[Jake]

I've only had one "good" teacher before...

[Elvenblader]

Thing of it is, it all changes when you get to college. (Around here at least.) In my classes, I'm stuck with the {expletive ninja'd by Cspace}tards who only care about making the teacher mad. Because -they're- not paying for it. Their parents put them there. But once you reach college, you're either paying out your {expletive antidisestablishmentarianized by Cspace}, or you have a scholarship that you have to work to keep paying for you. Slip up, they kick you to the curb.

In response to you, Elvenblader, take this example.

When my father got out of highschool, he attended college. He didn't do so well on the college level and dropped out repeatedly. (I say repeatedly because he went back four times.) After the fourth time, he finally quit and went to work for my granddad (Mothers dad.) After a few years of working in the ground with pipes and stuff in a water business, he worked his way up and took ownership of it. Around this area, it was quite a successful business.

Now then. Remember that this is a man who dropped out of college. It gets better.

He has repeatedly gone against the local police jury because of... "stupid" decisions they make. You talk about slaves of society? It's these people. They'll take options that are cheap now and damaging in the long run, other than take steps that cost a bit now, but will greatly improve things in the future. Because it costs less. He ran for head of the police jury twice, but lost both times because his ideas were too.. 'difficult' I suppose. People in this town were too lazy to do anything.

Finally, someone took note and started working out ideas he had. They're in progress right now.

Another thing. He took a risk and opened his own business which is what he's owned and run by himself for over seven years.

All from a fellow who dropped out of college, but does his best to try and work for society. He is the farthest thing from a drone I know.

I am glad that your father took chances and tried to bring changes into the world. I will retract my opinion that America's school system is messed up. Even though this guy possibly speaks clearly and his article is well written out, he is only looking at one side of the coin. I'm one of the lucky ones that had teachers, counselors and a loving parents that cared about my education and well being. If it wasn't for them I would not be here to advocate the truth that America's School System is not as bad as it seems. But also at the same time, there are many more things that our generation must do if we want to bring change to our system. Even if I am viewed as a drone of society, I am an individual with my own thoughts and ideas. My idea of bringing change to the system is working on from the inside.

Moving on though, in my opinion. The current generation of politicians are very foresighted. Rather than think for the future, they plan for the short term and let the long term come back and bite the public in the tail later on. Our children and children's children are the greatest resource we have. We should not let their minds go to waste because it would cost a little more now to ensure that they can get a top rated education.

My high school prepared me pretty well for college. That is probably because most of the time, I asked why instead of what. Any retard can google/wiki some random fact. It takes a brain to understand why things happen.

Heh, I'll agree to that. I was taught not to just understand how and why, but try to gain a deeper understanding of things.

[Bespetna]

Man, I wish all my teachers were lazy and just chilled out and had fun with us while teaching. Then they would just give us some easy test and add a bunch of extra credit points to it. Man I dont understand why teachers make my life so freakin hard.

Well, that and Mexicans who act black. Those kids are fags.

[Res]

Very seldom can having something being taught to you be fun. And by the process of having tests, you prove that you actually aquire knowledge from the class.

Life isn't hard. If you pay attention.

[Bobette]

It's more regurgitation rather than actual learning that goes on, it seems. In my area, at least, being on the honor roll does not equal intelligence, but either good memorization skills or the ability to cheat without being caught. Or having money enough to bribe teachers.

I personally could not stand the public school system, whether it be in an upper middle-class school system or in a poor and neglected urban school system, and had myself removed only months ago. While I wouldn't say it was the best time to leave, not only was school negatively affecting me mentally, it was also getting in the way of my hobbies and self-teaching.
The school does not cater to those who think different, and everything is standardized.
I've gotten high scores on silly standardized tests, and stressed myself to the point of little eating or sleep, but I still doubt that I've learned much valuable information during my time in the public school system. Private school was little different; smaller, and payed a bit more attention to each individual student, but followed the same useless curriculum, forwarded by one year.
I do honestly believe that the most valuable information, the most well understood and most often utilized, was learned not from my classes, but from reading on my own and learning teachers in the family (who, by the way, agree that American schools are way below what they should be in quality).

[Neraphym]

School: 15%
Parents: 5%
History/Discovery/Science Channel: 25%
Internets: 50%
Other: 5%

I do a lot of reading, but it's mostly on a computer screen, and not a book. I barely read any books, actually. I'd say a lot also comes from talking with educated people and having deep intellectual conversations with adults. I feel like school has been holding me back my whole life. I bet I could have graduated college by now if I could have gone at my own pace.

[Aaron]

School: 15%
Parents: 5%
History/Discovery/Science Channel: 25%
Internets: 50%
Other: 5%

I do a lot of reading, but it's mostly on a computer screen, and not a book. I barely read any books, actually. I'd say a lot also comes from talking with educated people and having deep intellectual conversations with adults. I feel like school has been holding me back my whole life. I bet I could have graduated college by now if I could have gone at my own pace.

Alpha has spoken for me almost perfectly.

[Jake]

School: 15%
Parents: 5%
History/Discovery/Science Channel: 25%
Internets: 50%
Other: 5%

I do a lot of reading, but it's mostly on a computer screen, and not a book. I barely read any books, actually. I'd say a lot also comes from talking with educated people and having deep intellectual conversations with adults. I feel like school has been holding me back my whole life. I bet I could have graduated college by now if I could have gone at my own pace.

Alpha has spoken for me almost perfectly.

Ditto.

The school does not cater to those who think different, and everything is standardized.

Society The Govt. doesn't need doesn't want cannot exist with when the majority of people are free thinkers.

[Elvenblader]

I'd love to have an intelligent conversation with you Alpha. It would be kinda interesting to see. There was a sign in my old gym class that said that learn 10% from what you heard, 25% of what you learn you read, and 65% of what you learn you teach.

[Neraphym]

The best way to learn something is to teach it.

[Rohtaren]

i hate my school system because of the amount of taxpayer dollars it wastes. for instance, i think my school system spent or spends hundreds of dollars on the internet for us to use, and it never works... plus they put a filter in that blocks pretty much every website that could be anywhere near useful, so the kids that find the universal password for it so that they can actually do something useful get banned from the school's internet use. and the textbooks! especially in spanish... they say they spend 70 to 100 dollars per book for a book that DOESN'T HAVE ANY USEFUL INFROMATION. Most of the other textbooks aren't that bad though... its only in spanish. our library has thousands of toddler books. our computers (which probably cost somewhere around 1000 dollars per set) don't work, they are constantly having to be upgraded, the upgrades don't work, so i can't email myself a file so i can work on it at home. plus they get thrown out every couple years because of a regulation that says we have to replace computers of a certain age. we repeated the american revolution in history for 6 stinkin' years... american history isn't about america. we have crazy, stupid, evil, etc. teachers. the prinicple takes away all responsibility and says we have to earn our right to sit where we want at lunch... I HAD MORE RESPONIBILITY IN 4TH GRADE THAN I DO NOW!!!! our vice principle is an idiot... and my grade gets lectured pretty much every day about how we "aren't quiet or respectful" and everyone gets punished for the wrongdoings of the select few. the students who always act stupid are rewarded straight A's, and the ones who actually act smart and are don't. when the school board decided they needed to build a new school, they tore up a brand nw tenis court they just spent millions on just to build a new school that is WORTHLESS!!!

not to mention most of the students at my school are jerks and retards.





sorry about the rant, i've been wanting to say that for a very long time, and to the face of the school board, but i know i would get in serious trouble for it.

[Kaezion]

i've found 2 spelling mistakes in a single paragraph, and that does not bode well for whatever credibility the author has.

i don't really care much for the system. if i can learn what i want, and if i can get where i want, then i'm fine. and i think the education system does that pretty well - it's just the extra baggage that tends to bother people.

btw, it's "eclectic" and "curricula"

[Neraphym]

But... spelling mistakes in a paragraph bashing an education system could also show how it failed him. Actually, I've given up on spelling. Microsoft Word has spellcheck, and that is good enough for me. Just learn the homonyms, homophones, and other misuses of the english language, and computers will take care of the rest. I heard from my english teacher the other day that the english language is the only language in which we can have truly competitive spelling bees. All the other languages are very easy to spell in. Then again, those little tsu's in japanese always throw me off on tests...

[Rohtaren]

i've found 2 spelling mistakes in a single paragraph, and that does not bode well for whatever credibility the author has.

i don't really care much for the system. if i can learn what i want, and if i can get where i want, then i'm fine. and i think the education system does that pretty well - it's just the extra baggage that tends to bother people.

btw, it's "eclectic" and "curricula"

that was in my paragraph wasn't it?

i was in a hurry and usually don't make that many spelling mistakes, if i made any. I've had excellent english teachers, i just hate the school system.

ps. when i had spelling tests... which was a few years ago, i would just about always ace them. rarely would i ever miss a word.

[©allum]

I heard from my english teacher the other day that the english language is the only language in which we can have truly competitive spelling bees. All the other languages are very easy to spell in. Then again, those little tsu's in japanese always throw me off on tests...

And lots of other languages aren't standardised and there's many different dialects etc. Spelling bees are for parents to prove how smart their children are, not for the children.