Interest Surges in Top Colleges, While Struggling Ones Scrape for Applicants

[Westwind]

The main problem with academia is there are too many administrators all of whom make too much money.

I used to think it was the attorneys... Now I think it’s those people who know how to use Excel too lol

 

[Tatonka]

Every generation thinks that the world is coming to an end “because of what is being taught” to their kids in college.

It will be fine. Our kids are smart and the pendulum swings.

Of course. It's particularly difficult when you witness on a regular basis (because the kids are home taking courses online) the far end of the pendulum and the extremism taking place in regards to so many fundamental issues.

 

[_MIA_]

Of course. It's particularly difficult when you witness on a regular basis (because the kids are home taking courses online) the far end of the pendulum and the extremism taking place in regards to so many fundamental issues.

What courses?

 

[Tatonka]

What courses?

*Disclaimer - having a home office is a blessing and a curse. Courses (for my 2 "First Years" as they're called because Under or Upper Class is discriminatory and Freshmen, Sophomore, Junior or Senior is also verboten) have ranged from Art History, Early Education, Babylon Berlin, Music and Culture (these last two were required tutorial classes), Biology, Chemistry, Sociology and Economics and oh ya, Fundamentals of Softball. Their school has split the semesters into two terms, ie; Spring 1 and Spring 2, with each being concentrated into 7.5 week terms.

 

[_MIA_]

*Disclaimer - having a home office is a blessing and a curse. Courses (for my 2 "First Years" as they're called because Under or Upper Class is discriminatory and Freshmen, Sophomore, Junior or Senior is also verboten) have ranged from Art History, Early Education, Babylon Berlin, Music and Culture (these last two were required tutorial classes), Biology, Chemistry, Sociology and Economics and oh ya, Fundamentals of Softball. Their school has split the semesters into two terms, ie; Spring 1 and Spring 2, with each being concentrated into 7.5 week terms.

So what courses were feeding the students extreme ideas? Was Fundamentals of softball teaching them Teacherman’s theory of hitting?

 

[_MIA_]

At the end of the day a parent is paying for experts in various subjects to teach their child what they need to know in order to have the tools to succeed when they get out. What they call the 1st two years of school has no direct bearing on that.

Your child is there to learn, learn subject matter and also learn about themselves without the day to day guidance from their parents that they have had the previous 18 years of their lives. It is no different than a parent who works with their kid in sports. Once they get out on the field, court, etc you hope that your guidance will serve them well but it is out of your control...That isn’t easy for a parent (believe me, I of all people should know) but necessary.

 

[Tatonka]

I'm sure not everyone would agree that they are extreme ideas given this countries current climate but I have concerns with the Econ textbook being used (for a number of reasons that I won't bore you with here) and on a somewhat unrelated note, the Prof in that class was a rookie who presented the "dismal science" in a very uninspiring, monotone lecture style while reading verbatim from said textbook, and on more than one occasion didn't understand some basic tenets....she'll likely get better with time. Some of the other courses seemed to revolve primarily around racism, gender identity, income inequality and similar issues...which of course all have their place in these curriculums but not as the sole or often even primary topic. The art and science classes have been pretty straight forward (as you might expect) while the education stuff has been fairly wide ranging so far.

Every student in the Softball class is on the team and it's been good for them as a group since there are currently only three (yes, that's 3) players allowed on campus. No Teacherman hitting theories that I'm aware of but now that you mention it I'll have to ask??

Just as it's ok to discuss and explore these things it should also be ok to question the how and why behind it. And of course, parents (sometimes) have a choice as to where to send our kids and spend our money. Keep your options open by working hard in the classroom as well as on the field/court.

ps. I just saw your last response and yes, parents are paying "experts" and sometimes need to just get out of the way and let the kid travel their own road. My comments are based on my own previous and current experience. Do your own research and due diligence, explore it further than you may think is necessary and be open to making the necessary adjustments along the way. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Rolling Hard]

Controversial curriculum proposed by The California Department of Education will have students chanting the names of Aztec gods once worshipped in human sacrifice rituals.

Modeled after Marxist theoretician Paolo Freire’s “pedagogy of the oppressed,” the curriculum hopes to have students “challenge racist, bigoted, discriminatory, imperialist/colonial beliefs.”


Teachers are to encourage students to join “social movements that struggle for social justice” and to “build new possibilities for a post-racist, post-systemic racism society.”

Yes, that insinuates the current society we live in is a racist one.

The curriculum claims, “chants, affirmations, and energizers can be used to bring the class together, build unity around ethnic studies principles and values, and to reinvigorate the class following a lesson that may be emotionally taxing or even when student engagement may appear to be low.”

The California School Board is set to review a draft of the curriculum next week.

 

[Rolling Hard]

The United States Colleges graduate only 5% of their student as engineers. China about 35%. Who's winning?

 

[_MIA_]

The United States Colleges graduate only 5% of their student as engineers. China about 35%. Who's winning?

I would guess that the the top 1% of engineers/scientists do 99% of the innovation and the US still is doing fine in generating the 1% in particular if we don't make it impossible for creative/bright foreign students to enter the country...To be honest a lot of the work that Engineers do could be done by a reasonably bright HS graduate who knows how to follow directions..