Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

[Priceless]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

know why other countries are kicking our *** in science and math education? People like this pop out kids left and right.

Mostly to the right.

 

[Old Pio]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

This is exactly what I'm talking about. I was pretty obviously taking a shot at the derpitude of the GOP primary constituency, especially its slavish devotion to "bestest country evar" slogans. Aside: the country is not exceptional because Jebus wrote the constitution. Exceptionalism isn't the starting point. It's a product. Something to be achieved - and re-achieved.

They also have annual instructional times that are much, much greater than ours, never mind Finland's. I'll leave it to you to determine whether the efficiency gain is real or illusory.

I'd say it's more a red herring. And carping on about it won't make it real. There are states that have roughly equal (or even less) demographic/cultural diversity than Finland. Yet they're not star performers. Heck, I'd wager a guess that they perform no better (and possibly worse) than the ethnically contaminated states.

Yup, no doubt about it, Finland's the way to go. I am interested in your view that our multi ethnic, multi cultural society is a "red herring." Nothing to see here, move along. "Contaminaton" is the word you use to avoid considering the point I raised. It's not a word I'd use or suggest in that context. But you knock yourself out with your reflexive libby name calling.

 

[Old Pio]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

Mostly to the right.

Just wondering if you've been boycotting coverage of the Occupiers and their bon mots.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

Yup, no doubt about it, Finland's the way to go. I am interested in your view that our multi ethnic, multi cultural society is a "red herring." Nothing to see here, move along. "Contaminaton" is the word you use to avoid considering the point I raised. It's not a word I'd use or suggest in that context. But you knock yourself out with your reflexive libby name calling.

Norway or Sweden works for me.

Mostly to the right.

Very nicely done. Even got a whiney response from old brownie in the pants.

 

[Old Pio]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

A great essay on the moral and intellectual cesspool the GOP and its enablers have become by someone who knows, and a reminder for the thousandth time that the yammering yahoos calling themselves "conservatives" on the American right and not in any way conservative.

In Libland, anyone to the right of the Rosenbergs is "extreme." Speaking of "cesspools," you did see the picture of that Arkansas pos posing with the whores, right?

 

[Old Pio]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

Norway or Sweden works for me.



Very nicely done. Even got a whiney response from old brownie in the pants.

Smoking in the boy's room again, I see.

 

[Priceless]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

Michael Felger normally doesn't do political talk, but he's been ripping Curt Schilling a new one in the wake of his business laying off all 400+ employees after getting a $75M loan from the state of Rhode Island. Among the many points he made that were spot on, he did wonder if Schilling's business was, say, alternative energy, and he took government money, would the media and his Republican pals be giving him a free pass?

I wonder how much of the $75M he got from the government was paid to himself as salary and bonuses....

 

[Old Pio]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

Michael Felger normally doesn't do political talk, but he's been ripping Curt Schilling a new one in the wake of his business laying off all 400+ employees after getting a $75M loan from the state of Rhode Island. Among the many points he made that were spot on, he did wonder if Schilling's business was, say, alternative energy, and he took government money, would the media and his Republican pals be giving him a free pass?

I wonder how much of the $75M he got from the government was paid to himself as salary and bonuses....

If Curt Schilling is a four flushing, cheating schmuck, that clearly lets all the crooks and pals and bundlers His Panderness has showered with federal money off the hook.

 

[walrus]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Govern...ntified-as-woman-of-color-in-1993-publication

Rover
Didn't you say it was obvious she wasn't a person of "color" Guess she or Harvard couldn't tell
This crap is almost as much fun as "birthers"

 

[Priceless]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Govern...ntified-as-woman-of-color-in-1993-publication

Rover
Didn't you say it was obvious she wasn't a person of "color" Guess she or Harvard couldn't tell
This crap is almost as much fun as "birthers"

Elizabeth Warren likely made that claim while teaching at Harvard

Likely? Well, that's good enough for me! A book jacket proves Obama was born in Kenya and this proves Warren claims to be a full-blooded Cherokee! Thank goodness we've found out this vital information!

 

[duper]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

So long as it is a *useful* master's degree. I had a family friend growing up who had an MBA, had taken time off from her career to raise her kids, and was considering teaching high school economics as a 2nd career. Turns out that she couldn't be hired as an economics teacher - she needed to have a master's degree specifically in economics or in education. I would much prefer someone with an MBA (and actual business experience) teach my kids economics than someone with a master's in education. Or for that matter a master's in math, physics, or even engineering - basically any technical field instead of education.

What was her bachelor's in? If it wasn't education, then she would need the equivalent of an education major to teach anything. I will say, real world experience is great, but teaching is a skill, and one that isn't really natural to very many people. I do think people should have gone through teacher training in order to become a teacher, but once that is done, in an area like economics or business, real-world experience in the field is a huge plus. But not in every field.

I don't think a writer, or even an editor or journalist makes a better English teacher. It is similar in some ways to sports. Pro athletes don't really make better coaches.

 

[Old Pio]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

What was her bachelor's in? If it wasn't education, then she would need the equivalent of an education major to teach anything. I will say, real world experience is great, but teaching is a skill, and one that isn't really natural to very many people. I do think people should have gone through teacher training in order to become a teacher, but once that is done, in an area like economics or business, real-world experience in the field is a huge plus. But not in every field.

I don't think a writer, or even an editor or journalist makes a better English teacher. It is similar in some ways to sports. Pro athletes don't really make better coaches.

Baseball is a good example. For the most part, baseball managers weren't all-star hall of fame type players. Babe Ruth referred to Leo Durocher (starting SS on the '27 Yankees and '32 Cardinals two of the all time greatest teams) as: "The All American Out." And Hall of Fame type players infrequently become managers and are successful even less frequently. How is Ted Williams supposed to explain to some .220 hitter how to go about hitting .400?

While I have learned not to cross you on these matters (you can hardly see the bruises anymore) and I agree that teaching is a skill, I wonder if there isn't an analogy in there with bi-lingual teaching, where ultimately the language skill overtakes and surpasses the subject skill. I mean, if you're looking for a Tagqlog speaking biology teacher which is going to be harder to find? And if a Tagalog speaker of nearly any ability shows up, won't he be hired?

 

[duper]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

Baseball is a good example. For the most part, baseball managers weren't all-star hall of fame type players. Babe Ruth referred to Leo Durocher (starting SS on the '27 Yankees and '32 Cardinals two of the all time greatest teams) as: "The All American Out." And Hall of Fame type players infrequently become managers and are successful even less frequently. How is Ted Williams supposed to explain to some .220 hitter how to go about hitting .400?

While I have learned not to cross you on these matters (you can hardly see the bruises anymore) and I agree that teaching is a skill, I wonder if there isn't an analogy in there with bi-lingual teaching, where ultimately the language skill overtakes and surpasses the subject skill. I mean, if you're looking for a Tagqlog speaking biology teacher which is going to be harder to find? And if a Tagalog speaker of nearly any ability shows up, won't he be hired?

This is definitely an issue. In fact, availability of people who are both able and willing to be teachers is a huge problem in several subject areas, especially in areas with a lot of non-English speakers. (I wonder how many people in the the NJ private school spoke Tagalog? )

 

[Old Pio]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

Likely? Well, that's good enough for me! A book jacket proves Obama was born in Kenya and this proves Warren claims to be a full-blooded Cherokee! Thank goodness we've found out this vital information!

Apart from the fact that the first "birther" may have been His Wonderfulness himself, these are two different matters. Liz Warren, for reasons she won't explain but we can guess, palmed herself off as an "Indian," she says in part because of "family lore," and her gramma's observations about cheekbones and all the rest.

And once she was outed as a liar by the clock, she claimed a non-existant marriage document and a phony Indian cook book and a family news letter as primary sources to support her assertions. Nobody disputes she is a brilliant, accomplished lawyer. But in this one matter, evidently, she's just plain stupid and monumentally uncurious. At least that's what her supporters seem to be suggesting. So stupid that when the new annual law school directory arrived each year, she never checked her entry. So stupid that when Harvard's PR department referred to her on more than one occasion as a "minority" professor, she didn't notice. Or when the Harvard Lantern similarly referred to her, she just happened not to read the paper those days.

Once again, it's the coverup, not the crime.

 

[mookie1995]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

Michael Felger normally doesn't do political talk, but he's been ripping Curt Schilling a new one in the wake of his business laying off all 400+ employees after getting a $75M loan from the state of Rhode Island. Among the many points he made that were spot on, he did wonder if Schilling's business was, say, alternative energy, and he took government money, would the media and his Republican pals be giving him a free pass?

I wonder how much of the $75M he got from the government was paid to himself as salary and bonuses....

blah blah blah.. who cares.

 

[Priceless]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

blah blah blah.. who cares.

Maybe I should write it in the form of Spam Mail...would that get your attention?

Remember how little you cared about this the next time one of your friends mentions Solyndra.

 

[Old Pio]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

This is definitely an issue. In fact, availability of people who are both able and willing to be teachers is a huge problem in several subject areas, especially in areas with a lot of non-English speakers. (I wonder how many people in the the NJ private school spoke Tagalog? )

My nephew teaches advanced math (all that stuff that makes my head hurt) and that, plus the fact that he had the good sense to marry a rich girl, means he'll almost always have a job. And even if he doesn't, he can catch up on those "Law and Order" reruns. "Beulah, peel me a grape."

I've posted before that in many classes I took in hs, the teacher had written or co-written the text. And I had more than a few teachers with PhD's and EdD's. To be sure, many of them were women who would not be in the classroom today. But the point is, the school had very high standards and like your high school, the teachers were well paid, by the standards of the day. Compensation is a touchy issue. But we should certainly do whatever is reasonable to improve compensation for the really good teachers while demanding that the ones who fall short of the mark improve or move on.

During the height of the "Ebonics" fiasco (there's an idea David Duke would love) I did an interview with Al Green who was then the head of the NAACP in Houston and a Harris County commissioner. Al told me every teacher of inner city kids needs to be an English teacher too. It's obvious what he was talking about and it's equally obvious he was right. Incidentally, Al is now a Congressman. There's an awful lot of work to do for minority populations.

 

[LynahFan]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

Well, since we're still on the teacher thing, may as well post this here. Saw this bumper sticker today - a new one to me:

"If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you're reading it in English, thank a soldier."

And just in time for Memorial Day weekend, too.

 

[Old Pio]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

Well, since we're still on the teacher thing, may as well post this here. Saw this bumper sticker today - a new one to me:

"If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you're reading it in English, thank a soldier."

And just in time for Memorial Day weekend, too.

 

[mookie1995]

Re: Elections 2012: You must choose the lesser of two weevils

Maybe I should write it in the form of Spam Mail...would that get your attention?

Remember how little you cared about this the next time one of your friends mentions Solyndra.

like i'll read that too before posting