[ale] Am I the only one that is laughing out load at this question?

[Thompson Freeman]

I'll have to take this in parts -

On 03/12/2008 01:39:33 PM, Geoffrey wrote:
> Thompson Freeman wrote:
> \
> > FWIW, and knowing that little has changed in the past
> 150
> > years (perhaps longer) in the general school
> environment,
> > it is amazing to realize how pathetic schooling is,
> until
> > compared to the situation of no schooling.
> 
> 90% of the problems with today's youth is the lack of
> parenting, not the

Which is pretty much why I claim that nothing much has  
changed over the years. Parents haven't changed, or at  
least not much.

I'll challenge your 90% figure, however, as more an  
assertion than a fact. I suspect that that effective figure  
could well be anywhere between 50% to 95%, with a high  
chance of being wrong. Let me just go with something to the  
effect of needing significantly better parenting, along  
with better grandparenting. Families are important, and the  
frequent lack of extended families doesn't do many kids any  
favors.

As to what constitutes good parenting - this is the ALE  
list, and lets just leave it like that? (More peaceful,  
more Linux)


> schools.  Teachers are expected to be parents, nurses,
> psychologists,
> referees, friends.
> 
> Full disclosure, yes, my wife is a teacher and a damn good
> one.

Ok. Both parents taught, Mother ranging from Kindergarden  
to college, Pappy just college. Plus one brother at the  
college level, and his wife at the grade school level, plus  
a sister-in-law at the grade school level. If we want to  
add more noise, my late wife's mother (now deceased also)  
also taught some 20 years.

There is a family tradition, which I can not support in any  
way, that a great-grandfather had to teach one class armed  
early in his career. He taught mechanical arts at the end  
of nineteenth century before moving into administration,  
and I never met him. I have caught that side of the family  
telling whoppers.

Finally, I mean no disrespect to your wife, nor yourself. I  
have had a few teachers over the years who had excellent  
reputations, who were also utter poison for me. Wonderful  
reputations in the community, poisonous for me.

> 
> For the most part, it's not the teachers, it's the system
> and the bureaucracy.

True in many of my contacts opinion. And there is where  
agreement starts to fray. That said, the best classes my  
two oldest kids had were in an "Open School" where the  
course work was largely individualized (and full sized  
classrooms too). Took a new principle one full year to  
screw that great situation up beyond belief. I'm resisting  
the temptation to launch into poorly documented educational  
philosophy here - the list doesn't deserve the abuse.

> Sure, there are bad teachers, but
> the
> percentage is no
> worse then in any other career path.
> 
> Give them what they need to get the job done and they'll
> do a better job.
<ducking and running>Isn't that what the "No Child Left  
Behind ACT" is supposed to do??
</ducking and running>
The ugly political comment does have a serious intent,  
however.  Getting anything resembling a concensious of what  
is truly needed by the teachers isn't happening anytime  
soon.

I'll take that back just slightly. They need Linux - after  
all this _is_ a LINUX list!