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But there’s also a factor that will always tend to make those of us who have lived longer particularly notice that contrast, between information and how to think. I read somewhere, in the last couple years, I think, that studies have shown that as people age, their ability to remember raw information decreases, but their ability to synthesize different areas of knowledge into useful understanding increases. So part of learning how to think is simply getting older.

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They know a lot and can do all sorts of things, but are often stumped when presented with new problems or have to make decisions under time pressures and on incomplete information.

I was blessed to have a few teachers and mentors that really forced me to learn to do some thinking rather than just absorbing information. That has been more valuable than any of the information I took in.

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Unfortunately, no. This was defense industry and many foreigners couldn’t get the necessary security clearance.

“since all teachers are required to be members of the union”

Not true where I live. Sorry about your socialist state. But I agree with your point that the individual teacher usually isn’t the problem.

“The threat of having to go to community college or a state college is equivalent in their minds to the threat other kids feel at having to flip burgers for the rest of their lives.”

That’s just not representative of the average kid. If you don’t believe me, try adding up the total student population of the Ivy League and other “prestigious” schools. Compare that with the huge student population of the average colleges. Which is more representative? Oh, don’t forget the kids that don’t go to college at all.

I mean, I’m glad there are still good public schools. I’m glad that your kid is working to get into Stanford, Yale or where ever. That’s just not what most high school seniors are dealing with.

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I have no idea if kids have more homework today. I do know that I found school too easy, but I loved the opportunity to read when work was done. I simply had to be prepared to show my teacher my finished work if she challenged me for reading when I was supposed to be working on classwork. Once I showed her I had finished, she’d challenge me to start on my homework, and so I’d show her I’d finished that also. At the beginning of the school year, skeptical teachers would often actually grade the paper, thinking I’d rushed through it. Within a few weeks, they knew I could be trusted not to read until my work was done, and they’d leave me alone to read discreetly.

I especially loved standardized test days. We’d get a whole hour to do 20 math questions. I’d finish in five minutes or less, turn in the tests, and have most of an hour to read. To my amazement, it usually took most of the class the better part of an hour, and some groaned that they weren’t yet finished. (And these were problems like 45 plus 52 in eighth grade, or maybe 21 times 3–more often than not, only the last couple of problems would even have numbers that needed to be carried to a new column. Twenty questions and the rest of the hour free–way cool. I really don’t think schools were “too hard” in the seventies!)

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Perhaps this is an accurate generalization of your “non-prestigious” public school, but there are plenty of public schools I’m familiar with where one could generalize that most students have piles of homework and where their worst fear is that they might not be accepted to a prestigious college. The threat of having to go to community college or a state college is equivalent in their minds to the threat other kids feel at having to flip burgers for the rest of their lives.

I also hired quite a few engineering major college grads in the eighties and nineties. Most of them knew their field quite well, but couldn’t write a complete sentence or spell.

Might that not have something to do with the fact that most engineers are foreigners for whom English is their second language?

And people say we need more money for education! No we need to get the politically correct bureaucrats and union member teachers OUT of the school system.

With this part I agree, except I would say that we should get the teachers’ unions out, not necessarily the member teachers, since all teachers are required to be members of the union, regardless of whether they agree with its politics. I don’t believe that the educrats can take any of the credit for the academic rigor of the local public schools. Rather, the parental expectations and demands are what keep the standards high. The educrats are responsible only for the political correctness.

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Even in my professional life, there is always one more fabric to be found, one more tile that will fit the bill, one more layout that could be explored, etc. I have deadlines and fee structures that limit my work on a project, but it could go on forever!

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Go take a valium, or get a life or something!

Let’s continue with sweeping generalizations, BECAUSE they actually tell you something about the overall situation, not just someone’s nerdy kid.

Most kids don’t do much homework, if any
Most kids don’t go to prestigious colleges.(if any)
Most kids don’t sweat college admission, because they can get into the local “community” college (junior college just didn’t sound important enough anymore) if they can spell their own name! And many can get into a state university with little more than that.
Most kids learn precious little in public schools.
Most of the above statements don’t bother most kids at all!
This info comes from a 3 year stint working in a non-prestigious public school.

I also hired quite a few engineering major college grads in the eighties and nineties. Most of them knew their field quite well, but couldn’t write a complete sentence or spell.

And people say we need more money for education! No we need to get the politically correct bureaucrats and union member teachers OUT of the school system.

Also, maybe we could check into firing a few parents along with some of those school employees!

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