It's the time of term when exhaustion/depression about the endeavor threatens to take over...and productivity goes straight to the unflushed toilet...so, since I'm not getting anything done particularly well, I figured its as good a time to launch this question as any...

Here's my questions for all of you as "concerned citizens of the world":

1. What do you see as the top three "problems" with today's "higher education system". Feel free to rant at length if you wish.

2. What do you see as the top three features of today's "higher education system" that need to be kept? Feel free to wax poetic at length.

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speaking as a mother of twin 7 year olds, i CAN speak to today's elementary education system & it SUCKS!!!!! ok, i know that wasn't the most eloquent choice of words but after seeing the way they try to teach kids addition & subtraction - that's exactly what i think.

onto higher education...i've met more people with college degrees who ask me (a lowly associate's degree holder) how to correctly form sentences, how to spell various words, & how to use grammar effectively. i was an executive assistant to a bank president at one time, the man held a master's degree from the U of Illinois & had NO clue how to use the English language properly.

rant - over.

p.s. my grandmother was an english teacher - it's been drilled into me my entire life. i feel like a roving thesaurus at times but i'm thankful to her for my language skills. they've served me very well.

Ha! More trouble for Dave on the horizon. Wade, My uncle was a department head, and held resentments against both my old man and me.


Tenured, obviously. I found it all mostly humorous. I will bet that this thread will inspire me to tell everyone what hypocrisy looks like...

As a primer, he told my old man that he would leave instantly if "this government trained murderer" remains within his presence on a visit in the 80's...

I had been home like twice in ten years. My father was a former Marine Captain serving alongside a gentleman that would later become the Commandant of the Marine Corps.

My uncle was not stupid. Actually, he was profoundly smart. He did have an agenda, as did academia....

To be thrown out of my own father's home... as he he respected my service greatly... these were the times that I have lived...

4Pack - I love you.

One of my HUGE pet peeves. Drives me nuts when someone has a college degree and can neither spell nor speak English correctly. They give those things out too easily. If you don't know the difference between "its" and "it's," in my not so humble opinion, you shouldn't get a college degree.

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Come on Zombie. Its not that big of a deal.

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I hate the elitists that have a college degree and how they look down upon those of us that don't. Like those of us that don't can't ever be as intelligent as they are because we don't have a piece of paper that said we completed a certain degree of educational requirements.

Also, I hate the phrase, "Knowledge is Power" It's false, and gives fuel to said elitists. No, knowledge is just simply the acquisition of information. That's it. Congratulations, you can now probably beat me in a game of Trivial Pursuit or Jeopardy. The correct version of the phrase is, "The Correct Application of Knowledge is Power"

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Three problems:

1. Tenure system
2. Students expect college to be free
3. Most students take liberal arts programs

Three things right:

1. Not all students take liberal arts programs
2. Some students pay their way through
3. Some educators are competent

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:physassult:

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Isn't that some kind of dinosaur????
LOLOL!!! :physassult:

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Ok.......here we go......i have seen people graduate high school and not be able to read and write. How can you get through 12 years of school, and not be able to read and write? You can't put the blame on one teacher for that. It obviously took MANY to let that happen. Public schools eat up tons of money, but they arn't held accountable. It's (see Zombie, i know how to use that!) run by the government, and like most government run operations, it doesn't have to reach any real goals. (See how the schools are, and then ask yourself again if you REALLY want government run healthcare)
If test scores are low, they lower the standards, then more kids pass and they say "Look! Our kids are getting smarter!"
Now....i am NOT attacking all teachers. I had some GREAT ones when i was in school. I also had some that were not worthy of their positions.
If it wasn't for my Mom, I would not have the great reading and writting skills i have today. I didn't learn them in school, my Mom forced me to read every day out loud to her. I HATED it. But now realize how much she loved me to put the time and effort into teaching me.

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