Proctoring Final Exams P. 3

Let's face it, I did set you up for this part of my education ramblings! Now, to get to the meaty part of this issue. Since I established a theme from yesterday's posting, I want my topic today to be: LEARN BY DOING. The U.S. education system, for too long, has been keeping its thumb up its butt circling 'round the toilet, but no one swallows what they're selling. Why? Because, as I restate here, the education system is failing our kids. Wayne's response is inherently correct that we need to go to a completely different type of educational system similar in many ways to the Europeans'. So, let's be clear that not all people are created equally, especially educationally and I don't mean to BE mean here; it's just a fact. The European way is to start to figure out what "would be a good fit" for their students from day one. Now, no one is suggesting that anything be crammed down anyone's throat. Throttling is fine, but no cramming! But let's be realistic, by the time a student becomes a 2nd grader, we pretty much know the type of kid he/she is. By the time he/she is 8th grade, we KNOW what that type is. My first thought is to still cryogenically freeze them until puberty and social hormones are well-established: no one liked that idea; my next idea was to literally farm them out during their 7th and 8th grade years; still no one liked that idea because now farming is done genetically and on mega-farms with machinery. So, I have my fall-back position, my third one: during their 7th and 8th grade years is when we start to separate them by/through their "talents." Some (many) will have to go to work for the elderly: shoveling shit for their flower-beds, lifting, carrying, digging, mowing, maybe even working on real farm if we can find one, sweeping, making the beds, cleaning the house and walking those little nippy-yappy dogs. You get my drift here. As the Chinese do, have the kids shovel the streets in winter, no school for them for two years. Let's just say, they are on a co-op program. After those two years, what do you want to make a bet that school/education might look a lot better? But, DANGER, WILL ROBINSON! Not all will make the cut. I hate to say it, but there will BE self-selection (for any religious folks, sorry, it's there and they'll to live with it). At that point, there will be a contest (I actually mean some sort of a test) to enter high school. Now, we here at good ol' GHS have a self-assessment test and believe me, it is well worth someone and not someone from the government, to come and see how it works. Not only will they self-select on the assessment, they'll have a portfolio that they've been working on while they've been out on sabbatical. These assessments will be discussed, digested, torn apart, etc by a team of educators representing the high school they may want to attend. At that time, even the students will know which ones should continue out at the manure pile and those who should be selected (sometimes I hate that word) to get "into" high school. Also, by then, the student him/herself should have a pretty good idea of the field of interest he/she should go into. Now I know, this is just an outline of an idea and it really needs fleshing out. How to pay, who will oversee the project, are there enough essential menial tasks out there for them to do, what do we do if they even fail the menial task part? <--that answer is easy; return them to their parents and no handouts from the gov't. from that time forward. You get hungry enough, you'll find a way, but not through gov't or state programs (and I mean the parents won't receive anything from the gov't either). You finish what you start. Even those who go to high school will still "learn by doing." Stay tuned for more information on the "fleshing" out part!