Replies to post #14910 on Zeev's Turnips Talk Politics (ZTTP)

[brainlessone]

aan anonymous letter:

My last job at a national retail chain was filled, after I departed, by an Iranian recent graduate. My former manager claimed he saw few American qualified candidates. Skilled technicians do not often emerge from American schools. Nintendo players do, hiphop singers and dancers do, World Wide Wrestling fans do, drunken college dropouts do, bankrupted college graduates do, since our school systems too often merely advance students instead of educating them. Heck, math is optional now in high schools after the second year. Every German high school exchange student I have known has jumped to the head of his class when entering our less skilled student force. Our high technology sector would never be so strong without skilled Indians and Taiwanese. Their skill and leadership has created thousands of jobs for Americans. Ignorance and hard times usually breed contempt for foreigners. No, our economy desperately needs highly capable foreigners, since our domestic workers are largely unskilled and often have poor discipline.

[Jeffrey Scott]

Schools have their hands tied. Parents are to blame IMO. Most parents (not all) do not spend the time with their children. Too many children are left to play Nintendo all freaking day long.

[sarai]

Hi ergo, Excellent topic, and a topic on which I have recently gained some insight and opinion. We've also had the great fortune and benefit of an affiliation with a "faith based" remediation service.

As for the failure of some children to achieve certain proficiency levels in the primary grades, I think there are a myriad of factors. I think alot of it has to do with developmental differences and differing learning styles in the young child. We all "get there" but we don't all get there at the same rate or in the same manner. Developmental differences and differing learning styles are most pronounced early ed. The public system has become overly "standardized", and rigid, with evaluation metrics probably too narrowly defined. Some kids get lost. Imo, the key to overall academic success lies in appropriate primary school ed, a good foundation. And this is often (usually??) specific to the individual child. But more on this later.... I'm kind of too tired to think.

For those who are familiar with my personal situation, we are doing great. Honestly thriving because of an awesome, caring and thoroughly competent private sector remediation service. We are very, very fortunate!!...