After less than a week in office, Barack Obama's approval rating plunges 15 points

[busyLivin]

Are you basing this on Bush's failed $150 billion economic stimulus package .

No, but that reinforces it. I don't know the answer, but funding pet projects is not it.

 

[min0 lee]

deteriorating public school systems will fill the shoes that protect us now. god help us.

They are cutting the Educational funds here in NYC as we speak.

Danny as President of the USA in 2025....oh yeah!

 

[Yanick]

Our culture breeds stupidity, not lack of school supplies.

I'm a high school drop out, but i have a love of learning which led me to go back to school to learn a skill. This learning will not stop when i'm done with school, i am forever trying to teach myself new skills, new facts and concepts.

I have a friend who asks me questions all the time, when i recommend a book for him to read he, boldly and proudly replies, "I DON'T READ BOOKS."

Unfortunately this is not an isolated dimwit, his statement epitomizes what our pop culture has created. Danny could have been taught by a biomechanical autobot using holographic technology and would still be a fucking dunce because he'd rather listen to Little Wayne go "YEAH" instead of opening a book.

You want to make sure our kids grow up intelligent? Look at the culture. In Japan if a kid is out of school sick, his parents come in and take notes for him, take down his homework and make sure its done when he gets back to school.

On a side note. If you think that a culture (Radical Islam) whose sole purpose in this world is to destroy all Western ideals and way of life is not a big threat...You are truly blind. We are not idiots here, we all know how statistics can be used to prove pretty much any point. Until you can prove to me that Viral Gastroenteritis is attempting to systematically destroy our way of life your point is moot.

 

[min0 lee]

It's still important, there are not many people out there like you or who have parents such as some of the Japanese.

The cuts are not just for supplies.

 

[Yanick]

I don't see money helping the situation at all. The teachers can be good or bad, the books can be new or used, the buildings can be sparkling or run down, until our culture puts education above being famous, popular etc we will have dimwits like Danny and my friend who are proud of the fact that they don't read books.

To put it another way. I'm sure 9/10 Americans will tell you who won however many American Idols there have been, i'd also put $100 bucks that none of them can explain, even in the most elementary form, Einstein's General Relativity, or even E=MC^2 (the world's most famous).

 

[Little Wing]

my son is 11 and he has read Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, Robinson Crusoe, 10,000 Leagues Under The Sea, Swiss Family Robinson, Robin Hood, White Fang, Oliver Twist, etc. NONE of which were introduced to him at public school.

He's actually read some of these numerous times. I think the biggest factor in getting kids to read is to simply see their parents model the behavior.

 

[brogers]

i agree but the military should make better use of what it has, eliminate idiotic waste, and not get caught with it's pants down again. increasing out debt exponentially isn't the answer. cutting defense spending will not make us sitting ducks. eventually the products of our deteriorating public school systems will fill the shoes that protect us now. god help us.

The public school system is a state and local matter. Defense is a federal-level issue.

The federal government has (unconstitutionally) gradually increased its influence on schools over the years, how good has the result been? Do you really want more of that? The best funded schools are the worst performing ones. Check Detroit and Washington D.C. for examples.

 

[Yanick]

my son is 11 and he has read Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, Robinson Crusoe, 10,000 Leagues Under The Sea, Swiss Family Robinson, Robin Hood, White Fang, Oliver Twist, etc. NONE of which were introduced to him at public school.

So our schools suck because they don't use books that your kid likes? While i may agree that those books are classics (at the very least, all kids should read and learn about Mark Twain), its not up to you or me to make the decision of which books are read in schools and which aren't. I'm sure he's reading something in English class.

He's actually read some of these numerous times. I think the biggest factor in getting kids to read is to simply see their parents model the behavior.

Very much agreed which goes back to my argument of culture has a bigger influence on education than just throwing money at the system, unless you are going to pay kids for good grades.

Bottom line, my main point is this; Like most things in life, a love for learning has to come from within (put there by society, or parental leadership or what have you).

Case in point, when my mother went to College, we were so poor that she couldn't afford her books. She would take 20 bucks worth of quarters and Xerox text books and chapters etc to get her reading done. When she wanted to read a book, she went to used book stores and bought them for 50 cents with the covers falling off and such. She wanted to learn and she learned, she is now a successful Nurse making a great salary. Money didn't get in the way, her desire for learning and making a better life for herself and her family overcame all those obstacles.

So forgive me if i don't give a rats ass that kids don't have shiny new books to read from. They don't read them anyway, they just go to pinkmonkey.com, get cliff notes, copy the nerd kids homework and cheat on the tests to get out of that class so they can go and bang the class slut or watch MTV.

 

[johnereb]

Yanick; some great posts!

If one looks back, and not even all that far, in our history we see many great men who were basically self-taught, mostly through reading.

It's also interesting how much more students learned in the school system decades ago when very little money was spent upon education as compared to today.

Those who proclaim they don't read, and often in a boastful manner, are numerous. I encounter them all the time, even some in my own family.

The public school system is more about indoctrination than education. A dim-witted, compliant mass of people is much easier to manipulate and control than those who are truly educated.

 

[Little Wing]

So our schools suck because they don't use books that your kid likes? While i may agree that those books are classics (at the very least, all kids should read and learn about Mark Twain), its not up to you or me to make the decision of which books are read in schools and which aren't. I'm sure he's reading something in English class.



Very much agreed which goes back to my argument of culture has a bigger influence on education than just throwing money at the system, unless you are going to pay kids for good grades.

Bottom line, my main point is this; Like most things in life, a love for learning has to come from within (put there by society, or parental leadership or what have you).

Case in point, when my mother went to College, we were so poor that she couldn't afford her books. She would take 20 bucks worth of quarters and Xerox text books and chapters etc to get her reading done. When she wanted to read a book, she went to used book stores and bought them for 50 cents with the covers falling off and such. She wanted to learn and she learned, she is now a successful Nurse making a great salary. Money didn't get in the way, her desire for learning and making a better life for herself and her family overcame all those obstacles.

So forgive me if i don't give a rats ass that kids don't have shiny new books to read from. They don't read them anyway, they just go to pinkmonkey.com, get cliff notes, copy the nerd kids homework and cheat on the tests to get out of that class so they can go and bang the class slut or watch MTV.

to a lot of kids school is the only hope they have because mom is a crack whore with her legs in the air and dad split a long time ago or some equally stupid shit that stacks the odds against a kid straight out of the gate.

even a child though can comprehend when no one gives a rat's ass and that little five year old mind is going to direct itself how? where is this wisdom to self educate supposed to come from? what role model?

we need, and should have, schools that aren't teaching in fourth grade what they were teaching in second grade twenty years ago. we need taxpayers that do give a shit that in some schools there aren't even enough textbooks to go around. and yes, it certainly IS our business what is being taught in our schools and what isn't.

throwing contempt on the issue, on the kids our schools fail to educate, isn't really much of a solution either. American schools are giving us exactly what we are willing to put into them. naught for naught.

 

[Little Wing]

The public school system is a state and local matter. Defense is a federal-level issue.

The federal government has (unconstitutionally) gradually increased its influence on schools over the years, how good has the result been? Do you really want more of that? The best funded schools are the worst performing ones. Check Detroit and Washington D.C. for examples.

we live in such ludicrous times that some teachers collect a paycheck because they simply belong to a union and cannot be fired even though they are not permitted to even work with kids anymore. they go sit 40 hrs in an empty room with their thumbs up their asses n get paid. our taxes at work.
we need someone willing to at least try n tackle some of this shit. Obama seems like he at least has a clue it's there.
CRIME: Schools 'handcuffed' by law requiring them to pay arrested teachers

money well spent?

 

[Little Wing]

Yanick; some great posts!

If one looks back, and not even all that far, in our history we see many great men who were basically self-taught, mostly through reading.

It's also interesting how much more students learned in the school system decades ago when very little money was spent upon education as compared to today.

Those who proclaim they don't read, and often in a boastful manner, are numerous. I encounter them all the time, even some in my own family.

The public school system is more about indoctrination than education. A dim-witted, compliant mass of people is much easier to manipulate and control than those who are truly educated.

i think the schools that perform best probably have staff members that simply care how the kids do. that will make more of a difference than money ever will but money is being taken that funded music programs, sports programs, art, phys ed, most schools don't even have recess anymore and excuse me but to confine a little kid in a chair from 7 am to 2 pm borders on abuse. not to mention the whole little joey wants to run and play lets put his little 6 year old ass on meds so we can turn him into a little drone glued to his chair thing going on...

 

[Yanick]

to a lot of kids school is the only hope they have because mom is a crack whore with her legs in the air and dad split a long time ago or some equally stupid shit that stacks the odds against a kid straight out of the gate.

even a child though can comprehend when no one gives a rat's ass and that little five year old mind is going to direct itself how? where is this wisdom to self educate supposed to come from? what role model?

And how is throwing money at the school going to change this kids situation? As always you have a knack for the emotionally charged posts with little to no logic.

I've known kids whose mothers were crackheads and fathers split. And the last thing these kids cared about were new shiny books, clean hallways or teachers.

My girlfriend's father is a crack addict, her mother had to go to work to support her and her two brothers. New books didn't help her become a responsible adult. She worked hard in school (with whatever book/teacher she was given), got good grades and is graduating from college in a semester to enter the professional world.

So once again, how are new books, clean hallways, cool new computers (cause the kids need to update their facebook status), well paid teachers going to help a kid whose family life is falling apart?

we need, and should have, schools that aren't teaching in fourth grade what they were teaching in second grade twenty years ago. we need taxpayers that do give a shit that in some schools there aren't even enough textbooks to go around.

Teaching second grade material in the forth grade is only making my point clear. Our kids, my generation and the one's following are dimwits. Its not considered cool to be taking AP calculus, so who is going to strive for it besides the naturally intelligent aka nerds (who will pretty much succeed in life intellectually one way or another). It is considered cool to hook up with random girls, to be a rap star, to be able to dance nice in the clubs etc. How many wanna be rappers, dancers etc wind up doing nothing with their life? Until our society stops idolizing people like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan our kids will want to be like them instead of like Albert Einstein or Leonardo DaVinci (two of my personal heroes)

and yes, it certainly IS our business what is being taught in our schools and what isn't.

Yes but just because they don't teach Huckleberry Finn doesn't mean its a bad system. What book is your kid reading in English class?

throwing contempt on the issue, on the kids our schools fail to educate, isn't really much of a solution either. American schools are giving us exactly what we are willing to put into them. naught for naught.

I will say this once again. How is throwing money at a school going to help it to make kids want to learn?

From this link:

Archived: The Japanese Education System: A Case Study Summary and Analysis*

"The Importance of Motivation

The Japan Study indicates one possible explanation for Japan's success in TIMSS: the Japanese education system actively builds students' motivation to learn. Each section of the Japan Study offers vivid examples of how the system works to motivate Japanese students. The Japan Study's four sections concern (1) academic standards, (2) individual student differences, (3) adolescent life, and (4) teacher life."

"Adolescents' After-School Activities Support Educational Goals

Do Japanese students do better because they spend more time on homework? According to TIMSS study findings, Japanese and U.S. eighth-grade students on average spend the same amount of time--between 30 minutes to an hour--studying math and science homework each day. Japanese adolescents do not spend more time than U.S. adolescents on homework, but the structure of their daily routines provides more consistent support for educational experiences. Japanese students' participation in other after-school activities may encourage their in-school striving and high academic performance:"

"School Clubs

The Japan Study authors report that at both junior high and high school, teachers believe that there is a strong link between participation in clubs and success in academics. Over half of all Japanese junior high students spend 2 to 3 hours per day after school and on weekends in student-organized school clubs, such as broadcasting, Japanese fencing, or brass band. Teachers and parents see club participation as academically motivational because it makes for a more well-rounded school experience. They emphasize the clubs' role of providing opportunities for physical activity and socialization within a school setting."

Kids in AV clubs, Bands and such are considered dorky ass nerd kids over here. Who would want to do that to be humiliated by the cool jock who gets to bang the hot cheerleader?

Its the culture, not the money (to a reasonable extent of course)

 

[Yanick]

Oh and this is what is not as threatening to our safety and way of life than the all-mighty ever powerful megalomaniacal gastroenteritis.

YouTube Video

From these guys; Index | Christian Action Network

???Act like you are his friend. Then kill him.??? ??? Sheik Muburak Gilani explaining how to kill American infidels

Washington, DC???The American public was never supposed to know. The 2006 Justice Department document that exposes 35 terrorist training compounds in the U.S. was marked ???Dissemination Restricted to Law Enforcement.??? All the copies of Sheik Muburak Gilani???s terrorist training video, ???Soldiers of Allah,??? had been confiscated and sealed???all of them, that is, except one???that Christian Action Network now reveals in the documentary Homegrown Jihad: The Terrorist Camps Around the U.S.

It seems unfathomable???nearly three dozen terrorist training compounds in the U.S. and the FBI, Homeland Security, and State Department are no help at all? But the evidence is irrefutable: as Jamaat ul-Fuqra (known in the U.S. as Muslims of America) leader Sheik Muburak Gilani professes on the Soldiers of Allah video, ???We are fighting to destroy the enemy. We are dealing with evil at its roots and its roots are America.???

The Soldiers of Allah training video teaches American students how to operate AK-47 rifles, rocket launchers, and machine guns; how to kidnap Americans and then kill them; how to conduct sabotage and subversive operations; and how to use mortars and explosives.

With almost 50 terrorist attacks on American soil linked to Jamaat ul-Fuqra???ranging from bombings to murder to plots to blowing up American landmarks???what will it take for the government to protect its citizens from self-professed enemies of Americans? They hide across 35 American cities as innocuous-sounding as Hancock, NY; Red House, VA; and Seattle, WA.

The allegations are serious, which is why Christian Action Network took more than two years to research Muslims of America???going inside the compounds with their video cameras and questions to confront violence and confirm the truth. Their mission? To make Americans aware of the threats and have Jamaat ul-Fuqra placed on the State Department's Foreign Terrorist Organization Watch List, thereby shutting down the camps in the U.S. run by ul-Fuqra's front group, Muslims of America.

The State Department issued a statement on January 31, 2002, regarding why the group was no longer recognized as a terrorist organization: ???Jamaat ul-Fuqra has never been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. It was included in several recent annual terrorism reports under ???other terrorist groups,??? i.e., groups that had carried out acts of terrorism but that were not formally designated by the Secretary of State. However, because of the group???s inactivity during 2000, it was not included in the most recent terrorism report covering that calendar year.???

The effect of being removed from terrorist reports? In January 2002 Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and later beheaded while attempting to attend an interview with Jamaat ul-Fuqra leader Sheikh Muburak Gilani.

Was this an isolated incident? Hardly. In March 2003, Fuqra and al Qaeda member Iyman Faris pled guilty in federal court to a plot to blow up the Brooklyn Bridge, and the list goes on.

According to a 2006 Department of Justice report, ???Today, Jamaat ul-Fuqra has more than 35 suspected communes and more than 3,000 members spread across the United States, all in support of one goal: the purification of Islam through violence.???

In 2005, The Department of Homeland Security predicted that Muslims of America will continue to strike in the United States-yet they are still not listed on the State Department???s Foreign Terrorist Organization Watch List. ???Other predicted possible sponsors of attacks include Jamaat ul-Fuqra, a Pakistani-based group that has been linked to Muslims of America.???

Christian Action Network will show Homegrown Jihad at the Landmark Theater in Washington, DC, on February 11, 2009, at 7:30 pm. There is no charge to attend the viewing. Copies can also be obtained at Index | Christian Action Network.

 

[Little Wing]

And how is throwing money at the school going to change this kids situation? As always you have a knack for the emotionally charged posts with little to no logic.

I've known kids whose mothers were crackheads and fathers split. And the last thing these kids cared about were new shiny books, clean hallways or teachers.

My girlfriend's father is a crack addict, her mother had to go to work to support her and her two brothers. New books didn't help her become a responsible adult. She worked hard in school (with whatever book/teacher she was given), got good grades and is graduating from college in a semester to enter the professional world.

So once again, how are new books, clean hallways, cool new computers (cause the kids need to update their facebook status), well paid teachers going to help a kid whose family life is falling apart?




Teaching second grade material in the forth grade is only making my point clear. Our kids, my generation and the one's following are dimwits. Its not considered cool to be taking AP calculus, so who is going to strive for it besides the naturally intelligent aka nerds (who will pretty much succeed in life intellectually one way or another). It is considered cool to hook up with random girls, to be a rap star, to be able to dance nice in the clubs etc. How many wanna be rappers, dancers etc wind up doing nothing with their life? Until our society stops idolizing people like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan our kids will want to be like them instead of like Albert Einstein or Leonardo DaVinci (two of my personal heroes)



Yes but just because they don't teach Huckleberry Finn doesn't mean its a bad system. What book is your kid reading in English class?

when my son attended public school he didn't read the same books as the rest of his class because he read 4 levels ahead of them. he was reading Oliver Twist when they were reading Curious George.



I will say this once again. How is throwing money at a school going to help it to make kids want to learn?

how is underfunding schools to anyone's advantage? do you think schools are just cutting luxuries? no they are cutting heat, food, staff, the after school clubs and activities you think are so important.

From this link:

Archived: The Japanese Education System: A Case Study Summary and Analysis*

"The Importance of Motivation

The Japan Study indicates one possible explanation for Japan's success in TIMSS: the Japanese education system actively builds students' motivation to learn. Each section of the Japan Study offers vivid examples of how the system works to motivate Japanese students. The Japan Study's four sections concern (1) academic standards, (2) individual student differences, (3) adolescent life, and (4) teacher life."

"Adolescents' After-School Activities Support Educational Goals

Do Japanese students do better because they spend more time on homework? According to TIMSS study findings, Japanese and U.S. eighth-grade students on average spend the same amount of time--between 30 minutes to an hour--studying math and science homework each day. Japanese adolescents do not spend more time than U.S. adolescents on homework, but the structure of their daily routines provides more consistent support for educational experiences. Japanese students' participation in other after-school activities may encourage their in-school striving and high academic performance:"

"School Clubs

The Japan Study authors report that at both junior high and high school, teachers believe that there is a strong link between participation in clubs and success in academics. Over half of all Japanese junior high students spend 2 to 3 hours per day after school and on weekends in student-organized school clubs, such as broadcasting, Japanese fencing, or brass band. Teachers and parents see club participation as academically motivational because it makes for a more well-rounded school experience. They emphasize the clubs' role of providing opportunities for physical activity and socialization within a school setting."

Kids in AV clubs, Bands and such are considered dorky ass nerd kids over here. Who would want to do that to be humiliated by the cool jock who gets to bang the hot cheerleader? nerd is the new cool

Its the culture, not the money (to a reasonable extent of course)




you know what Japanese schools want

more money

Feb 10 Panel says spend more on universities (Yomiuri) The government's advisory panel on education submitted its third report to Prime Minister Taro Aso on Monday, calling for a drastic increase in public subsidies to national and private universities.

 

[Yanick]

Everyone wants more money. Thats a moot point. Nevertheless, they are still in the top three in all academic areas, while we are behind some African countries in math.

"The Japan Study authors report that at both junior high and high school, teachers believe that there is a strong link between participation in clubs and success in academics. Over half of all Japanese junior high students spend 2 to 3 hours per day after school and on weekends in student-organized school clubs, such as broadcasting, Japanese fencing, or brass band. Teachers and parents see club participation as academically motivational because it makes for a more well-rounded school experience. They emphasize the clubs' role of providing opportunities for physical activity and socialization within a school setting."

If you bolded that to make your point about money, your dead wrong. Student-organized AV, bands etc. Our kids can't organize their own underwear, let alone a freakin' club.

when my son attended public school he didn't read the same books as the rest of his class because he read 4 levels ahead of them. he was reading Oliver Twist when they were reading Curious George.

And that is an homage to your good parenting. Good for you, if we had more mothers like to instill a love of learning in kids we'd be in the top 3 of the world in academic achievement, whether we had new books/computers or not.

All it takes to teach a kid math is a teacher, chalk, blackboard, paper and pencils. Thats mostly how i, and i'm sure many here, learned math.

nerd is the new cool

and where the hell were you when i was in HS?

 

[Little Wing]

Everyone wants more money. Thats a moot point. Nevertheless, they are still in the top three in all academic areas, while we are behind some African countries in math.

"The Japan Study authors report that at both junior high and high school, teachers believe that there is a strong link between participation in clubs and success in academics. Over half of all Japanese junior high students spend 2 to 3 hours per day after school and on weekends in student-organized school clubs, such as broadcasting, Japanese fencing, or brass band. Teachers and parents see club participation as academically motivational because it makes for a more well-rounded school experience. They emphasize the clubs' role of providing opportunities for physical activity and socialization within a school setting."

If you bolded that to make your point about money, your dead wrong. Student-organized AV, bands etc. Our kids can't organize their own underwear, let alone a freakin' club.



And that is an homage to your good parenting. Good for you, if we had more mothers like to instill a love of learning in kids we'd be in the top 3 of the world in academic achievement, whether we had new books/computers or not.

All it takes to teach a kid math is a teacher, chalk, blackboard, paper and pencils. Thats mostly how i, and i'm sure many here, learned math.



and where the hell were you when i was in HS?

i bolded that because it's a shame that funding for these programs just isn't there. it's a nice idea to do it at no cost but it costs money to heat a building, provide buses for after school transportation. i really think some great minds are being wasted because so many adults don't realize there is potential in EVERY child. i think to teach math too you need to look at a child and believe in them first. i know a brilliant little girl who just had a baby at 15. she has such dead eyes. a straight A student whose parents were too fucking caught up in their divorce drama bullshit to even notice her and a school system that failed her just as bad.

we put gilded altars in churches and have schools where the bathrooms don't work and classrooms get flooded with shit. does that tell a child "i value you, i believe in you, i'm willing to invest my time, efforts, and yes money to let you rise to the potential i believe you have" or does it say "eh, who gives a rat's ass"? as parents just having food in the house where a kid can feed themselves is not sufficient. neither is making them responsible for their own education. we are supposed to guide them until they are ready to guide themselves.

my mom never read for pleasure. i taught myself to read before i started school because my aunt gave me a book. i know i knew the alphabet but i thought lmno was 1 letter not 4. i have no idea how i did it but i do know having that book mattered as did having an aunt that thought i was worth giving it to, that believed i could read. i don't think my daughter would have learned to be the artist she is if i hadn't given her supplies from a very early age, instruments are essential in teaching and learning music, you can run for free but some sports require equipment. what's babe ruth without a bat? shaq without a court to play on? these things cost money and some schools don't even have the basics. in this country that is something we should be ashamed of. it says we have no confidence in our youth and are willing to just let them be wastes and they are living up to it.

my bf is a total nerd and tess said to me once about a boy "he's the nerd i always wanted" i think given a chance a lot of kids would participate in interesting clubs but they need to be available first. no, money isn't the answer but it is part of what is needed to get from a to b. or f to a rather

 

[Yanick]

I see your point, but jeez you make it sound like its freakin Eastern Europe or something. I know there are shortcomings in any system, but lets not get crazy here LW. We're not a third world country that can't afford bats. Yes maybe our books and sports supplies are aged etc but its not like kids are going to a school with no ceilings, like you make it sound (and if it does happen, it is an isolated incident).

One last thing about my point of culture breeding ignorance. I know a teacher who is getting her master's degree. She's not really a dumb girl, she can study and pass tests and get good grades etc. Does she really care about what she is learning/teaching? Hell no. She asked me to help her do high school math questions for her kids (i mean, solve them, break them down etc). Why did she become a teacher? Because the pay is decent, the hours are short, lots of vacation time. What are her hobbies? Going out, getting drunk, watching every reality TV show out there (she once asked me about the kardashian show, i said i've never seen it and don't know what it is, she gave me the weirdest look like i had twelve eyes). Does she ever try and learn anything outside of what she needs to finish school? Hell no.

This is what our culture breeds, even people with average/above average intelligence don't apply themselves. They do just enough to get by, and spend their lives' in fruitless pursuits of instant gratification.

"...these young men unhappily fail to understand that the sacrifice of life is, in many cases, the easiest of all sacrifices, and that to sacrifice, for instance, five or six years of their seething youth to hard and tedious study, if only to multiply tenfold their powers of serving the truth and the cause they have set before them as their goal-such a sacrifice is utterly beyond the strength of many of them."
- From "The Brothers Karamazov" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Interestingly enough the book that i'm reading is the Dover Thrift Edition that was given to me by a relative who just emmigrated here as a present. It is Dostoyevsky's most extensive work...718 pages, small print...it cost 5 bucks.

Knowledge is cheap nowadays.

 

[johnereb]

i think the schools that perform best probably have staff members that simply care how the kids do. that will make more of a difference than money ever will but money is being taken that funded music programs, sports programs, art, phys ed, most schools don't even have recess anymore and excuse me but to confine a little kid in a chair from 7 am to 2 pm borders on abuse. not to mention the whole little joey wants to run and play lets put his little 6 year old ass on meds so we can turn him into a little drone glued to his chair thing going on...

I agree. The priorities of teachers and the school system in general are terrible. Sad to say, but most teachers seem more interested in simply getting through the school year so they can enjoy their three months off. A caring teacher who really takes the time and effort to teach children is a rare thing anymore and something very much needed.

I also agree that expecting children to sit on their butts all day being still and quiet is near a form of torture in itself. Time for physical activity is needed not only for the benefit of their bodies, but also their minds.

 

[min0 lee]

So in short we should just get rid of schools and save money.
How much would I save in taxes.

 

[min0 lee]

So in short we should just get rid of schools and save money.
How much would I save in taxes.

Dumbass.

 

[ZECH]

I think when this stimulus and bank bailout fails like I think, it will be regarded as the worst move ever by the usa and Obama's name will be all over it!