Funny, Strange, Random Pics

[Quineloe]

Originally Posted by Exploit

I don't know to attach a picture of this so I'll just post a link.

Death and Taxes 2008 Poster - $24.95 : ..., The Entire Federal Government... in 6 Square Feet

wow I guess a simple jpg wouldn't have done

[Keed]

GOD DAMNIT STOP FUCKING QUEERING UP THIS THREAD WITH YOUR RETARDED SEMANTIC BULLSHIT. I SWEAR TO CHRIST I'LL DUST OFF THE BATPHONE AND CALL THE BLACK HAND IN HERE FOR BANHAMMERS GALORE

[Keed]

requesting the arguing over the net pic alluding to mental retardation

and, pics

[Jubee]

+1

[TheOkapi]

That Team Fortress bunch thing made me giggle.

[Seths]

Originally Posted by Aulirophile

Certainly not in breadth. You'd be hard pressed to find a public school that offers a comprehensive world history course. Or requires Latin (or any second language, but most schools required you to learn Latin). If you don't know why Latin is useful not going to get into an argument with you about it.

Late to the party I know but I went to public school in a small town (grand junction colorado) and we were required to take a minimum of 2 years of foreign language (latin, german, french, spanish, deutch). We had 13 Valedictorians for my senior class (4.0 GPA, every AP class possible, 1500+ SAT scores for those kids) and if I remember correctly we had nearly everyone in that class graduate.

So while I will agree public schools aren't what they used to be I don't think they're that bad especially when it comes to breadth. School is nothing more than a tool anyways and its up to the student to use that tool to get as big a value as they want from their education. A kid in public school has just as much access to the same knowledge as a private school kid does. The problem today isn't with schools so much as it's with the kids who attend them and their parents in my opinion, and their lack of drive to take advantage of the tools at their disposal themselves.

[Aulirophile]

Originally Posted by Seths

Late to the party I know but I went to public school in a small town (grand junction colorado) and we were required to take a minimum of 2 years of foreign language (latin, german, french, spanish, deutch). We had 13 Valedictorians for my senior class (4.0 GPA, every AP class possible, 1500+ SAT scores for those kids) and if I remember correctly we had nearly everyone in that class graduate.

So while I will agree public schools aren't what they used to be I don't think they're that bad especially when it comes to breadth. School is nothing more than a tool anyways and its up to the student to use that tool to get as big a value as they want from their education. A kid in public school has just as much access to the same knowledge as a private school kid does. The problem today isn't with schools so much as it's with the kids who attend them and their parents in my opinion, and their lack of drive to take advantage of the tools at their disposal themselves.

They are that bad. Generally smaller schools are effected less and Colorado, as a State, is fairly good in overall high school education. Certainly nothing like Georgia (ranked 47th IIRC out of all the States in high school education). So your good experience is not particularly surprising. Some high schools have a "college recommended" series of requirements that involves two years of a language. But, again, you can graduate and not actually pass any of these classes. The school doesn't want you there dragging down their stats till you're 21 (when they can finally kick you out) so they graduate you just to get rid of you, even with a 0.0 GPA.

It isn't access that is the issue. Actually America is, in my opinion, the absolute best place to live in terms of access to knowledge because we have public libraries basically everywhere. Nearly all of them will teach you to read. Once you've learned to read, you can learn anything at a library to the limit of your abilities. I agree parents are an issue, but I think of the more as a symptom. There was a time when schools would simply kick a kid out for being disruptive, the schools job was to teach skills (NOT the ability to take tests, but actual learning "skills." Learning how to learn) and parents raised the kid. Now schools teach how to take tests so they can keep getting funding and have to baby sit, they can't kick out the trouble makers and/or lazy/stupid kids who hold back the kids who are there to work.

It makes the actual work of teaching nearly impossible. Made infinitely worse by the fact that a lot of teachers are barely literate in what they are teaching, because schools of education teach "how to teach" and not the actual subject matter teachers will be teaching. Not to mention teaching doesn't pay very well at the majority of high schools, not even cost of living in big city high schools. Rural is better (guessing you went to a rural high school). So most of the teachers for most of the high school population are essentially people who probably couldn't get another job even if they wanted to, or else they wouldn't accept such shitty pay.

I realize I am speaking in countrywide generalities, but since I am talking only about the average education for the entire country, it is the only way I can talk about it. I went to the best high school in my State, obviously I had a good experience, but that is anecdotal compared to statistics. America is ranked 48th in our overall high school education system in the world. That is just to incredibly low to think our system is "good." Granted other countries systems have been improving rapidly since WW2, when we were still in the top 5. But other places getting better isn't nearly enough to account for us dropping from top 5 to 48th in 70ish years.

Most of what I've been discussing is really symptoms, I think the primary issue with our system is related to the Department of Education, the way funding is assigned, and the way school boards control curriculum. All on the Government/legal side, I'm not blaming the schools. The schools are just as much victims as the students really. Schools wanted to keep Phonics. I can't even find a Phonics textbook of the quality that was around 30 years ago. I can find Phonics books, but they aren't as good as they were. Which is ridiculous, they ought to have gotten better, not worse. I was lucky I had dyslexia, I had to have a special tutor to fix it who taught me with Phonics. My school? No Phonics. And that was a private school, I won't even go into how retarded the elementary public schools were where I was at the time.

Contrast this with my fiancee who grew up in a third-world country. They were doing algebra, italic hand-writing, two languages, history, etc., right out of the gate. She was in sixth grade when she moved here and she had to wait till her Junior of high school before her classmates caught up to where she was when she left a third-world country in sixth grade. Up till then she'd had a 4.0 GPA, it kind of baubled when she had to start working at getting good grades (new material) for the first time in four years. She got a 5 on the AP English test as a non-native speaker, to give an indication of how bright she is.

[Arbitrary]

I'm looking at getting a masters in education and yeah, all of my classes are on the how aspect instead of advancement in my field.

[Wrathcaster]

Anyone got links to more TF2 humor shit? Fucking cracks me up, especially the running gag of engineer vs. spy... I know I've seen it on here before but can't remember which thread....

[Gigfc]

oldie but a goodie

[Ameraves Loyalheart]

Productive at work

[Ameraves Loyalheart]

more

[Ameraves Loyalheart]

back to work

[PerritoBites]

.

[dy fey]

oh, i see your e-soldier and raise you one e-special forces operative.