Quality of Education
Today its all about Education I would like to invite all who read this to share all their opinions. This about learning. So teach me why this is such a negative aspect of America.
Not personal blogging today. JUST questioning the American Educational System.
My sister just as in LAST WEEK graduated from Casper College. Congrats to her!!!
But you know she doesnt feel better, she doesnt feel like she succeeded in something to make her american life better. DO you know why? Because in several of the classes she did the teaching.
Brief explanation-- Casper College offers online classes because they have very very limited offering of class times for anyone who isnt 19 years old and have a life to attend classes 9-3. ( I m a bit bitter about that myself.) ANYWHOOO the answer becomes the online classes.
Heres the deal. You sign in, the teacher has weekly assignments which can include chat groups or just email between students and teacher. There is also the teacher who puts up 26 tests that have green time boxes that you have to make sure you take and pass at 80% in order to go on. You buy the book you take the test, bingo you are a clinical psychologist.
Then there is the teacher that decides to set up partner learning and you get partnered with some random person and you are suppose to discuss the economic basis of KAZATSTAN. and Saturday night at 6:00 come to the chat room with your partner to discuss you findings. You meet your partner who immediately says I am not good at geology, I dont know where Kazatstan is. You cant help but say...Its a new country, it probably wasnt on the last map you saw which was in 7th grade. ( Am I bitter? not really. )
When you divide the assignment workload and then ask to meet again on Wednesday she says sure. You come in on Wednesday ready to get this thing done because you still have 3 loads of laundry to get done and tomorrow is a tax audit for your boss and she says she didnt get to it because she was so tired. Volleyball practice and a friendly drinking game called quarters kept her out all night. You realize you are of an age that you dont want to mother YET ANOTHER child,
Thats really the age old educational stupidity trick called peer teaching, it a teaching cop out which is "I can t teach this so let someone else do it." Or in the rational of NCLB, there are many ways to learn and teacher delivery isnt always the way to reach students. CRAP CRAP CRAP!!! You do all the work, jerk that is skating through the class continues to skate, he will get the best grade in his whole F********** life because you ( BORN AN RAISED WITH WORK ETHIC) will do an amazing job. Teacher effort ---priceless. or should I say worthless.
and wonder what has this got to do with college. IT has everything to do with it.
You go back with enthusiasm of learning, growing and meeting a community of people with not necessarily like minds but perhaps fresh minds that friendships will be based on. You are tired of jobs that you see the guy who uses his bachelors degree in communications start at Step K-13 on the pay scale, while you with your high school honors degree from long ago will start at minium wage until you can prove or "learn" the system. You just want to be self supporting. Not to live the wild American dream, just to live well enough to be self sufficient and not have to compete with the cats for food each night. LIFE LONG LEARNING thats the key. You think wow I have time now, no kids, I was good student I can do it. ---------Yes ma'am and for only 115$ a credit hour ( instate tuition) you too can get an Associates degree with only 12,000$ because we are going to change your requirements every two years so that those classes you were only able to get in Spring 99 will not longer "TRANSFER" to our house of higher learning.
Lets open it up about Pay scale--Whats the price of money these days?
Kristofer has high school education ---career started at 17worked hard through every hoop set in front of him. 10 years experience in the job. Yearly wage ??
Brian hasnt completed college degree but is brilliant writer ---career for last 2 years with overtime is enough to travel Europe once a year.
Dan--all the right things--college earned by high school achievement and some student loans--now works at university--deans wages?? probably not I doubt he is umpiring summer games for his fun and enjoyment ( although Dan we all know you would do it without pay. but thats another code of ethics we are not talking about)
Tamara ---college education--student loaned all of it --- now working in the business of her dreams, but not using the college knowledge she worked so hard to have unbeatable, unmeasurable ambition is what promotes her with her field She has worked 2 jobs since she entered the work force at 16. ( Another Blog should follow this. All of you, men should do something about this injustice of equal wages for equal work it has gone on too long and change must come from within you. --Will she ever earn the same wages as husband or friends?
Cathy---Associates degree, no bonus at work for earning a degree,she has some minimal college loans---5 years in a job not related to any field she is interested in but makes a living wage for her and cat family.
Will Cathy go on to higher education? Probably not. Why Not because of what you think. She is burned out. Burned out in a way that all of America is. Its a kind of tiredness that comes with constantly battling a system. Its a system of jumping through hoops, dog and pony shows, doing what the teacher wants instead of what you know is right. Being graded at the teachers disgression, Reading a book and answering questions that were written without the proper punctuation let alone proper grammar by a college professor. Politically, its about college opportunities hindging on Saturdays game against a top ranked team. More exposure on the court/field earns more dollars in the deans budget. Its all the reasons why America will never be ranked anything but 196th in education. I told this as Cathy's story but I was using my own frustration because Cathy and I traveled the same road, sometimes side by side. You will ask me if South Carolina is any better. I looked up the stats... USC raised its ranking up to 52 in Kiplingers best colleges. Clemson was rated number 1 in 2001 in architecture. ( It says nothing about the rest of the curriculm. ) I dont have accurate enough information to make a educated statement about South Carolina education so I wont. I do know they do compete with Wyoming in worst public school ranking. We battle for 48 and 49th right before California. I know UW and Citadel have battled on the football field. UW and Clemson will never compete against each other.
Please remember also these college rankings are based on VERY divserse information. One of the accrediation points was how much public service the student body did. Presybe College won that one and is ranked in top 15 best colleges in USA. Every ranking book has different criteria.
APPLES AN ORANgatans as far as I am concerns. No I didnt spell oranges wrong.I was trying to be funny.
Why isnt college free????????? Why???????
My final statement and the one I wish someone could prove me wrong on, is a very simple one. I wish for the graduating high school seniors of Wyoming, that they would pursue academia in any college in the world outside of the UNIVERSITY. Here is why ---Three simple words that have ruined and broken too many lives -Office of Student Records. Need I say more?? I wasnt even trying to be funny, but I bet Brian Van Hise is saying, " Preach on sister!!"
Not personal blogging today. JUST questioning the American Educational System.
My sister just as in LAST WEEK graduated from Casper College. Congrats to her!!!But you know she doesnt feel better, she doesnt feel like she succeeded in something to make her american life better. DO you know why? Because in several of the classes she did the teaching.
Brief explanation-- Casper College offers online classes because they have very very limited offering of class times for anyone who isnt 19 years old and have a life to attend classes 9-3. ( I m a bit bitter about that myself.) ANYWHOOO the answer becomes the online classes.
Heres the deal. You sign in, the teacher has weekly assignments which can include chat groups or just email between students and teacher. There is also the teacher who puts up 26 tests that have green time boxes that you have to make sure you take and pass at 80% in order to go on. You buy the book you take the test, bingo you are a clinical psychologist.
Then there is the teacher that decides to set up partner learning and you get partnered with some random person and you are suppose to discuss the economic basis of KAZATSTAN. and Saturday night at 6:00 come to the chat room with your partner to discuss you findings. You meet your partner who immediately says I am not good at geology, I dont know where Kazatstan is. You cant help but say...Its a new country, it probably wasnt on the last map you saw which was in 7th grade. ( Am I bitter? not really. )
When you divide the assignment workload and then ask to meet again on Wednesday she says sure. You come in on Wednesday ready to get this thing done because you still have 3 loads of laundry to get done and tomorrow is a tax audit for your boss and she says she didnt get to it because she was so tired. Volleyball practice and a friendly drinking game called quarters kept her out all night. You realize you are of an age that you dont want to mother YET ANOTHER child,
Thats really the age old educational stupidity trick called peer teaching, it a teaching cop out which is "I can t teach this so let someone else do it." Or in the rational of NCLB, there are many ways to learn and teacher delivery isnt always the way to reach students. CRAP CRAP CRAP!!! You do all the work, jerk that is skating through the class continues to skate, he will get the best grade in his whole F********** life because you ( BORN AN RAISED WITH WORK ETHIC) will do an amazing job. Teacher effort ---priceless. or should I say worthless.
and wonder what has this got to do with college. IT has everything to do with it.
You go back with enthusiasm of learning, growing and meeting a community of people with not necessarily like minds but perhaps fresh minds that friendships will be based on. You are tired of jobs that you see the guy who uses his bachelors degree in communications start at Step K-13 on the pay scale, while you with your high school honors degree from long ago will start at minium wage until you can prove or "learn" the system. You just want to be self supporting. Not to live the wild American dream, just to live well enough to be self sufficient and not have to compete with the cats for food each night. LIFE LONG LEARNING thats the key. You think wow I have time now, no kids, I was good student I can do it. ---------Yes ma'am and for only 115$ a credit hour ( instate tuition) you too can get an Associates degree with only 12,000$ because we are going to change your requirements every two years so that those classes you were only able to get in Spring 99 will not longer "TRANSFER" to our house of higher learning.
Lets open it up about Pay scale--Whats the price of money these days?
Kristofer has high school education ---career started at 17worked hard through every hoop set in front of him. 10 years experience in the job. Yearly wage ??
Brian hasnt completed college degree but is brilliant writer ---career for last 2 years with overtime is enough to travel Europe once a year.
Dan--all the right things--college earned by high school achievement and some student loans--now works at university--deans wages?? probably not I doubt he is umpiring summer games for his fun and enjoyment ( although Dan we all know you would do it without pay. but thats another code of ethics we are not talking about)
Tamara ---college education--student loaned all of it --- now working in the business of her dreams, but not using the college knowledge she worked so hard to have unbeatable, unmeasurable ambition is what promotes her with her field She has worked 2 jobs since she entered the work force at 16. ( Another Blog should follow this. All of you, men should do something about this injustice of equal wages for equal work it has gone on too long and change must come from within you. --Will she ever earn the same wages as husband or friends?
Cathy---Associates degree, no bonus at work for earning a degree,she has some minimal college loans---5 years in a job not related to any field she is interested in but makes a living wage for her and cat family.
Will Cathy go on to higher education? Probably not. Why Not because of what you think. She is burned out. Burned out in a way that all of America is. Its a kind of tiredness that comes with constantly battling a system. Its a system of jumping through hoops, dog and pony shows, doing what the teacher wants instead of what you know is right. Being graded at the teachers disgression, Reading a book and answering questions that were written without the proper punctuation let alone proper grammar by a college professor. Politically, its about college opportunities hindging on Saturdays game against a top ranked team. More exposure on the court/field earns more dollars in the deans budget. Its all the reasons why America will never be ranked anything but 196th in education. I told this as Cathy's story but I was using my own frustration because Cathy and I traveled the same road, sometimes side by side. You will ask me if South Carolina is any better. I looked up the stats... USC raised its ranking up to 52 in Kiplingers best colleges. Clemson was rated number 1 in 2001 in architecture. ( It says nothing about the rest of the curriculm. ) I dont have accurate enough information to make a educated statement about South Carolina education so I wont. I do know they do compete with Wyoming in worst public school ranking. We battle for 48 and 49th right before California. I know UW and Citadel have battled on the football field. UW and Clemson will never compete against each other.
Please remember also these college rankings are based on VERY divserse information. One of the accrediation points was how much public service the student body did. Presybe College won that one and is ranked in top 15 best colleges in USA. Every ranking book has different criteria.
APPLES AN ORANgatans as far as I am concerns. No I didnt spell oranges wrong.I was trying to be funny.
Why isnt college free????????? Why???????
My final statement and the one I wish someone could prove me wrong on, is a very simple one. I wish for the graduating high school seniors of Wyoming, that they would pursue academia in any college in the world outside of the UNIVERSITY. Here is why ---Three simple words that have ruined and broken too many lives -Office of Student Records. Need I say more?? I wasnt even trying to be funny, but I bet Brian Van Hise is saying, " Preach on sister!!"
It's so funny you mention this. We finally got everything out of storage and Tamara has box after box of old college stuff. Papers, collages, books. She feels like shit because she is now looking at all of this hard work, and she wants to keep it to prove how hard she worked for that piece of paper. But why keep it? It's not something that anyone will look at. She can't sell the books on ebay because every 2 years someone comes out with another bullshit 60 dollar book that is required to be purchased for 3 months of use.
You're right. It's all bullshit. And it sure as hell wasn't cheap. I'm too mad to keep writing, but I hope everyone reads this and comments.
Posted by
Brokenmandible |
5/28/2006 12:21 AM
Hi ... I clicked over from Kris' blog so I hope I'm not intruding. :)
The educational system has a few gems but is overall a huge money racket. I too have loads of books that I couldn't sell back beause a new edition came out (particularly sociology books). I saved some of my best papers ... just to prove I did work on a paper on Topic X. I have barely dented my student loans in the past 6 years ... and I have made payments since the "grace period" was up. It's a joke! All my projects were about jumping out of helicopters because I was always partnered with the ROTC kids ... the ones who picked video production as a joke major because they were going to (you guessed it) fly helicopters when they graduated. That's what I get for being the pregnant kid in class. HA!
But it's also helped me keep going in my career. I feel fortuante (lucky?) to have a major that applied on some level to my job. I'm still at the bottom of the barrel, but I'm also still in my 20s ... focusing on my family more than my career ladder ... keeping things in perspective.
My husband is a brilliant writer with a degree also, but he's not using it (other than to grimace at his fellow employees' poor grammar, spelling and punctuation).
If college was free, would even more kids take it for granted? I don't know. My friend just now started college and I think it's doing him wonders ... much more and much farther than just putting his nose to the grindstone. He actually seems happy and to have a focus in his life. He's persuing information that he wants.
I think it comes down to parents and what you teach your kids. Is learning something new every day important or just showing up and faking it? I've been working (sometimes 2 and 3 jobs) since I was 15 - I don't know very many people who have the kind of work ethic Kris and I have. Far too many kids these days are just not taught to work hard, build character, and the rewards will follow.
Posted by
Anonymous |
6/01/2006 12:45 AM
as far as texbooks go, this is the biggest scam. but for a lot of the students i see, college is effectively free for them (due to parents or something like that) and they don't give a rat's ass. i worry about giving them even less of a reason to give a shit.
i think teaching an on-line class would be hell. all the work, none of the fun.
and thanks for the kind words...
Posted by
Anonymous |
6/01/2006 5:55 PM
Here's my story: I went to law school and earned my Doctorate. Passed the bar exam and got my license. Had the job I always wanted until the new hire Director dicided I wasn't going to let her buldoze the program that meant so much to the community and so I was fired. Since I was canned, I have been continually applying for any job that is semi interesting and isn't at a fast food place. I haven't gotten ONE call back, not one, not even for an interview. And the explanation I get from my hubby is that I must be overqualified. Come on! I thought this degree was to help me get work, not hold me back from it.
Here's my hubby's story: Got a BS in Criminal Justice so he could be a cop and protect us from bad guys. He was hired by the railroad before any cop positions opened up and even though he hates his job now he gets paid at least double what a cop makes. Risk your life for others = $25/yr. Sit your flabby butt on a train for 12 or more hours = $50/yr. That's just plain wrong.
Posted by
Anonymous |
8/13/2006 11:16 PM