Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Scoops Novel]

Whats the state of it, how could it be improved, what are the thoughts of those within the profession and what are your own experiences?

[darkrider2]

I want recess back. :p

[MonkeyHead]

PTF, out of professional duty. Though my own rant can be saved for a later date.

[i2amroy]

I want recess back. :p

And nap time.

As for education in the U.S. goes, right now I think there are two major things that are lacking in the US.
1)Gifted Programs. Not necessarily high placement, but things for the smarter kids (Not the high achievers, I'm not talking about the kids that study 8 hours a day to get their A's. I'm talking about the kids that don't study at all, sit down to the test, and get A's and B's nonetheless.) Right now with the whole "No child left behind" thing has caused schools all across the country to cut their gifted programs in favor of remedial ones. We are no longer teaching to the top of the class, but instead are trying to bring the bottom up at the price of ignoring the top. Since they passed that the amount of intelligent people and overachievers that aren't going on to higher levels has increased by a fair amount, so we need to bring back more of the higher end programs.

2)Support of the fine arts programs. Many studies have shown that being a musician improves your performance in all areas of life, from reading, writing, math, socially, and just about everything else. As a matter of fact some 80% (don't quite remember the number here, but it was a significant portion) of people making over $100,000 dollars a year were musicians and define themselves as such. Yet still across the country we see program after program of music and the other fine arts suffer in school districts, either due to a lack of funds or due to pushing remedial programs for kids instead of putting them in music (which has shown greater average raises in level then many remedial programs). Music programs especially show the benefits from the fine arts, and really having at least one years worth of music credit should be a requirement for both the junior high and high school levels. After all we send our elementary kids to music class, why don't we send our upper levels?

[magic_gambit]

I always wonder about this, ever since I got out of school. I think that taking politicians out of the equation could really help. In most U.S. cities, politicians run the local school boards. And if it isn't politicians, it's people appointed by politicians

[Lightningfalcon]

Last year the valedictorian at our school gave an EPIC speech about how bad today's education system was at graduation.  Many of the teachers at our school were grinning while the administrative people were panicking. 
And where I live we are required to have at least one fine arts credit, but you can do things like take art history and musical appreciation to get around that.  So there are some requirements in that.

[Graknorke]

1)Gifted Programs. Not necessarily high placement, but things for the smarter kids (Not the high achievers, I'm not talking about the kids that study 8 hours a day to get their A's. I'm talking about the kids that don't study at all, sit down to the test, and get A's and B's nonetheless.) Right now with the whole "No child left behind" thing has caused schools all across the country to cut their gifted programs in favor of remedial ones. We are no longer teaching to the top of the class, but instead are trying to bring the bottom up at the price of ignoring the top. Since they passed that the amount of intelligent people and overachievers that aren't going on to higher levels has increased by a fair amount, so we need to bring back more of the higher end programs.

I think I got put in one of those once I think, when I was about 8. There were only three people in it though, and it only lasted a year. Which was unfortunate. I remember that we did Dinosaurs and Gallileo and then did a big project on each. I didn't learn much from the dinosaurs because I already knew all that, but the space stuff I didn't know before, and I remembered it because we had to put on a performance to prove it.
And the point of my rambling is that they were pretty cool and should be a thing, if they're not a thing.
This rambled too much and I'm only posting because I'd have wasted my time otherwise.

[Hiiri]

As for education in the U.S. goes, right now I think there are two major things that are lacking in the US.
1)Gifted Programs. Not necessarily high placement, but things for the smarter kids (Not the high achievers, I'm not talking about the kids that study 8 hours a day to get their A's. I'm talking about the kids that don't study at all, sit down to the test, and get A's and B's nonetheless.) Right now with the whole "No child left behind" thing has caused schools all across the country to cut their gifted programs in favor of remedial ones. We are no longer teaching to the top of the class, but instead are trying to bring the bottom up at the price of ignoring the top. Since they passed that the amount of intelligent people and overachievers that aren't going on to higher levels has increased by a fair amount, so we need to bring back more of the higher end programs.

Would you rather educate ten idiots or one gifted person? Considering they're all voters, I think it's more important to educate the masses than the elite.

Ps. I assume this thread is US-only?

[Scoops Novel]

Improving it outside of the first world might be an idea.

[Caz]

They removed recess in America? Wut. I remember reading that people can only concentrate fully for maybe 30 mins at a time and beyond that it's more effective to have 5-10 min breaks that results in more being learned/produced than if you worked the whole time.

[freeformschooler]

They removed recess in America? Wut. I remember reading that people can only concentrate fully for maybe 30 mins at a time and beyond that it's more effective to have 5-10 min breaks that results in more being learned/produced than if you worked the whole time.

Blame NCLB. I'm not sure it's out in all schools, but I know there aren't any around here except a private one that have it.

[Levi]

Education could use more practical stuff.  Like finance and nutrition.

And frankly a lot of math should probably be an elective.  So much of it seemed so pointless when I was in school because you couldn't see what it was used for, and the teachers never even try to tell you what its for.  Trying to remember something that you can't see a reason for was really hard for me.  They could just teach more applied math in physics and computer science classes instead.

I also think most of the science classes should be non-elective.  I managed to get through high school only taking one science class, which seems ridiculous.

Some sort of finance class should also be mandatory.  A lot of people don't even know the basics of investing, taxes and debt.  I sure didn't went I left high school.

[Lightningfalcon]

The main thing that they should teach less of is English.  After English 1 and 2, is does start getting VERY repetitive, and the uses for it start going down.  As for science classes, we the only one we are required to take is Biology 1, because that's what the end of course test is in.  You are still required to take at least three classes thou.
But yes, the modern education system teaches you a lot of things you don't need to know, and few of the things you will need to know.  And then you won't be able to take the classes you WILL need because you're busy taking classes you don't.
I remember having recess in elementary school.  Now all we get is a 25 minute lunch break where we are restricted to a small courtyard and the cafeteria.  And if you have a free period that you don't have classes in you get a 60 minute study hall period where you sit in a small classroom.
Also at our school the "Gifted and Talented" program is done through the English classes, and is just harder, not more challenging.  You get 75 vocabulary words you have to memorize per week instead of 25, you have three days to write your essay, not ten. 

[misko27]

Improving it outside of the first world might be an idea.

I'll just send all education funds to Africa then./joke
 

As for education in the U.S. goes, right now I think there are two major things that are lacking in the US.
1)Gifted Programs. Not necessarily high placement, but things for the smarter kids (Not the high achievers, I'm not talking about the kids that study 8 hours a day to get their A's. I'm talking about the kids that don't study at all, sit down to the test, and get A's and B's nonetheless.) Right now with the whole "No child left behind" thing has caused schools all across the country to cut their gifted programs in favor of remedial ones. We are no longer teaching to the top of the class, but instead are trying to bring the bottom up at the price of ignoring the top. Since they passed that the amount of intelligent people and overachievers that aren't going on to higher levels has increased by a fair amount, so we need to bring back more of the higher end programs.

Would you rather educate ten idiots or one gifted person? Considering they're all voters, I think it's more important to educate the masses than the elite.

Ps. I assume this thread is US-only?

I'm in favor of it, because you're losing peole who would go on to invent the cure for cancer or somethign just because they are in a Public school without access to the Sort of Private School Help that would get them somewhere.

Also, I'm biased because I'm in one of them.

[varnish]

I would like to see more opportunities for people in high school or even lower to take trade classes. When I was in high school, (ten years and more ago) the school I attended had an auto program, a graphic design program, and culinary arts. All of those have since been dropped, along with most arts electives. They were popular programs, but they didn't fit in with the direction the state wanted to go. A lot of schools that I know of have dropped skilled trades.