The 300th Post on My Third Blog
There’s this really cool sculpted bronze horse at a shop near my house. They also have a bronze rhinoceros. Sage’s friend AJ is obsessed with horses, so we stopped by. It is so incredibly detailed. I have no idea what it costs!
Today, I saw a photo of me that was taken at work. I no longer look like Jabba the Hut. Apparently, I look like a normal human being. Go slow carb diet!
I have two students who are biding their time before they can legally drop out. These two, if not allowed to leave by the nurse, will deliberately act out and get sent home on a referral. Why, oh why, must we have mandatory education for children who don’t want it. And more importantly, whose parents don’t care for it either?
I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before or not, but sometimes I think one of the best things that could ever happen to education in this country would be if it cost money and was not quite so easily attainable. I think as soon as people started feeling excluded from it, they would start demanding it. Education has zero value to many students. Why can’t we change that? We all know that people tend to value things more that they have had to invest in somehow.
My job is so weird. I have days (like yesterday) when I could just walk out of my classroom and never return, and then on other days, I feel like I have a purpose there. Kinda. It usually seems like my purpose is related to helping get kids out of the system one way or another. At the beginning of the year, I was actually teaching, and that was fun and refreshing. I still get a chance to do that now and then…
And I’m broke. I am not thinking about the economy. I have been thinking about which necklace looks the best with which shirt. Stuff like that. I’m deliberately cultivating shallowness. Thinking about other things snarls up my stomach.
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Yay for the diet!! I know what you mean about kids taking education for granted and NOT appreciating it at all. I wish there was some way to turn that around. (but I can’t think of how!)
Margaret’s last blog post..Ouch. Ouch!
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In Taiwan, where we grew up, the education system had gone through some changes. In my parents’ generation, the government only paid for elementary school (grades 1-6). And they had to pass a national test, and fill out which middle schools (grades 7-9) they want to get into, and then they distribute these students based on where they want to go to the most, starting with the person with the highest score. They repeat the same process for high school (grades 10-12) and college. By our generation, middle school is already mandatory and no test was required to enter, but I still had to take the test for high school. Now they are pushing to make high school mandatory too.
It seems to me that back then, people wanted an education more, because it’s not as readily available. And those who did get one, has an edge. Nowadays that line has already been blurred. Of course, what the society needs is important too. Back then, those who don’t want to continue their education can just go find a job as an apprentice for a tailor or a carpenter or something. Nowadays it has become harder for people to find jobs with not enough credentials, so even those who don’t want to go to school have to stay in school, in a sense. it’s sort of a catch-22 sometimes.
Kelvin Kao’s last blog post..JellyTelly Launches Beta Site
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Allowing kids to leave education they don’t want… maybe. Forcing kids out of education their family can’t afford? Well, I wouldn’t have any myself in that case.
Pacian’s last blog post..Not to Rise Again
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Congratulations on your 3rd blog’s 300th post!!
As far as education goes, you probably know me well enough by now to realize you are preaching to the choir. I agree completely that forcing kids to stay in school is detrimental to them and to teaching in general. I like the German model where they test students and then put them into various tracks based upon their skills, preferences, potential, etc… That way they get an education but it is an education that is suited for them as an individual. It would never go over well in the U.S. because of our “no child left behind” philosophy combined with the view that all students should excel at standard education. You are supposed to treat everyone the same and tracking is a definite no-no during these politically correct days.
Ken Albin’s last blog post..Oh No, They Are Learning!