Public school spending

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It's not rocket science. Just to pick an arbitrary #, I'll bet that the average 1971 high school graduate knew more that the average hs grad today.


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We pay more for vetrans benifits than we do to educate our people..Whata sick society

http://nationalpriorities.org/en/tools/ ... aid/12000/

neptunechimney wrote: It's not rocket science. Just to pick an arbitrary #, I'll bet that the average 1971 high school graduate knew more that the average hs grad today.

I'll bet they don't. I've seen what the Conifer HS kids are studying, and it is far beyond anything we studied in the 70's.

Let's see... Back in 1971 if you got in to any heavy math you probably owned at least one slide ruler and knew how to use it along with a bunch of memorized formulas and the order of operations for solving different problems. Today most of the high schools require kids taking anything about Algebra to have a graphing calculator that has memory so they can store the formulas that they need to know and just plug in the numbers AND they get to use the calculator on their tests.

Back in 1971 most kids got some education in the garage changing the oil in the family sedan, rotating tires, and learning how to replace water pumps, alternators and other parts. Most of the kids I grew up with couldn't wait for the opportunity to cannibalize an old lawn mower or snow blower so they could build a go cart or a mini bike while conning Dad into teaching them how to put one together and learning some basic mechanics and welding. Today kids sit in front of a monitor with there favorite gaming system(s) on their off time in cyber battles with people they don't know and will likely never meet in person over the Internet.

Back in 1971 the English language was taught a little differently, spelling, diction, and grammar still mattered and students had to learn the rules. Papers were graded on all of the academic mechanics of the English language AND the intellectual content as well as the logic of the premise and conclusion. Today Open Office and Microsoft Office take care of all of the academic mechanics of the English language for the student and even suggest better sentence constructs, all the student has to do is convey their point in a clear, logical way.

What of history, geography, and the rest? Kids today have some distinct advantages over the class of 1971, and contrary to where you might think I'm going with this, today's kids have the advantage of not needing to know as many of the details and having more time to dedicate to learning more. At the same time I think everyone needs to know their way around an automobile and basic maintenance and repairs, knowledge and experience with hand tools around the house and basic plumbing and electrical skills. I also would like to see more of today's generation have a greater sense of self accountability and the ability and motivation to be mostly self reliant as young men and women grow into adulthood.

otisptoadwater wrote: Let's see... Back in 1971 if you got in to any heavy math you probably owned at least one slide ruler and knew how to use it along with a bunch of memorized formulas and the order of operations for solving different problems. Today most of the high schools require kids taking anything about Algebra to have a graphing calculator that has memory so they can store the formulas that they need to know and just plug in the numbers AND they get to use the calculator on their tests.

No, they do not get to use graphing calculators on their tests, nor do they get to hide formulas in their calculators, or phones, or ipads or whatever. Kids in Conifer High School are doing advanced calculus, something those in 1971 did only in college.

otisptoadwater wrote: Back in 1971 most kids got some education in the garage changing the oil in the family sedan, rotating tires, and learning how to replace water pumps, alternators and other parts. Most of the kids I grew up with couldn't wait for the opportunity to cannibalize an old lawn mower or snow blower so they could build a go cart or a mini bike while conning Dad into teaching them how to put one together and learning some basic mechanics and welding. Today kids sit in front of a monitor with there favorite gaming system(s) on their off time in cyber battles with people they don't know and will likely never meet in person over the Internet.

Well, that's a very nice generalization of some fond memory you have. I remember it quite differently. I remember kids in shop class goofing off, sneaking alcohol & cigarettes, while waiting to "get out of this podunk town."

otisptoadwater wrote: Back in 1971 the English language was taught a little differently, spelling, diction, and grammar still mattered and students had to learn the rules. Papers were graded on all of the academic mechanics of the English language AND the intellectual content as well as the logic of the premise and conclusion. Today Open Office and Microsoft Office take care of all of the academic mechanics of the English language for the student and even suggest better sentence constructs, all the student has to do is convey their point in a clear, logical way.

They still have to do all of those things today, especially at Conifer HS. Are you saying that they don't?

otisptoadwater wrote: What of history, geography, and the rest? Kids today have some distinct advantages over the class of 1971, and contrary to where you might think I'm going with this, today's kids have the advantage of not needing to know as many of the details and having more time to dedicate to learning more. At the same time I think everyone needs to know their way around an automobile and basic maintenance and repairs, knowledge and experience with hand tools around the house and basic plumbing and electrical skills. I also would like to see more of today's generation have a greater sense of self accountability and the ability and motivation to be mostly self reliant as young men and women grow into adulthood.

Perhaps you should spend some time with the "kids of today." I think you would be amazed at what they know about our world, their critical thinking skills, and yes, even their ability to repair things and work with their hands. I've never seen kids more motivated to better themselves than the what I see at our High School. If they are the future, it's looking quite bright indeed.

So Kate, are you addressing today's generation in general or just students at Conifer High School? I took it as a more general question to be applied nation wide. I have nothing but good things to say about kids who exceed the general model, including my own nephew and nieces who attend D'Evelyn junior/senior high school, but let's have a look at a larger group. How do you think High School kids in Detroit, Cincinnati, or Washington DC are performing? What about the kids in Los Angels, San Diego, or Portland? Are kids in New Orleans, Memphis, and Tallahassee also getting exceptional instruction and achieving excellence in their pre-college academic careers?

I'm not pressing you for proof, I'm just asking the larger question. When you look across the country how well educated are kids today vs, the class of 1971 nation wide?

P.S. - I still think that the current generation has the advantage because they have better tools and easier ways to reference information. In other words I happen to agree with you; maybe my last paragraph of my previous post doesn't convey that as well as it could.

I'm looking at kids here in the Conifer/Evergreen area. That's my eyewitness information. Other than that, I have no opinion, nor have I done research about areas outside of our community.

Kate wrote: I'm looking at kids here in the Conifer/Evergreen area. That's my eyewitness information. Other than that, I have no opinion, nor have I done research about areas outside of our community.

Thanks for your honest answer, I really do appreciate your consideration of the larger question. Don't get me wrong, I have a deep appreciation for young people today who are excelling in their academic careers and improving their practical knowledge of the world. My only point is that many kids across the country are not getting the same quality of education.

otisptoadwater wrote:

Kate wrote: I'm looking at kids here in the Conifer/Evergreen area. That's my eyewitness information. Other than that, I have no opinion, nor have I done research about areas outside of our community.

Thanks for your honest answer, I really do appreciate your consideration of the larger question. Don't get me wrong, I have a deep appreciation for young people today who are excelling in their academic careers and improving their practical knowledge of the world. My only point is that many kids across the country are not getting the same quality of education.

Concur. My posts on education address systemic national failure of education in this country that has been degrading for decades.

I believe that in part it is the cream students and school systems that are holding up the country. I worry it will not last.