Education in America
Return to TOPICS
Submitted anonymously on 12-21-2010
Education in America: from the Associated Press - 21 December 2010: Nearly one-fourth of the students who try to join the US Army fail its entrance exam, painting a grim picture of an education system that produces graduates who can't answer basic math, science and reading questions, according to a new study released Tuesday. The report by The Education Trust bolsters a growing worry among military and education leaders that the pool of young people qualified for military service will grow too small. The report by The Education Trust found that 23 percent of recent high school graduates don't get the minimum score needed on the enlistment test to join any branch of the military. Questions are often basic, such as : "If 2 plus X equals 4, what is the value of X?" The military exam results are also worrisome because the test is given to a limited pool of people. Pentagon data shows that 75% of those aged 17 to 24 don't even qualify to take the test because they are physically unfit, have a criminal record or didn't graduate high school.
Submitted anonymously on 9-30-2010
I do not know exactly who came up with the phrase The Lemon Dance. It may have been former senator Patrick Moynihan or businessman and author Michael Levine, who wrote the following,
"The endless transfer of incompetent workers rather than their outright dismissal represents a choreographed farce known as The Lemon Dance."
Every summer before the beginning of a new school year, public school districts across the country take on the job of distributing incompetent teachers among the schools so that one school doesn't have more than their share. Teachers are protected and tenured by their unions. In the United States, 1 in 27 lawyers lose their license, 1 in 52 doctors lose their license and 1 in 2500 teachers lose their certification each year. There are excellent teachers who affect and change the lives of their students. We all remember our favorite teachers. They have a union for the same reason that many workers have unions. Read "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair. It was the genesis of the labor union movement in the Chicago meat packing houses, where abuse of workers was horrific. Like many governments, movements, organizations, etc, labor unions can and have morphed into something else. A young child may lose a year of learning to read because of an incompetent teacher. In our society we have little value for the very young and the very old. They are the poorest and most neglected among us. We cannot have a great country without great public schools.
Submitted anonymously on 9-29-2010
Next month a documentary film, Waiting for Superman, will be in local theaters. This film has started discussions on network and cable televison about the poor state of public education in this country. I encourage everyone to see the film, volunteer in your local schools and talk to your children and grandchildren about what they are doing at school and start your own exchange with family and friends about education.
When I brought up the subject yesterday with a neighbor, I heard the following story :
My neighbor is a 50 year old professional woman, who is unmarried and childless. However, she has an 11 year old niece, to whom, she is very good and generous. The niece has just started middle school in southern Indiana. She told her Aunt that her math teacher is weird. During class, he clips his toenails. My neighbor did not believe her niece because she could not imagine that the story could be true. Of course it's true. We can't make up "stuff" like this. Apparently, there were complaints and the school administation was keeping an eye on the teacher. Late last week, when he removed his shoes and socks in preparation for his pedicure, the assistant principal entered the classroom and escorted the barefoot teacher away.
This is just one story. It is not a criticism of teachers in general. My 13 year old granddaughter is a middle school student in an advanced program in Louisville, Kentucky. Her English teacher, who is new to the school this year, has constantly harrassed his students. He has said things like, "Are you people retarded?" This is inexcusable behavior from anyone, especially a teacher. Beginning next week, I will go to the school each day, sign in at the office and sit in the English class. My granddaughter probably won't like it, but it is my right as a citizen to know how any class in any school is conducted. I used the flexibility of shift work to sit in on classes when my children were in school. Children learn what they live. Don't let some poor excuse for a teacher be the only example for your children. Go to school, sit quietly and pay attention. Let the students and the teachers know that we care about education.
Back to Top