youre right. i know next to nothing about it, but id really be surprised if many educators didnt have a heavy hand in its development. i dont know if its effective, but im glad that they are trying to make the schools accountable. the next step is to start firing teachers for something other than hookin up with students. definitely dont need a degree in the subject to teach it. if anything it would be an impediment---im pretty sure that one with the right demeanor could teach civics, english, history, math (and probably tons of others) without ever taking a class in college. for me, the bottom line is that the bad students are (were?) being dropped basically because their parents didnt prepare them. the GOP/libertarian minded will basically say "screw them, not my problem. that's what they get for their parents not caring about education". teach them. create separate schools or classes if you have to (that was done at my HS), but do it. the country will be better off with educated people.
So the UN allowed Israel to bomb Lebanon and Chavez was upset about it? That Chavez would be anti-semitic isn't too surprising, really. I don't think that means we don't sit down and look him in the face. It seems a pretty nasty claim to say Obama is anti-semitic. I really find that hard to believe, but honestly, I haven't looked into why one would be anti-semitic. I do find it strange that we are so involved in Israel's business, but I guess we're pretty cosey with a bunch of western powers. Does our relationship with Israel have something to do with protecting Christianity's holy land? Strategic regional importance? Money? Prominent Jewish-Americans? Would Israel be better off if we weren't holding them back from responding to provocations? Are we afraid they'll start World War III? I should read a book or something.
I'm sure there a number of ideas out there. The worst kids obviously need special attention, but we want to allow the best kids to shine. And we don't want the median kids to be held back for the below average kids. I just don't think the federal government has shown it is capable of handling the issue.
I don't think that students with uneducated parents are being "dropped" at all by teachers. My point about those students is that teaching them is an added challenge because they don't have the background from home to help them be successful in school. In the city where I live, it would be unheard of for a child to begin kindergarten without at least two years in a good preschool. That's even if the mother doesn't work outside the home. Children who don't have that sort of thing before school go in at a disadvantage. When a child starts kindergarten "behind," it's hard to get caught up. My daughter, in first grade, is already typing papers on the computers at school. Personally, I don't know if that's necessary at that age, but what about the kids whose parents can't help them. Teachers don't mind teaching those kids, but many times, disadvantaged kids don't respond well to "conventional" education--which is all that NCLB champions. And "educators" may or may not have had a hand in creating NCLB, but teachers did not. There is a huge difference between the two.
serious question. that costs $$$, right? im still learning about kids education because i have a 2yr old, but i have learned some about daycare options. its relatively expensive for poor people---i dont know how you can pay for it if you dont make decent $$$. can almost be more cost effective to stay at home with them. maybe poor people get it subsidized. also, it can be really hard to find. i moved to athens with a 6mo old. visited about 10 places and was shocked how crappy 7 of them were. 3 were great, but the wait for them was 3 yrs, 1 yr and 1 month. thank god for that last one. i dont know what people do if they have to move and arent lucky enough to find that ONE that has a spot. anyway, i agree that the disadvantages start before the kids get in school. seems to me it would be a good idea for the country to try and even that out.
Day care didn't rally exist in the 50's when I was small, so Mom took off work as a school teacher for four years and stayed at home until I went into Kindergarten. It hurt her career a bit but it was a huge advantage for me living at home with a school teacher. By the time I entered first grade, I could already read and write and I had learning skills. I was reading on a level about three years ahead of my classmates and the gap widened as I got older. The teachers all thought I was really smart, but it was mostly about having a head start. I have no doubt at all that kids who enter kindergarten and first grade from good day care or home schooling get an advantage that they never lose.
You're pretty sharp. That was funny. I know it is but if having educators with degrees in their subject is important in college, why shouldn't it be for high school? Teaching high school chemistry is easy and college is hard? I don't understand the difference really. Both should be qualified with degrees in the subject they teach, IMO. Story about an illiterate teacher with a degree in education. Case closed. :lol: http://www.10news.com/news/15274005/detail.html
I agree with lsu-i-like on the Israel thing. I don't get why we treat them like they are the 51st U.S. State. I'd prefer a U.S. policy of being a lot less pro-Israel. I'm not saying we have to be completely neutral between Israel and its Arab neighbors, but I wish we weren't so obnoxiously on Israel's side.
