• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Are we getting what we need from education in America?

J

JoeEducation

With today's recession hitting us all hard, questions have arisen about the quality and value of education in America today – is it really translating to jobs? I'm conducting a poll, to be nationally published, on what actual Americans are thinking the value of higher education is to them. I'd like to hear from you in this quick one minute poll if you have a chance (your responses won't be tracked back to you at all). Thanks!

The Value of Education
 
JoeEducation said:
With today's recession hitting us all hard, questions have arisen about the quality and value of education in America today – is it really translating to jobs? I'm conducting a poll, to be nationally published, on what actual Americans are thinking the value of higher education is to them. I'd like to hear from you in this quick one minute poll if you have a chance (your responses won't be tracked back to you at all). Thanks!

The Value of Education
Click to expand...

No. Education during K-12 is nothing but a bunch of spoon fed idiots, who don't have the common sense, or basic intellect to actually apply anythign they learn in school. Because the entire education system is so padded up because of NCLB, Spiraling Math, etc. students can fail their way through their high school. Then, when they apply to college with a 4.0 GPA of which they remember zip, they fail.
 
No.

The problem, in my mind, is that too many educators have more interest in keeping their jobs than in educating students. At all levels.
 
The Mark said:
No.

The problem, in my mind, is that too many educators have more interest in keeping their jobs than in educating students. At all levels.
Click to expand...

And in college, they are too concerned with using their students to help them on their papers.
 
repeter said:
And in college, they are too concerned with using their students to help them on their papers.
Click to expand...

IMO, if you are correct, it is closely tied into keeping or improving their job/status among peers.

Perhaps I could have worded my statement better.
 
The Mark said:
An excellent and insightfull addition to the discussion, many thanks. :mrgreen:
Click to expand...

Sorry I had to get that out of my system, now I'll contribute to the conversation.

I think the problem with education is the following:

- Students aren't being motivated
- We have poor quality when it comes to teachers
- Not enough funding for some schools
- What is being taught
- The long gap in between school years with minimal work so students for got a lot of things
:twocents:
 
pro-bipartisan said:
Sorry I had to get that out of my system, now I'll contribute to the conversation.

I think the problem with education is the following:

- Students aren't being motivated
- We have poor quality when it comes to teachers
- Not enough funding for some schools
- What is being taught
- The long gap in between school years with minimal work so students for got a lot of things
:twocents:
Click to expand...

Personally, I would combine your 3rd and 4th points and modify them
- School funding is not high enough in the right places, and too high in the wrong places.
 
Wouldn't this be better for the Education forum?
 
pro-bipartisan said:
Wouldn't this be better for the Education forum?
Click to expand...

I don't know.

I thought the OP was going to add a poll, but perhaps it was just an attempt to drag people over to his poll outside DP?
 
The Mark said:
No.

The problem, in my mind, is that too many educators have more interest in keeping their jobs than in educating students. At all levels.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry, but that is crap. Of course teachers are interested in keeping their jobs, who isn't. Most teachers are doing that job because they want to in spite of the fact that they are underpaid, overworked and not respected.
 
Layla_Z said:
I'm sorry, but that is crap. Of course teachers are interested in keeping their jobs, who isn't. Most teachers are doing that job because they want to in spite of the fact that they are underpaid, overworked and not respected.
Click to expand...

No offense to the teacher, but they should leave the profession if they don't know what they are doing, or at least take some seminars....I hate teachers who don't know what they are doing.
 
repeter said:
No offense to the teacher, but they should leave the profession if they don't know what they are doing, or at least take some seminars....I hate teachers who don't know what they are doing.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry you've had a bad experience with a teacher.

I don't deny that there are bad teachers, just as there are bad doctors, bad lawyers, police officers, etc. However, to say that most teachers are not doing a good job is inaccurate. The news reports about all the bad teachers but we don't get to read about the vast majority of dedicated teachers who work long hours, spend their own money on classroom supplies, do all that they can to be what their students need them to be.
 
Layla_Z said:
I'm sorry you've had a bad experience with a teacher.

I don't deny that there are bad teachers, just as there are bad doctors, bad lawyers, police officers, etc. However, to say that most teachers are not doing a good job is inaccurate. The news reports about all the bad teachers but we don't get to read about the vast majority of dedicated teachers who work long hours, spend their own money on classroom supplies, do all that they can to be what their students need them to be.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've seen plenty of those too :). Just asking, are you in grade school? No, right?
 
Even though I personally am not a big fan of it, I think putting more pressure on the students to do better might collectively boost grades. Like the school system in China - every student really takes their work seriously. China had really been raising fine, focused, hardworking people for years. Of course, so is the Scandinavian countries, whose education systems are completely varying in terms of pressure put on the students...

So really, I guess I don't know. I know that we aren't getting what we need, and that there must be a method to fix this. I also know, however, that we are American, and the problem may lie in our unending need to complain and slack off (students, teachers, faculty, etc).
 
I'm sorry, but that is crap. Of course teachers are interested in keeping their jobs, who isn't. Most teachers are doing that job because they want to in spite of the fact that they are underpaid, overworked and not respected.
Click to expand...
Yet corporations are evil and greedy and are only in it for the money and their jobs. Right? Why can't you believe that there are teachers who only care about money and their jobs? Most corporations are doing that job because they want to. Public school teachers can make 75K a year if they teach long enough. That is hardly underpaid at all.
 
Lakryte said:
Yet corporations are evil and greedy and are only in it for the money and their jobs. Right? Why can't you believe that there are teachers who only care about money and their jobs? Most corporations are doing that job because they want to. Public school teachers can make 75K a year if they teach long enough. That is hardly underpaid at all.
Click to expand...

But the problem is it takes a lot for them to build their income up to that size, and once they get there, you get symptoms of the Principal-Agent problem. They start to lose the incentive to keep working and they start slacking off. It just happens, there is no way around it. I know a teacher at my old school, who used the same templates (quizes, HW Assign, tests, notes) for 10 years. Maybe it was because she found they worked (they sure as hell didn't work for me) or maybe it was because it made things easier for her (she wasn't exactly young). Either way, it really alienated plenty of students, while bringing allowing a format for stupid kids to catch up. So basically, she didn't help the kids who were going somewhere, and she just helped the stupid kids. That sort of thing just doesn't work, but its bound to happen when you leave a teacher in a comfy position in which he/she doesn't have as much of an incentive to work.
 
Layla_Z said:
I'm sorry you've had a bad experience with a teacher.

I don't deny that there are bad teachers, just as there are bad doctors, bad lawyers, police officers, etc. However, to say that most teachers are not doing a good job is inaccurate. The news reports about all the bad teachers but we don't get to read about the vast majority of dedicated teachers who work long hours, spend their own money on classroom supplies, do all that they can to be what their students need them to be.
Click to expand...

Yes, there are people that are bad at their occupation too but 50% of doctors, lawyers, and police officers aren't bad just as there are teachers.
 
pro-bipartisan said:
Sorry I had to get that out of my system, now I'll contribute to the conversation.

I think the problem with education is the following:

- Students aren't being motivatedIMO, they can be easily urged to do better...where are the parents.
- We have poor quality when it comes to teachersAn untrue generalized statement; but some teachers, students, parents, administrators should go...but who determines this ???
- Not enough funding for some schoolsMany "poor" schools
- What is being taught
- The long gap in between school years with minimal work so students for got a lot of things
:twocents:
Click to expand...
Of course education needs reform, costs will increase, the wealthy conservatives Republicans do not want this... all they seem to want is tax cuts... Maybe we should try this; what if RL and his RNC are right ?
Cut most, if not all of the social programs.
Return to the nineteenth century.
reduce the taxes to just 10% for all...
And see want ensues..
And this can be done with respecting states rights...that would be a new one.

The wife and I am on Social Security, about 6 to 7% of this goes to pay taxes..
 
Layla_Z said:
I'm sorry, but that is crap. Of course teachers are interested in keeping their jobs, who isn't. Most teachers are doing that job because they want to in spite of the fact that they are underpaid, overworked and not respected.
Click to expand...

Does anyone believe this ?
We need some teachers here to comment, not grade school pupils.
 
- Students aren't being motivated IMO, they can be easily urged to do better...where are the parents.- We have poor quality when it comes to teachers An untrue generalized statement; but some teachers, students, parents, administrators should go...but who determines this ???- Not enough funding for some schools Many "poor" schools
- What is being taught
- The long gap in between school years with minimal work so students for got a lot of things

1. Yes, I know.
2. How can you say it's an untrue generalized statement? How is what you say any truer than what I say?
3. Who determines if a school is poor or not?
 
earthworm said:
Does anyone believe this ?
We need some teachers here to comment, not grade school pupils.
Click to expand...

I am a teacher. I have been for 17 years. Was the grade school comment supposed to be some sort of insult?
 
Layla_Z said:
I'm sorry, but that is crap. Of course teachers are interested in keeping their jobs, who isn't. Most teachers are doing that job because they want to in spite of the fact that they are underpaid, overworked and not respected.
Click to expand...

I was not specifically targeting teachers. Thus, the "at all levels" part.

I was thinking of higher education as well.

However, there is something wrong with our public school system, IMO. Perhaps not in all areas, and perhaps not with even most teachers.

But SOMETHING is wrong.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom