Comments | arienys: A Rare Occurrence... I'm Posting!

arienys

A Rare Occurrence... I'm Posting!

Oct 10, 2005 11:36

Once in a blue moon I find myself motivated to post in my LJ. Today is one of those rare days. Part of the motivation is work-avoidance; today is a teacher workday, which means no students are present in the building. Quiet, peaceful, and boring. So hard to find the motivation to do all the little bits of paperwork, cleaning and preparation I ( Read more... )

Comments 5

the_gwenzilliad October 10 2005, 16:53:00 UTC

I'm sure it won't surprise you one bit, but I agree with you 100%

Miss you guys.

arienys October 10 2005, 17:31:42 UTC

*grin* You're right; it doesn't surprise me. You understand and appreciate the true concept of a Renaissance Man, not as someone who knows a bit of everything, but as someone who is so gifted that he (or she) attempts to master multiple disciplines. They were rare, special, and often revered (albeit often posthumously).

Nowadays, the idea has been watered-down to this whole concept of an acceptable level of mediocrity for everyone. The best way to make certain that there is "No Child Left Behind" is to make sure that no child gets ahead of the others.

And we miss you, too. *hug*

kizayaen October 12 2005, 22:05:41 UTC

As I see it, the problem with focusing on strengths is that it also heightens weaknesses. Do we need generations of kids who struggle to balance a checkbook, or count out the tip for the pizza guy at the front door? Do we need generations of kids who are brilliant biology researchers, but can't write a paper on their findings to save their life ( ... )

duality October 12 2005, 22:10:01 UTC

hmm...in my case, i would confuse the crap out of any test. back in school i was good at math, but hated it. this was a good bit due to the fact that my father wanted me to be perfect in the 'real' classes and would even grade my homework every night in math. he'd then tell me which ones were wrong, and how stupid i was to not have done them correctly.

if left to my own devices, i would pretty much be 'useless' in today's society. many of the things that help me excel were things that i didn't enjoy in school, but were necessary to learn.

kagetora October 14 2005, 04:36:41 UTC

I agree with you, but with a few reservations. Looking back at my schoolage years and how I would have tested, there's a better than fair chance that my education and career path would have led me about as far away from doing what I do now as possible. I also think there's the danger of forcing a child into a career. The Japanese system (you're as familiar as I am, maybe more now) works very well but has some dangers. The obsession with cram school and the like, as well as the extraordinarily lax educational standards at colleges and universities are a little bit troubling. I don't know what the answer is, but an strenght/ability based system that allows for some wiggle room would be nice. Unfortunately is appears to belong in the realm of science fiction.

It would be a fantastic idea for parents to, you know, get involved. Again, science fiction.