Sly Bald Guys Forum
Various Non-Bald Discussions => General Discussion => Topic started by: The Zook on October 22, 2008, 03:02:41 PM
-
So I'm helping our 6 year old out with her homework, which happens to be the alphabet and what words start with certain letters, etc.
A=Apple
B=Bicycle
And so on...
W=Waffle
X=Exclamation Point
Wait a minute... WTH? :x!
Called the teacher the very next morning and asked just what our daughter was being taught. Her response? Oh, yeah... that's approved material. I said excuse me, but 'Exclamation Point' does not start with an X, this is not approved by this parent, can't you use something like, oh X-Ray or hey, how about what I learned... xylophone!
I'm so upset over this, our education system is getting so dumbed down it's pathetic.
Regardless, we were quick to teach our daughter that this is simply not correct and explained why.
I also went to a math meeting they held to explain how they are teaching the 'new math'. (This I had to see.)
:o
83+62=
:Xo!
3 correct answers!
1. 145
2. About 140
3. About 150
Pathetic...
-
Hey Lucky-
I agree! The teachers are like robots in a lot of cases.
I still can't believe they teach reading without phonics!!! We still use phonics in this house!
See my "Root Beer" thread to see how ridiculous the schools have become.
-
83+62=
:Xo!
3 correct answers!
1. 145
2. About 140
3. About 150
Pathetic...
Sounds like an engineer came up with those answers!
-
Man you don't even want to get me started on this one. Over the past thirty years our government has sat back and allowed our childen to be "dumbed down". If I was of an income to do it my daughter would have been in private school long ago. Our public education system ..well sorry for being so blunt....SUCKS!
-
83+62=
:Xo!
3 correct answers!
1. 145
2. About 140
3. About 150
Pathetic...
Sounds like an engineer came up with those answers!
technically the answer would be 150 because there are only 2 significant figures in each of the numbers being added, so there can only be 2 significant figures in the sum. Unless they are known to be exact numbers, no way of knowing this from the equation, in which case the answer would be 145.
Still, what morons thought of teaching young kids that they don't need to be able to add
-
Man ...am I glad I don't have kids in school anymore.....good luck to you bros who do....sounds pathetic to me...... :(
-
i are trained by thuh twentifurst senchury skoolz
-
i are trained by thuh twentifurst senchury skoolz
Yes, I can tell...... :*))
-
I will defend our education system. I actually live in Canada but it's similar to U.S.
The people who are trying to improve our education system care
a lot. They are hard working people, but guess who is the problem?
The politicians!!! They expect immediate results. It takes a long
time to develop a good system but politicians want quick results.
So blame the vote you are voting for.
But in the end, I agree it sucks! lol.
I have completed a bachelor's with a major in math and man this is the
first time I hear 83+62 has 3 answers. Holy crap!
-
Our education system is devolving from centers of learning to places of childcare and test prep centers.
-
My first grader missed two words on her spelling test last week. The words were "America" and "question".
Since when is "question" a first grade spelling word. The word above it was "here" .
I will say one thing about the math question, though. The answer is obviously 145. I think they may be trying to teach a concept along with the right answer. The beginnings of critical thinking skills.
-
Sounds like an engineer came up with those answers!
You mustn't know many engineers. At least not good ones. By nature and training, engineers are extremely precise.
-
Sounds like an engineer came up with those answers!
You mustn't know many engineers. At least not good ones. By nature and training, engineers are extremely precise.
One can only be as precise as the information they have, 83 + 62 = 150, 83.0 + 62.0 =145 O0
both are correct
-
Sounds like an engineer came up with those answers!
You mustn't know many engineers. At least not good ones. By nature and training, engineers are extremely precise.
One can only be as precise as the information they have, 83 + 62 = 150, 83.0 + 62.0 =145 O0
both are correct
I think when adding you use the least number of decimal places, not the number of significant figures. So 83+62=145 because all three numbers have zero decimal places.
Or about 140 or 150, as the test says. lol
-
Sounds like an engineer came up with those answers!
You mustn't know many engineers. At least not good ones. By nature and training, engineers are extremely precise.
Ahhhhhh.....in theory.....haha...... :D
-
83 + 62 =
Could be worse. You caould have asked an accountant:
"What answer did you have in mind"
Better still a financial advisor:
12 months ago:
Well if those represent your weekly individual incomes I can lend a multiple of that based on the current moon phase, your inside leg measurement and the fact that I get a big fat bonus based on sales. Would $250,000 be sufficient?
Today:
Do you want fries with that?
(apologies to any scrupulous financial advisors - I know you're not all like that).
-
Sounds like an engineer came up with those answers!
You mustn't know many engineers. At least not good ones. By nature and training, engineers are extremely precise.
I am an engineer. ;) And I know a lot, too.
It really depends on what type of engineer. Mechanical design engineers must be very precise. Especially in my line of work. Process engineers (which most chemical engineers become), which includes myself, are more applied and don't always need the level of precision. The best way to put it is that an answer of 150 may be good enough to accomplish the goal without going to unnecessary effort to make it exact with no better results.
Say you are cooking a recipie that calls for 1 cup of milk. I could use advanced lab equipment to get pretty darn close to 1 cup, but in reality a simple measuring cup that that may give you just 7/8 cup will make a cake that tastes just the same.
-
As for problems in education, I'd say most of the issues are with the parents. My wife and mother are both teachers. The schools can only do so much. They have kids whose parents don't care. One kid was allowed by her mom to drop out after 8th grade because mom did, and mom says she can't expect her kid to do something she didn't (finish school). Other kids come to school falling asleep because mom and dad had a party all night. Other parents just shrug off the teacher that calls to tell them their kid is acting up in class all day, every day.
When my wife tells me about interactions with the parents, the good parents seem to be in the minority.
-
Schools can only do so much?
Sorry, but telling my kid 'X' is for 'Exclamation Point' isn't doing ANYTHING. I can understand if a kid is sent home with homework and the parents are at the bar all night, but come on... at least start with the right material.
-
I just want to say this. While Haiti may be poor in resources and just with everyday life, their school system is top notch. While I was helping in the class rooms there, 3rd graders were doing what our 6th graders are doing here. I was totally amazed. Kids in grade K were already learning english and adding and subtracting. They spoke better "Proper" english than our own kids do.
-
Sounds like an engineer came up with those answers!
You mustn't know many engineers. At least not good ones. By nature and training, engineers are extremely precise.
One can only be as precise as the information they have, 83 + 62 = 150, 83.0 + 62.0 =145 O0
both are correct
I think when adding you use the least number of decimal places, not the number of significant figures. So 83+62=145 because all three numbers have zero decimal places.
Or about 140 or 150, as the test says. lol
you got me, it has been a while since i have used significant digits, and surveyors do math differently than other people. ;D
maybe I remember it differently or was taught sig figs wrong, who knows
-
As for problems in education, I'd say most of the issues are with the parents. My wife and mother are both teachers. The schools can only do so much. They have kids whose parents don't care. .
I'll agree with this to a point...... but there have always been parents that were lousy.
Here's the way I see it......... Classes are smaller and parents "volunteer" more time helping in the classroom than they ever have. Kids get two recesses a day and more field trips in a year than I care to mention.
Don't blame politicians for all that. Blame the abundance of poor, unskilled teachers (not all!) that can't be fired no matter how bad a teacher they are. The teachers unions are very powerful and they and the politicians walk hand in hand.
Also, blame the inability of teachers to discipline kids.....
The schools, administrators and many teachers arte worried about things that are none of their business.... your kid is too fat, do you have a gun in your home, etc........ get back to teaching!!!
An aside to this that illustrates just what I'm talking about........ a few years back when my older son was a Senior in high school, late in the school year, we kept him out of school on a Friday to go out of state to visit family. It was the first day he had missed all year. So on Monday I wrote him a note that simply stated ," My son, XXXX XXXXXXX, had my permission to be out of school on Friday XX". Then i signeed the note and handed it to my son.
Heread it and said "Dad... they aren't going to like this note". I asked who "they" were,he said the office administration that took all absentee notes. I asked why and he said that it didn't give a reason for him being out. So I told my son to have them call me at work if they didn't like the note.
So about 10:00 Am that morning I get a call that went like this:
(Me) Hello, Mike XXX
(Him) Hello Mr. XXX this is Principal YYY fom your son's High School.
(Me) Good morning, what can I do for you?
(Him) Well I'm calling about this note you sent in with your son today.
(Me) Yes..... Is there a problem?
(Him) Well it doesn't have a reason for him being out last Friday.
(Me) Well Mr. YYY do you realize that this is my son's firt missed day the entire year? That hardly makes him a truant.
(Him) Yes.... I checked and I know that.
(Me) Then I'm not sure why you're calling.
(Him) Well, as i said, there is no reasn in the note for his abscence.
(Me) (very politely) Well Mr. YYY I'm not going to give you a reason because I feel that it's none of the school's business.
(Him) But Mr. XXX our policies state that when a student misses a day that a reason must be given for it to be an excused abscence.
(Me) Well Mr. YYY let me ask you a question.
(Him) Sure...
(Me) The last time you were out of the school for a day did you send me a note with the reason that you were out for the day?
(Him) (laughing) I see your point and no i did not. All I really needed to call for was to verify that he had your permission to be out that day.
(Me) As my note said.
(Him) (with both of us laughing) Exactly... and thanks.
SILLINESS!!!!! They should be doing what they are paid to do...........
-
Won't get into the specifics of why but yesterday I had heart to heart chat with my daughter's principal. We spoke at length about some of the diciplinary problems in schools today. I told her I know in todays politically correct climate I know it was old fashioned but I wish the good old PADDLE could be used again. She agreed with me that one of the problems today is these kids have nothing to fear. I hate to be one to say "back in my day" BUT back then if you got out of line you got the paddle and as I recall we had no where near the problems of todays schools. Believe me..I would have taken that "time out crap" anyday over a piece of well rounded well placed hard oak. And I had one of those dads that if I got it at school..I usually got it at home to.
-
Won't get into the specifics of why but yesterday I had heart to heart chat with my daughter's principal. We spoke at length about some of the diciplinary problems in schools today. I told her I know in todays politically correct climate I know it was old fashioned but I wish the good old PADDLE could be used again. She agreed with me that one of the problems today is these kids have nothing to fear. I hate to be one to say "back in my day" BUT back then if you got out of line you got the paddle and as I recall we had no where near the problems of todays schools. Believe me..I would have taken that "time out crap" anyday over a piece of well rounded well placed hard oak. And I had one of those dads that if I got it at school..I usually got it at home to.
Ditto....absolutely ...and agree 100%
-
She agreed with me that one of the problems today is these kids have nothing to fear.
Very true. One of my wife's students went up to her and started cursing. Of course my wife told the kid he was off to see the principal. The kid then told her the reason he did it was because he was tired of school and wanted to be sent home so he could watch tv. My wife didn't want to satisfy the kid, so she made him sit down and stay in class. The kid didn't like that too much.
The kid would have probably been sent home and his parents wouldn't have done a thing about it.
-
That's why these kids are like animals today.I blame the damm parents.They know how to have them but they don't know how to raise them. Many years ago the parents were better because they applied strict discipline.I don't know what the hell is the matter with todays parents.
-
That's why these kids are like animals today.I blame the damm parents.They know how to have them but they don't know how to raise them. Many years ago the parents were better because they applied strict discipline.I don't know what the hell is the matter with todays parents.
UUmmmm.....how about the fact that if parents try to discipline kids the old fashioned way they get reported to Social Services?? I agree a lot of parents are at fault but also remember that society has made it taboo to spank or discipline the old fasioned way....for the most part.... :(
-
I witnessed just this past week while teaching in school, the kids act up there....they get the paddle. Still very much inforced where I was at.
-
I witnessed just this past week while teaching in school, the kids act up there....they get the paddle. Still very much inforced where I was at.
And are they better behaved there because of the paddle?
-
Yes...over all they are. They got into trouble for fighting over a ball. It wasnt a fist fight by no means. It was 4 boys tackling the ball. Actually I wouldnt call it a fight...just scrambling for the ball. Class room manners were A+. Not once did a child talk without being called on from raising his hand. Not once did any of the kids get out of their seat without permission. When asked to do something, they did it. Children there get red tagged ( meaning a week out of school ) for cheating . So their behavior...yes much better than what I have observed in my kids classrooms.
-
I agree Timm,a whack every now and then dosen't hurt.It actually improves the situation.I'm not saying to beat the kid black and blue but a spanking every once in awhile is good. This getting reported to social services for hitting your kid is baloney. That's why when the kids grow up they shoot the parents because they always got away with stuff without a whack.When I was a kid we were afraid to talk back to an adult and we respected them. Today these kids have no fear because a lot of the parents give in to them.Also I don't believe in this "Time Out" bullshit.It dosen't work.Give them a whack once in awhile when they misbehave to show them who's boss.I have spoken.
-
Unfortunately alot of the "all we are saying is give peace a chance" types equate spanking a child with beating a child.....MAJOR difference in the two. And alot of those people write the laws now and looks like after Nov. 4th we will have even more of that type of people in office. Parents..who give a damn...are having more and more of their parental rights taken away because after alll.....government knows best...yeah right. :/O To me it dosent't take a rocket scientist to figure out that old fashioned dicipline and respect needs to be returned to the classroom. Problem is in so many cases it isn't being taught at home.
-
It seems to me that from what has changed in our schools is a tremendous lack of discipline and respect.Kids today have very little fear of any authority figure because they threaten a law suit. Political correctness has really dumbed down our kids to the point where you are NOT allowed to fail. Parents are more interested in being a childs friend instead of a parent. Teachers unions are always crying for more money and getting it as thE U.S. SPENDS MORE MONEY ON EDUCATION THAN ANYONE ELSE. I have to agree that the current political situation the way it looks now that our EDUCATION SYSTEM will not be improving any time soon!
-
Dr. Benjamin Spock, who was the originator of the "it's never OK to hit a child" mindset came out about 10 years ago and, basically, said Ooops, I f#@ked up. Not many people paid any attention, though.
I hate to be one of those who says "back in my day" blah, blah, blah, but the truth is that the teachers used to be directed to teach to the smartest kids in the class and let the rest strive to keep up. That accounted for people having to repeat grades because pressure was applied to keep pace with the leaders. The system has devolved to the point of teaching to the class dummy and the rest, including the best and brightest, have to sit on their hands and wait for Gomer to learn how to spell cat. Now the question of school funding depends on the "success" rate of the students which means "no child left behind". Everybody passes every grade, even the class a$$hole. If not the funding gets cut. The smartest kids have to sit and look out the window and tap their fingers on the desk and get labeled as ADHD and get Ritalin stuffed down their throats.
-
Start tracing our public school failures back to 1980 with the establishment of the Department of Education. Education standards should be established at a local level, not in Washington by a bunch of politically correct bureaucrats who are more concerned with making sure there are ethnically appropriate kids' names in math story problems than actually teaching content. Add to that teachers unions who protect incompetent teachers through tenure programs. As I understand it, there are literally scores of NYC teachers who are no longer allowed to teach in schools, but because of the unions, they can't be fired so they sit back and collect paychecks for teaching nothing. Add to that instances such as in California where the teachers' union leaders recently gave a million dollars of union money to defeat the efforts to define marriage again as between a man and a woman (not trying to stir anything up there; you can do whatever you want in CA). You can easily see how the focus has turned away from the real job of educating kids. We already spend more than most industrialized countries on education dollars / student, so more money isn't the problem. We need competition in schools. Instute school vouchers where you can take your school tax dollars and send your kids to whatever school you want, public or private, and you'll see things start changing. Sorry for the rant. This kind of stuff just drives me nuts.
-
If you haven't seen this video clip yet -- check it out. It's a fascinating overview of how things are changing here in the US and around the world. Very sobering.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljbI-363A2Q (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljbI-363A2Q)
-
Wow....that's amazing info...
-
Man that is a sobering video. You know, I don't know why, maybe this particular election has me more sensitized than normal but I have really been giving alot of thought to what we teach our kids. I don't just mean what they are taught at school but at home. How many of us have really..I mean really sat down with our families and had a serious talk about freedom and the price that has been paid for us to be able to do the things we can do in this country. Can we really appreciate the fact that the signers of the Declaration of Independance put their very lives on the line and risked hanging? They were husbands, fathers and I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to explain and convince their familes of what they felt they had to do. I have really been doing some soul searching myself. I tried to remember when I talked to my daughter about the preamble to the Constitution and what that truly means...I could not remember one time ever really talking to her about it and it makes me damn ashamed of myself. So many of us have been so busy making livings, worrying about sports scores, etc., that we have forgotten the most important things in life..our children. I know in a real sense I did. Hillary tried to convince it that "It takes a village" I disagree..It takes Moms and Dads doing their God given job! BEING Moms and Dads. Our country is in some serious dire straits and while we would like to blame the politicains the real truth is the fault of alot of the nations problems lay at the feet of the guys we look at in the mirror every day. When are we ever going to "get it"? Apparently people in other countries are and we should not despise them for it. After all they learned from old school America and then "we" laid it aside.