Politics Education. I don't think we talk about this nearly enough. What are some suggestions?

[Phatguysrule]

This sounds like a really good start to me. Thoughts?

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

Good luck with that. Lawsuits are gonna be galore with IEPs if they start leaving those children behind and failing them.

Banning cell phones was a good start. Parents need to start teaching kids themselves outside of school too. One issue is that there are many boomer parents that unfortunately aren't being as involved in their grandkids lives. At least in the circle I run in. They are still working or millenials had kids later in life so they have health issues.

All of these things contribute.

 

[twobullz]

I agree No Child Left Behind was a terrible plan and really hurt schools, but to many parents want nothing to do with their child's education besides badmouthing teachers. Teachers don't assign homework anymore because so many kids don't do it that they end up having to teach it in class anyways. Parents are just not involved. I will go back to COVID. All a kid had to do to pass was sign into there computer every day. Over 50% of the kids failed. That is on the parents. They could not even be bothered to make sure there kids were just logging in. That doesn't even begin to address the behavior of kids in schools. Parents don't discipline kids any more and when they act out in school there school can't do anything. Spitting on a teacher, no consequences. Throwing a fit in the classroom, other kids are disrupted but if you try to kick the kid out of class the parents will complain. My personal opinion is the #1 issue with education today is the Parents and their lack of involvement or support of the teachers and classes. One other thing that blew my mind watching my two girls go through school. Get a bad grade, retake the test or assignment as many times as you want until you get a grade you are happy with. I'm not sure the kids actually learn anymore, but it helps the schools grades look better when kids can retake tests multiple times and replace a D with a A

 

[Chris Craig]

I think we need not just abolish no child left behind, but replace it with something that is actually thought out and effective.

I agree with her four tenets.

I will add that I think we should take a step back from electronics in the classroom and not just phones. As we gotten more and more technology advanced, we have switched to having kids learn off of tablets and such. There are big issues with kids and screentime these days because kids are getting so used to being in front of them and becoming dependent on them.

Show movies now and then, have them do research on computers in the library. But, we need to go back to teacher Central teaching.

Classroom sizes need to be capped. Teachers are getting burned out having to teach too many children at once. Not to mention, students don't get the necessary one on one time with so other students in the classroom.

We need to do better for students on IEPs. We need to provide better services that are fitted around individual students.

Funding...we need to have better funding from both the state and federal government. Every year, costs go up. The prices to pay teachers, for supplies, classroom equipment and furniture, bus drivers, gas and upkeep for busses, etc etc etc. The funding schools are getting are not accounting proper for these rides in costs, resulting in budget shortfalls. People then get laid off, electives get cut, bus routes get cut, etc etc. none of this benefits the students.

Students are failing because the system is failing.

 

[Chris Craig]

Good luck with that. Lawsuits are gonna be galore with IEPs if they start leaving those children behind and failing them.

Banning cell phones was a good start. Parents need to start teaching kids themselves outside of school too. One issue is that there are many boomer parents that unfortunately aren't being as involved in their grandkids lives. At least in the circle I run in. They are still working or millenials had kids later in life so they have health issues.

All of these things contribute.

Those kids are being left behind now. No child left behind didn't solve the issues at hand, it exacerbated them. That's why I said we need to replace no child left behind, not just abolish it. We need an education system that meets students where they are at, and that uses different methods of teaching because everyone learns differently.

 

[Chris Craig]

I agree No Child Left Behind was a terrible plan and really hurt schools, but to many parents want nothing to do with their child's education besides badmouthing teachers. Teachers don't assign homework anymore because so many kids don't do it that they end up having to teach it in class anyways. Parents are just not involved. I will go back to COVID. All a kid had to do to pass was sign into there computer every day. Over 50% of the kids failed. That is on the parents. They could not even be bothered to make sure there kids were just logging in. That doesn't even begin to address the behavior of kids in schools. Parents don't discipline kids any more and when they act out in school there school can't do anything. Spitting on a teacher, no consequences. Throwing a fit in the classroom, other kids are disrupted but if you try to kick the kid out of class the parents will complain. My personal opinion is the #1 issue with education today is the Parents and their lack of involvement or support of the teachers and classes. One other thing that blew my mind watching my two girls go through school. Get a bad grade, retake the test or assignment as many times as you want until you get a grade you are happy with. I'm not sure the kids actually learn anymore, but it helps the schools grades look better when kids can retake tests multiple times and replace a D with a A

The education system is in the dire straights it is today because of child left behind. They rushed to put something, anything in place to try and look like they were helping students and solving the problem. They didn't take the time to think it out and really put so.ething tangible and effective together.

Some parents do have issues being involved with their kids education. The majority of parents though, in my experience as a teacher, are very involved in their kids education.

Covid really hurt a lot of kids when it comes to education. They missed out on the socialization and the habit of going to school and doing the work. It's hard to do the work at home where kids are used to playing and not used to doing school. But, yeah I hear ya.

As for Childrens behavior, yeah it's become and issue. In a world where physical punishment has been replaced by taking things and privileges away, kids perhaps don't learn consequences the same ways. They always get the stuff back eventually so hey, maybe they don't really learn not to do the bad behavior. You can't really spank your kids any more. There is no longer a paddle in the principals office hanging on the wall behind their desk to keep you in line. Parents who were used to this as children, are now having to adapt to new ways of dishing out discipline and they aren't used to it yet.

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

Those kids are being left behind now. No child left behind didn't solve the issues at hand, it exacerbated them. That's why I said we need to replace no child left behind, not just abolish it. We need an education system that meets students where they are at, and that uses different methods of teaching because everyone learns differently.

I'm just saying. There is a large contingent of parents with children with ieps already foaming at the mouth and complaining about their children being left behind or ieps not being followed. Start failing them too and it will be a disaster.

If something doesnt replace no child left behind, I could see the lawsuits flow.

One of the absolute worst ideas I hear parents throw out there is putting kids with disabilities in their own classrooms again. It makes me furious when I hear that as a solution.

 

[Phatguysrule]

I think we need not just abolish no child left behind, but replace it with something that is actually thought out and effective.

I agree with her four tenets.

I will add that I think we should take a step back from electronics in the classroom and not just phones. As we gotten more and more technology advanced, we have switched to having kids learn off of tablets and such. There are big issues with kids and screentime these days because kids are getting so used to being in front of them and becoming dependent on them.

Show movies now and then, have them do research on computers in the library. But, we need to go back to teacher Central teaching.

Classroom sizes need to be capped. Teachers are getting burned out having to teach too many children at once. Not to mention, students don't get the necessary one on one time with so other students in the classroom.

We need to do better for students on IEPs. We need to provide better services that are fitted around individual students.

Funding...we need to have better funding from both the state and federal government. Every year, costs go up. The prices to pay teachers, for supplies, classroom equipment and furniture, bus drivers, gas and upkeep for busses, etc etc etc. The funding schools are getting are not accounting proper for these rides in costs, resulting in budget shortfalls. People then get laid off, electives get cut, bus routes get cut, etc etc. none of this benefits the students.

Students are failing because the system is failing.

I agree with nearly everything you said there. Except on funding. And not that I think we are paying too much toward education, or that I would even be opposed to spending more.

However, if we're paying $17,000 per year per student that is $425k per year for a classroom of 25 kids.

It seems insane to me that we can't pay teachers $100k-$150k a year and give the kids everything else they need including breakfast and lunch for that price.

Or am I just missing something?

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

Teachers are certainly underpaid. It is not an easy job. Some kids are amazing, some kids aren't. It is sad because some of the behavior is learned from home.

 

[twobullz]

To much of the money goes to the district office where at least here some of the secretaries make more then teachers do.

 

[Phatguysrule]

Teachers are certainly underpaid. It is not an easy job. Some kids are amazing, some kids aren't. It is sad because some of the behavior is learned from home.

No joke. We stopped going to conferences in middle school because teachers would be all over themselves to get to us and tell us how much they loved our kids.

Like excitedly coming across the hall to chase us down and introduce themselves to tell us how much they appreciate them.

And not just for one of them. All three.

It was super flattering but also got to be too much. Almost uncomfortable. I don't know. surreal.

The kids have done well and we can always email the teacher, so haven't felt the need to go.

But you must be right about behavior. Because that was crazy.

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

No joke. We stopped going to conferences in middle school because teachers would be all over themselves to get to us and tell us how much they loved our kids.

Like excitedly coming across the hall to chase us down and introduce themselves to tell us how much they appreciate them.

And not just for one of them. All three.

It was super flattering but also got to be too much. Almost uncomfortable. I don't know. surreal.

The kids have done well and we can always email the teacher, so haven't felt the need to go.

But you must be right about behavior. Because that was crazy.

From what I hear middle school is a disaster. Really disheartening hearing some of the things kids still call each other.

 

[Phatguysrule]

To much of the money goes to the district office where at least here some of the secretaries make more then teachers do.

Oregon City just laid off 70 teachers while bumping the pay of the administrators 20%. And (I hear) hiring more administrators...

 

[SlyPokerDog]

My parent's first house was a big old drafty turn of the century on NE Portland Blvd (now Rosa Parks) between Alberta and Woodlawn Parks. This house was so in need of love (and basic maintenance.) The previous owners did things like staple egg cartons on the walls of the staircase going up to the second level and paint them, to cutting out pages of the Sears catalog and gluing them the little windows of the french doors that led to a room right off the living room. (We think they did that for privacy because they turned it into a bedroom for one of their kids.)

But shortly after buying her and moving in, my parents decided they would go back to school. Only one at a time while the other one worked, but before they did that, they needed the tools, the place, where they could study, a desk where they could write. So, the first room out of the many many rooms that needed to be remolded to get some love was the room off of the living room with the pictures glued in the windows of the french doors.

I watched my parents on their days off scraping the windows and walls, the sanding and painting, and finally getting it carpeted. The first room in the house to be fixed up was the library/study.

Soon there was an old desk, a bookcase, and then a globe on the bookcase. And with that, my mom was off to college.

Dinner table conversations became about, at first my mom's days at a school, and when she graduated, my dad's days at school. And yes, I would contribute to the conversation about what I had learned.

Rainy days I would play barefoot in the library, the loving the feel of the only carpeted room in our home.

Now, don't get wrong, my parents weren't scientists or doctoral scholars, my mom got 2 year from PPC and then entered the radiology tech program. After graduating, she got a job at Bess Kaiser and my dad was able to go to college full-time at Portland State, graduating with a degree in business management and a minor in anthropology.

But education was a focus and an interest to my parents and it naturally left its imprint on me.

...

So why the fucking long story?

Because we look at and value education the wrong way.

Education isn't a drudgery we have to endure. It's not a choir. It's an attitude, an adventure, a passion, its life.

How many of you have bought the latest text book in the area you studied or gotten a degree in?

How many of you have gone on to take a class later in life after you ended your "formal" education?

Education and learning is an attitude, but also a passion to be shared.

My parents showed first hand a love of education, but also took an interest in my education.

So much of the focus is what schools are doing wrong, what teachers aren't doing. But education starts with you the parent not only taking an interest in your kids' schooling but sharing things that you love.

Every trip to Mexico I've taken includes a huge education aspect to it. I LOVE MAYAN HISTORY. My degree was in biz management but I love archeology.

(And I'm lucky enough that Mrs Poker Dog has developed a love for Mayan ruins and history, lol)

(Actually most vacations I take have a history/education component to it, including when I went to Vegas with @KingSpeed and @Chris Craig and I booked us a trip on Segways where we cruised around downtown Vegas and learned the history of the city. Sorry guys, lol.)

....

Anyway... before we fix the system, we have to fix ourselves. The first goal of education should be instilling a lifelong love passion for learning. And that needs to come from us and needs to be shared with the people we love and care about.

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

My parent's first house was a big old drafty turn of the century on NE Portland Blvd (now Rosa Parks) between Alberta and Woodlawn Parks. This house was so in need of love (and basic maintenance.) The previous owners did things like staple egg cartons on the walls of the staircase going up to the second level and paint them, to cutting out pages of the Sears catalog and gluing them the little windows of the french doors that led to a room right off the living room. (We think they did that for privacy because they turned it into a bedroom for one of their kids.)

But shortly after buying her and moving in, my parents decided they would go back to school. Only one at a time while the other one worked, but before they did that, they needed the tools, the place, where they could study, a desk where they could write. So, the first room out of the many many rooms that needed to be remolded to get some love was the room off of the living room with the pictures glued in the windows of the french doors.

I watched my parents on their days off scraping the windows and walls, the sanding and painting, and finally getting it carpeted. The first room in the house to be fixed up was the library/study.

Soon there was an old desk, a bookcase, and then a globe on the bookcase. And with that, my mom was off to college.

Dinner table conversations became about, at first my mom's days at a school, and when she graduated, my dad's days at school. And yes, I would contribute to the conversation about what I had learned.

Rainy days I would play barefoot in the library, the loving the feel of the only carpeted room in our home.

Now, don't get wrong, my parents weren't scientists or doctoral scholars, my mom got 2 year from PPC and then entered the radiology tech program. After graduating, she got a job at Bess Kaiser and my dad was able to go to college full-time at Portland State, graduating with a degree in business management and a minor in anthropology.

But education was a focus and an interest to my parents and it naturally left its imprint on me.

...

So why the fucking long story?

Because we look at and value education the wrong way.

Education isn't a drudgery we have to endure. It's not a choir. It's an attitude, an adventure, a passion, its life.

How many of you have bought the latest text book in the area you studied or gotten a degree in?

How many of you have gone on to take a class later in life after you ended your "formal" education?

Education and learning is an attitude, but also a passion to be shared.

My parents showed first hand a love of education, but also took an interest in my education.

So much of the focus is what schools are doing wrong, what teachers aren't doing. But education starts with you the parent not only taking an interest in your kids' schooling but sharing things that you love.

Every trip to Mexico I've taken includes a huge education aspect to it. I LOVE MAYAN HISTORY. My degree was in biz management but I love archeology.

(And I'm lucky enough that Mrs Poker Dog has developed a love for Mayan ruins and history, lol)

(Actually most vacations I take have a history/education component to it, including when I went to Vegas with @KingSpeed and @Chris Craig and I booked us a trip on Segways where we cruised around downtown Vegas and learned the history of the city. Sorry guys, lol.)

....

Anyway... before we fix the system, we have to fix ourselves. The first goal of education should be instilling a lifelong love passion for learning. And that needs to come from us and needs to be shared with the people we love and care about.

Not sure if any of you have taken Strength finder 2.0 or Clifton Strengths tests. I have when I first started my career and about 15 years after. Both times I got learner in my top 2.

Just makes it a pain in the ass when you go down rabbit holes on Wikipedia

 

[SheedSoNasty]

No joke. We stopped going to conferences in middle school because teachers would be all over themselves to get to us and tell us how much they loved our kids.

Like excitedly coming across the hall to chase us down and introduce themselves to tell us how much they appreciate them.

And not just for one of them. All three.

It was super flattering but also got to be too much. Almost uncomfortable. I don't know. surreal.

The kids have done well and we can always email the teacher, so haven't felt the need to go.

But you must be right about behavior. Because that was crazy.

As a teacher, I can tell you that most of the time I see the parents of students who are doing well in school. The kids that I actually need to talk about often have parents that don’t show up to conferences. I wouldn’t doubt that there is a connection.

 

[Phatguysrule]

As a teacher, I can tell you that most of the time I see the parents of students who are doing well in school. The kids that I actually need to talk about often have parents that don’t show up to conferences. I wouldn’t doubt that there is a connection.

Not sure of the implication here, though I appreciate the feedback.

My kids all have weighted GPAs of over 4.1, and unweighted over 3.8.

Anything we need to discuss with teachers can be a quick email exchange or the teacher (or my wife and I) can request a meeting.

My kids are typically waiting for the rest of the class to focus and catch up. We can see if they are missing work online, and if they are doing well.

What would be the point of going to conferences?

 

[Phatguysrule]

My parent's first house was a big old drafty turn of the century on NE Portland Blvd (now Rosa Parks) between Alberta and Woodlawn Parks. This house was so in need of love (and basic maintenance.) The previous owners did things like staple egg cartons on the walls of the staircase going up to the second level and paint them, to cutting out pages of the Sears catalog and gluing them the little windows of the french doors that led to a room right off the living room. (We think they did that for privacy because they turned it into a bedroom for one of their kids.)

But shortly after buying her and moving in, my parents decided they would go back to school. Only one at a time while the other one worked, but before they did that, they needed the tools, the place, where they could study, a desk where they could write. So, the first room out of the many many rooms that needed to be remolded to get some love was the room off of the living room with the pictures glued in the windows of the french doors.

I watched my parents on their days off scraping the windows and walls, the sanding and painting, and finally getting it carpeted. The first room in the house to be fixed up was the library/study.

Soon there was an old desk, a bookcase, and then a globe on the bookcase. And with that, my mom was off to college.

Dinner table conversations became about, at first my mom's days at a school, and when she graduated, my dad's days at school. And yes, I would contribute to the conversation about what I had learned.

Rainy days I would play barefoot in the library, the loving the feel of the only carpeted room in our home.

Now, don't get wrong, my parents weren't scientists or doctoral scholars, my mom got 2 year from PPC and then entered the radiology tech program. After graduating, she got a job at Bess Kaiser and my dad was able to go to college full-time at Portland State, graduating with a degree in business management and a minor in anthropology.

But education was a focus and an interest to my parents and it naturally left its imprint on me.

...

So why the fucking long story?

Because we look at and value education the wrong way.

Education isn't a drudgery we have to endure. It's not a choir. It's an attitude, an adventure, a passion, its life.

How many of you have bought the latest text book in the area you studied or gotten a degree in?

How many of you have gone on to take a class later in life after you ended your "formal" education?

Education and learning is an attitude, but also a passion to be shared.

My parents showed first hand a love of education, but also took an interest in my education.

So much of the focus is what schools are doing wrong, what teachers aren't doing. But education starts with you the parent not only taking an interest in your kids' schooling but sharing things that you love.

Every trip to Mexico I've taken includes a huge education aspect to it. I LOVE MAYAN HISTORY. My degree was in biz management but I love archeology.

(And I'm lucky enough that Mrs Poker Dog has developed a love for Mayan ruins and history, lol)

(Actually most vacations I take have a history/education component to it, including when I went to Vegas with @KingSpeed and @Chris Craig and I booked us a trip on Segways where we cruised around downtown Vegas and learned the history of the city. Sorry guys, lol.)

....

Anyway... before we fix the system, we have to fix ourselves. The first goal of education should be instilling a lifelong love passion for learning. And that needs to come from us and needs to be shared with the people we love and care about.

Awesome story! Thanks for sharing!

But how can we institute a change like you are suggesting at a large scale? If we're waiting for individual families choose this, how are they supposed to know that these kinds of changes could help? Or know how to institute them?

It seems to me that there needs to be some form of guidance to expose people to this mindset.

 

[crandc]

The education system is in the fire straights it is today because of child left behind. They rushed to put something, anything in place to try and look like they were helping students and solving the problem. They didn't take the time to think it out and really put so.ething tangible and effective together.

Some parents do have issues being involved with their kids education. The majority of parents though, in my experience as a teacher, are very involved in their kids education.

Covid really hurt a lot of kids when it comes to education. They missed out on the socialization and the habit of going to school and doing the work. It's hard to do the work at home where kids are used to playing and not used to doing school. But, yeah I hear ya.

As for Childrens behavior, yeah it's become and issue. In a world where physical punishment has been replaced by taking things and privileges away, kids perhaps don't learn consequences the same ways. They always get the stuff back eventually so hey, maybe they don't really learn not to do the bad behavior. You can't really spank your kids no more. There is no longer a paddle in the principals office hanging on the wall behind their desk to keep you in line. Parents who were used to this as children, are now having to adapt to new ways of dishing out discipline and they aren't used to it.

Whoa. I absolutely disagree that beating children is the way to discipline them. They learn if you are bigger you can hurt those who are smaller.
If a child or teen planned something for the weekend and are told they can't because they misbehaved they can learn consequences without being beaten.
Do you know children are the only ones who can be legally beaten? It is no longer legal to beat a servant, apprentice, military subordinate, spouse, animal, all of which were once considered norm. Only a child.

 

[Chris Craig]

Whoa. I absolutely disagree that beating children is the way to discipline them. They learn if you are bigger you can hurt those who are smaller.
If a child or teen planned something for the weekend and are told they can't because they misbehaved they can learn consequences without being beatrn.
Do you know children ste the only ones who can be legally beaten? It is no longer legal to beat a servant, apprentice, military subordinate, spouse, animal, all of which were once considered norm. Only a child.

Whoa. I never said it was. I said parents who were used to physical discipline as kids are learning a new way of discipline. And, it's perhaps just taking some time to work out how to make it effective.

I don't think kids should be beat or hit at all.

 

[Chris Craig]

My parent's first house was a big old drafty turn of the century on NE Portland Blvd (now Rosa Parks) between Alberta and Woodlawn Parks. This house was so in need of love (and basic maintenance.) The previous owners did things like staple egg cartons on the walls of the staircase going up to the second level and paint them, to cutting out pages of the Sears catalog and gluing them the little windows of the french doors that led to a room right off the living room. (We think they did that for privacy because they turned it into a bedroom for one of their kids.)

But shortly after buying her and moving in, my parents decided they would go back to school. Only one at a time while the other one worked, but before they did that, they needed the tools, the place, where they could study, a desk where they could write. So, the first room out of the many many rooms that needed to be remolded to get some love was the room off of the living room with the pictures glued in the windows of the french doors.

I watched my parents on their days off scraping the windows and walls, the sanding and painting, and finally getting it carpeted. The first room in the house to be fixed up was the library/study.

Soon there was an old desk, a bookcase, and then a globe on the bookcase. And with that, my mom was off to college.

Dinner table conversations became about, at first my mom's days at a school, and when she graduated, my dad's days at school. And yes, I would contribute to the conversation about what I had learned.

Rainy days I would play barefoot in the library, the loving the feel of the only carpeted room in our home.

Now, don't get wrong, my parents weren't scientists or doctoral scholars, my mom got 2 year from PPC and then entered the radiology tech program. After graduating, she got a job at Bess Kaiser and my dad was able to go to college full-time at Portland State, graduating with a degree in business management and a minor in anthropology.

But education was a focus and an interest to my parents and it naturally left its imprint on me.

...

So why the fucking long story?

Because we look at and value education the wrong way.

Education isn't a drudgery we have to endure. It's not a choir. It's an attitude, an adventure, a passion, its life.

How many of you have bought the latest text book in the area you studied or gotten a degree in?

How many of you have gone on to take a class later in life after you ended your "formal" education?

Education and learning is an attitude, but also a passion to be shared.

My parents showed first hand a love of education, but also took an interest in my education.

So much of the focus is what schools are doing wrong, what teachers aren't doing. But education starts with you the parent not only taking an interest in your kids' schooling but sharing things that you love.

Every trip to Mexico I've taken includes a huge education aspect to it. I LOVE MAYAN HISTORY. My degree was in biz management but I love archeology.

(And I'm lucky enough that Mrs Poker Dog has developed a love for Mayan ruins and history, lol)

(Actually most vacations I take have a history/education component to it, including when I went to Vegas with @KingSpeed and @Chris Craig and I booked us a trip on Segways where we cruised around downtown Vegas and learned the history of the city. Sorry guys, lol.)

....

Anyway... before we fix the system, we have to fix ourselves. The first goal of education should be instilling a lifelong love passion for learning. And that needs to come from us and needs to be shared with the people we love and care about.

I wholeheartedly agree.

What are you apologizing for. That was one of the funnest parts of the trip.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Awesome story! Thanks for sharing!

But how can we institute a change like you are suggesting at a large scale? If we're waiting for individual families choose this, how are they supposed to know that these kinds of changes could help? Or know how to institute them?

It seems to me that there needs to be some form of guidance to expose people to this mindset.

We can change how all of society looks at education with one simple change.

Make college and trade schools free after the age of 40.

Yes, I know in a perfect world all education would be free, but that's not going to happen... at first.

Changing careers or occupations have almost become a requirement in modern society and it's only going to get more intense.

We have to encourage these transitions and make them easier.

We also have to keep workers in the job market longer and more productive.

It would change how we look at education and how we value education.

 

[Phatguysrule]

We can change how all of society looks at education with one simple change.

Make college and trade schools free after the age of 40.

Yes, I know in a perfect world all education would be free, but that's not going to happen... at first.

Changing careers or occupations have almost become a requirement in modern society and it's only going to get more intense.

We have to encourage these transitions and make them easier.

We also have to keep workers in the job market longer and more productive.

It would change how we look at education and how we value education.

Great idea. I love it!

 

[SlyPokerDog]

We can change how all of society looks at education with one simple change.

Make college and trade schools free after the age of 40.

Yes, I know in a perfect world all education would be free, but that's not going to happen... at first.

Changing careers or occupations have almost become a requirement in modern society and it's only going to get more intense.

We have to encourage these transitions and make them easier.

We also have to keep workers in the job market longer and more productive.

It would change how we look at education and how we value education.

Example: My dad was the head of HUD here in Oregon. While he loved what he did, had two major heart attacks in his early 50s. The government offered all federal employees an early retirement deal where his retirement would be the same if he retired at 55 or at 65.

So my dad took early retirement, went back to school, got his teaching degree, and taught the ESL middle school students until he was 70 years old. Now, he could afford to do that. Not everyone can. But I believe it kept him alive, he's still kicking today, he contributed to the economy longer, but more importantly, because of him moving here from Venezuela, joining the military, becoming a citizen, and then going to college, he had a lifetime of real world experience that he shared with ESL students.

It was a win-win for everyone.

And we need more win wins in education.

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

We can change how all of society looks at education with one simple change.

Make college and trade schools free after the age of 40.

Yes, I know in a perfect world all education would be free, but that's not going to happen... at first.

Changing careers or occupations have almost become a requirement in modern society and it's only going to get more intense.

We have to encourage these transitions and make them easier.

We also have to keep workers in the job market longer and more productive.

It would change how we look at education and how we value education.

I like this idea. It will just take a ton of educating older generations. I know there are many boomers that are in support of these things, but in many cases when stuff like this is said, I hear people my parents and grandparents age go on about how its ridiculous that people want their colleges paid for. That they went to college knowing the risks. That their grandparents had to walk 10 miles barefoot in the snow and had to sleep on dirt floors to make it etc. Etc.

We have become a society that loves closing the door behind them after we got ours.

Whats so bad about hoping the next generations have it better than we did? I sure as heck hope my children have an easier/better life than I did. Isn't that the whole point?

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I like this idea. It will just take a ton of educating older generations. I know there are many boomers that are in support of these things, but in many cases when stuff like this is said, I hear people my parents and grandparents age go on about how its ridiculous that people want their colleges paid for. That they went to college knowing the risks. That their grandparents had to walk 10 miles barefoot in the snow and had to sleep on dirt floors to make it etc. Etc.

We have become a society that loves closing the door behind them after we got ours.

Whats so bad about hoping the next generations have it better than we did? I sure as heck hope my children have an easier/better life than I did. Isn't that the whole point?

But the olds love getting things for free that younger people can't get. So this would have a fighting chance.

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

But the olds love getting things for free that younger people can't get. So this would have a fighting chance.

I think adding more courses that teach people about life would be nice too. For example, getting a degree in English will open these doors for you. And it may get your foot in the door in something else. But you can't expect to walk into a 200k job after you graduate. Many college kids when I was going were delusional in thinking they would immediately get hired as a CFO somewhere. And that was 20 years ago. I think people just think if they get the degree that their life is going to be easy street after. Thats not generally the case.

 

[RR7]

I started typing out a long winded ramble, but remembered a line from a song I like,

"The most you could spend on any kid is time"

Unfortunately, that has been lost in our society. Because time isn't reflected in a fancy new car every few years, or brand new sneakers. Or the latest iPhone. And that time more and more and more goes towards 2 parents working jobs. One of them often working just to be able to afford to send their kids to day care. The only reason the kid is there is so the parent can work. Parent works to send their kid there...

I used to work at a pre-school, and we had before school care that started at 7:30, regular school drop off was 8:30. And then we had after care that ran until 5:30, when the regular day ended at 3, or 3:30. There were more kids than I wish to count that were there when I got in, and stayed until after I left(I didn't do before or after care usually). 3 and 4 year olds that, in order to get there, probably were up by 6, 6:30 in the morning to get ready and get to the school by 7:30. And then they stayed 10 hours with us. 10 hours! That's a crazy long time for a 3 year old. By the time they got home, got fed and cleaned, how much time did they spend with their parents? How much energy did the parents have left?
But we've made it where it's not really feasible to have single working parent households reasonably. We're losing the "village", and at a sadly quick pace. All to afford the next big thing. OR, to afford to just survive, but so the elites can have it all. And we toil away, pumping out new factory drones for them, to run their "Earth Resort"

I've heard the same line from my son's teachers...it's the parents they need to see that they don't get a chance to see. And the ones with straight A kids, well, we have the time to show up and advocate and whatnot.

 

[crandc]

Whoa. I never said it was. I said parents who were used to physical discipline as kids are learning a new way of discipline. And, it's perhaps just taking some time to work out how to make it effective.

I don't think kids should be beat or hit at all.

OK. Glad we understand.
When I was in 7th grade I faked a note from my mother to get out of gym. Forgery is not, alas, one of my talents. My mother picked me up from detention and told me she and Aunt Rosie had been planning to surprise my cousin and me with tickets to a concert. She asked me to explain why I should still be allowed to go. And if she did allow the concert what would be an alternative punishment.
I promised not to forge her name again. And didn't.
The concert rocked.

 

[SheedSoNasty]

Not sure of the implication here, though I appreciate the feedback.

My kids all have weighted GPAs of over 4.1, and unweighted over 3.8.

Anything we need to discuss with teachers can be a quick email exchange or the teacher (or my wife and I) can request a meeting.

My kids are typically waiting for the rest of the class to focus and catch up. We can see if they are missing work online, and if they are doing well.

What would be the point of going to conferences?

My point exactly. The ones who generally come to conferences don’t need it and the ones who do, don’t. I would think most schools push to meet with everyone regardless of the academic achievement of each student. You probably don’t need to conference but it sounds like their teachers still wanted to gush about your kids.