Have we lost our common sense??

[Teddy B 17,252]

err.. am i supposed to?

Probably not, you're a bit less long in the tooth than I am.

It's from the Clint Eastwood movie "Every Which way But Loose" in 1978.

Edited May 9, 2013 by Teddy B

[decocker 7,198]

Schools and the school boards are just going bonkers.

I am sure lot of you guys must have seen the student lecturing the teacher about how to teach a class, where he is mad at the teacher as teacher was just handing out the packets instead of teaching in the class.

Few months back I heard a news story where some teacher had made it her full-time business building those packets and selling those packets to other teachers.

Just demonstrates the teachers capabilities to teach and handle students.

do you have kids in public school?

[decocker 7,198]

Probably not, you're a bit less long in the tooth than I am.

It's from the Clint Eastwood movie "Every Which way But Loose" in 1978.

never been big on eastwood.

[Teddy B 17,252]

never been big on eastwood.

Here's the clip that picture is from, it's pretty funny.

[decocker 7,198]

Here's the clip that picture is from, it's pretty funny.

seems the moral decay was manifested in some pretty old bullies, there..

[Teddy B 17,252]

seems the moral decay was manifested in some pretty old bullies, there..

The scurge that is moral decay.

[Harsh_77 718]

do you have kids in public school?

I don't

[decocker 7,198]

I don't

in my personal experience, the problems with elementary public school lie strictly in the testing requirements. teachers are more like babysitters attempting to get young children to memorize information to regurgitate for standardized tests. not all children, or even most (especially elementary aged) are good 'testers'. the skills required to test effectively are lacking more now than ever because we don't teach children how to think or problem solve for themselves. and this isn't the teacher's fault the majority of the time. my son's had some crappy teachers, but they were all trying really hard to work within a system that isn't very conducive to independant thinking.

[duraaraa 203]

Independent thinking is great, and all, but cooperation is more important. Kids don't learn to cooperate in American schools. They feel like rivals, rather than teammates, and that's a huge problem. I think it leads to people having a lack of loyalty as adults.

I should also mention that kids these days growing up with instant gratification, do not have patience and cannot concentrate well, largely. I noticed a huge difference when working in Mongolia with both rich and poor kids. The poor kids were entertained much more easily and were able to concentrate very well, while the rich kids would look for some excuse to pull out their iPhone.

Edited May 9, 2013 by duraaraa

[decocker 7,198]

Independent thinking is great, and all, but cooperation is more important. Kids don't learn to cooperate in American schools. They feel like rivals, rather than teammates, and that's a huge problem. I think it leads to people having a lack of loyalty as adults.

i haven't seen a lack of cooperation from kids or the rival bit

..independant thinking is very important to kids who don't memorize fact well, but instead need to understand the overall concept in order to recall information.

[duraaraa 203]

i haven't seen a lack of cooperation from kids or the rival bit

..independant thinking is very important to kids who don't memorize fact well, but instead need to understand the overall concept in order to recall information.

Independent thinking is very important, but having seen schools in Japan, we are really missing teamwork in this country. I'll try to explain what I mean, using Japan as an example of a country with great teamwork.

In Japan, the kids feel like a bad performance from them lets down their class. For example: Kid A and Kid B are in the same class in Japan. Kid B doesn't do his homework. Kid A feels ashamed. Kid A tells Kid B that he's let down the class and that he should do his homework next time. Kid B will probably do his homework next time.

In the U.S., let's play out the same scenario. Kid A does his homework, and Kid B doesn't. Kid A doesn't give a ####### whether or not Kid B did his homework, because he doesn't think of them as together in the same boat... if Kid A and Kid B are friends, he might care. If Kid A and Kid B are enemies, he might be happy.

The group mentality has a lot of benefits in the workforce as well. You get less petty arguing over individual matters of opinion, and a more group-oriented focus on results.

I don't disagree that kids need to be taught to catch fish rather than being given fish. I'm just saying, that we're missing other things which may have an even bigger effect on people's lives. Japan is a very safe country, in part because of this group mentality.

Edited May 9, 2013 by duraaraa

[decocker 7,198]

Independent thinking is very important, but having seen schools in Japan, we are really missing teamwork in this country. I'll try to explain what I mean, using Japan as an example of a country with great teamwork.

In Japan, the kids feel like a bad performance from them lets down their class. For example: Kid A and Kid B are in the same class in Japan. Kid B doesn't do his homework. Kid A feels ashamed. Kid A tells Kid B that he's let down the class and that he should do his homework next time. Kid B will probably do his homework next time.

In the U.S., let's play out the same scenario. Kid A does his homework, and Kid B doesn't. Kid A doesn't give a ####### whether or not Kid B did his homework, because he doesn't think of them as together in the same boat... if Kid A and Kid B are friends, he might care. If Kid A and Kid B are enemies, he might be happy.

The group mentality has a lot of benefits in the workforce as well. You get less petty arguing over individual matters of opinion, and a more group-oriented focus on results.

I don't disagree that kids need to be taught to catch fish rather than being given fish. I'm just saying, that we're missing other things which may have an even bigger effect on people's lives. Japan is a very safe country, in part because of this group mentality.

suicide is also much more acceptable in japan isn't it? i don't particularly care for the group mentality myself. probably because i'm surrounded by *sshats i'd rather not be bothered with (that goes for my school days too). individuality is important in america - that isn't going to change anytime soon.

[duraaraa 203]

suicide is also much more acceptable in japan isn't it? i don't particularly care for the group mentality myself. probably because i'm surrounded by *sshats i'd rather not be bothered with (that goes for my school days too). individuality is important in america - that isn't going to change anytime soon.

If you look at a school's baseball team in America, you will see the same type of group mentality we see in Japanese classrooms. If we had the same attitude in the classroom, I think the kids would feel more encouraged to perform well. Considering that the value of education is low in some families in the U.S., having pressure to do well from one's peers can make a huge difference. Luckily, both my fiancee and I value hard work and learning, so my step kids will have a lot of pressure to succeed, just as I did when I was growing up. Obviously, too much pressure can be a bad thing, too.

Suicide rates are high in Japan, yes. I think that is a cultural thing, though. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with suicide... if someone wants to die, let them. It might sound cold-hearted and whatnot, but that's really what I think... why force people to want to live?

The individuality in America is what makes America unique, and it's a wonderful thing. I believe very much in individuality, and I think it takes a strong person to stand up for what they feel. Of course, it's also a double-edged sword, because you get people who are SO individualized that they do crazy things and harm others.

Edited May 9, 2013 by duraaraa

[decocker 7,198]

If you look at a school's baseball team in America, you will see the same type of group mentality we see in Japanese classrooms. If we had the same attitude in the classroom, I think the kids would feel more encouraged to perform well. Considering that the value of education is low in some families in the U.S., having pressure to do well from one's peers can make a huge difference. Luckily, both my fiancee and I value hard work and learning, so my step kids will have a lot of pressure to succeed, just as I did when I was growing up. Obviously, too much pressure can be a bad thing, too.

i don't know of any elementary schools that have organized sports teams, and athletic teams in higher grades aren't what they used to be either, nor are they all inclusive. classrooms are comprised of many different learning types and economic backgrounds. expecting peer pressure to drive scholasitc achievement in the classroom in the same manner as it drives cooperation in team sports is a waste of time in america. if it works for japan, that's great. but like you said - the culture is very different.

[chaine1 116]

In short, administrators and teachers need to remember that THEY work for US, not the converse.

Forgive me, but having been a good and dedicated teacher for 5 years, this mentality is a small example of all that is wrong with US education.

Teachers and parents should work TOGETHER. I am not the hired help, working to do whatever a parent (or student) thinks is best. That would never work, because what one parent thinks is great, another will think is awful.

Everyone's got an opinion and thinks they are an expert about education because they went to school. Myself included. It wasn't until I started teaching (and then left) that I realized how difficult and intricate the system really is.

OMG today I just read in the paper where a little girl in 1st grade was suspended for a week and the school wants her enrolled in counsling for sex abuse! why you ask she was found to have a barbie and ken doll in a shoe box out on the playground befor school the teacher felt that the dolls in the box looked like they were having sex!! come on People get real ! and yet in one state the school was teaching 1st and 2nd and 3rd grade boys how to properly put on a condum and explaining what they are for ! so tell me have we lost our common sense or what? I know some of you have heard or read about things that just dont make any sense where schools,and such are making things out to be bigger problems then what they really are.

Is there a source for this?