bush.

Please don't assume that teachers and parents are clueless and apathetic. either. Changing any bureaucratic structure is extremely difficult.

[Muddleoftheroad]

22. Not apathetic

Definitely part of the problem. Frankly, a big part.

[Lars39]

b. is fact. After so many years of a school not making the grade

in the NCLB farce, federal control IS the result. Takes about 6 or 7 yrs from what I remember, but that is the result.

[SoCalDem]

19. But.. what about those KIDS that got cheated during those years?

They do not get a chance to make up what they missed.. We cannot afford to let kids get substandard educations..

Kids only get ONE chance..

[Lars39]

27. That's one of the most frustrating things when it comes to education.

When everybody's in experimental mode and desperate for results, the kids that can't cope get left behind. :(

[frank frankly]

7. really excellent post

this is very good writing and should be an editorial somewhere...

and I couldn't agree more.

[LoZoccolo]

9. I'm very skeptical about introducing computers that much in the classroom.

Really they're tools - it's like learning to use a typewriter or a fax machine - it doesn't really teach you how to think all that much. Maybe a little bit of algorithms added to the math curriculum would be an interesting addition that would teach kids about the nature of what computers actually do, but I don't see as much value coming out of computers generally than I do more traditional curriculum.

There's a book about this that got me thinking this way:
http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=17-0385489765-0

Something I do think would be really great is media literacy. Learn how to evaluate information, know when people are playing with statistics, be aware that everything you see through the media is constructed, etcetera.

[SoCalDem]

12. I am sure that there are parts of their day

that are not computer related, BUT...

EACH child has their own computer.. The cost of textbooks goes waaaaaay down, when a teacher can assign lessons via the textbook ON computer, and each kid can print out whatever the day's lessons are..

Due to the intricacies of the written Thai and Japanese language, I am sure that they still have paper and pencil moments, but my point is that in OUR schools, there are never encough computers, and the ones that are available are often out of date...

We do things on the cheap here, and they are trying to ensure that their kids have the best..not the cheapest.. The reason?? They know that if their kids are to compete in the future, that they MUST be the best, or they will be selling souvenirs by the roadside..

The American counterpart , of course is that our kids can look forward to handing tacos out a drive-thru window..

Once kids are through school , it's too late to take them back to 3rd grade, 4th grade, etc.. The foundations must be provided and then built upon.. There is no reason why, in the richest country (?) on earth, so many kids "graduate" from school knowing so little about the world and their place in it.

[Beaker]

17. Kids have been having their lunch money stolen for ages...

And now you want them toting $1000.00 laptops to and from school?

what's wrong with this picture?

[SoCalDem]

20. No one said anything about laptops..

The computers are on the desks IN CLASS..

[leftofthedial]

11. all is going according to plan

the neocon plan

we'll have to take care of the Muslims quick so we can wage holy war against the Buddhists and Hindus next.

[dofus]

15. The very first question I have about that classroom

is how representative is it? Do ALL schools in Thailand, including the ones out in the rural areas with no electricity also have one computer per child?

I suspect the school shown was a model school of some kind, supplied with the best of the best.

And I agree strongly with the others above who've pointed out that computers are not an unmitigated good for all students. The teach linear thinking only, and don't do a good job of teaching complex thought. They have their place, but they're not the be-all and end-all of good education.

[SoCalDem]

16. Several Thai officials were interviewed

and they more or less said that their biggest "investment" was to the education of their young.. Sure , this may have been a "model school", but the fact remains. OUR kids are not getting the education that the richest country on earth "should" be giving them..

The program did not promote the use of computers, other than to tell about how they were using Linux because it was almost free, and that allowed them to have the most up-to-date technology.. The Microsoft angle that I picked up on, was the fact they they were "selling" their operating system for $40 to the very people who will be in a position to siphon off even more jobs here..

So while our citizens are paying the top dollar for the computing equipment, and mortgaging their futures with college debt, they end up graduating to very few jobs..

It's all about putting your own people first.. Thailand gets it..we don't..

[HFishbine]

18. "The workforce of 2020 is being prepared now."

SoCal. I get your point, and I largely agree. But I think there is an additional problem -- that of thinking of education as "workforce training." I think that an equal threat exists in not educating our kids about being good citizens.

Music, Art, Civics, and History are being sacrificed on the alter of job-preparedness. The result is a citizenry that has little understanding of the rights and responsibilities of being an American citizen.

[SoCalDem]

21. There is no reason to think that those kids do not get

that kind of education too.. OURS do not, as a rule get it..

and whether we like it or not, all citizens do aspire to be part of the workforce.. It's just a fact of life..

[camero]

33. Ok, hold on

One question. Did you know what you wanted to do with you life at 10? Or 16, 17 for that matter? Workforce training at too young of an age only serves to confuse the student as counselors often push youngsters into certain professions that they deem fit based on tests that may not even be accurate.

Elementary and secondary schools should focus on basic education and critical thinking skills and let colleges and trade schools do the workforce training. I think this makes sense from the fact that many in our schools are not even getting a basic education because of funding cuts.

That being said, we should make it easier to afford college by raising the Pell Grant and expanding Americorps to people older than 24 because we are also in the middle of a new Industrial Revolution and many adults need to be re-educated for this.

[SoCalDem]

34. I did not.. BUT the main reason I even posted about this

was.. AGAIN.. to point out that other countries see education and top notch equipment are a funadmental part of their future...as a country and as future workers..

Nowhere in the initial post did I indicate that I thought the elementary schools should be trade schools..

The point I was trying to make is that we try to educate on the cheap, and we are paying the price ..

There will always be someone , somewhere in the world who will do the same job as any given American, and will do it for less..

BUT.. if our workforce is educated well, they are more flexible , and are able to do many things.

Languages shoudl be taught to young children when they are eager to learn everything.. By waiting until they are high school age, it's almost too late to teach language , and have a natural accent.. Little kids are not as self conscious, and they are so interested in learning languages..

Regarding your point about college and trade schools, I do agree, EXCEPT for the fact that lots of kids do not have the money to go, and once they have been sucked into the workforce and "start their lives" it gets harder and harder to go back to school..

[camero]

35. You make good points

It is easier to teach language at younger ages because they are more receptive to learning. And you're right. we do educate on the cheap, but the way to do that is to make our taxes less regressive and put more money into textbooks and teacher salaries. Not by cutting music , art and sports, which expand awareness and create a sense of community.

I agree many kids can't afford to go, that's why we raise tuition assistance and expand Americorps. Also, I remember a study during the Clinton Administration that said most people change professions about once every five years. These things would help to ease the transition.

[MadHound]

57. Do some research into educational history camero

If fact talk to your parents and grandparents. You will find that back in the early to mid part of the twentieth century kids were getting workforce and career training at younger ages, and actually getting a better education to boot. C'mon, my mom was in the sixth grade in the early forties and she was being taught algerbra, something that doesn't happen these days until late jr. high, or high school. The same was true of other areas of study, they were fast tracked at a rapid pace, and given education for workplace training and being a good citizen.

The reasons for this were numerous. Fewer children went to college, post high school training was either apprenticships or technical schools. There was also the social attitude that once you were eighteen you were an adult, with adult responsibilities and you had to be prepared for it. Now college is looked upon as an extended adolescence period where you are expectied to figure out what you want to do with your life. Also life tended to be more agrarian back in the day, and many kids knew from the start what they were going to grow up to be.

The education recieved in public, and many private schools, has been dumbed down for the past fifty plus years. Rather than throwing more money or tests at it(though God know, it needs more money), why not simply start fast tracking it again, you know, so that somebody who graduates from high school would have the equivalent of an education that extended into two years of college? I think that part of this dumbing down is by design. A dumb populace is a compliant populace. Plus, with the switch to a service economy you don't need a work force that is highly educated, in fact from a corporate perspective, it is better that they aren't highly educated. More compliant workers at a cheaper price.

Our public education has been under serious assault from the right for twenty plus years. There is a concerted effort to force education into the private(read religious) sector. Public education has only a certain amount of leeway given for teaching religion and demagogueic propoganda. A private school has no such restrictions, therefore the right wing can start converting kids at a younger and younger age.

[camero]

63. fast tracking is not a bad idea

But pushing children into certain vocations before they are ready to make the choice themselves almost smacks of classism. More like, well, you come from a poor family, so here is what you are suited for. That is what scares me.

It's not the same breed of people floating around today, unfortunately.

[tom_paine]

23. But that only plays into the hands of the Busheviks

People untutored in the "bullshit detectors" that the humanities compirse are easy prey for the monstrously huge propaganda machine this is the multi-spectral Goebbels v2.0.

One wonders of the Busheviks even give a shit about the long-term healthy of the Empire. They are too busy carving it up and eating it, they and their friends.

The LAST thing the Busheviks want for Imperial Subjects, is to be tutured on archaic (to the Busheviks) subjects like ethics and critical thinking...

The very LAST thing, and they will fight to their dying breath, or kill, to make sure it doesn't happen.

[Muddleoftheroad]

24. Music and art

Are really wonderful. I don't think they need to be taught in school except when students pursue those areas for advanced education.

Sure, the School for the Performing Arts is great. But for the other students, both music and art school be or minor consequence.

[HFishbine]

25. I hear you, but

I'm not convinced.

You offer me no perusasive argument and without one, I could just as easily say, "Science and math are really wonderful. I don't think they need to be taught in school except when students puruse those areas for advanced education. Sure, the School of Science and Math is great. But for other students, both science and math at school are of minor consequence."

Now, why is one opinion any more valid than the other?

[Muddleoftheroad]

26. Math and science

Are necessary to get a job, to do research and create jobs. They are the foundation of our future as a society.

As much as I personally value art and music, they are nice to have, not mandatory. We already don't teach children well enough. To take the time on ancillary items is ridiculous.

[Lars39]

29. Music and art help children with the sciences and maths, though.

A lot of the problems we're having in society right now could probably be traced back to Lack of music and art being taught, not to mention critical thinking skills.

[GreenArrow]

31. Exactly

One size fits all education does not work; it only serves to create unbalanced, non-thinking drones.

[Muddleoftheroad]

37. Critical thinking

Is esential. I don't view art and music in that category.

Of course, I would also go to year-round schooling as well.

[Lars39]

40. Art and music enhance math and science skills.

[7th_Sephiroth]

45. honestly, in school

i hated art and music, the art and music classes i took were a joke, they tought nothing, they were merely time wasters to make sure we were out of our parents hands for an extra few hours.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

62. I'm sorry that this was your experience, but

you probably attended a district that didn't value the arts and offered only token instruction by untrained teachers.

I started violin lessons, learned to sing in parts and sightread music, learned all the Broadway standards and quite a lot of classical choral repertoire, and acted in a musical. For a while, I was quite proficient in drawing in pastels. The arts were one of the best parts of my public school education.

This was in the 1950s and 1960s, when our country was less prosperous than it is now but wasn't quite as dumbed down.

[Muddleoftheroad]

47. Everything helps everything

But schools have only so much time and need to make choices.

Let them encourage music and art as extracurricular activities.

[GreenArrow]

41. knowing how to understand and interpret

art is inherently logical. Music itself is an inherently logical language. Logic, important as it is, works best in concord with intution and emotion, a partner to them, and not their master.

[Muddleoftheroad]

49. Logic

I might disagree with you about how logic applies to art. I think art is a creative medium that sometimes has logic or sometimes not.

Either way, you need critical thinking to sort it out.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

46. Actually music ( I cannot speak for art)

IS mathematical and geometrical. The cycles of scales are based on a mathematical concept. The fret board of a guitar and the combinations of chords are based on a geometrical alignment. The art of practicing repetition DOES speak to that aspect of the brain that calculates and PRACTICING an instrument teaches DISCIPLINE.

In fact there is a school system that incorporates the aspects of music that open the brain to higher learning. They have a remarkable success rate:

http://www.awsna.org/education-class.html

[GreenArrow]

28. Totally disagree

There are different types of intelligence. Different people have different gifts, inclinations, and interests.

Lets just make square pegs fit in round holes, with one size fits all "education." Personally, I think if we had musicians and artists running things, the world would be in much better shape.

[Muddleoftheroad]

39. The real world

Requires all of us to have certain skills. Those are what schools need to teach. What people choose to pursue after learning those skills or in addition to those skills is a personal choice. But that basic skill set -- reading, writing, math, computers, etc. -- is essential.

[GreenArrow]

44. the "real" world

is what we make it. The "real" world is made up of all sorts of people. In the "real" world, not all of us have identical gifts, interests, aptitudes, or talents. Real education involves discovering what is inherent in each individual and encouraging and developing that in them. Anyone can write a poen, but not everyone is a poet. Anyone can learn to add and subtract, multiply and divide, but not everyone can learn trigonometry--or needs to.

[Muddleoftheroad]

51. Not identical gifts

But we all need the basic skills. This is an area that our school systems have been failing us in for some time.

It is true that not everyone can be a poet. But everyone needs to be able to write a coherent sentence, construct a resume and write a business letter.

Basic math is the same and though trig might not be super useful, it is the foundation for many things.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

48. I know many people who make a decent living as a musician

and they are not pop culture icons. Same with art...these skills are transferable to jobs.

[Muddleoftheroad]

52. Yes they can

But they still need the basics of reading, writing, math, computers, etc. to make that living and be successful.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

56. I have never seen a music education trump other skills

but I have seen academic exceptions made for sports...so perhaps we are criticizing the wrong aspects of the American educational system.

[JackRiddler]

30. I'm shutting down this culture.

Literature? Peh. Music? Ancillary. Art? Superfluous. Sports? Why do they do that stuff, who can afford it?

Gotta keep kids at desks permanently, crunchin' numbers on Windows. That's the future.

We must act to emulate the Thai example before they overtake us in the crucial Olympic category of getting carpal tunnel syndrome for 50 cents an hour.

You know, there is such a thing as very bad (the U.S. system) getting worse (education entirely geared to the electronic sweatshop, as though it wasn't bad enough).

Where's the mystery in education?

If you want great scientists and leaders and engineers and writers, trash the computers, reduce classes to 15 students per teacher, pay the teachers well enough to feel (almost) upper-middle class, and have these real teachers teach

math with paper and pencil, not on a computer;

science with experiments and models, not on a computer;

English, using literature (you know, stories in books? remember those?) and emphasizing critical skills above all;

drawing, an essential skill in the sciences and a very important venue for developing conceptual thinking and expression;

music, a key venue for developing broadness of mind;

geography and history, essentials for citizenship and understanding just who and where you are;

and foreign languages.

All are essential!

I can tell you one class the Thai kids are getting that's giving them a HUGE advantage over Americans: English. They can speak ours, we cannot speak theirs. And it's like that all around the world.

If you care about "remaining competitive" in globalization, languages should be on top of your list - not computers!

Nothing advances learning like a good teacher. Computers if overused are guaranteed to turn learning into alienation.

Does the concept of a sharp-minded, well-rounded, well-informed, self-sufficient and happy person play any role in the calculus here, or is it all about how to make the right cogs for the newest machine?

If you want great programmers, by the way, you first teach them math and logic - with paper and word problems, not on computers.

I think we're rapidly approaching the point where "programming skills" will be up there with "can drive" as a good qualification for many a job.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

60. I've got a song for you, Jack Riddler:

"Ayyy-men, Ayyyymen, Ayymen, Amen, Amen!"

One of the worst aspects of the American education is the notion that school is only for job preparation.

As a scientist quoted in this week's issue of the New YOrk Times' Science section said, the arts are the science of how to live your life.

We don't spend all our lives at work or household chores--at least, I hope not. The question arises of what to do with our leisure.

When I taught college, I met far too many students who had no idea what to do with their free time other than party, watch TV or videos, or work out in the gym. They didn't read for pleasure, play or sing music, create drawings or sculpture, act in theatrical productions, dance except at parties, or write anything that wasn't assigned.

They were the first generation of Oregon students to experience school budget cuts that got rid of "frills" like music and art.

They drank themselves drunk two or three nights a week and did drugs and screwed anything that didn't fight them off and pulled dumb stunts like shooting fellow students with BBs or vandalizing their dorms, and they constantly complained about being bored. They managed to be jet set Euro trash without leaving Oregon.

As one of my colleagues said, quoting Auntie Mame, there was a whole banquet of opportunities on the campus, and these students were choosing to starve.

IN this culture, unfortunately, leaving art and music instruction to parental initiative or the private sector would result in few children getting these opportunities. Do you know how much music lessons cost these days?

Even more than sports, the arts are activities for one's whole life. My 82-year-old stepfather, retired after a life as a professional musician, still plays the piano for a couple of hours each day. I've met plenty of other white-haired musicians, and I've seen white-haired actors in community theater and white-haired visual artists exhibiting in presitigious galleries. My 92-year-old great aunt does creative writing.

I hate-hate-hate the attitude that the arts are unnecessary. In fact, I hate the idea so much that even though I was just going to lurk today, Muddleoftheroad's post made me angry enough to sign in.

[Rob in B_more]

32. Do more computers really equal a better education

I have specifically found a school that does not use computers in the lower grades. I think computers are extremely detimental for learning anything other then using computers. Education works better when children interact with teachers and other students not software.

Besides these poor kids will be suffering from carpal tunnel by 2020, when my children are hitting the job market.;-)

[never cry wolf]

36. Not to worry...

Didn't out illustrious pResident promise us that no child would be left behind?

:nuke:

[bleedingheart]

38. Bingo!

although I would blame taxpayers as well. Our district finally renovated some schools after 40 years of neglect...all people did was bitch. The new schools are wired and ready for the 21st century... but people still bitch...

Americans don't like spending money on children they have been trained to expect immediate return on investment... and educating a child well is a long term investment.

[opihimoimoi]

42. for some selfish reason, many mega rich actually want lolo people.

Better to clean their houses, yards, pools, and man their factories, etc.

In Japan, the DOCOMO has been out for years. School children have them. Only this year the handheld cell phone with internet capacity became available.

Hey, Learning is OLD. Lying, cheating, stealing is IN. Look at Bush.

[Rose Siding]

50. At least the Dynasty got in on the ground floor

Neil Bush and Ignite! -educational software

[SoCalDem]

54. You can use a computer for learning WITHOUT special

educational software.. The software in the news item was the OPERATING system.. excel..word.. the basics..

There was no mention of special educational software..

The familiarity with and comfort of use is what the computer skills bring..

[SoCalDem]

53. art/music.....chocolate/peanut butter

Kids need to learn everything.. When those of us who are now in our 50's were in school, we were taught everything.. Music and art were required until high school..(by then the ones with the talent were pretty obvious, and others ..like me.. were done with it all)

Somehow, I was the only 7th grade art student who could not manage to make a pitcher in pottery class that would stand up straight, and it also leaked..But We had classes in collage, pottery,papier mache, drawing, painting, .. I was terrible in all of them, but they were enjoyable.. We also learned some art history..

Same for music..I never could grasp the concept of the scale, and I could not carry a tune anymore than my pitcher could carry water, but if I had been gifted with some musical talent, that would have been the place to develop it...

Our schools really need to evaluate the possibility of extending hours, rather than shortening them... Kids need to be taught more, not less..

[Lydia Leftcoast]

61. By requiring all students to study everything

at least for part of their school years, we make sure that all students get exposed to any subjects that they might be talented in.

I had students who postponed their foreign language requirement till their senior year and then regretted it, because they found out at that late date that they really enjoyed learning Japanese and were good at it. If they had been required to start foreign languages earlier (I was lucky enough to attend a special program that started Spanish in fifth grade), they would have realized that they had this talent, and they would have had time to become really proficient during their school years.

[sangh0]

55. That future is coming, and nothing can stop it

In all of history, no nation has ever managed to hold onto it's technological superiority. In each and every case, when a nation has some technological edge, the other nations notice it, and work towards acquiring the same technology. They always succeed, and once they start using it, they beat their former superiors because they can charge less due to lower labor costs.

[Cleita]

58. Thanks for this informative post.

I have printed it out for others to read as well.

[SoCalDem]

59. You're welcome.. It is very scary these days..

Kids do not seem to have much to show for 13 years in school..

Not that many years ago, you could support a family on one income of a high school graduate.. Now, that income would not even pay the rent for a family in most places..:(

[tigereye]

64. arts have to be part of the whole education package

As a parent, one of the things I looked for when my kid was ready for school was art. When I first entered the school, I saw wonderful interpretations of Matisse, Van Gogh, and the kicker, "Third graders interpret Munch's The Scream." Wow, I said my child has to go to this school. Granted, this is a progressive school, but it has new computers, too. Acutally most of the children I know can run rings around the adults in terms of computer usage.

There is an emphasis on the individual child benefiting from all aspects of the educational experience - experiential, pragmatic, plus all the nuts and bolts, math, science, language, etc. I think that education has to be well-rounded with all of the different spheres of experience represented. I was an English Lit major in college and wanted a Liberal Arts education... not terribly pragmatic in terms of the more techie types of jobs, but of benefit in terms of writing, reading and the critical thinking necessary for most jobs these days.

At the same time, there are public schools here in my city that continue to find money for the arts and music for all kids, while at the same time emphasizing the reading skills that are so critical and often not up to par.