CAN YOU KEEP UP?

[CWO3ROBBIE]

This is so mind blowing that I don't even have a comment about it. Do you?

 

I couldn't get the link to post here. Go to first comment.

 

 

[Dazzling Zoomer Gal Diana]

Nick wrote: "There's a bromide that says that you can manipulate statistics to prove almost anything. Since there is no definition of any of these figures, they are meaningless. It's simply spouting numbers for the sake of spouting numbers."

Thank you Nick. I've been thinking the same things today about that vid. Esp. about Bermuda, that has a wealthy demographic (even in regards to the local population), and is indeed serviced by only one phone/Internet supplier (Cable and Wireless - who maintains a stranglehold on the island). The island's communication system is also mostly underground fiber optic and has been for some time. It's a sophisticated place, with Internet capabilities as far back as the mid to late eighties. I was able to use my laptop there in 1992.

It was not clear what was being sold - but I suspect the subliminal message is a plug for all things "google".

[Anyar]

I agree Nick. I'm also curious where these numbers came from particularly as it relates to Bermuda. My other curiosity is China. I've always been with the understanding that Mandarin is the primary language in China, while Cantonese was the secondary. However, after viewing this video I did some research and found that English has become the de facto second language. What I found most alarming when watching the video were the stats pertaining to education which showed that over a 4-year period of earning a degree, the first year of what was learned will be obsolete by the time you graduate. Wow! With the cost of education (and I'm still paying those dammed student loans!), that's pretty sad.

I didn't interpet the video as being marketing related, but rather informational to show how technology is increasingly changing.

[darroll]

To produce smart kids in school.
We need to kick out the government.
The schools have mentally challenged individuals in a regular classroom. Some are so bad that they can’t even hold their head up.
Kids make the dumbest kid in school the most popular.
Kids think the teachers are only there to stop them from having fun.
It’s going to take some very hard times to reverse this trend.

[CWO3ROBBIE]

I know this is a whole different subject, but I have to ask. What do you mean when you say we have to kick the government out of schools in order to produce smart kids?

[darroll]

The Feds make mandates that are off the wall, then will not fund them. Then later they fine the state for failing to comply. It’s like that no child left behind crap. I know Bush was behind that. They then burn teachers/districts for not making their test scores come up. If a kid has a sixty IQ, It will stay at sixty for their whole life.
They make the schools take kids that have special needs. This means that the teachers run around with a doctor bag and in case of a seizure, etc, administer the correct drugs.
These kids make funny noises and the class laughs while their education goes out the window. They know these kids have problems and tease them constantly.
It’s a zoo in the classroom and some of the students have no respect for any kind of discipline and they turn on the teachers.
No wonder that India has such high test scores.

[CWO3ROBBIE]

So, when you say government, you mean Federal Government. OK, It would be pretty easy to get the federal government out of our schools if that's what we really want. We just stop accepting federal money. But, I'm not sure how we replace that money. If we don't accept the federal money and get rid of the federal mandates do we have enough money to pay the teachers?
What do we do with kids who have below average IQ? If we take them out of the schools, we now have aproximately 50% of the school age kids doing what?
What is your solution for what to do with kids who have special needs? Should we build another school for them? Should we decide that if a person does not have all the capabilities that we think they should have, we tell the parents, "sorry, there is no place in the school for your kid". "It's your problem, deal with it". "But, you still need to keep on paying your taxes because we need the money to educate these smart kids over here".
I think the current system is screwed up, but fixing it is not as simple as getting the government out of the school system. The only way to fix it is to have an electorate that understands we have to have government, so they better wake up and elect people who can fix the problems. I'm not talking about government at the national level. I'mtalking about local government. Starting with local school boards.In order to do that we have to return to teaching people how government works. Our system has never been very good at that. When I was in school, civics was taught. But it was taught in the 8th grade. That was it. Lets say that at age 13 you are tought what is in the constitution and how our government is structured. That's it. there are no more civics classes during the rest of your schooling. . At age 30 how much are you going to know about how the govenment works? How do you determine who to vote for if you don't remember how the office being sought fits into the overall picture? If the citizens don't understand their government, how do they know who to elect to what.

[darroll]

Robbie,
All chilren should be in public schools. Keep the special ed kids in the special ed classrooms. Yes the Department of Health Education and Welfare (US) run the schools.
This pisses me off and I'm sure it does you.

[darroll]

No problem in Oregon anymore with school funding. They now tax the rich (250,000.00 this year, 50,000 next year?). I’m also talking about them taxing INTEL, NIKE and the rest of the corporations. The state already ran out Del Monte, Boise cascade, the huge mushroom factory and most of the packing plants. Bye jobs, India will love INTEL.
I have to be careful as to what I say about education as I piss off people on this site. I’m not some heartless old goat, I’m concerned about our children. (see my earlier post)
I’m not a teacher, but I heard them discussing the problems. They have one nurse for the whole school district. They expect the UNTRAINED teachers to administer medication to the cerebral palsy, etc. kids in their classes. They (teachers)are afraid they will not do it right, does a pill go under a tongue, or on top? When are they having a seizure?
They do pull the kids out of the class room from time to time for special education… but… The kids are in a regular classroom most of the day. Like I said, they disrupt the classes, even though they can’t help it. No learning is taken place when the kids are laughing at other students. Then our test scores fall on their ass and they blame the school.
I feel like I’m beating a dead horse on this subject, we have to do something or our nation will turn into a poor farming country. We already know who will work in the fields.
Like someone predicted about our great country in the future. You sell me an insurance plan and I will sell you an insurance plan from my company.