Speaking of stupid people...

[JS Esq.]

Sorry, that's baloney. Mt kids get a far better education in private (parochial) school for HALF THE PRICE of what my local school district spends per student.

Monopolies (government or otherwise) ALWAYS deliver worse product at a higher price.

Because private schools get to pick their students. Public schools get all the kids kicked out of private schools for fighting, or using drugs, or not maintaining a sufficient GPA, etc., etc. Or turned away because the private school can't accommodate a student's disability...

Public schools have to take everyone.

 

[ladder13]

Sorry, that's baloney. Mt kids get a far better education in private (parochial) school for HALF THE PRICE of what my local school district spends per student.

Monopolies (government or otherwise) ALWAYS deliver worse product at a higher price.

As is often said, I wish I could give that a hundred likes.

Competition breeds excellence. Never will happen though, when you have a monopoly on the shaping and bending of minds.

Unfortunately, the gov't forces you to also pay for public education whether or not you use it. Imagine if all people had school choice to go where they get bang for their buck, with their own money, just like all the other choices some champion.
But then how would the public schools pay for all those "administrators" and dead wood.

 

[flagman1776]

I caused a world of fuss when I was hired in a Supermarket before my 16th birthday. Using the old fashioned register is easy but you do have to be able to count. Some children are curious and want to learn. There's tons of educational content if one wants it. Hell, I even learn stuff here, everyday. Others just want to play games. Games are entertainment and there's a place for that...

 

[DeathGrip]

That all changed when Miami said that there could be no discrimination in private schools. That was the early '70s.

Anita Bryant was the orange juice lady and Dade Christian School was huge. That all changed.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

I am not now nor have I ever been a parent, and I reject this mock African "It takes a village.." nonsense. The problem with too many kids today is that they are under parented. And too many parents are using the public schools as a daycare center.
Here in NJ the number of school budgets and levies that are being rejected has been steadily rising, the cause is usually senior citizens. Fixed income, property taxes too high, no kids in the schools, parents shrugging off their responsibilities.
Visit an inner city school, see how many kids are the offspring of welfare mothers, met their father-sperm donor, if you prefer-once, teenage girls who are intimately acquainted with the welfare forms.
The late Albert Shanker once noted that no answer can be cheap or simple in the growth field of para-education, whose planned obsolescence leaves General Motors in the dust. The New Math, Look-Say Reading, anyone.
When was the last time anyone discovered a new or overlooked principle of marksmanship ?
If someone is a lousy wing shot with Grandpa's old hand me down store brand double barrel, do you think handing them a Winchester Model 21 is going to turn them into a champion ?
P

 

[yaktamer]

I had a British friend from long ago who told me that a Guinea was a Pound plus a tip.

Nope. It's a chicken. Six of the nuggets therefrom constitute a half-dozen.

 

[Golddollar]

Folks are dumb where I come from,
they ain't had any learnin.
Still their happy as can be,
doin what comes naturally.

I think there is a song that goes something like that.

It comes from the musical "Annie Get Your Gun."

 

[J. R. WEEMS]

STUPID

This thread would be hilarious if it wasnt so pitifuly true. Now the 'coin shortage' Our local store no longer will give out change-- Ok- today my bill was $45.35, I gave the girl $45.00 she looked at the money and said it wasnt enough-- I put the 35 cents on a credit card, thus costing them $3.00, or 3% -- she said , you cant do that, I said I just did-- she was still looking at the money when I left.

 

[ladder13]

If you ever get a chance, watch this documentary. It shows a school system in disarray with administrators, teachers and students all contributing to a dysfunctional public education system.


The Rubber Room - Wikipedia

 

[delcrossv]

Because private schools get to pick their students. Public schools get all the kids kicked out of private schools for fighting, or using drugs, or not maintaining a sufficient GPA, etc., etc. Or turned away because the private school can't accommodate a student's disability...

Public schools have to take everyone.

Tail wagging the dog. BTW one of my kids has a severe learning disability and I paid for private special education for him as well as the public school offering was abysmal.

Were it not for the monopoly, there would be (and are) private schools for every kid.

 

[kraynky]

The sister of the clerk in Acorn's gun shop works the counter at my local McD's. I ordered a sausage McMuffin that came out to a dollar fifty something. I gave her two bucks and then waited for my change. She finally picked out four dimes and some pennies. I came back a couple of days later and ordered the same item. Same girl and this time she was definitely having trouble figuring out my change. Finally she came up with four dimes and the pennies. OMG........she did not know how to combine a quarter, a dime, and a nickel to come up with 40 cents. This was truly sad........... and we have politicians fighting to keep the kids from going back to school.

WOW! A light bulb just went on over my head! Reading the above post, I think I've now figured out why we're being told there's a "change shortage"! The young folks running these registers don't know how to make change, so "They" fabricated a shortage, hoping we'd all just "round up" for charity. Bingo! No Change Needed!

I actually bought my lunch at a drive through earlier this week, (well, I do that about everyday), anyway, it came to $5.60, and I gave the guy $6 bucks. He placed in it the drawer, froze for a second, turned to me and said "We're having a change shortage, you don't really need your forty cents do you?"

Me, after making sure that's what I really heard, "Why yes, I do in fact need my forty cents. Why don't you just call it $5 even and give me that one back?" He handed me my 40¢ back.

I can't believe that little **** actually asked me that question! What has happened to this world? Everything is off kilter!

 

[kraynky]

John, you're probably right. A couple of us have gotten a group together, including some young people in town, who are going over to this couple's place this Saturday morning and will be doing some yard work for them. The son informed me that he wouldn't be there because he "had some things to do."

I was grateful that I had left my gun in the truck or you good folks would be reading about me in the papers.

Fill his bed with grass clippings and yard debris, then tell him "It's just a placeholder, until you got back. You can do what you want to with it now that you're back."

 

[DeathGrip]

WOW! A light bulb just went on over my head! Reading the above post, I think I've now figured out why we're being told there's a "change shortage"! The young folks running these registers don't know how to make change, so "They" fabricated a shortage, hoping we'd all just "round up" for charity. Bingo! No Change Needed!

I actually bought my lunch at a drive through earlier this week, (well, I do that about everyday), anyway, it came to $5.60, and I gave the guy $6 bucks. He placed in it the drawer, froze for a second, turned to me and said "We're having a change shortage, you don't really need your forty cents do you?"

Me, after making sure that's what I really heard, "Why yes, I do in fact need my forty cents. Why don't you just call it $5 even and give me that one back?" He handed me my 40¢ back.

I can't believe that little **** actually asked me that question! What has happened to this world? Everything is off kilter!

Do that enough and achieve that magical 15 an hour living wage.

He "deserves" it after all.

 

[wheelgun28]

Don't know any of you personally, so not saying this applies to anyone here, but in my life experience it always seems like the people who rail against public schools the loudest are also the ones who vote against local bond measures to fund said public schools and vote for state and local politicians who promise to cut the budget. People need to understand they can't have it both ways - if we starve public schools of resources, the education will necessarily suffer. A desk, a slate board, and a piece of chalk are not sufficient to educate people for the 21st century economy.

Funny enough, the people whining about public schools are often also the ones screaming about "personal responsibility" - but never take the time to actually teach their children anything. My 6-year-old can make change - though not necessarily with the most efficient use of coins - because I taught her what the coins represent and combined that with a basic lesson in addition and subtraction.

Also, if you think things are bad now, imagine what the population was like at the time it was determined that compulsory education was a matter of national security.

I'm sure I'll get a point for this because what's considered "political" on this board is clearly more a matter of viewpoint rather than strictly based on subject matter. But, it needs to be said.

My understanding is in many places we spend more per child than any other country and have much lower results...

 

[wheelgun28]

Do good parents raise poor children?

Was something a miss in childhood?

Perhaps later education brain washed them, but a good upbringing should have prevented that?

I grew up with a "spare the rod" type house. It wasn't do whatever you feel like?


In jest someone said ban the sale of bike helmets and bring back yard darts, something about Darwin...

 

[ladder13]

My understanding is in many places we spend more per child than any other country and have much lower results...

The answer is always "we need more money".

 

[The Big D]

On the other hand...

...I was so pleased this very afternoon when I stopped at a roadside stand to grab some corn on the cob.

Young lady (late teen's?) said it was close to closing and corn was $3/12 ears. Cannot eat that much despite the deal and asked 'buck for 4?'

She smiled and said 'you're smart;' I was rather proud of her.

Be safe...be well.

 

[BigBoy99]

I find it interesting because when I went through grade school (grades K thru 6) in the 1950's, the school staff consisted of 7 teachers (6th grade teacher was also principal), one school nurse, one secretary and one janitor - total staff = 10. I check on-line and currently the same school is now Pre-kindergarten to 2nd grade with a total of 13 teachers! I couldn't find any information about the support staff but I'm sure it is more than 3. I guess progress is going from 7 different classes taught by 7 teachers to teaching 4 classes with 13 teachers.

 

[steelslaver]

Kids now are taught. But, only how to access information and pass achievement tests. They don't even begin to teach them thinking and applying that knowledge.

I bet a $100 that if I showed up at senior level high school math class and asked this question 50% would not get it.

I have a hole that is 18" deep, 3 ft wide and 2 yard long. What is its volume in cubic feet? Its a do it in your head question.

Go to the class on US Government and ask the total number of US Sent tors and Representatives there are. Name 3 Supreme Court justices.

Geography. Name the states that border your state.

My grade school had 6 teachers, each having 1 grade. The 6th grade teacher acted as thee principal. Oh, and we had a janitor.

 

[TX-Dennis]

There are (and probably always have been) lots of illiterate and near illiterate folks of all ages. Back in the days when we used paper employment applications there were literally dozens (see what I did there) of folks who applied to be either stalkers, stokers, cashers, and other similarly creatively spelled jobs. Some of them turned out to be pretty good at their jobs despite the lack of spelling ability.