I had a cousin who did "Teach for America" and wound up teaching English in the Marianas. I was going to suggest Tim look at the program for a possible position at the Okinawa military base. They didn't have positions like that, but I did stumble across this gem:
http://www.city-journal.org/html/13_1_how_i_joined.html (http://www.city-journal.org/html/13_1_how_i_joined.html)
Quote
How I Joined Teach for America—and Got Sued for $20 Million
Joshua Kaplowitz EMAIL
It was May 2000, and the guy at Al Gore's polling firm seemed baffled. A Yale political-science major, I'd already walked away from a high-paying consulting job a few weeks earlier, and now I was walking away from a job working on a presidential campaign to do . . . what?
Well, when push came to shove, I didn't want to devote my life to helping the rich get richer or crunching numbers to see what views were most popular for the vice president to adopt. This wasn't what my 17 years of education were for.
My doctor parents had drummed into me that education was the key to every door, the one thing they couldn't take away from my ancestors during pogroms and persecutions. They had also filled me with a strong sense of social justice. I couldn't help feeling guilty dismay when I thought of the millions of kids who'd never even tasted the great teaching—not to mention the supportive family—I'd enjoyed for my entire life.
I told the Al Gore guy, "Thanks, but no thanks." Weird as he might have thought it, I had decided to teach in an inner-city school.
Five weeks later, I found myself steering my parents' old Volvo off R Street and into a one-block cul-de-sac. There it was: Emery Elementary School, a 1950s-ugly building tucked behind a dead-end street—an apt metaphor, I thought, for the lives of many of the children in this almost all-black neighborhood a mile north of the U.S. Capitol in Washington. I had seen signs of inner-city blight all over the neighborhood, from the grown men who skulked in the afternoon streets to the bulletproof glass that sealed off the cashier at the local Kentucky Fried Chicken. This was the "other half" of Washington, the part of the city I had missed during my grade-school field trips to the Smithsonian and my two summers as a Capitol Hill intern.
I parked the car and bounded into the main office to say hi to Mr. Bledsoe, the interim principal who had hired me a few weeks before. As he showed me around the clean but bare halls, my head filled with visions of my students happily painting imaginative murals under my artistic direction. I peered through windows into classrooms, where students were bent over their desks, quietly filling out worksheets. I smiled to myself as I imagined the creative lessons I would give to these children, who had never had a dynamic young teacher to get them excited about scholarship the way I knew I could. Their minds were like kindling, I reflected; all they needed was a spark to ignite a love of learning that would lift them above the drugs, violence, and poverty. The spark, I hoped, would be me.
As the tour ended and I was about to leave, Mr. Bledsoe pulled me aside. "The one thing you need to do above all else is to have your children under control. Once you have done that, you'll be fine."
Fine. But as I learned to my great cost, that was easier said than done.
I was supposed to pick up that skill over the summer from Teach for America (TFA), an organization, affiliated with AmeriCorps, that places young people with no ed-school background, and usually just out of college, in disadvantaged school districts suffering from teacher shortages. Applicants request placement in one of over a dozen rural and urban school districts around the country that contract with TFA, and I got my first choice, in the city I hoped to live in for the rest of my life.
Teach for America conducts an intensive five-week training program for its inductees during the summer before they start teaching. My year, this "teacher boot camp" took place in Houston. It was there that I quickly figured out that enthusiasm and creativity alone wouldn't suffice in an inner-city classroom. I was part of a tag team of four recruits teaching a summer-school class of low-income fourth-graders. Even in one- to two-hour blocks of teaching, I quickly realized that my best-planned, most imaginative lessons fell apart if I didn't have control of my students.
In the seminars we attended when we weren't teaching, I learned the basics of lesson planning and teaching theory. I also internalized the TFA philosophy of high expectations, the idea that if you set a rigorous academic course, all students will rise to meet the challenge.
But the training program skimped on actual teaching and classroom-management techniques, instead overwhelming us with sensitivity training. My group spent hours on an activity where everyone stood in a line and then took steps forward or backward based on whether we were the oppressor or the oppressed in the categories of race, income, and religion. The program had a college bull session, rather than professional, atmosphere. And it had a college-style party line: I heard of two or three trainees being threatened with expulsion for expressing in their discussion groups politically incorrect views about inner-city poverty—for example, that families and culture, not economics, may be the root cause of the achievement gap.
Nothing in the program simulated what I soon learned to be the life of a teacher. Though I didn't know it, I was completely ill equipped when I stepped into my own fifth-grade classroom at Emery Elementary in September 2000.
The year before I taught, a popular veteran principal had been dismissed without explanation. Mr. Bledsoe finished out the rest of the year on an interim basis, hired me and four other Teach for America teachers, and then turned over the reins to a woman named V. Lisa Savoy. Ms. Savoy had been an assistant principal at the District's infamous Anacostia High School, in Washington's equivalent of the South Bronx. Before the start of school, she met with her four first-year TFA teachers to assure us that we would be well supported, and that if we needed anything we should just ask. Most of my veteran colleagues, 90 percent of them black, also seemed helpful, though a few showed flickers of disdain for us eager, young white teachers. By the time school opened, I was thrilled to start molding the brains of my children.
My optimism and naiveté evaporated within hours. I tried my best to be strict and set limits with my new students; but I wore my inexperience on my sleeve, and several of the kids jumped at the opportunity to misbehave. I could see clearly enough that the vast majority of my fifth-graders genuinely wanted to learn—but all it took to subvert the whole enterprise were a few cutups.
On a typical day, DeAngelo (a pseudonym, as are the other children's names in this and the next paragraph) would throw a wad of paper in the middle of a lesson. Whether I disciplined him or ignored him, his actions would cause Kanisha to scream like an air-raid siren. In response, Lamond would get up, walk across the room, and try to slap Kanisha. Within one minute, the whole class was lost in a sea of noise and fists. I felt profoundly sorry for the majority of my students, whose education was being hijacked. Their plaintive cries punctuated the din: "Quiet everyone! Mr. Kaplowitz is trying to teach!"
Ayisha was my most gifted student. The daughter of Senegalese immigrants, she would tolerantly roll her eyes as Darnetta cut up for the ninth time in one hour, patiently waiting for the day when my class would settle down. Joseph was a brilliant writer who struggled mightily in math. When he needed help with a division problem, I tried to give him as much attention as I could, before three students wandering around the room inevitably distracted me. Eventually, I settled on tutoring him after school. Twenty more students' educations were sabotaged, each kid with specific needs that I couldn't attend to, because I was too busy putting out fires. Though I poured my heart into inventive lessons and activities throughout the entire year, they almost always fell apart in the face of my students' disrespect and indifference.
To gain control, I tried imposing the kinds of consequences that the classroom-management handbooks recommend. None worked. My classroom was too small to give my students "time out." I tried to take away their recess, but depriving them of their one sanctioned time to blow off steam just increased their penchant to use my classroom as a playground. When I called parents, they were often mistrustful and tended to question or even disbelieve outright what I told them about their children. It was sometimes worse when they believed me, though; the tenth time I heard a mother swear that her child was going to "get a beating for this one," I almost decided not to call parents. By contrast, I saw immediate behavioral and academic improvement in students whose parents had come to trust me.
I quickly learned from such experiences how essential parental support is in determining whether a school succeeds in educating a child. And of course, parental support not just of the teachers but of the kids: as I came to know my students better, I saw that those who had seen violence, neglect, or drug abuse at home were usually the uncontrollable ones, while my best-behaved, hardest-working kids were typically those with the most nurturing home environments.
Being a white teacher in a mostly black school unquestionably hindered my ability to teach. Certain students hurled racial slurs with impunity; several of their parents intimated to my colleagues that they didn't think a white teacher had any business teaching their children—and a number of my colleagues agreed. One parent who was also a teacher's aide threatened to "kick my white ass" in front of my class and received no punishment from the principal, beyond being told to stay out of my classroom. The failure of the principal, parents, and teachers to react more decisively to racist disrespect emboldened students to behave worse. Such poisonous bigotry directed at a black teacher at a mostly white school would of course have created a federal case.
Still, other colleagues, friendly and supportive, helped me with my discipline problems. They let me send unruly students to their classrooms for brief periods of time to cool off, allowing me to teach the rest of my class effectively. But when I turned to my school administration for similar help, I was much less fortunate.
I had read that successful schools have chief executives who immerse themselves in the everyday operations of the institution, set clear expectations for the student body, recognize and support energetic and creative teachers, and foster constructive relationships with parents. Successful principals usually are mavericks, too, who skirt stupid bureaucracy to do what is best for the children. Emery's Principal Savoy sure didn't fit this model.
To start with, from all that I could see, she seemed mostly to stay in her office, instead of mingling with students and observing classes, most of which were up at least one flight of stairs, perhaps a disincentive for so heavy a woman. Furthermore, I saw from the first month that she generally gave delinquents no more than a stern talking-to, followed by a pat on the back, rather than suspensions, detentions, or any other meaningful punishment. The threat of sending a student to the office was thus rendered toothless.
Worse, Ms. Savoy effectively undermined my classroom-management efforts. She forbade me from sending students to other teachers—the one tactic that had any noticeable effect. Exiling my four worst students had produced a vast improvement in the conduct of the remainder of my class. But Ms. Savoy was adamant, insisting that the school district required me to teach all my children, all the time, in the "least restrictive" environment. This was just the first instance of Ms. Savoy blocking me with a litany of D.C. Public Schools regulations, as she regularly frustrated my colleagues on disciplinary issues.
Some of Ms. Savoy's actions defied explanation. She more than once called me to her office in the middle of my lessons to lecture me on how bad a teacher I was—well before her single visit to observe me in my classroom. She filled my personnel file with lengthy memos articulating her criticisms. I eventually concluded that Ms. Savoy tended similarly to trouble any teacher, experienced or novice, who rocked the boat.
And in November I really rocked it. By then, despite mounting tension with Ms. Savoy, and despite the pandemonium that continued to ravage my teaching efforts, I had managed—painstakingly—to build a rapport with my fifth-graders. I felt I was turning a corner. I thought that my students (and their parents) would completely shape up once they saw their abysmal first report cards. D.C. Public Schools grade kids on a highly subjective 1 to 4 scale, 4 being the highest. Most of my students entered fifth grade with grave academic deficiencies, yet their cumulative records revealed fair to excellent grades, making clear that social promotion was standard practice at Emery. I wasn't playing along. I had given regular tests and quizzes that first semester, and most of my students had earned straight 1s by any rational measure. True to the credo of high expectations, I would give them the grades they earned.
I submitted my report cards to Ms. Savoy, who insisted that my grades were "too low" and demanded that I raise them immediately. I offered to show her all of my students' work portfolios; but she demurred, informing me that the law obliged me to pass a certain percentage of my students. I paid no attention, gave my students the grades they deserved, and patiently explained to every parent that their child's grades would improve once he or she started behaving in class and doing the assigned lessons. For this, Ms. Savoy cited me for insubordination.
Just after the New Year, Ms. Savoy informed me that she was switching me from fifth grade to second grade; the veteran second-grade teacher would then take over my fifth-graders. Her justification was that I would be able to control younger students more effectively—though I assumed she thought that I could wreak less disruption with the younger kids, who were relatively flunk-proof.
From the start, I tried my best to combat understandable parental resentment that their experienced teacher was being yanked out and replaced by me, a first-year teacher with notoriously poor classroom-management skills. I wrote letters home describing my ambitious plans, called parents with enthusiastic words about their children, and walked my students home after school to increase my visibility in the neighborhood.
Unfortunately, I never got a chance to show that I was in control. Unbelievable as it sounds, my second-graders were even wilder than my fifth-graders. Just as before, a majority of kids genuinely wanted to learn, but the antics of a few spun my entire class into chaos. This time, though, my troublemakers were even more immature and disruptive, ranging from a boy who roamed around the room punching his classmates and threatening to kill himself to a borderline–mentally retarded student, who would throw crumpled wads of paper all day. I was so busy trying to quell anarchy that I never had the chance to get to know my new students, let alone teach them anything.
Ms. Savoy had abandoned all pretense of administrative support by this point. Nearly every student I sent to the office returned within minutes.
This lack of consequences encouraged a level of violence I never could have imagined among any students, let alone second-graders. Fights broke out daily—not just during recess or bathroom breaks but also in the middle of lessons. And this wasn't just playful shoving: we're talking fists flying, hair yanked, heads slammed against lockers.
pt. 2
QuoteWhen I asked other teachers to come help me stop a fight, they shook their heads and reminded me that D.C. Public Schools banned teachers from laying hands on students for any reason, even to protect other children. When a fight brewed, I was faced with a Catch-22. I could call the office and wait ten minutes for the security guard to arrive, by which point blood could have been shed and students injured. Or I could intervene physically, in violation of school policy.
Believe me, you have to be made of iron, or something other than flesh and blood, to stand by passively while some enraged child is trying to inflict real harm on another eight-year-old. I couldn't do it. And each time I let normal human instinct get the best of me and broke up a fight, one of the combatants would go home and fabricate a story about how I had hurt him or her. The parent, already suspicious of me, would report this accusation to Ms. Savoy, who would in turn call in a private investigative firm employed by D.C. Public Schools. Investigators would come to Emery and interview me, as well as several students whom the security guard thought might tell the truth about the alleged incident of corporal punishment.
I had previously heard of three other teachers at Emery that year who were being investigated for corporal punishment. When I talked to them—they were all experienced male teachers—they heatedly protested their innocence and bitterly complained about Ms. Savoy's handling of the situation. Now that I had joined the club, I began to understand their fears and frustrations.
To define as "corporal punishment" the mere physical separation of two combatants not only puts students at risk but also gives children unconscionable power over teachers who choose to intervene. False allegations against me and other teachers snowballed, as certain students realized that they had the perfect tool for getting their teacher in deep trouble. As I began to be investigated on almost a weekly basis, parents came to school to berate and threaten me—naturally, without reprisals from the administration. One day, a rather large father came up to me after school and told me he was going to "get me" if he heard that I put my hands on his daughter one more time. Forget the fact that I had pulled her off of a boy whom she was clobbering at the time.
With such a weak disciplinary tone set by the administration, by late February the whole school atmosphere had devolved into chaos. Gangs of students roamed the halls at will. You could hear screaming from every classroom—from students and teachers alike. Including me, four teachers (or 20 percent of the faculty) were under investigation on bogus corporal-punishment charges, including a fourth-grade instructor whose skills I greatly respected. The veteran teachers constantly lamented that things were better the previous year, when the principal ran a tight disciplinary ship, and the many good instructors were able to do their job.
It was nearly March, and the Stanford-9 standardized tests, the results of which determine a principal's success in D.C. Public Schools, were imminent. Ms. Savoy unexpectedly instituted a policy allowing teachers to ship their two or three most disruptive students to the computer lab to be warehoused and supervised by teachers' aides. My classroom's behavior and attentiveness improved dramatically for two weeks. Unfortunately, Ms. Savoy abandoned this plan the instant the standardized tests had passed.
After that, my classroom became more of a gladiatorial venue than a place of learning. Fights erupted hourly; no student was immune. The last three months were a blur of violence, but several incidents particularly stand out. One week, two of my emotionally disturbed boys went on a binge of sexual harassment, making lewd gestures and grabbing girls' buttocks—yes, seven- and eight-year-olds. On another occasion, three students piled on top of one of their peers and were punching him with their fists before I intervened. My students were not even afraid to try to hurt me: two boys spent a month throwing pencils at me in the middle of lessons; another child slugged me in the gut.
But for Ms. Savoy, apparently I was the problem. It seemed to me that she was readier to launch investigations when a student or parent made an accusation against me than to help me out when my students were acting up.
Faced with a series of corporal-punishment charges, no administrative support, and no hope of controlling my second-grade class in the foreseeable future, I should have packed up and left midyear. Surely there were other schools, even inner-city ones, where I could have developed and succeeded as a teacher.
Why did I stay on? Part of the answer lay in my own desperate desire not to fail. I felt that if I just worked harder, I could turn my children around and get them to learn. Another part of the answer was Teach for America's having instilled in each corps member the idea that you have made a commitment to the children and that you must stick with them at all costs, no matter how much your school is falling apart. Because of this mentality, my TFA friends and I put up with nonsense from our schools and our students that few regular teachers would have tolerated.
The three-person TFA-D.C. staff was stretched too thin to support any of us. When I told them about the debacle at Emery, the D.C. program directors told me to keep my chin up and work harder. They wouldn't transfer me to another TFA-affiliated elementary school, and pooh-poohed the idea that I had it worse than anyone else in the program. So I was stuck at Emery, unwilling to incur the disgrace that came with quitting.
Fate made the decision for me.
Four days before the end of my first year, I was still planning to return to Emery in the fall. The rumor was that Ms. Savoy would be replaced. With her gone, I thought, I could start fresh and use my hard-won battlefield experience to make a positive difference in underprivileged children's lives.
The afternoon of June 13 started with the usual mixture of disorder and disrespect. This time, a boy named Raynard, a particularly difficult child, whom I had seen punch other students and throw things in the past, was repeating over and over, "I got to go to the bathroom. I need some water." The rest of the class tittered as I told him in my sternest teacher voice that we would be having a class bathroom break once everyone was quiet and in his seat.
"I got to go to the bathroom. I need some water."
Frustrated, I led him to the classroom door with my hand on the small of his back. I nudged him into the hall and closed the door. He would probably spend the remainder of the day roaming the halls with the rest of the troublemakers at Emery, but at least he would be out of sight, so I could get the rest of my class under control. I had given up on teaching for the rest of the day; my class was slated to watch a movie with Ms. Perkins's first-graders across the hall.
Once Raynard left, I guided my students through a characteristically raucous bathroom break and filed them into Ms. Perkins's room, where they lapsed into a rare TV-induced calm.
After 15 minutes, the school security guard appeared at the door and beckoned for me. My stomach hit the floor, as I guessed what this meant: yet another corporal-punishment charge. But this time was different. Chaos reigned in the main entranceway as police officers swarmed into the building. Raynard's mother, I was told, had been in school for a meeting to place her son in a class for emotionally disturbed children. Raynard had told her that I had violently shoved him in the chest out the door of my classroom, injuring his head and back. His mother had dialed 911 and summoned the cops and the fire department. The police hustled me into the principal's office, where I sat in bewilderment and desperately denied I had hurt Raynard in any way.
In the blink of an afternoon, my search for the perfect lesson plan gave way to my search for the perfect lawyer. I was lucky that my parents could afford Hank Asbill, a highly regarded Washington defense attorney.
Two months later, Raynard's mother filed a $20 million lawsuit against the school district, Ms. Savoy, and myself—and the D.C. police charged me with a misdemeanor count of simple assault against my former student. Thus ended my first and last year as a public school teacher.
After I was charged, Hank Asbill chose a day in early September for me to turn myself in at the District 5 police station near Emery and receive a trial date. The whole ordeal was supposed to take about six hours—but five minutes after I was admitted into custody, the two planes hit the World Trade Center. After the third plane crashed into the Pentagon, the D.C. courts shut down. It was only after 33 hours in jail that I saw daylight again, on September 12.
My criminal trial spanned six days in early March of 2002. It was agonizing watching several former students testifying against me, not to mention facing the very real prospect of spending time in the D.C. jail. The children's stories as to what happened on June 13 were wildly inconsistent—not surprising, considering that the layout of my classroom precluded them from witnessing anything Raynard had alleged. Hank Asbill countered with a string of character witnesses, friends who attested to my peaceful nature and law-abiding ways, as well as other teachers at Emery who reported on the brutal atmosphere of the school. Hank then brought me to the stand to explain what had actually happened, and he also brought to light Raynard's medical records from June 13, which showed that the emergency-room doctors had found no evidence of any injury. Fortunately, we drew a rational, deliberative judge, unswayed by the case's racially charged nature: a poor black kid against a rich white Ivy Leaguer. He found me not guilty, touching off an outpouring of relief from my friends and former colleagues and—not least—me.
My elation was short-lived. As I had surmised, this whole case finally came down to money. Even after my acquittal, even after the accuracy of Raynard's story had been seriously undermined, his mother and her big-firm lawyers aggressively pursued multi-million-dollar damage claims on the civil side. Yet even as the lawsuit dragged on and the legal cloud over me caused me to lose a job opportunity I really wanted, I refused to entertain Raynard's mother's offers to settle the case by my paying her $200,000—a demand that ultimately diminished to $40,000. The school system had no such scruples; it settled the mother's tort claim in October 2002 for $75,000 (plus $15,000 from the teachers' union's insurance company—chump change compared with the cost of defending the litigation). It wasn't $20 million, but it was still more money than I imagine this woman had seen in her life—a pretty good payout and hardly deterrence to other parents in the neighborhood who felt entitled to shanghai the system.
I stayed in touch with several of my more supportive colleagues and parents, who have told me that Emery, although it has a new principal, is just as out of control two years after I taught there. Veteran teachers with nowhere else to go, they say, are giving up all pretense of teaching; their goal is to make it through the end of each year. Young teachers like my TFA colleagues are staying for a year or two and moving on to private, charter, or suburban schools, or to new careers.
In all the reading and talking I've done to try to make sense out of what happened to me, I've learned that Emery is hardly unique. Numerous new friends and acquaintances who have taught in D.C.'s inner-city schools—some from Teach for America, some not—report the same outrageous discipline problems that turned them from educators into U.N. peacekeepers.
I've learned that an epidemic of violence is raging in elementary schools nationwide, not just in D.C. A recent Philadelphia Inquirer article details a familiar pattern—kindergartners punching pregnant teachers, third-graders hitting their instructors with rulers. Pennsylvania and New Jersey have reported nearly 30 percent increases in elementary school violence since 1999, and many school districts have established special disciplinary K–6 schools. In New York City, according to the New York Post, some 60 teachers recently demonstrated against out-of-control pupil mayhem, chanting, "Hey, hey, ho, ho; violent students must go." Kids who stab each other, use teachers as shields in fights, bang on doors to disrupt classes, and threaten to "kick out that baby" from a pregnant teacher have created a "climate of terror," the Post reports.
Several of my new acquaintances in the Washington schools told me of facing completely fabricated corporal-punishment allegations, as I did. Some even faced criminal charges. Washington teachers' union officials won't give me hard numbers, but they intimate that each year they are flooded with corporal-punishment or related charges against teachers, most of which get settled without the media ever learning of this disturbing new trend. It is a state of affairs that Philip K. Howard vividly describes in his recent The Collapse of the Common Good: parents sue teachers and principals for suspending their children, for allegedly meting out corporal punishment, and for giving failing marks. As a result, educators are afraid to penalize misbehaving students or give students grades that reflect the work they do. The real victims are the majority of children whose education is being commandeered by their out-of-control classmates.
I've come to believe that the most unruly and violent children should go to alternative schools designed to handle students with chronic behavior problems. A school with a more military structure can do no worse for those children than a permissive mainstream school, and it spares the majority of kids the injustice of having their education fall victim to the chaos wreaked by a small minority.
I know for sure that inner-city schools don't have to be hellholes like Emery and its District of Columbia brethren, with their poor administration and lack of parental support, their misguided focus on children's rights, their anti-white racism, and their lawsuit-crazed culture. Some of my closest TFA friends, thrilled to be liberated from the D.C. system, went on to teach at D.C. charter schools, where they really can make a difference in underprivileged children's lives. For example, at Paul Junior High School, which serves students with the same economic and cultural background as those at Emery, the principal's tough approach to discipline fosters a serious atmosphere of scholarship, and parents are held accountable, because the principal can kick their children back to the public school system if they refuse to cooperate. A friend who works at the Hyde School, which emphasizes character education (and sits directly across a field from Emery), tells me that this charter school is quiet and orderly, the teachers are happy, and the children are achieving at a much higher level—so much higher that several of the best students at Emery who transferred to Hyde nearly flunked out of their new school.
It should come as no surprise that students are leaving Emery in droves, in hopes of enrolling in this and other alternative schools. Enrollment, 411 when I was there, now is about 350. If things don't change, it will soon be—and should be—zero.
TLDR.
Besides, how do you expect us to read and understand an article longer than 3 paragraphs, when you don't even bold the important parts?
Quote from: Savonarola on July 31, 2009, 01:30:47 PM
pt. 2
When I asked other teachers to come help me stop a fight, they shook their heads and reminded me that D.C. Public Schools banned teachers from laying hands on students for any reason, even to protect other children.
That's crazy and certainly not the case in Rhode Island.
Quote from: Martinus on July 31, 2009, 01:32:06 PM
TLDR.
Besides, how do you expect us to read and understand an article longer than 3 paragraphs, when you don't even bold the important parts?
:rolleyes: Go play with Siege while the adults are talking.
Thanks for the article, Sav. It'll give me something to do during my lunch break in a few moments. :)
What a sad mess, and this is in the US, inner city. I know it's a tough place but it seems this kind of mess isn't even attempted to correct. Teachers get no support, and they can't do much anyway. So many of those kids educations are wasted, a real dis-service to them with the negative results inflicted on society.
You know, it's not so much that the children are bastards that I find worrying. It's that there are no efforts made to correct their behavior.
Still, I suppose this is the American Dream come true, isn't it?
I wonder how many people see the correlation between Gates' behavior and this story?
Sad although not unsurprising. Given the large part in the front that mentions race over and over, I wonder if the author would be surprised to her that one of my friends in the program has had similar problems and she's black! :o
Oh also:
QuoteI didn't want to devote my life to helping the rich get richer
:bleeding:
Quote from: garbon on July 31, 2009, 02:22:48 PM
Sad although not unsurprising. Given the large part in the front that mentions race over and over, I wonder if the author would be surprised to her that one of my friends in the program has had similar problems and she's black! :o
Well, it's not like black people have a monopoly on crying wolf when it comes to thinking they are victimized because of their race.
Quote from: Berkut on July 31, 2009, 02:23:47 PM
Well, it's not like black people have a monopoly on crying wolf when it comes to thinking they are victimized because of their race.
And that's relevant because?
What exactly is Teach for America... some hippy shit?
..and before somebody says "read the article", know that when a posted article is that monstrously long, it makes my eyes glaze over. Might as well be written in Linear B.
That article is just sad.
Executive summary?
Quote from: Berkut on July 31, 2009, 02:00:41 PM
I wonder how many people see the correlation between Gates' behavior and this story?
Do you take mustard with your diced dead horse?
Quote from: Caliga on July 31, 2009, 02:28:38 PM
What exactly is Teach for America... some hippy shit?
..and before somebody says "read the article", know that when a posted article is that monstrously long, it makes my eyes glaze over. Might as well be written in Linear B.
It is an idealistic program that places just graduated undergrads in teaching positions. Typically these are severely understaffed schools in inner city neighborhoods. The only training said applicants receive is some courses in the summer after they graduate from college. I think that the usual amount of time a person stays with the program is one year.
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on July 31, 2009, 02:33:49 PM
Quote from: Berkut on July 31, 2009, 02:00:41 PM
I wonder how many people see the correlation between Gates' behavior and this story?
Do you take mustard with your diced dead horse?
lol, I like some nice Webers, actually.
You would be one of the lawyers suing the guy for $20 large, and thinking he was actually doing the public a great service in the process.
Quote from: Berkut on July 31, 2009, 02:35:44 PM
You would be one of the lawyers suing the guy for $20 large, and thinking he was actually doing the public a great service in the process.
Eh don't do contingency cases.
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on July 31, 2009, 02:44:07 PM
Quote from: Berkut on July 31, 2009, 02:35:44 PM
You would be one of the lawyers suing the guy for $20 large, and thinking he was actually doing the public a great service in the process.
Eh don't do contingency cases.
WORKS ON CONTINGENCY
?NO
, MONEY DOWN!
Quote from: Neil on July 31, 2009, 01:46:32 PMIt's that there are no efforts made to correct their behavior.
Implement the rattan.
Quote from: Armyknife on July 31, 2009, 03:05:39 PM
Quote from: DGuller on July 31, 2009, 02:29:46 PM
Executive summary?
Strengthening evidence that Languishites have short attention spans.
That's it, that's what those two huge posts were about?
Quote from: Berkut on July 31, 2009, 02:00:41 PM
I wonder how many people see the correlation between Gates' behavior and this story?
:huh:
Not I...
Quote from: Berkut on July 31, 2009, 02:00:41 PM
I wonder how many people see the correlation between Gates' behavior and this story?
You mean he was one of the quiet kids who wanted to study hard and still faced systematic racism as he grew up?
Jesus, no one can create a simple executive summary these days. What a sad indictment of our educational system. :(
Quote from: DGuller on July 31, 2009, 03:22:23 PM
Jesus, no one can create a simple executive summary these days. What a sad indictment of our educational system. :(
In the time you've been asking for an executive summary you could have read the article yourself. ;)
Quote from: DGuller on July 31, 2009, 03:22:23 PM
Jesus, no one can create a simple executive summary these days. What a sad indictment of our educational system. :(
My summary of teach for america basically summarizes the article.
Add in article specific things about this one guy who had a hard time, faced racism and eventually got sued for pushing a student (ending his first year of public teaching).
Anyways, I found it a very interesting read. Thanks Sav.
They asked me a ton of times to join up but I knew better. ^_^
Quote from: DGuller on July 31, 2009, 03:22:23 PM
Jesus, no one can create a simple executive summary these days. What a sad indictment of our educational system. :(
The article should be read in its entirety; it's well written and follows the general format of a coming of age short story. That really can't be summarized in any way that would do the story justice.
Quote from: Caliga on July 31, 2009, 02:28:38 PM
..and before somebody says "read the article", know that when a posted article is that monstrously long, it makes my eyes glaze over. Might as well be written in Linear B.
Think of it as a short story instead.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 31, 2009, 03:31:50 PM
They asked me a ton of times to join up but I knew better. ^_^
:lol:
My cousin didn't face any obstacles like the ones in the story; his greatest obstacle was getting people to go to school. Most parents assume that their children will remain on their home island and be subsistence fishers forever; and therefore don't see any value in education.
What sort of school do you hope to teach at after your Japanese adventure is done?
I got to where he played the race card a few sentences in.
Quote from: Savonarola on July 31, 2009, 03:36:04 PM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 31, 2009, 03:31:50 PM
They asked me a ton of times to join up but I knew better. ^_^
:lol:
My cousin didn't face any obstacles like the ones in the story; his greatest obstacle was getting people to go to school. Most parents assume that their children will remain on their home island and be subsistence fishers forever; and therefore don't see any value in education.
What sort of school do you hope to teach at after your Japanese adventure is done?
Suburban Rhode Island.
Quote from: DGuller on July 31, 2009, 03:22:23 PM
Jesus, no one can create a simple executive summary these days. What a sad indictment of our educational system. :(
It's a heartening story about how an enterprising attorney say a business development opportunity for a contingency fee - and took it.
There was also some boring irrelevant stuff about teaching, basically background to the main point.
Quote from: Malthus on July 31, 2009, 03:38:43 PM
It's a heartening story about how an enterprising attorney say a business development opportunity for a contingency fee - and took it.
There was also some boring irrelevant stuff about teaching, basically background to the main point.
Now that's a story I'd like to read!
Quote from: Barrister on July 31, 2009, 03:40:30 PM
Quote from: Malthus on July 31, 2009, 03:38:43 PM
It's a heartening story about how an enterprising attorney say a business development opportunity for a contingency fee - and took it.
There was also some boring irrelevant stuff about teaching, basically background to the main point.
Now that's a story I'd like to read!
I thought you did.
Quote from: Savonarola on July 31, 2009, 03:36:04 PM
:lol:
My cousin didn't face any obstacles like the ones in the story; his greatest obstacle was getting people to go to school. Most parents assume that their children will remain on their home island and be subsistence fishers forever; and therefore don't see any value in education.
What sort of school do you hope to teach at after your Japanese adventure is done?
I don't think most are so lucky. Most people I know who got involved have horror stories.
I never wanted to be a teacher. I was never so proved right in any choices in my life more then that one just now.
Quote from: Grey Fox on July 31, 2009, 03:57:42 PM
I never wanted to be a teacher. I was never so proved right in any choices in my life more then that one just now.
Well I'm not sure that should be the take away considering that this person's experience as someone in the teach for america program, probably isn't generalizable to the experience of most teachers in America.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 31, 2009, 03:38:14 PM
Suburban Rhode Island.
Rhode Island is big enough to have suburbs? :huh:
I nearly made it to the end of part 1....then I fell.
There is a similar trend developing in Spain. It even has the race factor in the form of hundreds of thousands of immigrant kids, most of whom have pretty much no prior education.
I visited my old high school a couple months ago. Nowadays it's got a 4m high fence and every door is locked during classes. It looks like a prison. I was surprised not to see metal detectors in the entrance.
Quote from: Neil on July 31, 2009, 04:09:46 PM
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on July 31, 2009, 04:02:27 PM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 31, 2009, 03:38:14 PM
Suburban Rhode Island.
Rhode Island is big enough to have suburbs? :huh:
Rhode Island IS a suburb of Boston.
Yeah, pretty much. Even Providence is just a satellite city of Boston.
I think Tim should not look into this program.
Quote from: Berkut on July 31, 2009, 02:00:41 PM
I wonder how many people see the correlation between Gates' behavior and this story?
Thank you Glen Beck.
Quote from: Iormlund on July 31, 2009, 04:13:53 PM
There is a similar trend developing in Spain. It even has the race factor in the form of hundreds of thousands of immigrant kids, most of whom have pretty much no prior education.
I visited my old high school a couple months ago. Nowadays it's got a 4m high fence and every door is locked during classes. It looks like a prison. I was surprised not to see metal detectors in the entrance.
It's not like the curse of individualism only affects the US.
It sounds like this dude was way underprepared for teaching, especially in the inner city.
And any reasonable teacher would have known to get out once administration completely stops supporting you.
As for the lawsuit..I'll refrain from commenting, as Berkut is so much more eloquent with his racism than I.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 31, 2009, 01:33:27 PM
Quote from: Savonarola on July 31, 2009, 01:30:47 PM
pt. 2
When I asked other teachers to come help me stop a fight, they shook their heads and reminded me that D.C. Public Schools banned teachers from laying hands on students for any reason, even to protect other children.
That's crazy and certainly not the case in Rhode Island.
Sadly, I think it's also the case in Virginia, or at least in some counties. I remember my mother, a teacher, telling me something along those lines.
Quote from: JaronIt sounds like this dude was way underprepared for teaching, especially in the inner city.
That's true. As soon as he started going on about "sparking young minds" I could see the trainwreck coming. :lol:
Friend of mine is a dean of discipline in the Lawrence (shithole) school system and he has similar stories. Some little psycho stabbed a teacher witha pencil and was back in class before the end of the day after apologizing to the principal. One of the few parents who appeared for a parent-teacher conference actually started beating the crap out of her son during the conference, so my friend then had to be a witness at the trial. Funny stuff, since its somewhere else.
Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on July 31, 2009, 08:44:02 PM
As soon as he started going on about "sparking young minds" I could see the trainwreck coming. :lol:
No shit. You can hardly spark a clever white kid's mind, let alone inner city types.
Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on July 31, 2009, 08:44:02 PM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 31, 2009, 01:33:27 PM
Quote from: Savonarola on July 31, 2009, 01:30:47 PM
pt. 2
When I asked other teachers to come help me stop a fight, they shook their heads and reminded me that D.C. Public Schools banned teachers from laying hands on students for any reason, even to protect other children.
That's crazy and certainly not the case in Rhode Island.
Sadly, I think it's also the case in Virginia, or at least in some counties. I remember my mother, a teacher, telling me something along those lines.
Quote from: JaronIt sounds like this dude was way underprepared for teaching, especially in the inner city.
That's true. As soon as he started going on about "sparking young minds" I could see the trainwreck coming. :lol:
:yes:
You get my PM Bob?
So, guess who just signed up with Teach for America ^_^
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 31, 2009, 09:22:46 PM
Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on July 31, 2009, 08:44:02 PM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 31, 2009, 01:33:27 PM
Quote from: Savonarola on July 31, 2009, 01:30:47 PM
pt. 2
When I asked other teachers to come help me stop a fight, they shook their heads and reminded me that D.C. Public Schools banned teachers from laying hands on students for any reason, even to protect other children.
That's crazy and certainly not the case in Rhode Island.
Sadly, I think it's also the case in Virginia, or at least in some counties. I remember my mother, a teacher, telling me something along those lines.
Quote from: JaronIt sounds like this dude was way underprepared for teaching, especially in the inner city.
That's true. As soon as he started going on about "sparking young minds" I could see the trainwreck coming. :lol:
:yes:
You get my PM Bob?
Yep. :)
THE primary reason I moved from public-school teaching to private-school teaching is that, in a private school, you can kick kids out. That makes a world of difference. If public school systems ran a disciplinary subset of schools to whom problem children could be relegated, they would see a huge difference in classroom behavior. You could even call them "alternative schools" to avoid the stigma.
Allowing teachers to physically discipline children isn't the answer (except to lawyers' dreams).
Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on July 31, 2009, 09:29:36 PM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 31, 2009, 09:22:46 PM
Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on July 31, 2009, 08:44:02 PM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 31, 2009, 01:33:27 PM
Quote from: Savonarola on July 31, 2009, 01:30:47 PM
pt. 2
When I asked other teachers to come help me stop a fight, they shook their heads and reminded me that D.C. Public Schools banned teachers from laying hands on students for any reason, even to protect other children.
That's crazy and certainly not the case in Rhode Island.
Sadly, I think it's also the case in Virginia, or at least in some counties. I remember my mother, a teacher, telling me something along those lines.
Quote from: JaronIt sounds like this dude was way underprepared for teaching, especially in the inner city.
That's true. As soon as he started going on about "sparking young minds" I could see the trainwreck coming. :lol:
:yes:
You get my PM Bob?
Yep. :)
And is there gonna be a response? :unsure:
Quote from: grumbler on July 31, 2009, 09:38:04 PM
THE primary reason I moved from public-school teaching to private-school teaching is that, in a private school, you can kick kids out. That makes a world of difference. If public school systems ran a disciplinary subset of schools to whom problem children could be relegated, they would see a huge difference in classroom behavior. You could even call them "alternative schools" to avoid the stigma.
Allowing teachers to physically discipline children isn't the answer (except to lawyers' dreams).
In NJ public high schools, the night school is more discipline-oriented, so it's the usual first stop for problem children who won't turn around. We do also have a few "alternative schools" where children who have problems severe enough to warrant court appearances tend to show up.
The parking lot for my last employer was immediately adjacent to one of those schools- at least when they were outside, those kids were a hell of a lot better-mannered than the yobbos at my public high school. It was kinda eerie.
Quote from: DontSayBanana on July 31, 2009, 10:24:30 PM
In NJ public high schools, the night school is more discipline-oriented, so it's the usual first stop for problem children who won't turn around. We do also have a few "alternative schools" where children who have problems severe enough to warrant court appearances tend to show up.
The parking lot for my last employer was immediately adjacent to one of those schools- at least when they were outside, those kids were a hell of a lot better-mannered than the yobbos at my public high school. It was kinda eerie.
You can actually do a lot with students like that if you have specialized teachers, small classes, and the right environment. Clearly, you have to focus on rehabilitation where at all possible, or the students will have no motives not to simply game against the system - let alone the waste that warehousing children represents.
Quote from: grumbler on July 31, 2009, 10:27:57 PM
Quote from: DontSayBanana on July 31, 2009, 10:24:30 PM
In NJ public high schools, the night school is more discipline-oriented, so it's the usual first stop for problem children who won't turn around. We do also have a few "alternative schools" where children who have problems severe enough to warrant court appearances tend to show up.
The parking lot for my last employer was immediately adjacent to one of those schools- at least when they were outside, those kids were a hell of a lot better-mannered than the yobbos at my public high school. It was kinda eerie.
You can actually do a lot with students like that if you have specialized teachers, small classes, and the right environment. Clearly, you have to focus on rehabilitation where at all possible, or the students will have no motives not to simply game against the system - let alone the waste that warehousing children represents.
You are very wise.
I knew you were good for something. :yes:
Quote from: Jaron on July 31, 2009, 11:36:27 PM
You are very wise.
I knew you were good for something. :yes:
I am good at only one thing.
Unfortunately, I have to teach to pay the bills that that one things costs! :P
Quote from: grumbler on July 31, 2009, 11:57:05 PM
Quote from: Jaron on July 31, 2009, 11:36:27 PM
You are very wise.
I knew you were good for something. :yes:
I am good at only one thing.
Unfortunately, I have to teach to pay the bills that that one things costs! :P
:unsure:
He's hiring prostitutes.
Quote from: grumbler on July 31, 2009, 09:38:04 PM
Allowing teachers to physically discipline children isn't the answer (except to lawyers' dreams).
Savage beatings worked just fine back in the day.
Obviously, the first step would be to dismantle the legal system. That would make everyone happy, at least everyone who wasn't purged.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 31, 2009, 09:42:17 PM
Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on July 31, 2009, 09:29:36 PM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 31, 2009, 09:22:46 PM
Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on July 31, 2009, 08:44:02 PM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 31, 2009, 01:33:27 PM
Quote from: Savonarola on July 31, 2009, 01:30:47 PM
pt. 2
When I asked other teachers to come help me stop a fight, they shook their heads and reminded me that D.C. Public Schools banned teachers from laying hands on students for any reason, even to protect other children.
That's crazy and certainly not the case in Rhode Island.
Sadly, I think it's also the case in Virginia, or at least in some counties. I remember my mother, a teacher, telling me something along those lines.
Quote from: JaronIt sounds like this dude was way underprepared for teaching, especially in the inner city.
That's true. As soon as he started going on about "sparking young minds" I could see the trainwreck coming. :lol:
:yes:
You get my PM Bob?
Yep. :)
And is there gonna be a response? :unsure:
NEVER! :mad:
:P
QuoteBeing a white teacher in a mostly black school unquestionably hindered my ability to teach.
No kidding.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 31, 2009, 01:33:27 PM
Quote from: Savonarola on July 31, 2009, 01:30:47 PM
pt. 2
When I asked other teachers to come help me stop a fight, they shook their heads and reminded me that D.C. Public Schools banned teachers from laying hands on students for any reason, even to protect other children.
That's crazy and certainly not the case in Rhode Island.
By all means, when you become a teacher, please oh please oh please put your hands on someone else's child.
If anybody wants to watch a really good show on this sort of thing, watch HBO's Hard Times at Douglass High, filmed right here in Bantumore.
http://www.hbo.com/docs/docuseries/hardtimes/
Staggeringly depressing.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on August 01, 2009, 07:58:24 AM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 31, 2009, 01:33:27 PM
Quote from: Savonarola on July 31, 2009, 01:30:47 PM
pt. 2
When I asked other teachers to come help me stop a fight, they shook their heads and reminded me that D.C. Public Schools banned teachers from laying hands on students for any reason, even to protect other children.
That's crazy and certainly not the case in Rhode Island.
By all means, when you become a teacher, please oh please oh please put your hands on someone else's child.
We're directed specifically that it's our responsibility to break up fights if they occur.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 01, 2009, 08:26:54 AM
Quote from: CountDeMoney on August 01, 2009, 07:58:24 AM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 31, 2009, 01:33:27 PM
Quote from: Savonarola on July 31, 2009, 01:30:47 PM
pt. 2
When I asked other teachers to come help me stop a fight, they shook their heads and reminded me that D.C. Public Schools banned teachers from laying hands on students for any reason, even to protect other children.
That's crazy and certainly not the case in Rhode Island.
By all means, when you become a teacher, please oh please oh please put your hands on someone else's child.
We're directed specifically that it's our responsibility to break up fights if they occur.
I'm sure someone will still sue you. Remember, you're in America, which is pretty much the worst place that there is when it comes to litigious assholes. Moreover, parents are the single worst group of people on Earth, as they aren't very good at it. Moreover, they forget the cardinal rule: Everyone under 25 is subhuman scum.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 01, 2009, 08:26:54 AM
Quote from: CountDeMoney on August 01, 2009, 07:58:24 AM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 31, 2009, 01:33:27 PM
Quote from: Savonarola on July 31, 2009, 01:30:47 PM
pt. 2
When I asked other teachers to come help me stop a fight, they shook their heads and reminded me that D.C. Public Schools banned teachers from laying hands on students for any reason, even to protect other children.
That's crazy and certainly not the case in Rhode Island.
By all means, when you become a teacher, please oh please oh please put your hands on someone else's child.
We're directed specifically that it's our responsibility to break up fights if they occur.
It is going to be like that Joe Clark film where some kid will beat your Spic ass in the cafeteria.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 01, 2009, 08:26:54 AM
Quote from: CountDeMoney on August 01, 2009, 07:58:24 AM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 31, 2009, 01:33:27 PM
Quote from: Savonarola on July 31, 2009, 01:30:47 PM
pt. 2
When I asked other teachers to come help me stop a fight, they shook their heads and reminded me that D.C. Public Schools banned teachers from laying hands on students for any reason, even to protect other children.
That's crazy and certainly not the case in Rhode Island.
By all means, when you become a teacher, please oh please oh please put your hands on someone else's child.
We're directed specifically that it's our responsibility to break up fights if they occur.
Go ahead and knock yourself out then, Stand and Delivertard.
Quote from: Ed Anger on August 01, 2009, 08:36:53 AM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 01, 2009, 08:26:54 AM
Quote from: CountDeMoney on August 01, 2009, 07:58:24 AM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on July 31, 2009, 01:33:27 PM
Quote from: Savonarola on July 31, 2009, 01:30:47 PM
pt. 2
When I asked other teachers to come help me stop a fight, they shook their heads and reminded me that D.C. Public Schools banned teachers from laying hands on students for any reason, even to protect other children.
That's crazy and certainly not the case in Rhode Island.
By all means, when you become a teacher, please oh please oh please put your hands on someone else's child.
We're directed specifically that it's our responsibility to break up fights if they occur.
It is going to be like that Joe Clark film where some kid will beat your Spic ass in the cafeteria.
... perhaps that's where Tim will go, "I'm not locked in here with you ... you're locked in here with ME!"
Rules on how to break up fights vary wildly in my experience. In junior highs, where the children are still wee'uns, it is more likely the teachers will get involved since they are still bigger and stronger than most of the kids. The kids are also still somewhat afraid of adults at the 12-13 age.
In high school, it seems to be more "stay the fuck back, call security".
And remember, Timothy: Most administrators will be happy to throw a teacher, especially a new one, under the bus if it helps them weasel their way out of a lawsuit.
From what I saw in my student teaching, few administrators are willing to stand up to the "I will sue you!" parents.
I saw one kid, he was like an 8th grader who was terrorizing his band teacher. She reported it and wanted him suspended or something and his parents (who were both lawyers) raised hell and said his behavior was part of his IEP and the teachers had to tolerate his outbursts and comments because they were part of his special needs and threatened to sue. The admins all backed down and told the teacher to just deal with it. She quit before the end of the school year. :lol:
Surely there has to be a backlash at some point, no? Things that idiotic cannot be sustainable.
The education system is BROKEN. Completely, utterly broken. Beyond salvage.
The teacher I used to work for and I would sat and talk before school and during breaks about conspiracy theories and we eventually agreed that the government is setting up the school system to fail with stuff like NCLB. In California, they have said by 2012 or so they want the California High School Exit Exam to have a 100% pass rate. Now come on, you know no standardized test is ever going to have a 100% pass rate among students taking it.
As long as the government keeps schools failing, no one will utter even a whisper when Obama privatizes that too.
Quote from: Jaron on August 01, 2009, 02:11:38 PM
The education system is BROKEN. Completely, utterly broken. Beyond salvage.
The teacher I used to work for and I would sat and talk before school and during breaks about conspiracy theories and we eventually agreed that the government is setting up the school system to fail with stuff like NCLB. In California, they have said by 2012 or so they want the California High School Exit Exam to have a 100% pass rate. Now come on, you know no standardized test is ever going to have a 100% pass rate among students taking it.
As long as the government keeps schools failing, no one will utter even a whisper when Obama privatizes that too.
Yeah the requirements of NCLB are insane, Soviet industrial goals were more reasonable.
People do not desire working education for the masses. I am not 100% certain why, but people suck anyway so who cares.
Quote from: The Brain on August 01, 2009, 05:00:59 PM
People do not desire working education for the masses. I am not 100% certain why, but people suck anyway so who cares.
:huh:
Quote from: Jaron on August 01, 2009, 07:37:31 PM
Quote from: The Brain on August 01, 2009, 05:00:59 PM
People do not desire working education for the masses. I am not 100% certain why, but people suck anyway so who cares.
:huh:
What's the problem, J-dawg?
Quote from: The Brain on August 02, 2009, 03:03:09 AM
Quote from: Jaron on August 01, 2009, 07:37:31 PM
Quote from: The Brain on August 01, 2009, 05:00:59 PM
People do not desire working education for the masses. I am not 100% certain why, but people suck anyway so who cares.
:huh:
What's the problem, J-dawg?
We want the masses to be educated. Maybe in Europe you like your peons stupid, but in order for socialism to take root in America, it requires the lower and middle classes to be educated, aware of their history, and to have a strong sense of entitlement.
Fuck, another article quoted without bolds?
Sav deserves a week locked with Jaron in a 4x4x4 room with no toilet and no water or food.
Quote from: Siege on August 02, 2009, 03:07:52 AM
Fuck, another article quoted without bolds?
Sav deserves a week locked with Jaron in a 4x4x4 room with no toilet and no water or food.
Aww, poor Jew can't read?
Quote from: Jaron on August 02, 2009, 03:12:06 AM
Quote from: Siege on August 02, 2009, 03:07:52 AM
Fuck, another article quoted without bolds?
Sav deserves a week locked with Jaron in a 4x4x4 room with no toilet and no water or food.
Aww, poor Jew can't read?
Can't read and can't shoot.
Well highlighting interesting parts won't do you much good will it.
Quote from: grumbler on July 31, 2009, 09:38:04 PM
Allowing teachers to physically discipline children isn't the answer (except to lawyers' dreams).
You say that like it was a bad thing. :(
What a depressing story. Proper education is a cornerstone for a good functioning of society...
Education is all about sorting the best people into the best schools, and eventually to the best jobs. If some people choose to sort themselves into the worst, there isn't anything other people can do about it.
Quote from: Monoriu on August 03, 2009, 05:45:49 AM
Education is all about sorting the best people into the best schools, and eventually to the best jobs. If some people choose to sort themselves into the worst, there isn't anything other people can do about it.
Maybe over there. In the US, it's about the greatest number of students getting the greatest possible grades. What you're talking about is the aim of vocational and technical schools here. Colleges dabble in it, because more prestige equals more money, but in the end, the Benjamins come from more students "succeeding," even if they have to redefine "success" in the process.
@Jaron: It's not that nuts. It's been noted several times in this thread that actual academic qualification has little to do with it now; if they're too stupid to pass on their own, throw points at 'em. If they can't function in the classroom, give 'em an IEP and baby tasks. They're not going to get people better at the test, they're just going to change the test so more people could be considered "passing."
Quote from: Jaron on August 01, 2009, 02:11:38 PM
The education system is BROKEN. Completely, utterly broken. Beyond salvage.
The teacher I used to work for and I would sat
Indeed it is.
Quotewhich emphasizes character education (and sits directly across a field from Emery), tells me that this charter school is quiet and orderly
This works. I moved my kid to a school that does this and it has very good results. Basically, every single kid is shown they are valued for their aspects of character that have allowed them to achieve whatever it is they achieve- either academic or other. It wobbles a bit when the children have to do SATs, because for the first time, the less academic children feel less valued and their behaviour and effort does falter a little, but basically, it allows the children to fly.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 01, 2009, 02:27:13 PMYeah the requirements of NCLB are insane, Soviet industrial goals were more reasonable.
NCLB is an absolute train wreck... but any time politicians get involved in something they don't understand, you have shit like that happening, so no surprises there.
Quote from: Jaron on August 02, 2009, 03:12:06 AM
Aww, poor Jew can't read?
There are poor Jews? :unsure:
Quote from: derspiess on August 03, 2009, 10:07:52 AM
Quote from: Jaron on August 02, 2009, 03:12:06 AM
Aww, poor Jew can't read?
There are poor Jews? :unsure:
The cabal is not all nice and fluffy, you can get blackballed for certain acts of over-ethical behavior.
Quote from: Monoriu on August 03, 2009, 05:45:49 AM
Education is all about sorting the best people into the best schools, and eventually to the best jobs. If some people choose to sort themselves into the worst, there isn't anything other people can do about it.
The problem with the situation described in the article though is that you had a lot of bright, capable kids (maybe even the best kids) who were denied any kind of meaningful education because of the system's inability to deal with the disruption of a few students.
The one thing I observed in public schools was the demise of true college prep.
When I was in high school, everyone in college prep classes had a fairly high level of achievement. There was no doubt they could do the work, it was a question of motivation.
The college prep classes I oversaw had such an unhealthy mix of ability levels. Some were extremely intelligent and really needed to be placed in an honors class, others were still struggling to grasp English. The idea seems to be if we put everyone in college prep classes, everyone will go to college.
But the actual execution ends up horrible. I went in optimistic about the whole thing, and it was very disappointing. If I sum up the advice I got, there are three ways to go about it.
1) Teach to the bottom. These are the kids who need you the most, and the other kids are bright enough to make the grade with little input from you.
2) Teach to the middle. The low end kids aren't going to make it anyway, the high end kids don't need you, and the middle ones are the only ones who really are in danger and thus need your attention.
3) Teach to the top: These are the kids going to college anyways, and the ones the classes are designed to help. They are enthusiastic to learn, have the ability, and care about their education.
And there is also the Ivory Tower University edition:
4) Teach to everyone! Make your lesson different for every student to access their individual levels of progress and need and everyone will succeed!
I'd like to believe that is true, but with 35+ students of such varying ability, actually executing lessons that consistently serve the top, middle and lower tiers of ability groups is foolhardy.
WTB: tracking and reform in American education.
What Jaron says has also been said by a number of teachers I know. They are told by the state or local school system to tailor the curriculum (which is aimed at passing standardized tests) to suit every single student differently. Meet all 35 kids' individual education needs. They've actually been lectured on this by people who don't teach themselves. Odd.
Quote from: swallow on August 03, 2009, 08:16:21 AM
This works. I moved my kid to a school that does this and it has very good results. Basically, every single kid is shown they are valued for their aspects of character that have allowed them to achieve whatever it is they achieve- either academic or other. It wobbles a bit when the children have to do SATs, because for the first time, the less academic children feel less valued and their behaviour and effort does falter a little, but basically, it allows the children to fly.
SATs? Aren't you British?
In Hong Kong, we teach to the test :contract:
Quote from: Monoriu on August 03, 2009, 07:13:29 PM
In Hong Kong, we teach to the test :contract:
You'd think that the utter failure of tests on the Confucian Classics to produce excellent leaders in previous generations would raise doubts about the ability of standardized math tests to produce excellent leaders. :huh:
Quote from: Queequeg on August 03, 2009, 07:26:26 PM
Quote from: Monoriu on August 03, 2009, 07:13:29 PM
In Hong Kong, we teach to the test :contract:
You'd think that the utter failure of tests on the Confucian Classics to produce excellent leaders in previous generations would raise doubts about the ability of standardized math tests to produce excellent leaders. :huh:
But it's tradition!
Quote from: Queequeg on August 03, 2009, 07:26:26 PM
Quote from: Monoriu on August 03, 2009, 07:13:29 PM
In Hong Kong, we teach to the test :contract:
You'd think that the utter failure of tests on the Confucian Classics to produce excellent leaders in previous generations would raise doubts about the ability of standardized math tests to produce excellent leaders. :huh:
The point of the test isn't to produce excellent leaders. It is to convince the masses that there exists a possible way to reach the top by hardwork. Therefore, they are better off studying than planning revolts.
Quote from: Monoriu on August 03, 2009, 08:14:29 PM
Quote from: Queequeg on August 03, 2009, 07:26:26 PM
Quote from: Monoriu on August 03, 2009, 07:13:29 PM
In Hong Kong, we teach to the test :contract:
You'd think that the utter failure of tests on the Confucian Classics to produce excellent leaders in previous generations would raise doubts about the ability of standardized math tests to produce excellent leaders. :huh:
The point of the test isn't to produce excellent leaders. It is to convince the masses that there exists a possible way to reach the top by hardwork. Therefore, they are better off studying than planning revolts.
But everybody must realize they'l never reach the top no matter how hard they work.
Quote from: Darth Wagtaros on August 03, 2009, 08:15:28 PM
But everybody must realize they'l never reach the top no matter how hard they work.
As long as the masses are convinced that there is a chance of betterment through hard work, the system will have achieved its aim.
Quote from: Monoriu on August 03, 2009, 08:26:10 PM
Quote from: Darth Wagtaros on August 03, 2009, 08:15:28 PM
But everybody must realize they'l never reach the top no matter how hard they work.
As long as the masses are convinced that there is a chance of betterment through hard work, the system will have achieved its aim.
Bullshit. The masses have no hope and are just dulled into a despairing routine of stultifying bureaucracy and aimless social grind. How you get through a month without downing a bottle of Clorox I'll never understand.
We teach to the test in America too.
It is just that the American spirit is in all our children, and they can't be convinced by such empty promises like 'hard work" in America.
That's a horrible story but an interesting read.
Quote from: Jaron on August 03, 2009, 09:12:56 PM
We teach to the test in America too.
It is just that the American spirit is in all our children, and they can't be convinced by such empty promises like 'hard work" in America.
Yeah. MCAS is fucking st00pid when everyone knows its a crock of shit. The teachers I worked with made no attempt to conceal their contempt for it while teaching.
Quote from: Darth Wagtaros on August 03, 2009, 09:20:56 PM
Quote from: Jaron on August 03, 2009, 09:12:56 PM
We teach to the test in America too.
It is just that the American spirit is in all our children, and they can't be convinced by such empty promises like 'hard work" in America.
Yeah. MCAS is fucking st00pid when everyone knows its a crock of shit. The teachers I worked with made no attempt to conceal their contempt for it while teaching.
Yeah, there has been controversy over the test; teachers complain about just teaching to the test. Though I'd think that at least gives some standards to go by. Also, the test was being praised for raising scores of Mass students, but still it seems quite a divisive issue.
To the educators out there. What is going on in US schools? Is the job of education getting done? I know some parents who do well with their kids getting an education, whether in public or private schools. There I keep hearing of problems, and how US students don't match up well vs foreign students. But talk of problems can get over blown. So I don't know. There are a lot of good, well meaning teachers doing a good job. I tend to feel the education system/industry is letting the teachers and students down. But I don't know really how problematic or not the education issue really is.
The way they teach that shit out here is they want teachers to base their instruction on state provided standards, and that way when they take the standardized tests (which are also based on the standards), the students are prepared.
I don't think it is too bad a deal. It gives you a checklist of what to do for the year, but totally provides you the freedom to decide how to do it.
This is the one I did for my assessment.
Quote
10.9 Students analyze the international developments in the post-World War II world.
10.9.1 Compare the economic and military power shifts caused by the war, including the Yalta Pact, the development of nuclear weapons, Soviet control over Eastern European nations, and the economic recoveries of Germany and Japan.
10.9.2 Analyze the causes of the Cold War, with the free world on one side and Soviet client states on the other, including competition for influence in such places as Egypt, the Congo, Vietnam, and Chile.
10.9.3 Understand the importance of the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, which established the pattern for America's postwar policy of supplying economic and military aid to prevent the spread of Communism and the resulting economic and political competition in arenas such as Southeast Asia (i.e., the Korean War, Vietnam War), Cuba, and Africa.
10.9.4 Analyze the Chinese Civil War, the rise of Mao Tse-tung, and the subsequent political and economic upheavals in China (e.g., the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, and the Tiananmen Square uprising).
10.9.5 Describe the uprisings in Poland (1952), Hungary (1956), and Czechoslovakia (1968) and those countries' resurgence in the 1970s and 1980s as people in Soviet satellites sought freedom from Soviet control.
10.9.6 Understand how the forces of nationalism developed in the Middle East, how the Holocaust affected world opinion regarding the need for a Jewish state, and the significance and effects of the location and establishment of Israel on world affairs.
10.9.7 Analyze the reasons for the collapse of the Soviet Union, including the weakness of the command economy, burdens of military commitments, and growing resistance to Soviet rule by dissidents in satellite states and the non-Russian Soviet republics.
10.9.8 Discuss the establishment and work of the United Nations and the purposes and functions of the Warsaw Pact, SEATO, NATO, and the Organization of American States.
I kinda skipped a couple, but most of the students I taught reached the
expected range of 'Below Proficient' :P
What did you teach your students about the byzantine empire?
Jaron, are those questions part of a test or something for students? I'd hope that high school, or college students, could do a decent job answering those. Given that such issues helped shape the world as it is today they are important enough to have some understanding of.
Quote from: alfred russel on August 04, 2009, 02:13:12 PM
What did you teach your students about the byzantine empire?
They don't teach that. <_< The ancients are getting the axe as time moves on. With the depth 20/19th century gets, I wouldn't be surprised if in 10-20 years we give the Medieval years the high school axe.
Quote from: KRonn on August 04, 2009, 02:13:16 PM
Jaron, are those questions part of a test or something for students? I'd hope that high school, or college students, could do a decent job answering those. Given that such issues helped shape the world as it is today they are important enough to have some understanding of.
The questions on the test are based on those ideas. These are aimed at 10th graders (15 year olds), so all this stuff is brand new to most of them.
Quote from: Jaron on August 04, 2009, 03:01:56 PM
Quote from: alfred russel on August 04, 2009, 02:13:12 PM
What did you teach your students about the byzantine empire?
They don't teach that. <_< The ancients are getting the axe as time moves on. With the depth 20/19th century gets, I wouldn't be surprised if in 10-20 years we give the Medieval years the high school axe.
I taught my kids Byzantine history last spring! :w00t:
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 04, 2009, 03:05:12 PM
Quote from: Jaron on August 04, 2009, 03:01:56 PM
Quote from: alfred russel on August 04, 2009, 02:13:12 PM
What did you teach your students about the byzantine empire?
They don't teach that. <_< The ancients are getting the axe as time moves on. With the depth 20/19th century gets, I wouldn't be surprised if in 10-20 years we give the Medieval years the high school axe.
I taught my kids Byzantine history last spring! :w00t:
LUCKY!!!!!!!! I'd LOVE to teach that.
Quote from: Jaron on August 04, 2009, 03:01:56 PM
Quote from: alfred russel on August 04, 2009, 02:13:12 PM
What did you teach your students about the byzantine empire?
They don't teach that. <_< The ancients are getting the axe as time moves on. With the depth 20/19th century gets, I wouldn't be surprised if in 10-20 years we give the Medieval years the high school axe.
Don't you get discretion on your teaching program? If you are teaching world history, how could they condemn you for a two or three week detour through the Byzantines?
These are the california standards for the ancient period:
Quote
10.1 Students relate the moral and ethical principles in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, in Judaism, and in Christianity to the development of Western political thought.
10.1.1 Analyze the similarities and differences in Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman views of law, reason and faith, and duties of the individual.
10.1.2 Trace the development of the Western political ideas of the rule of law and illegitimacy of tyranny, using selections from Plato's Republic and Aristotle's Politics.
10.1.3 Consider the influence of the U.S. Constitution on political systems in the contemporary world.
So Jews, Greeks, Romans. If you wanted to take a detour for a few weeks, you'd have a hard time justifying teaching something that the students won't be tested on and does not appear in the standard anywhere.
You're pretty free to teach how you want to, but you have to stick to the standards. Some teachers do stray a little bit outside, like one of the teachers I worked with spent a week on Vietnam, where Vietnam is only a minor bullet point in the standard. (It is taught more thoroughly in US history - this is World History).
So, in California - no Byzantium for me.
This one is my favorite:
Quote
10.10 Students analyze instances of nation-building in the contemporary world in at least two of the following regions or countries: the Middle East, Africa, Mexico and other parts of Latin America, and China.
They don't tell you which areas they'll be testing on though. :P
Quote from: Jaron on August 04, 2009, 03:28:16 PM
These are the california standards for the ancient period:
Quote
10.1 Students relate the moral and ethical principles in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, in Judaism, and in Christianity to the development of Western political thought.
10.1.1 Analyze the similarities and differences in Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman views of law, reason and faith, and duties of the individual.
10.1.2 Trace the development of the Western political ideas of the rule of law and illegitimacy of tyranny, using selections from Plato's Republic and Aristotle's Politics.
10.1.3 Consider the influence of the U.S. Constitution on political systems in the contemporary world.
So Jews, Greeks, Romans. If you wanted to take a detour for a few weeks, you'd have a hard time justifying teaching something that the students won't be tested on and does not appear in the standard anywhere.
You're pretty free to teach how you want to, but you have to stick to the standards. Some teachers do stray a little bit outside, like one of the teachers I worked with spent a week on Vietnam, where Vietnam is only a minor bullet point in the standard. (It is taught more thoroughly in US history - this is World History).
So, in California - no Byzantium for me.
So no sumerians, babylonians, assyrians, egyptians(!), persians either? I'm not against teaching to the test in subjects like math or science, but if history tests are going to exclude so much material, then I don't think teaching to the test is adequate.
Quote from: alfred russel on August 04, 2009, 03:36:58 PM
So no sumerians, babylonians, assyrians, egyptians(!), persians either?
No, no muslims.
Quote from: alfred russel on August 04, 2009, 03:36:58 PM
Quote from: Jaron on August 04, 2009, 03:28:16 PM
These are the california standards for the ancient period:
Quote
10.1 Students relate the moral and ethical principles in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, in Judaism, and in Christianity to the development of Western political thought.
10.1.1 Analyze the similarities and differences in Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman views of law, reason and faith, and duties of the individual.
10.1.2 Trace the development of the Western political ideas of the rule of law and illegitimacy of tyranny, using selections from Plato's Republic and Aristotle's Politics.
10.1.3 Consider the influence of the U.S. Constitution on political systems in the contemporary world.
So Jews, Greeks, Romans. If you wanted to take a detour for a few weeks, you'd have a hard time justifying teaching something that the students won't be tested on and does not appear in the standard anywhere.
You're pretty free to teach how you want to, but you have to stick to the standards. Some teachers do stray a little bit outside, like one of the teachers I worked with spent a week on Vietnam, where Vietnam is only a minor bullet point in the standard. (It is taught more thoroughly in US history - this is World History).
So, in California - no Byzantium for me.
So no sumerians, babylonians, assyrians, egyptians(!), persians either? I'm not against teaching to the test in subjects like math or science, but if history tests are going to exclude so much material, then I don't think teaching to the test is adequate.
I'm sure they are mentioned in the textbook, but it is considered largely optional. And really, I think some of this stuff might be covered in earlier grades. But obviously pre high school , school is more social and character development in nature than academic. If they studied Egypt, they likely cut out pharaoh masks or something. :P
Quote from: The Brain on August 04, 2009, 03:38:38 PM
Quote from: alfred russel on August 04, 2009, 03:36:58 PM
So no sumerians, babylonians, assyrians, egyptians(!), persians either?
No, no muslims.
Muslims are quite minimal in this , yes. :P
Quote from: Jaron on August 04, 2009, 03:40:34 PM
I'm sure they are mentioned in the textbook, but it is considered largely optional. And really, I think some of this stuff might be covered in earlier grades. But obviously pre high school , school is more social and character development in nature than academic. If they studied Egypt, they likely cut out pharaoh masks or something. :P
What grade are you teaching?
Quote from: alfred russel on August 04, 2009, 03:36:58 PM
So no sumerians, babylonians, assyrians, egyptians(!), persians either? I'm not against teaching to the test in subjects like math or science, but if history tests are going to exclude so much material, then I don't think teaching to the test is adequate.
Your average student may find it difficult to 'relate the moral and ethical principles in ancient sumerian, babylonian, assyrian, egyptian and persian thought to the development of Western political thought'. ;)
Quote from: Malthus on August 04, 2009, 03:50:13 PM
Quote from: alfred russel on August 04, 2009, 03:36:58 PM
So no sumerians, babylonians, assyrians, egyptians(!), persians either? I'm not against teaching to the test in subjects like math or science, but if history tests are going to exclude so much material, then I don't think teaching to the test is adequate.
Your average student may find it difficult to 'relate the moral and ethical principles in ancient sumerian, babylonian, assyrian, egyptian and persian thought to the development of Western political thought'. ;)
What's not to love about a religion that forces the youngest, hottest girls to become prostitutes at temples?
Quote from: Malthus on August 04, 2009, 03:50:13 PM
Quote from: alfred russel on August 04, 2009, 03:36:58 PM
So no sumerians, babylonians, assyrians, egyptians(!), persians either? I'm not against teaching to the test in subjects like math or science, but if history tests are going to exclude so much material, then I don't think teaching to the test is adequate.
Your average student may find it difficult to 'relate the moral and ethical principles in ancient sumerian, babylonian, assyrian, egyptian and persian thought to the development of Western political thought'. ;)
Especially if they are only taught about Judiasm and the Greeks and Romans. :P
Quote from: alfred russel on August 04, 2009, 03:55:51 PM
Especially if they are only taught about Judiasm and the Greeks and Romans. :P
It may be a bit of a stretch even if they are given a good background in Sumerian studies and the like. :lol:
Though temple prostitution is, of course, a lesson for the ages.
Quote from: Malthus on August 04, 2009, 04:04:32 PM
Quote from: alfred russel on August 04, 2009, 03:55:51 PM
Especially if they are only taught about Judiasm and the Greeks and Romans. :P
It may be a bit of a stretch even if they are given a good background in Sumerian studies and the like. :lol:
Though temple prostitution is, of course, a lesson for the ages.
Connecting the sumerians and babylonians to western political thought may not be at the high school level, but certainly they should learn about them in a course on western history. Don't you think?
Quote from: Admiral Yi on August 03, 2009, 04:42:50 PM
Quote from: swallow on August 03, 2009, 08:16:21 AM
This works. I moved my kid to a school that does this and it has very good results. Basically, every single kid is shown they are valued for their aspects of character that have allowed them to achieve whatever it is they achieve- either academic or other. It wobbles a bit when the children have to do SATs, because for the first time, the less academic children feel less valued and their behaviour and effort does falter a little, but basically, it allows the children to fly.
SATs? Aren't you British?
SATS, not SAT.
Exams taken by kids in year 6 and year 9.
Weird (but good) sounding school that it wouldn't care about them...Most are obsessed despite them being utterly pointless.
edit- oh, and younger kids do them too. Year 3 I think.
Quote from: alfred russel on August 04, 2009, 03:48:31 PM
Quote from: Jaron on August 04, 2009, 03:40:34 PM
I'm sure they are mentioned in the textbook, but it is considered largely optional. And really, I think some of this stuff might be covered in earlier grades. But obviously pre high school , school is more social and character development in nature than academic. If they studied Egypt, they likely cut out pharaoh masks or something. :P
What grade are you teaching?
I'm not now, but earlier this year I was teaching 10th grade world history and 12th grade economics. Yes, we're sorta fucked. :P
Quote10.9.8 Discuss the establishment and work of the United Nations and the purposes and functions of the Warsaw Pact, SEATO, NATO, and the Organization of American States
Wait a second - SEATO had a function ????
It is covered in 6th grade:
Quote
6.2 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the early civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Kush.
Please note:
That really means: students draw a map of mesopotamia, read a couple of myths, make king tut masks, and go back to learning cursive. :P
Quote from: alfred russel on August 04, 2009, 04:09:12 PM
Connecting the sumerians and babylonians to western political thought may not be at the high school level, but certainly they should learn about them in a course on western history. Don't you think?
Well, yes. But expecting more than a sketchy outline may be a bit too ambitious.
Quote from: Malthus on August 04, 2009, 03:50:13 PM
Quote from: alfred russel on August 04, 2009, 03:36:58 PM
So no sumerians, babylonians, assyrians, egyptians(!), persians either? I'm not against teaching to the test in subjects like math or science, but if history tests are going to exclude so much material, then I don't think teaching to the test is adequate.
Your average student may find it difficult to 'relate the moral and ethical principles in ancient sumerian, babylonian, assyrian, egyptian and persian thought to the development of Western political thought'. ;)
I made my students write an essay comparing the Justinian concept of law to our own.
I wasn't allowed to assign writing.
Them: "Don't assign any writing assignments."
Me: "Why not?"
Them: "Because their writing abilities are low, so we don't make them write. Also, this is history class, not english."
Me: :ultra: "Okay :) "
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on August 04, 2009, 04:25:04 PM
Quote10.9.8 Discuss the establishment and work of the United Nations and the purposes and functions of the Warsaw Pact, SEATO, NATO, and the Organization of American States
Wait a second - SEATO had a function ????
Goodwill with Australia and New Zealand. Gave Nixon something to do when he wasn't filling in for Eisenhower's disabled ass.
Quote from: Neil on August 04, 2009, 04:47:07 PM
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on August 04, 2009, 04:25:04 PM
Quote10.9.8 Discuss the establishment and work of the United Nations and the purposes and functions of the Warsaw Pact, SEATO, NATO, and the Organization of American States
Wait a second - SEATO had a function ????
Goodwill with Australia and New Zealand. Gave Nixon something to do when he wasn't filling in for Eisenhower's disabled ass.
:P
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 04, 2009, 04:35:09 PM
Quote from: Malthus on August 04, 2009, 03:50:13 PM
Quote from: alfred russel on August 04, 2009, 03:36:58 PM
So no sumerians, babylonians, assyrians, egyptians(!), persians either? I'm not against teaching to the test in subjects like math or science, but if history tests are going to exclude so much material, then I don't think teaching to the test is adequate.
Your average student may find it difficult to 'relate the moral and ethical principles in ancient sumerian, babylonian, assyrian, egyptian and persian thought to the development of Western political thought'. ;)
I made my students write an essay comparing the Justinian concept of law to our own.
As far as I know Justinian wasn't a "sumerian, babylonian, assyrian, egyptian [or] persian". :lol:
Quote from: Malthus on August 04, 2009, 05:02:57 PM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 04, 2009, 04:35:09 PM
Quote from: Malthus on August 04, 2009, 03:50:13 PM
Quote from: alfred russel on August 04, 2009, 03:36:58 PM
So no sumerians, babylonians, assyrians, egyptians(!), persians either? I'm not against teaching to the test in subjects like math or science, but if history tests are going to exclude so much material, then I don't think teaching to the test is adequate.
Your average student may find it difficult to 'relate the moral and ethical principles in ancient sumerian, babylonian, assyrian, egyptian and persian thought to the development of Western political thought'. ;)
I made my students write an essay comparing the Justinian concept of law to our own.
As far as I know Justinian wasn't a "sumerian, babylonian, assyrian, egyptian [or] persian". :lol:
:lol:
Should have made them do a report on The Secret History
Quote from: Malthus on August 04, 2009, 05:02:57 PM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 04, 2009, 04:35:09 PM
Quote from: Malthus on August 04, 2009, 03:50:13 PM
Quote from: alfred russel on August 04, 2009, 03:36:58 PM
So no sumerians, babylonians, assyrians, egyptians(!), persians either? I'm not against teaching to the test in subjects like math or science, but if history tests are going to exclude so much material, then I don't think teaching to the test is adequate.
Your average student may find it difficult to 'relate the moral and ethical principles in ancient sumerian, babylonian, assyrian, egyptian and persian thought to the development of Western political thought'. ;)
I made my students write an essay comparing the Justinian concept of law to our own.
As far as I know Justinian wasn't a "sumerian, babylonian, assyrian, egyptian [or] persian". :lol:
But he doesn't fall under the category of "Greek, Roman or Jew"
When I had to teach 8th grade , my teacher made me give the students revolutionary war masks to cut out and made up some shit she called "University of US Constitutional Law" and made me hand them fake hand written diplomas if they get an A on the test while she played Pomp and Circumstance on her ghetto blaster.
A part of me died that day. :weep:
Quote from: Ed Anger on August 04, 2009, 05:05:09 PM
Should have made them do a report on The Secret History
10.1.4 Students compare and contrast the political ramifications of the Empress Theodora's "animal act" stage show on the Byzantine mob, with the media circus surrounding Clinton's infamous Whitehouse blowjob.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 04, 2009, 05:06:47 PM
But he doesn't fall under the category of "Greek, Roman or Jew"
Disagree. He was both ethnically Roman (spoke Latin rather than Greek as a child) and grew to preside over a court that still considered itself "Roman". The Corpus Juris Civilis was written in Latin and was self-conciously a compilation of "Roman" law.
Quote from: Malthus on August 04, 2009, 05:15:38 PM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 04, 2009, 05:06:47 PM
But he doesn't fall under the category of "Greek, Roman or Jew"
Disagree. He was both ethnically Roman (spoke Latin rather than Greek as a child) and grew to preside over a court that still considered itself "Roman". The Corpus Juris Civilis was written in Latin and was self-conciously a compilation of "Roman" law.
Agree.
Quote from: Malthus on August 04, 2009, 05:15:38 PM
Disagree. He was both ethnically Roman (spoke Latin rather than Greek as a child) and grew to preside over a court that still considered itself "Roman". The Corpus Juris Civilis was written in Latin and was self-conciously a compilation of "Roman" law.
Except the Latin bit the Roman thing was true until 1453. And arguably afterwards as it was melded with Sharia to produce Ottoman law. I don't really like using the word Byzantine at all; I suppose you could make a distinction between Roman and Rhomioi, but even that is somewhat dishonest as the most pronounced trend in Roman history going back to Scipio Africanus was Hellenization, culminating in the adoption of the Empire and the merger of Greek and Roman civilization into Classical civilization.
Cato was right. The greeks were poofs.
Quote from: Ed Anger on August 04, 2009, 06:54:36 PM
Cato was right. The greeks were poofs.
That was Al Sharpton.
Quote from: Ed Anger on August 04, 2009, 07:01:45 PM
Whitey delenda est
Ceterum autem censeo, Jaroninem esse delendam.
And my 1 year of latin just failed me.
Quote from: Ed Anger on August 04, 2009, 07:03:47 PM
And my 1 year of latin just failed me.
You still have me: your 29 year old latin. ^_^
Jaron had a second bowl of Sugar Bombs today.
He meant you're on fire, baby!