2008 Election

[AE14]

NUFF SAID!!!

Adams

adding Mann Coulter doesnt help your argument here

[LakeMountD]

As a teacher let me shed a little light on this. The issue starts first and foremost with the parents. We are in a generation of helicopter and lawnmower parents. They do not want their kids "facing any adverse situtations in school" nor do they want their kids ego being hurt.(the first school I taught at did not allow F's they were called E's and teachers could not grade in that harsh color of red, and yes this was a public school in NJ) With that influence, the school boards (district parents) are pushing for nonsensical techniques to be used which in turn inflates the grades. Once the board is involved, then in turn the school admin gets involved, from their the teachers get pushed into things they dont agree with.

I teach AP level history, and I gotta tell you I see it there as well. These kids (due in large part to their parents) have a sense of entitlement that is far worse than I have ever seen through my career, and it is only going to get worse. To see a change, we need to start with the parents. They need to understand that a kid working hard and getting a C is ok, if that is what they deserve. Not every student should get an A, especially an inflated one.

In terms of GW and the "tests", I think it is a silly thought to believe that standardized tests are a true test of a kids ability and intelligence. We all know that many study for the test then forget what it was after the test. There are other ways, and the key word here is balance in asessment.

Great post . I agree. I do agree that the tests are not perfect. HOWEVER, I do believe that if a kid cannot pass a simple math test and such that they do not deserve to move on. I agree that we need to work more on the parents as well. Obviously one of the problems is the pressure to get into a good college. I was accepted to UF pharmacy school and the average GPA was 3.7 or 3.75 and the average PCAT score (standardized pharmacy test) was a 88-90 percentile meaning you had to score better than 90% of the people. That puts a lot of pressure on people. I do realize that my example involves a professional level situation but it is the same with colleges.

Heck I can remember high school vividly. The half of the top 3% of our graduating class had never taken an honors or AP class and probably had no idea who to do a simple derivative. It is a broken system unfortunately and schools and colleges are putting too much emphasis on grades!!!

[AE14]

Great post . I agree. I do agree that the tests are not perfect. HOWEVER, I do believe that if a kid cannot pass a simple math test and such that they do not deserve to move on. I agree that we need to work more on the parents as well. Obviously one of the problems is the pressure to get into a good college. I was accepted to UF pharmacy school and the average GPA was 3.7 or 3.75 and the average PCAT score (standardized pharmacy test) was a 88-90 percentile meaning you had to score better than 90% of the people. That puts a lot of pressure on people. I do realize that my example involves a professional level situation but it is the same with colleges.

Heck I can remember high school vividly. The half of the top 3% of our graduating class had never taken an honors or AP class and probably had no idea who to do a simple derivative. It is a broken system unfortunately and schools and colleges are putting too much emphasis on grades!!!

couldnt agree more. I am in no way taking responsibility off of teachers, however their hands are really tied, with or without tenure.

the issue with parents is that in the new age of technology they can contact you 24/7 and in the district I work in they do not hesitate to do that. Many schools now have a system in tact where grades are posted on line so parents can check, which then prompts more contact etc... Its a bad cycle. 1 assignment that the kid did poorly on, and you get an email. My district has a 96% to college (92% 4-year colleges). A new system needs to be put in place

[DAdams91982]

adding Mann Coulter doesnt help your argument here

Oh dont you worry about that. You can just swap out Angelina Jolie for here place.

Anyone see here conference praising the recent troop surge? Stating that it was working, and urged other governments to assist in establishing the securty in iraq?

Adams

[warnerve]

Oh dont you worry about that. You can just swap out Angelina Jolie for here place.

Anyone see here conference praising the recent troop surge? Stating that it was working, and urged other governments to assist in establishing the securty in iraq?

Adams

they forgot rosie o'donnell in the democrat side and elizabeth hasselbeck on the republican

[LakeMountD]

couldnt agree more. I am in no way taking responsibility off of teachers, however their hands are really tied, with or without tenure.

the issue with parents is that in the new age of technology they can contact you 24/7 and in the district I work in they do not hesitate to do that. Many schools now have a system in tact where grades are posted on line so parents can check, which then prompts more contact etc... Its a bad cycle. 1 assignment that the kid did poorly on, and you get an email. My district has a 96% to college (92% 4-year colleges). A new system needs to be put in place

Wow that is incredible! I would definitely not put up with that haha. I understand the position you are in and such but I guess maybe I am more of a hardliner since I was in the military. I have also had teachers like that in my past and learned quite a bit from that. I can't believe teachers can check the grades.

[AE14]

Wow that is incredible! I would definitely not put up with that haha. I understand the position you are in and such but I guess maybe I am more of a hardliner since I was in the military. I have also had teachers like that in my past and learned quite a bit from that. I can't believe teachers can check the grades.

I understand, but the sad thing is if you dont put up with it you are out and when that happens it is tough to stay in that career

the technology really is tough with the parents. The only benefit that I personally have is that I am part of a program that is ranked #1 in the world, so I am fortunate to have slight leway