Why is training for the trades a "lowered expectation?"

 

I don't believe I said it was. What I did say is that every kid coming out of high school should have an education that would allow them to go on to college or a trade school. Most skilled labor requires a fair amount of training. An education that teaches a kid to balance a chek book and calls it good is not enough to go on to college or to hold down a skilled labor job of any kind.

I think we should try something new. Teaching Reading, Writing, and Arithmatic. Kids should know how to spell. They should know how to calculate simple math in their heads. Ad to that curriculum, PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY.

 

Out with the "processes", or the "Thoughts", or how one feels. TEACH!

 

Where does KY rank on a National scale? Still near the bottom?

A fayette county principal came in yesterday and told the english teacher she needed the portfolios by friday instead of April 17 ish which was the original deadline. They don't count now so I want them early? Youv'e had all year and you aren't done yet she says?

Almost all kids should come out of high school ready for college. That is a bare minimum. If you had asked me in the seventh our eighth grade I would likely have said that I wanted to either work on a horse farm or join my Father's construction union. I was very fortunate in that I had teachers that looked at students and demanded that they take the most rigorous classes they could handle. It opened my eyes to a much bigger world. I want to weep when I read professional educators that think it is okay to teach kids to balance a check book and call them educated. I understand that some kids don't even achieve that level. The solution is not to bring down our expectations. The solution is to do whaterver it takes to teach kids. Longer days? Okay. Year round school? Sounds good. Smaller classes? Yep.

 

I don't think that longer days or year round school is a solution at all. You're lucky to get kids attention long enough in a day now. As for year round school, an average kid can learn more in the summer than he will learn during a school year if given the opportunity to travel. Maybe more summer programs that involved lots of field trips could be beneficial.

I don't believe I said it was. What I did say is that every kid coming out of high school should have an education that would allow them to go on to college or a trade school. Most skilled labor requires a fair amount of training. An education that teaches a kid to balance a chek book and calls it good is not enough to go on to college or to hold down a skilled labor job of any kind.

 

I didn't see this in the original post. I would come closer to agreeing with this.

A fayette county principal came in yesterday and told the english teacher she needed the portfolios by friday instead of April 17 ish which was the original deadline. They don't count now so I want them early? Youv'e had all year and you aren't done yet she says?

 

That is unfortunate and I would really "buck" the system here if I were that teacher. That would be like your bank calling you and telling you that they needed your mortgage payment three weeks early. Senior English teachers do a GREAT deal more than simply have the students put together their portfolio, regardless of what others say.

I don't believe I said it was. What I did say is that every kid coming out of high school should have an education that would allow them to go on to college or a trade school. Most skilled labor requires a fair amount of training. An education that teaches a kid to balance a chek book and calls it good is not enough to go on to college or to hold down a skilled labor job of any kind.

 

I wonder if an pushed importance on money management where people know how to truly protect themselves would have had an effect on the home mortgage crisis, economy and the mess we are in.

 

I can guarantee you that 95% of the population would use that more than matrices or Shakespaere.

I wonder if an pushed importance on money management where people know how to truly protect themselves would have had an effect on the home mortgage crisis, economy and the mess we are in.

 

I can guarantee you that 95% of the population would use that more than matrices or Shakespaere.

 

:thumb:

 

I agree that we sell students short on preparing them for reality. With the vast material covered on the CATS, I dont have the time to do it. Maybe with the deemphasis of certain areas, there will be room for this.

 

I like matrices however.:cry: I must admit that life skills are more important to many.:lol:

I don't think that longer days or year round school is a solution at all. You're lucky to get kids attention long enough in a day now. As for year round school, an average kid can learn more in the summer than he will learn during a school year if given the opportunity to travel. Maybe more summer programs that involved lots of field trips could be beneficial.

 

I agree with the system being what it is. If we seperated high schools like most other major economic powers, I believe this could be beneficial to the high achievers.

 

Many students would benefit greatly by the extra field trips, but I agree that summer would be a better time for them.

Will the teachers union ever stand up publicly and tell the legislators that not all students are destined for college, that we need to look at vocational placements earlier in life?

 

The only true teachers union here is KEA, and they are only interested in pushing their liberal agenda. They are much more of the problem than the solution.

I was a teacher for almost 8 years. I've got my Principal Certification too. I've been working for a fourtune 500 company for a couple of years and taught in three different parts of the state. I feel like I have had a great opportunity to see the shoe on a lot of different feet. Here is my take.

I started out at the #1 ranked school in the state. It was Eutopia. Parents were involved, money flowed, teachers got support, kids were involved in more extra curricular opportunities then you could imagine. Most kids had parents that were educated and involved in their lives. Test scores were great and teachers were rewarded because they were great + because they had dream students for the most part. Obviously there are problems everywhere but it doesn't get much better than teaching where I was.

We had our little girl and moved closer to the in laws:) I was at a new school that was made up of some of the richest kids in the state and some of the poorest. It was amazing how much different the culture was in the building. Great Principal but incredible how disrespectful a lot of the kids were. It only took a couple to spoil the bunch. Those teachers dealt with things on a daily basis that IMO should have earned them way more of a bonus regardless of tests. If the average person walked in and saw the things they had to deal with they would be blown away! I've coached middle and high school. I had kids in middle school there selling drugs and living by themselves. Kids not old enough to drive stealing cars and wrecking etc.

I'm now back in my hometown. It is in one of the most povern stricken areas in the US I'd say. The vast majority of kids come from broken homes. Raising money is tough and most kids don't have the push from home to go on to school. The kids that do have support probably have the best of anywhere I've been. The hard working folks are loyal and some of the best you will ever meet.

Hearsay you couldn't have said it any better IMO. NOT EVERY KID IS CUT OUT FOR COLLEGE!!! The kids around here have such a better opportunity if they get trained in a craft. There aren't many jobs around here but if you have a craft then you have a great chance to support your family. Comparing these kids with kids selling drugs along with kids in eutopia is just not realistic! You have to push to get the best out of each individual kid but I firmly believe that you have your basic core then you tailor to each individual kid to succeed.

I had a college class that was talking about having one of the best nursing programs around. They were getting the top kids out of different schools and those kids were failing when they came to college. What they found is that the college uses the base concepts of the ACT. The kids were being taught CATS. I was blown away when they gave us posters that showed what concepts you needed to know in each category to achieve the score you wanted on the ACT. I really believe if they are going to have a standardized test that is should be based around the ACT. I also think there should be an emphasis on Vocational Schools being something to be proud of in a lot of areas. My dad never went to college but he is one of the best all around people I know. He is smart, retired from a power plant and has run his own business for several years now. My mom taught school and is retired. They both had different successful pathes to be proud of IMO.

I was a teacher for almost 8 years. I've got my Principal Certification too. I've been working for a fourtune 500 company for a couple of years and taught in three different parts of the state. I feel like I have had a great opportunity to see the shoe on a lot of different feet. Here is my take.

I started out at the #1 ranked school in the state. It was Eutopia. Parents were involved, money flowed, teachers got support, kids were involved in more extra curricular opportunities then you could imagine. Most kids had parents that were educated and involved in their lives. Test scores were great and teachers were rewarded because they were great + because they had dream students for the most part. Obviously there are problems everywhere but it doesn't get much better than teaching where I was.

We had our little girl and moved closer to the in laws:) I was at a new school that was made up of some of the richest kids in the state and some of the poorest. It was amazing how much different the culture was in the building. Great Principal but incredible how disrespectful a lot of the kids were. It only took a couple to spoil the bunch. Those teachers dealt with things on a daily basis that IMO should have earned them way more of a bonus regardless of tests. If the average person walked in and saw the things they had to deal with they would be blown away! I've coached middle and high school. I had kids in middle school there selling drugs and living by themselves. Kids not old enough to drive stealing cars and wrecking etc.

I'm now back in my hometown. It is in one of the most povern stricken areas in the US I'd say. The vast majority of kids come from broken homes. Raising money is tough and most kids don't have the push from home to go on to school. The kids that do have support probably have the best of anywhere I've been. The hard working folks are loyal and some of the best you will ever meet.

Hearsay you couldn't have said it any better IMO. NOT EVERY KID IS CUT OUT FOR COLLEGE!!! The kids around here have such a better opportunity if they get trained in a craft. There aren't many jobs around here but if you have a craft then you have a great chance to support your family. Comparing these kids with kids selling drugs along with kids in eutopia is just not realistic! You have to push to get the best out of each individual kid but I firmly believe that you have your basic core then you tailor to each individual kid to succeed.

I had a college class that was talking about having one of the best nursing programs around. They were getting the top kids out of different schools and those kids were failing when they came to college. What they found is that the college uses the base concepts of the ACT. The kids were being taught CATS. I was blown away when they gave us posters that showed what concepts you needed to know in each category to achieve the score you wanted on the ACT. I really believe if they are going to have a standardized test that is should be based around the ACT. I also think there should be an emphasis on Vocational Schools being something to be proud of in a lot of areas. My dad never went to college but he is one of the best all around people I know. He is smart, retired from a power plant and has run his own business for several years now. My mom taught school and is retired. They both had different successful pathes to be proud of IMO.

 

:thumb:

 

From info I have gathered in professional growth meetings across the state, many insiders were pushing for the ACT as the measurement device. I also agree with the second sentence bolded.