Improving Education?

Shepherd Book asks: "Not long ago there was a spirited discussion, in the usual Slashdot style, about education, touched off by an article about the value of homework. Even more recently, there was a discussion about the value of grammar. This inspires the following Ask Slashdot question: What, in your opinion, would make primary and secondary education as good as possible? I have no experience of education outside the US, but I can say confidently that public education in my country sucks. And it may always suck. However, what can we do to make it suck less?"

"For the purpose of this question, the following are givens:

1. I know that there is a strong libertarian faction in this community, who might like to see public education disappear. Let's assume, though, that that isn't going to happen any time soon, and that there will be a public school system for the foreseeable future.

2. Similarly, many Slashdot readers are brilliant people who have educated themselves to a large extent. Let's further accept that most people are not capable of doing this, or at any rate need help reaching that sort of educational self-sufficiency.

Thanks in advance, folks."

a phonics monkey

[professorhojo]

for every student.

Poll suggestion

[RM6f9]

How to solve the public education problems:

1. Public warehousing of young human animals is fine, don't rock the boat.

2. Pay teachers based on performance.

3. Apply corporal puni^H^Hencouragement to under-performing students.

4. In Soviet Russia, CowboyNeal's Korean grandma gets educated by YOU.

5. Print lessons over graphics of large firm breasts.

6. Scrap the entire system and start over from scratch.

Keep a good a(TT)itude!

Re:Elements of Style

[TheSwirlingMaelstrom]

I still would have hated studying English in high school, even with that book. I had the usual teenage mentality that what I wanted to say was more important than how I said it, and figured I could write a decent sentence when it was really required.

However, many, many years after high school, I picked up a collegue's copy of that book while waiting at his desk for him to return. After a quick skim, I realized it was an incredibly succinct guide to the (proper) usage of the language. I went and bought a copy later that week.

FWIW, I'll probably give a copy to my son if he has problems with grammar in school. Of course, he starts kindergarten in September, so I think Strunk and White might be a bit much at this point...

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Re:a few starting ideas

[Anonymous Coward]

Great! Now work on your grammar.

Re:a few starting ideas

[iplayfast]

You are a history teacher so you should know...

Those who do not know history, are doomed to repeat it.

Those who do know history, are doomed to watch it being repeated.

Re:a few starting ideas

[icefaerie]

110% correct? I can see why you're a history teacher.

Dogg...

[Marc2k]

They need to read books, litereature, histroy, etc.

What...the....hell? I could have sworn we were just having a conversation on literacy..

Re:a few starting ideas

[RTSKABJ]

in this summer's time i have read infinte jest by david foster wallace, nausea and the stranger. yesterday i began dickens' great expectations.... it's so hard to read, let alone think during the school year. i just finished my sophmore year of high school- i was a straight a student the first semester, and finished with a c average just because i cant play the game (im not a machine).

teachers (all of them) are under a grand illusion, absolutly convinced their work relates to altruism- but its really objective, and you're a fool to want to teach. both of my parents are public school teachers... ive gotten paid for my writing, but my english teacher refuses to recognize art... the problem is support. when i tell them i want to be famous they LAUGH.

im learning more watching these classic movies, and reading these amazing books. school is just a distraction, teachers are dicks.

Re:Problem Number One:

[iridium_ionizer]

Then how do we keep nerds from becoming weak and easy targets?

Policy-wise schools should define nerds as anyone who acheives greater than a 3.2 GPA in college-prep classes and an uber-nerd as one with greater than a 3.6 GPA.

Then they can grant benefits to them such as the latest cool clothes, cell phones, and even allow them to have access to steroids. Who, then, will try to pick on the math nerd who can bench press 300 lbs and has a tendency for roid rage? Heck, why not subsidize the construction of battle mechs for the uber-nerds? Those who make fun of honor students result in their being nothing more than a pile of goo at the bottom of a giant mechanized footprint on the quad.

Re:Problem Number One:

[the_demiurge]

Quick way to fix the problem: hire whores for the boys with the good grades.

Brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "grade inflation"...

Re:Education Sucks in the US? That's news to me!

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd wager you've checked your 401k on a more regular basis than you sit down and help your kid with their homework

*sits up, takes notice*

What's wrong with my 401k?!

*goes to check*

Re:Philsophy for high schoolers

[ThousandStars]

We need to focus on fundamentlas, reading, writing, arithmetic, etc. They need to read more and write more, and be able to construct cogent arguments and analyses in both written and oral form.

So... tell me your opinion on the importance of spelling.

Re:a few starting ideas

[infolib]

Heh, look at the tagline up above: "Stuff that matters" would YOU be interested if it said "Stuff that's irrelevant"?

Y'know, fark [fark.com] seems to be doing pretty well...