TOPIC: Election 2006

I like the idea of having to pass the citizenship test before voting - As a history teacher I'm not too worried about myself!  Maybe as an alternative there could be a physical challenge - slide a disc onto a target on a table, perhaps?  =D<br /><br />Brian<br /><br />ps - Being an election junkie and knowing what I know, I just can't believe that people still continue to vote a certain way, but to avoid conflict, I will not identify the "certain way."<br /><br />VOTE!<br />

You just got to remember that there all crooks.

My crooks are better than your crooks. Death to hippies!

Today is the day.  GET OUT and DO IT.  VOTE!!<br /><br />lol henwy.<br /><br />Just to throw my thoughts out there about our education system--I think one of the big problems we have created with Jr High and High School graduates is that History and world political geography has been relegated to almost an optional status.  Math, science, English, the arts are all critical, but I have always felt that history is the leg of the table that keeps everything else from toppling over, because it gives perspective of where we have been and the possibilities of where we can go as individuals and societies.  I get a sick feeling in my stomach when I meet kids who can't tell me who the president was during the Civil War, or they can't point on a map where Washington DC is, or they don't have a clue what the capital of Alabama is--let alone where Burma used to be, or Siam, or on which continent can you find Nairobi or Perth.  Those things just bother me.  Brian, as a history teacher, maybe you can voice an opinion here.  Am I too pessimistic about our society's lack of historical perspective?  I don't think this is a political football to be pushed back and forth between parties.  I think it is something we all (as a society) have to take a hard look at and address before we lose this free society, that we all treasure, in the chaos of ignorance.<br /><br /><br />Widseth

Widseth, while I agree that History is important, what I am surprised more than anything about is the lack of a basic "life skills" class taught at the High School level. <br /><br />Things like balancing a check book, how to interview and get a job, resume development, child development, etc.  I would also require two semesters of drivers education (or maybe they do now).  One Basic driving rules (when to yield, where not to park, driving ditance, street signs) and one for Advanced Skills (how to avoid accidents, obstacle courses, defensive driving techniques).  If you think about the common skills that are universal in life, few things would rank higher than driving, raising kids, and getting a job.  Doesn't it make sense to at least teach students the basics on those areas before they go out into the "real world"?  I think it would pay huge dividends over the course of a persons life.<br /><br />Anyway, on my way to the polls.  =^)

Maybe it is time to update the Election process (insert satire):  All the candidates must now subject themselves to a game show where you have 3 rounds scored by the masses and a panel of judges.  <br /><br />First round is the intelligence round where we make sure the candidates have a comprehension of appropriate political history, science (for tech and environment), and math (for budget).<br /><br />Second round is the savvy round where the candidates must sway a panel of 10 people (both smart and not so smart people) using only rhetoric.  No bribery allowed.<br /><br />Third and final round is the physical round, the surviving candidates must ship out to Iraq and replace our tired and worn troops.  Whoever survives the 6 month period comes back and is eligible for the phone in votes. The final tally will be revealed by Ryan Seacrest one month before they are to assume office.

Douglas, I couldn't agree more.  I have an extended story, but I don't have time now.  That is what I meant earlier when I said we don't demand enough of our children and then we promise them everything.  A lot of kids seem to think they should immediately have everything their parents have worked for 30 years.  Yet we don't give them the tools to reach that dream.  By tools I mean life skills, education, work ethic, basic moral code of what is right and wrong, etc.  I don't blame this on educators or school boards or government officials so much as I do dysfunctional families.  All these organizations have a part to play, but I think the dysfunctional disentegration of families is the major problem.  I don't agree that it takes a village to raise a child.  Most importantly it takes dedicated parents.  An effective village can be a great assistance, but dedicated parents can, and do, and should bear the brunt of responsibility for preparing children to take on the world.  I think most of all, parents owe their children a desire to learn and grow.  When I was a very young father with my first daughter, I asked a friend what he thought the most important thing was to teach my children.  He said something that I thought was very profound.  He said, "Teach them to stand on their own and make decisions as quickly as possible.  No matter how much you want to do for them and protect them, don't step in and try to solve all their problems, but be there to help them get up when they slip and fall."  I think education including history and life skills are integral pieces that help children learn to make good decisions as quickly as possible on their own.<br /><br />Off my soapbox.  Probably put everyone to sleep.  <br /><br /><br />Widseth

Here's my two cents about history in schools today.  With Mr. Bush in office, and with all the testing requirements that students and schools face today, schools are doing everything they can to teach to the test.  Since the most important measurement of "progress" is math and English scores, they get all the resources, and history and science get the short end of the stick.  Don't even ask about "life skills."  I remember when I was in middle school (6-8), I took classes in art, music, home economics (sewing and cooking), and shop.  There's none of that here at my current school.  However, I've been teaching for long enough that I know what comes around goes around - sooner or later education and political leaders will say we are relying too much on standardized testing, and students will once again be encouraged to express creativity in some manner.<br />

My high school had a Consumer Economics course as a graduation requirement - you could take micro/macroeconomics instead, but most people did CE.  It included the "real life" project in which you had to get a job that paid between $8-12 per hour (not for real, but you did have to call people and set it up as if it was a real job), find an apartment and a car, develop a budget, and take at least two community college courses (again, not for real, but you had to include the cost in your budget).  Then, you went through a "year" in which different things happened every month that you had to adjust for (your apartment getting broken into, your car breaking down, etc).  We also learned how to balance a checkbook and do our own taxes (on a 1040 EZ), which I already knew how to do, but a large portion of my class didn't.<br /><br />We also had a vocational education requirement - home ec, shop, or business (which included computer stuff).  I took a foods class, and learned a ton.  A lot of people did auto maintenance, which I kind of wish I had taken, but at least I know how to check my oil and change a flat.<br /><br />What I wish we had more time for is recent history.  Most of my history classes only got up to WWII.  My US history class junior year covered a bit of Vietnam, but not much.  Most of what I know, I learned in my US Foreign Policy class here at college.  I knew nothing about the formation of Israel, the Iran hostage crisis, or a ton of other stuff that happened in the 70s/80s (I was born in 82.  The first major historical event I remember is the first Gulf War).  At that's the stuff that I think is most critical in understanding a lot of what's going on now.

<br />...I don't agree that it takes a village to raise a child.  Most importantly it takes dedicated parents.  An effective village can be a great assistance, but dedicated parents can, and do, and should bear the brunt of responsibility for preparing children to take on the world.  I think most of all, parents owe their children a desire to learn and grow....<br />  Widseth<br />

<br /><br />I couldn't possibly agree more....the lack of accountability in this country is mind-boggling.  Liability cases are a great highlight of this...but if we could just ask/force/encourage parents to raise a better child, we would find ourselves in a world of better adults.

Maybe it's time to give eugenics another whirl.

Re: schools - I learned how to do my taxes in a regular math class.  Re: the election, there is no way to adequately post how I feel, so I will just say YAY! :color: