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Theories of Education
To me, the purpose of Higher Education is to broaden the mind in the humanities and train the gifted for science or math. The ideal result is professionals who are conversant about things broader than their narrow area of expertise. In other words---people who can think and reason.
For this reason the first 2 years require courses in many areas before one selects a Major in the last 2 years. Those who want the Masters or PhD go then to Graduate Schools in that field where research and collegial discussions occur. At the College level it is teacher above student / at the Graduate level it is fellow educated and qualified students working as research partners with their Professors.
The major problem with higher education these days is "if you have the money, you can go to the party." Scholarships and loans help many to attend who are not really qualified by academic scores on the SAT and GRI. Many are taught to the test over "taught to think critically and creatively" . . .
Drunken athletic cheerers are the result rather than broadened minds seeking TRUTH. Too many graduate with an expectation of at least $65K and all the perks of Corporate America. Just because they have a college degree, they view it as a ticket to big bucks, a generous retirement, computer, A/C and no dirty hands or sweat. When any athlete can't speak proper English---something is badly WRONG!
That would be an elitist life of ease over that of a mechanic or farmer in the hot sun turning wrenches. Now the sophistication of computer technology in our cars has imprisoned the average owner to the manufacturer. It has destroyed the old shade tree mechanic who fixes things with duct tape and bailing wire to get through the day.
Most farmers get angrier over the A/C not working than the engine not producing the H.P. for pulling the plow it uses. All of us are spoiled to comfort. Our version of suffering is having to watch a Black-and-white show on a color TV!
The interesting series contrasting "Conservative" vs. "Liberal" education deserves a formal response and some deeper thought, in my view. I gather the conservative slant is saying, "We want grads that CONFORM to our vision of TRUTH.
The assumption here is THERE IS SOME ABSOLUTE TRUTH IN THE WORLD TO BE IMPLANTED IN EACH HEAD.
This version of education reminds me of the Nazi way of thought before and during WWII. Germany is known to be 10-20 years ahead of us in critical thought. Anyone wanting to achieve a PhD in Theology must learn to read German to be up on the latest in theology/philosophy. Germans love to argue incessantly over WHAT IS TRUE AND WITHOUT ERROR.
Into that picture came a man who proposed that the Aryan race was to be restored to power in Europe. It lit a fire glowing in German hearts and souls after WWI and their defeat. The Treaty of Versailles demanded they pay back the other nations for all the money spent to defeat them. The result was abject bankruptcy to Germany and a severe Depression---alongside the one that engulfed America at the same time. It was all a result of world-wide banking and investment magnates who lied and stole with the stroke of a pen!
That is part of our dilemma today as well. Our Great Recession currently on is a direct result of a theory called Trickle Down. Reagan promoted it with promises that if we did little taxing of the wealthy citizens, they would, in turn, invest in larger businesses and the working man would get the results with higher wages and plenty of jobs available. In addition --- if we stopped regulating the banks and stock market then competition would give us lower prices and more efficiency! We could achieve glory ONLY IF the Conservative mantra were followed.
Back to education and research
it has been since the 60's that the theory has been tried. The "great society of Conservatism" now has 1% of Americans owning 80% of the money in this economy. Wages have not increased, but rather fallen. The banks and Wall Street fell apart even as greatly restricted Regulators were housed in the floors of the Lehman Brothers Bank in NYC! How could we have been so fooled????
The core of the failure is human GREED!
Instead of investing in America, the tax-saving corps located overseas for cheap labor and no environmental regulations. "Pollute and pillage" was the Corporate mantra instead of "invest and grow providing Americans a share of the success." Child labor was easy overseas and no one would know---until the media started reporting wealthy Americans like Nike building expensive shoes with small hands of 10-year-old children slaving for 10-12 hours a day!
Offshore banks offered tax havens and hidden books U.S. Regulators could not examine. NOW they have big bucks and Americans banks don't have money to loan small businesses wanting to grow!
These are the realities of THINKING vs. GREED. You could say it is the empirical results of testing the Trickle Down Theory over time.
The brilliant and philosophical Germans were had by a bunch of ruffians who made Jews, Gypsies, and homosexuals the target of their Aryan HATE. They got their economy going by violating the Versailles Treaty and rebuilding their war machines. Their technical genius gave them planes and the Tiger Tank along with an air-cooled diesel engine to power them. Add to that a most efficient way to kill people with Syren gas and showers for the Jewish captives. The "War to End All Wars" was a farce and had to be fought over again with more lives wasted.
My introduction to College, Emory style, was a plus for me. First, the Freshman class met at Glenn Memorial Auditorium for our "heads up speech." It began with the Dean telling us to look on either side of us at the people nearby. Then he said, "1 of 3 or you WILL NOT BE HERE TO GRADUATE. That scared the mess out of my Clarkston High School soul!
I found out what he meant in a few weeks. I had been a top 10% student with good marks on the SAT. I was too poor to live on campus so I commuted and studied alone in the evenings. I could attend Emory only by saving dorm money, working as a Trim Carpenter, having a Federal Student Loan and Scholarship to help with costs which were much higher than a state college. It was a humiliating experience to see my former classmates at Clarkston enjoying their Senior Year while I was sweating bullets over Chemistry and smelling the stench of that building.
They graded on a curve. No matter how much you knew, your grade was abject competition against some of the best students of America in the fall of 1963. I was at the top and now I was AVERAGE at Emory. To add to the dilemma was the assassination of President John Kennedy. My mind, filled with promises of a bright future and our race to space, now confronted that horrible death and the commitment to fight a war in Vietnam, thanks to now President Lyndon Johnson. Instead of the inspiring young man in the Oval Office, we now had a heartless Politician who knew how to legislate, but bowed to the lust for death and war overseas. His Texas accent and snarl were enough to scare any politician into cooperating on any vote!
My first papers at Emory were all getting a "C". That was embarrassing, but I was learning what it took to get more than an average grade. In courses where essays and papers were the grade you had to use a new form of reasoning
show knowledge of both side of any issue THEN show your position and explain rationally WHY YOU HELD IT! That does not coincide with the theory of "Conservative Education." Instead, it was forcing us to become Renaissance Students---meaning "well-round and able to critically THINK and WRITE."
The first real mental change for me was when I took Sociology. I had assumed, being a Southern Baptist preacher's kid that all things had a clear black-or-white way to do. The study of various world cultures quickly punched a hole in my arrogance. In the South we had certain rules and ways, but in Tahiti it was vastly different. An Eskimo saw inviting a visiting man to sleep with his wife a social way of being nice / for me it was biblical ADULTERY! Who was right?
"We just do it this way" was not an acceptable answer on the quiz at Emory!
Go Back
For this reason the first 2 years require courses in many areas before one selects a Major in the last 2 years. Those who want the Masters or PhD go then to Graduate Schools in that field where research and collegial discussions occur. At the College level it is teacher above student / at the Graduate level it is fellow educated and qualified students working as research partners with their Professors.
The major problem with higher education these days is "if you have the money, you can go to the party." Scholarships and loans help many to attend who are not really qualified by academic scores on the SAT and GRI. Many are taught to the test over "taught to think critically and creatively" . . .
Drunken athletic cheerers are the result rather than broadened minds seeking TRUTH. Too many graduate with an expectation of at least $65K and all the perks of Corporate America. Just because they have a college degree, they view it as a ticket to big bucks, a generous retirement, computer, A/C and no dirty hands or sweat. When any athlete can't speak proper English---something is badly WRONG!
That would be an elitist life of ease over that of a mechanic or farmer in the hot sun turning wrenches. Now the sophistication of computer technology in our cars has imprisoned the average owner to the manufacturer. It has destroyed the old shade tree mechanic who fixes things with duct tape and bailing wire to get through the day.
Most farmers get angrier over the A/C not working than the engine not producing the H.P. for pulling the plow it uses. All of us are spoiled to comfort. Our version of suffering is having to watch a Black-and-white show on a color TV!
The interesting series contrasting "Conservative" vs. "Liberal" education deserves a formal response and some deeper thought, in my view. I gather the conservative slant is saying, "We want grads that CONFORM to our vision of TRUTH.
The assumption here is THERE IS SOME ABSOLUTE TRUTH IN THE WORLD TO BE IMPLANTED IN EACH HEAD.
This version of education reminds me of the Nazi way of thought before and during WWII. Germany is known to be 10-20 years ahead of us in critical thought. Anyone wanting to achieve a PhD in Theology must learn to read German to be up on the latest in theology/philosophy. Germans love to argue incessantly over WHAT IS TRUE AND WITHOUT ERROR.
Into that picture came a man who proposed that the Aryan race was to be restored to power in Europe. It lit a fire glowing in German hearts and souls after WWI and their defeat. The Treaty of Versailles demanded they pay back the other nations for all the money spent to defeat them. The result was abject bankruptcy to Germany and a severe Depression---alongside the one that engulfed America at the same time. It was all a result of world-wide banking and investment magnates who lied and stole with the stroke of a pen!
That is part of our dilemma today as well. Our Great Recession currently on is a direct result of a theory called Trickle Down. Reagan promoted it with promises that if we did little taxing of the wealthy citizens, they would, in turn, invest in larger businesses and the working man would get the results with higher wages and plenty of jobs available. In addition --- if we stopped regulating the banks and stock market then competition would give us lower prices and more efficiency! We could achieve glory ONLY IF the Conservative mantra were followed.
Back to education and research
it has been since the 60's that the theory has been tried. The "great society of Conservatism" now has 1% of Americans owning 80% of the money in this economy. Wages have not increased, but rather fallen. The banks and Wall Street fell apart even as greatly restricted Regulators were housed in the floors of the Lehman Brothers Bank in NYC! How could we have been so fooled????
The core of the failure is human GREED!
Instead of investing in America, the tax-saving corps located overseas for cheap labor and no environmental regulations. "Pollute and pillage" was the Corporate mantra instead of "invest and grow providing Americans a share of the success." Child labor was easy overseas and no one would know---until the media started reporting wealthy Americans like Nike building expensive shoes with small hands of 10-year-old children slaving for 10-12 hours a day!
Offshore banks offered tax havens and hidden books U.S. Regulators could not examine. NOW they have big bucks and Americans banks don't have money to loan small businesses wanting to grow!
These are the realities of THINKING vs. GREED. You could say it is the empirical results of testing the Trickle Down Theory over time.
The brilliant and philosophical Germans were had by a bunch of ruffians who made Jews, Gypsies, and homosexuals the target of their Aryan HATE. They got their economy going by violating the Versailles Treaty and rebuilding their war machines. Their technical genius gave them planes and the Tiger Tank along with an air-cooled diesel engine to power them. Add to that a most efficient way to kill people with Syren gas and showers for the Jewish captives. The "War to End All Wars" was a farce and had to be fought over again with more lives wasted.
My introduction to College, Emory style, was a plus for me. First, the Freshman class met at Glenn Memorial Auditorium for our "heads up speech." It began with the Dean telling us to look on either side of us at the people nearby. Then he said, "1 of 3 or you WILL NOT BE HERE TO GRADUATE. That scared the mess out of my Clarkston High School soul!
I found out what he meant in a few weeks. I had been a top 10% student with good marks on the SAT. I was too poor to live on campus so I commuted and studied alone in the evenings. I could attend Emory only by saving dorm money, working as a Trim Carpenter, having a Federal Student Loan and Scholarship to help with costs which were much higher than a state college. It was a humiliating experience to see my former classmates at Clarkston enjoying their Senior Year while I was sweating bullets over Chemistry and smelling the stench of that building.
They graded on a curve. No matter how much you knew, your grade was abject competition against some of the best students of America in the fall of 1963. I was at the top and now I was AVERAGE at Emory. To add to the dilemma was the assassination of President John Kennedy. My mind, filled with promises of a bright future and our race to space, now confronted that horrible death and the commitment to fight a war in Vietnam, thanks to now President Lyndon Johnson. Instead of the inspiring young man in the Oval Office, we now had a heartless Politician who knew how to legislate, but bowed to the lust for death and war overseas. His Texas accent and snarl were enough to scare any politician into cooperating on any vote!
My first papers at Emory were all getting a "C". That was embarrassing, but I was learning what it took to get more than an average grade. In courses where essays and papers were the grade you had to use a new form of reasoning
show knowledge of both side of any issue THEN show your position and explain rationally WHY YOU HELD IT! That does not coincide with the theory of "Conservative Education." Instead, it was forcing us to become Renaissance Students---meaning "well-round and able to critically THINK and WRITE."
The first real mental change for me was when I took Sociology. I had assumed, being a Southern Baptist preacher's kid that all things had a clear black-or-white way to do. The study of various world cultures quickly punched a hole in my arrogance. In the South we had certain rules and ways, but in Tahiti it was vastly different. An Eskimo saw inviting a visiting man to sleep with his wife a social way of being nice / for me it was biblical ADULTERY! Who was right?
"We just do it this way" was not an acceptable answer on the quiz at Emory!
Comments
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You don't understand, Tony---I like Reagan as a person. He is down-to-earth, a kind of every-man, his love and care after the space shuttle disaster were outstanding. When he played Kanute Rockney and said, "Do one for the Gipper," I was ready to jump up and run a touchdown.
I have no reason to doubt he wrote his radio scripts BUT that was not true when he became the President. My first Cousin should respond to your worship. He was a PATCO Traffic Controllers after his duty in Vietnam. He had a piece of shrapnel hit the sandbag an inch from his head as his Forward Air Controller duty put him on the line close up and personal. His assumption was that the compassionate Reagan, having been a union leader in Hollywood and knowing their requests were honest, would help them get the equipment and proper pay for their critical job with Air Control here, would do what was right. Instead, he turned a deaf ear and fired anyone who dared complain. In their places were hired inexperienced "don't-give-a-care" types who laughed at a near miss in their control space. He had 2 sides. That of the doting grandfather / that of the tight-fisted tyrant. I never met him as did my Cousin. I am just sharing the real story of Reagan . . . 
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Why would a President spend hours and hours doing his own research and comedy? HOWEVER he beat Reagan hands down with genuine humor. The best Reagan could do was chuckle, old sport!!!
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Gentlemen ~~~ I have some Reagan tonic which I carefully saved from that era. It is still in great condition since I froze it. It is guaranteed to eliminate all gray from your hair / make your mind appear to be functional / cover any effects of Alzheimers / make you appear to be nice at all times in public and able to be a GOP mean as a snake when off camera!
OOPS---I forgot it --- enables you to read without glasses and say that script as if it were all your own ideas. . . My cost is reasonable and I need to sell it to make up for the house and business I lost to this little Bush Recession . . . Interested????
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Tony, you have to construct me a post of these essential truths.
Ronald Reagan is the main reason I became a Republican, and served then my county 18 years, and yet, I bet Gene considers Ronald Reagan 10 fold to my desire to do so. |
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Reagan began changes which exist to today. He spent billions on Star Wars weapons that never really worked. Then we start going to war and unbalance the budget in big amounts.
No President comes in and snaps his fingers for instant change. We have certain major turns under past Administrations that live to today. Frankly, I think there should be an automatic 10-year limit to any legislation. At that moratorium point you either re-do it or it drops off the books. Had we done such with Title XX (War on Poverty) legislation, we would be far better off. The real culprit of deficit spending is here: costsofwar.org 
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I LIKED Reagan / he was a great speaker and script reader / he was NOT the CREATOR of the concept he sold --- just as he did 20-mule Team Borax and GE on his TV show! HOWEVER---the tax code put in under him and the idea that the rich and corps will share their wealth came from some strange planet inhabited by idealists KNOWING NOTHING ABOUT HUMAN GREED, man. Maybe it was named CONSERVITAS!
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I'll say it Reagan died about a decade ago. He was president even further back.
If you did not like Reagan, that is your right as a Liberal, but Reagan is gone now. You have to try to get over it. |
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Stan~~~maybe full disclosure by Conservatives would be better~~~then students had a full picture from Reagan VooDoo Economics / 1% now owning 80% of all US money / Costs of War vs. maintaining America / the FACT we are still in a RECESSION since 2007 brought on by Reaganomics, no bank/Wall Street regulation / and WHO WAS THE PRESIDENT AT THAT POINT IN TIME???
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Hence, Liberals should learn math, and learn to use it.
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One theory of education is that you should be able to get a job with the new knowledge and pay back the loan in 10 years. So if you borrow $100,000 for a degree in Liberal Arts and get a job making $30,000 with nothing in the budget for loans, you will have a math problem.
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It is always up, it never comes down, The Home page is only one page. BCN is about 50,000 pages.
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It is similar to your differences with me on a political outlook---even though we BOTH were reared in the same time and place. My Cousin had a personal sense of sacrifice when an issue was MORAL and ETHICAL.
The LAW you cite for ATC personnel is almost identical to those over SLAVES. "Legally," the slaves were the property of their masters in the South. Even those given their freedom by the master were still in constant danger of being arrested or killed---unless they went North where all blacks were not "assumed to be" escaped slaves! Some who were captured got their papers destroyed so they could be re-sold for profit from the hunters of slaves!
Just because "it is law" does not equate with "it is right." If you take the position "America, right or wrong, is always right"---you can get in deep trouble. Ask all those people abused for years in Baltimore.
You and Stan, seem to take your focus to the "outside agitators" and looters, but the core of the protest is still LOCAL CITIZENS TIRED OF ABUSE. WE BOTH thought little about the sign on the City buses---"Colored to the Back." If you were white, you had no thought / if you were black, you KNEW ABOUT discrimination!
Kennedy and Johnson both advocated for VOTER RIGHTS which is constitutional and the SCOTUS ruled such. LBJ went further to start the War on Poverty (Title XX) and that is with us 5 generations later--spoiling workers to the front porch rocker!
From either extreme---LEGAL and MORAL/ETHICAL are not the same, my friend!