Re: Only the Strong Survive

Hey Ben-I enjoyed reading your post especially since I care about this topic deeply. I think that above all the many, many problems our country faces, education should be at the top of our priorities. Yes, we need to focus on our fiscal crisis, our defense, and the border issues, but if we don't get our butts in gear with the abomination our education system has become, all the other issues will no longer matter because the United Sates will just be the country that used to be a major power. Developing countries are not just booming economically and technologically, but they put such an emphasis on education. Education is what will allow us to make the correct decisions for economics, defense, and foreign policies. If we allow all the other issues that are seemingly to be the top priority, then we are totally loosing sight on what truly matters. A student at a New York high school wrote the editor of the New York Times in response to an article that was published regarding the cuts school districts would be facing. They stated that a few weeks ago the principal announced that they would not be able to offer AP classes because they did not have the money. The student was understandably disappointed and felt betrayed by the system. They were a senior in high school and the year before they entered college, they wanted to take the challenging AP classes. The student wrote, “A year before college, I would love to pack in as many AP courses as possible. But come senior year, the opportunity just won’t be there. It seems ridiculous. We can spend billions on corporate bailouts, defense, you name it. Nothing, though, is a better investment than education. Give me the best possible education today — more AP classes, better teachers — and I will work to solve any conceivable problem tomorrow. I promise. We just need some cash, please.” This is an excellent example of what this issue of education is doing to those who want it and also shows the ramifications of this problem. If we cut education we are putting our country to a death sentence.

            I agree with you that we need to give these schools the money they need but I also think that we need to get the teachers out that are not doing their jobs. We need to make this profession one of higher pay and more prestige. Teachers are just as curtail to life as doctors. ALSO, schools need competition among each other. The strict school districts are allowing poor schools to stay around because they are guaranteed students. Make them compete and I am certain that we will see better results.

Re: to Sticks and Stones? Really?

Re: Sticks and Stones? Really?
I totally agree with you Janee'- I read a similar article on this and critiqued it on my blog. The ugly truth is that our constitutional rights can often hurt others. I cannot fathom why people would rationalize the deaths of the people who lay their life on the line on a daily basis for them. Our soldiers are the heros of the nation regardless of your opinions of war, homosexuals or whatever other issue someone could think of. Every death is for each one of us and when people cannot respect that it  makes me sick. I completely agree with you that the first amendment does protect the protestors. According to an opinion article in the NY Times, "The problem with punishing the protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church is that it would be un-American. When it comes to free speech, our country practices a kind of tough love." The American way is to at all costs uphold the constitution and our rights as citizens. Although in other countries such as France, who is considered "free", people can be punished if certain things are said.No matter how far we progress socially and as a society, the other ugly truth is people are never going to change. There will always be someone being oppressed and some group of people unhappy with something. I love every soldier that has ever served any length of time in the military and I try to make people more aware of what these silent heros do every day for every American citizen.

Ale Hoss said... I however would love for this to happen but considering the current financial crisis we are this may pose some difficulties. We first have some serious situations to our with our foreign nations and then we can consider domestic progressions. According to http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40814F83C5B13738DDDA10A94C405B838DF1D3 we need to control our spending and concentrate on the financial crisis in hand before we improve on the national transposition issueAle Hoss said... I however would love for this to happen but considering the current financial crisis we are this may pose some difficulties. We first have some serious situations to our with our foreign nations and then we can consider domestic progressions. According to http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40814F83C5B13738DDDA10A94C405B838DF1D3 we need to control our spending and concentrate on the financial crisis in hand before we improve on the national transposition issue

I however would love for this to happen but considering the current financial crisis we are this may pose some difficulties. We first have some serious situations to our with our foreign nations and then we can consider domestic progressions. According to New York Times  we need to control our spending and concentrate on the financial crisis in hand before we improve on the national transposition issue

A False Security and American Education

      In my opinion there are many issues of concern that the national government must change but I believe the most pressing issue today is our education system. As the leading country in the world we should be expected, and held acountable to produce the sharpest and most brilliant minds. Sadly, our students are well behind students of some developing countries around the world. It is a strange anomaly that many people in other counties want to come live in America because of the wonderful opportunity, yet still consider Americans to be “stupid”.  I noticed the idea in the previous sentence during my recent stay in The People’s Republic of China. The Chinese students I met were so highly educated in every subject with an emphasis in foreign languages. Every student knows at least three languages by the time they enter the university level, and his is a large advantage especially with the direction our world is heading.

      The entire idea of education in China is so structured and is based around disciplined. The students respect their teachers as if they were their parents, and their entire life is dedicated to their education. This discipline streams from their culture to have pride in their family name.  I understand that American society is not going, and should not adopt an entire new and strict culture, but there are some changes that must be made in order for Americans to keep up with the rest of the advancing world.

         First off, we need better teachers especially in the elementary and middle school levels. That is where students either make the cut or get left behind. If a student falls behind in these critical years, their chances for success in high school or college drastically drop. The government needs to set higher standards for schools to enforce. Let me be vary careful with how I portray this because I don’t want our education system to be a one size fits all, strict government run program. I think that the national government needs to set higher criteria for both students and teachers to meet and then the local schools can adjust accordingly to their individual needs.

         We need to make teaching an elite profession not just simply a job you can get after completing the necessary classes. We need to raise the pay and make competition in the profession, which will hopefully attract more qualified individuals. If a teacher is not bringing in successful students who are meeting the national regulations then they must be removed and replaced. The security of seniority should be eliminated and each year teachers should have to compete to keep their jobs just as they would in any other profession. If a doctor was not doing their job correctly, they would be fired, I don’t see why a teacher should be any different. They are just as important to the success of life as a doctor.

Moreover, I think that the public school system is a terrible institution that must be changed. Schools know that no matter how they perform, there will be students in their district that will have to attend their campus. I think that all schools should be privatized and have to compete for students to attend. This would take the low performance schools out of the picture and another higher performing school could then replace them.

Ultimately, Americans have a false security in their futures anf the future of our country. Other countries are well on their way to passing us up in the very near future. For the amount of resources and opportunities we have as a country, the level of our education is abysmal and a disgrace to our nation. We must break the trend of “the dumb American” and change our ignorant ways. This is a dangerous path and will certainly lead to the death of our county as we know it. If we continue on this path we will surely be the ones saying that we aspire to live in county x, y, or z because they are the new land of opportunity and education.