It has occurred to me, while observing our entire political landscape, left and right, that education truly is the single most important issue in our country. We have a below average education system. Our schools are filled w/ "teachers" like my co-workers. I sympathize with the children who have to suffer trying to learn from a horrible teacher. It's a major problem. I believe troubled children stem from both poor parenting and a poor educational program. A good teacher who can actually teach, will end up showing children that there is a clear path to a great life, and inspire them to chase it. Poor teachers end up frustrating their students, making them think they are dumb to the point where they say "F it", and they give up. Those frustrations at home and school lead to anger, hatred, and prejudices, and a Trump presidency.
As a teacher I could not agree with this more. I did not "grow up" in the educational system, having not moved into teaching until I was almost 50. First thing I observed is that most classroom teachers are not removed from reality, they've never been there. Administrators are way worse, and most couldn't find their a$$e$ with both hands. Standardized testing is a joke. The lack of discipline is abhorrent. Classroom instruction for 30 or more kids per class is by necessity reduced to expectations for the bare minimum, and teachers spend at least one third of their time teaching to the standardized tests. The vocabulary of most high school students is so limited it will blow your mind, and if they can't google it or use a calculator they are completely lost. Education as a business has sucked the life out of learning. Without a total revamping of the system I don't see how we turn anything around, no matter who is president.
dougmac, that's a shame to hear, but I'm glad there are people like you in the system who can hopefully make a difference on some level. If you redirect just one kid from the wrong path to the right path, then it's all worth it.
I just can't fathom how our leaders locally and nationally can allow this to happen within our schools. It seems obvious that the one position that should be vetted the most is a teacher. We could easily revamp everything and make teachers one of the most coveted positions out there, but it would require our leaders to fund it as a top priority, and sadly it just isn't. Even sadder is that I hope the reason that it isn't a priority is due to incompetence. I'd hate to believe they intentionally keep it that way to solidify social classes.
Social media has really exposed this failure. It's amazing to see what some people post for the world to see, and be proud of it!
It's cooler to be stupid than smart. "Nerd" was an insult for decades. At one point, Beavis and Butthead were at the top of pop culture.
But, hey, let's not let parenting off the hook here. Parents and teachers were once partners, now they are adversaries.
But, hey, let's not let parenting off the hook here. Parents and teachers were once partners, now they are adversaries.
And in a big way. Not only that. but administrators and teachers are also adversaries, since administrators don't want any negative feedback or complaints from parents. And they don't want to get involved with discipline issues, so rarely back the teachers, instead insisting teachers "take care of discipline issues in the classroom." It's a total mess. If the general public really knew what was going on they'f go ballistic. There is hope though. Teacher shortages are already reaching critical mass in places like California and Oklahoma, and are spreading.
But, hey, let's not let parenting off the hook here. Parents and teachers were once partners, now they are adversaries.
And in a big way. Not only that. but administrators and teachers are also adversaries, since administrators don't want any negative feedback or complaints from parents. And they don't want to get involved with discipline issues, so rarely back the teachers, instead insisting teachers "take care of discipline issues in the classroom." It's a total mess. If the general public really knew what was going on they'f go ballistic. There is hope though. Teacher shortages are already reaching critical mass in places like California and Oklahoma, and are spreading.
We (wife and I) saw this up close and personal at the beginning of this school year...we had to go head to head with an incompetent/abusive teacher, lying department head and disinterested administrator. As soon as we hired a lawyer their tune changed completely, but the damage was done and any trust/faith we had in them was over. The situation is much better now, but it was a very disheartening experience.
But, hey, let's not let parenting off the hook here. Parents and teachers were once partners, now they are adversaries.
And in a big way. Not only that. but administrators and teachers are also adversaries, since administrators don't want any negative feedback or complaints from parents. And they don't want to get involved with discipline issues, so rarely back the teachers, instead insisting teachers "take care of discipline issues in the classroom." It's a total mess. If the general public really knew what was going on they'f go ballistic. There is hope though. Teacher shortages are already reaching critical mass in places like California and Oklahoma, and are spreading.
We (wife and I) saw this up close and personal at the beginning of this school year...we had to go head to head with an incompetent/abusive teacher, lying department head and disinterested administrator. As soon as we hired a lawyer their tune changed completely, but the damage was done and any trust/faith we had in them was over. The situation is much better now, but it was a very disheartening experience.
Sadly gondi your experience is completely typical. Especially in SPED, teachers, diagnoticians, and admins will bully parents all over thge place and nake decisions best for the school and district at the expense of a child. Bring in a lawyer and suddenly they;re all about the children.
Trump flip flops again...stay tuned he'll probably say something completely different next week...
Donald Trump Flips His Position on Minimum Wage Yet Again
By Tom McKay May 08, 2016
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee and real estate billionaire Donald Trump flipped his position on minimum wage again on Sunday.
In an interview on NBC's Meet the Press, Trump told host Chuck Todd he had traveled the country, met with thousands of voters, and now has "seen what's going on. And I don't know how people make it on $7.25 an hour."
"Now, with that being said, I would like to see an increase of some magnitude," he continued. "But I'd rather leave it to the states. Let the states decide. Because don't forget, the states have to compete with each other."
Todd asked whether the federal government should ensure a minimum wage "floor" (such as the current federal minimum wage of $7.25), Trump responded "No, I'd rather have the states go out and do what they have to do. And the states compete with each other, not only other countries, but they compete with each other, Chuck. So I like the idea of let the states decide."
To summarize: Trump said he would like workers to be paid more, but also that he will leave the matter to the states, and also that this whole federal minimum wage thing is maybe kind of a misguided idea anyhow.
In other words, he's advocating doing nothing on the federal minimum wage as president.
But Trump still wants U.S. workers to make more money (perhaps from all that unprecedented economic growth he said will happen under his presidency). It's a full reversal from his position on wages last year, when he said U.S. workers make too much money for the U.S. to be internationally competitive, and later explicitly clarified he was referring to the federal minimum wage, which he said should not be raised.
So, ultimately, Trump is all over the place on this issue.
But consistency is not necessarily what Trump is aiming for — malleable positions are, by his own admission, part of his supposed strategy.
In another interview the same day on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Trump addressed the seeming disconnect, saying he supports bringing back well-paying jobs rather than raising the minimum wage and insisting his planned tax cuts will bring back money to the average worker. He also portrayed many of his official policy positions as starting points for future negotiations with Democrats in Congress — negotiations necessary to reach those great deals Trump keeps on promising.
"I'm allowed to change," Trump said. "You need flexibility, George, whether it's a tax plan, where you're going — where you know you're going to negotiate. But we're going to come up with something. But my real minimum wage is going to be — I'm going to bring companies back into this country, and they're going to make a lot more than the $15 even ... that's what I want to do."
Trump can be specific when he wants to be.
As I have been saying all along, Trump's ignorant anti-Muslim rhetoric and policy proposals are playing right into the hands of extremists...
Newly elected London mayor slams Trump’s ‘ignorant’ view of Islam
Sadiq Khan says the presumptive Republican presidential nominee risks 'alienating mainstream Muslims around the world and plays into the hands of the extremists.' Newly elected London mayor slams Trump’s ‘ignorant’ view of Islam
By JILL LAWLESSThe Associated Press
LONDON — London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Tuesday slammed Donald Trump’s “ignorant†view of Islam, after the Republican presidential contender suggested Khan could be exempted from a proposed temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States.
Last year Trump proposed “a total and complete†ban on foreign Muslims entering the U.S. “until our country’s representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.â€
Asked how that policy would affect London’s first Muslim mayor, Trump told The New York Times that “there will always be exceptions.â€
But Khan said “this isn’t just about me – it’s about my friends, my family and everyone who comes from a background similar to mine, anywhere in the world.â€
“Donald Trump’s ignorant view of Islam could make both our countries less safe – it risks alienating mainstream Muslims around the world and plays into the hands of the extremists,†Khan said in a statement.
Khan, the London-born son of Pakistani immigrants, was elected last week by a wide margin after a campaign that saw his Conservative rival Zac Goldsmith accuse him of having shared platforms with Islamic extremists.
Khan, a former human rights lawyer and Labour Party lawmaker, accused Goldsmith of trying to frighten and divide voters in a multicultural city of 8.6 million people – more than 1 million of them Muslims.
In his victory speech, Khan said the result marked the triumph of “hope over fear and unity over division.â€
The mayor said Tuesday that Trump and people who agree with him “think that western liberal values are incompatible with mainstream Islam – London has proved him wrong.â€
Trump said he was “happy to see†Khan’s election and hoped “he does a good job.â€
The mayor declined to lend Trump his support.
“I’ll be backing the Democratic candidate – Hillary Clinton, who I suspect it will be – and I hope that she trounces him,†Khan told the BBC.
Goodness gracious, we must not alienate the extremists, because that would be wrong.
Goodness gracious, we must not alienate the extremists, because that would be wrong.
What?? Who's talking about alienating the extremists? Not the article I just posted.
Oops, you are right, I apologize, I misread.
But speaking of alienation, nothing like some inconsequential mayor of a foreign city alienating a large number of the electorate here by saying what he did.
...nothing like some inconsequential mayor of a foreign city alienating a large number of the electorate here by saying what he did.
Your right, he's just the mayor of the largest city of our strongest ally. Eff 'em.
...nothing like some inconsequential mayor of a foreign city alienating a large number of the electorate here by saying what he did.
Your right, he's just the mayor of the largest city of our strongest ally. Eff 'em.
I'm no expert like you perhaps, but the Mayor of London hardly seems important to this country at all.
Without looking it up, can you name any of the previous Mayor's ?
Oops, you are right, I apologize, I misread.
But speaking of alienation, nothing like some inconsequential mayor of a foreign city alienating a large number of the electorate here by saying what he did.
What exactly did he say that will alienate a large number of the electorate?
What exactly did he say that will alienate a large number of the electorate?
The last line of the article, use of the word trounce, defined as defeat severely, thrash, punish, not to mention this comment coming from a foreigner - especially since according the same article Trump had nothing but nice things to say about him.
...nothing like some inconsequential mayor of a foreign city alienating a large number of the electorate here by saying what he did.
Your right, he's just the mayor of the largest city of our strongest ally. Eff 'em.
I'm no expert like you perhaps, but the Mayor of London hardly seems important to this country at all.
Without looking it up, can you name any of the previous Mayor's ?
What is this, a test? Certainly you are not so obtuse that you don't realize this is an indicator of how Trump's preposterous policy proposal is perceived. And this is just one example. If you give no credence to what foreign leaders think there are certainly plenty of examples of U.S. leaders expressing similar sentiments.
And, by the way, if the Mayor of London is so inconsequential then why would Trump make an exception in his case? And if he's willing to make exceptions then why have the policy? The only reason Trump ever mentioned this in the first place was to exploit fear and appeal to the base instincts of simpleminded voters.
[Edited on 5/10/2016 by bob1954]
What exactly did he say that will alienate a large number of the electorate?
The last line of the article, use of the word trounce, defined as defeat severely, thrash, punish, not to mention this comment coming from a foreigner - especially since according the same article Trump had nothing but nice things to say about him.
He hopes that Hillary trounces Trump in the election and that bothers you? Is the mayor consequential or not?
Love him, hate him.
Support his policies/positions or not.
I simply admire the fact he made it this far, in this day and age of politics and "the process."
Very few thought he would have made it this far.
You are certainly entitled to your opinion. Personally, I don't find anything admirable about the Trump campaign.
He wins.
What exactly did he say that will alienate a large number of the electorate?
The last line of the article, use of the word trounce, defined as defeat severely, thrash, punish, not to mention this comment coming from a foreigner - especially since according the same article Trump had nothing but nice things to say about him.
He hopes that Hillary trounces Trump in the election and that bothers you? Is the mayor consequential or not?
Nope doesn't bother me, I could care less what this guy thinks.
I'm saying that there are a lot of Trump supporters/voters - "electorate" that will be offended by an inconsequential mayor of a foreign city wading into this and using that tone.
The only reason this guy is in the news is because of his religion and the fact that he just won an election, otherwise the Mayor of London has little to no bearing on any of this.
Wonder what the Mayor of Lisbon thinks ? Does Lisbon even have a mayor?
What exactly did he say that will alienate a large number of the electorate?
The last line of the article, use of the word trounce, defined as defeat severely, thrash, punish, not to mention this comment coming from a foreigner - especially since according the same article Trump had nothing but nice things to say about him.
He hopes that Hillary trounces Trump in the election and that bothers you? Is the mayor consequential or not?
Nope doesn't bother me, I could care less what this guy thinks.
I'm saying that there are a lot of Trump supporters/voters - "electorate" that will be offended by an inconsequential mayor of a foreign city wading into this and using that tone.
The only reason this guy is in the news is because of his religion and the fact that he just won an election, otherwise the Mayor of London has little to no bearing on any of this.
Wonder what the Mayor of Lisbon thinks ? Does Lisbon even have a mayor?
He's in the news because someone asked Trump about him, and Trump referred to him as an "exception."
How dare anyone defile The Great Trump!
Oops, you are right, I apologize, I misread.
But speaking of alienation, nothing like some inconsequential mayor of a foreign city alienating a large number of the electorate here by saying what he did.
Hardy that really foreign if you look at the level of British influence in American life. God, the mini skirt was invented in London! The Rolling Stones are a London band. Trump's been playing a lot of Stones songs, which if you think of it are London songs.
The Rolling Stones are a London band. Trump's been playing a lot of Stones songs, which if you think of it are London songs.
Not anymore. The Stones told him to stop.
Oops, you are right, I apologize, I misread.
But speaking of alienation, nothing like some inconsequential mayor of a foreign city alienating a large number of the electorate here by saying what he did.
Good attempt as flipping the conversation. Not quite as good as the old pro alloak, but not bad. 😉
Love him, hate him.
Support his policies/positions or not.
I simply admire the fact he made it this far, in this day and age of politics and "the process."
Very few thought he would have made it this far.
You are certainly entitled to your opinion. Personally, I don't find anything admirable about the Trump campaign.
He wins.
And you admire every politician who wins? Right.
Oops, you are right, I apologize, I misread.
But speaking of alienation, nothing like some inconsequential mayor of a foreign city alienating a large number of the electorate here by saying what he did.
Good attempt as flipping the conversation. Not quite as good as the old pro alloak, but not bad. 😉
I apologized and stated I misread the article.
Who is this alloak you speak of? 😉
Love him, hate him.
Support his policies/positions or not.
I simply admire the fact he made it this far, in this day and age of politics and "the process."
Very few thought he would have made it this far.
You are certainly entitled to your opinion. Personally, I don't find anything admirable about the Trump campaign.
He wins.
And you admire every politician who wins? Right.
Alas, who I admire is not the issue.
I
Love him, hate him.
Support his policies/positions or not.
I simply admire the fact he made it this far, in this day and age of politics and "the process."
Very few thought he would have made it this far.
You are certainly entitled to your opinion. Personally, I don't find anything admirable about the Trump campaign.
He wins.
And you admire every politician who wins? Right.
Alas, who I admire is not the issue.
I
Oh, ok. No one said it is, but I thought you were joining our discussion about our opinions on Trump's admirability. I guess you are trying to change the subject to something else.
Love him, hate him.
Support his policies/positions or not.
I simply admire the fact he made it this far, in this day and age of politics and "the process."
Very few thought he would have made it this far.
You are certainly entitled to your opinion. Personally, I don't find anything admirable about the Trump campaign.
He wins.
And you admire every politician who wins? Right.
Alas, who I admire is not the issue.
I
Oh, ok. No one said it is, but I thought you were joining our discussion about our opinions on Trump's admirability. I guess you are trying to change the subject to something else.
How?