The Silent Crisis of American Higher Education

[HomeschoolrsRUs]

The Silent Crisis of American Higher Education::By Dr. Matthew Ladner (http://www.townhall.com/Columnists/DrMatthewLadner/2007/09/26/the_silent_crisis_of_american_higher_education)

Few Yale seniors, it turns out, know which American President created the New Deal. Even fewer would know which one said, "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." It was Thomas Jefferson, and he and the other founders recognized that our system of ordered liberty would endure only if its citizens understood the nation's guiding principles.

The endurance of American democracy depends upon a broad knowledge of the nation’s history and an understanding of our institutions. Unfortunately, a lack of civic literacy abounds at the k-12 and university levels.

[Maggie_T]

With all due respect to the good doctor, what's so silent about this crisis? I think it's pretty loud, actually. Maybe we don't have all the statistics, but they are not really necessary. Most of us know that schools are busier teaching homosexuality than American history, maths, grammar, and all that. And colleges are more inclined to teach subversion, treason, and anti-Americanism than anything else. Oh, wait. They also indulge in Women Studies, and Gay and Lesbian Studies, and stuff like that. :rolleyes:

And have you ever listened to the Man on the Street segment in Hannity's talk show? When he interviews college students? Enough to make you start drinking.

I think the only silent part of this problem comes from people who are in power of doing something about it, but are too afraid to confront the teacher unions and the clowns in colleges.

Just my thought.

[Wolfcounsel]

I know of a to remain unnamed elementary school teacher for the fourth grade who had to read her teacher's book to see how multiplication of multiple digit numbers is done without the use of a calculator. The teachers are becoming dumber?

[Timberwolf]

With all due respect to the good doctor, what's so silent about this crisis? I think it's pretty loud, actually. Maybe we don't have all the statistics, but they are not really necessary. Most of us know that schools are busier teaching homosexuality than American history, maths, grammar, and all that. And colleges are more inclined to teach subversion, treason, and anti-Americanism than anything else. Oh, wait. They also indulge in Women Studies, and Gay and Lesbian Studies, and stuff like that. :rolleyes:
...and now you know the reason why we spend the money on tuition for a Christian school education. Children in elementary school should NEVER be subjected to those "topics".

And have you ever listened to the Man on the Street segment in Hannity's talk show? When he interviews college students? Enough to make you start drinking.
I hear ya, dear lady...and I've been sober for almost 23 years.

I think the only silent part of this problem comes from people who are in power of doing something about it, but are too afraid to confront the teacher unions and the clowns in colleges.

Just my thought.
You just nailed it...squarely.

[Riverboat]

I know of a to remain unnamed elementary school teacher for the fourth grade who had to read her teacher's book to see how multiplication of multiple digit numbers is done without the use of a calculator. The teachers are becoming dumber?I vividly recall my father doing tax returns with a large machine that had a crank handle. Solar eclipses and power shortages were no problem.

By the time I entered junior high in 1973, calculators were actually smaller than a breadbox. Educational experts, always sniffing for an innovation to ruin education, began advocating using calculators in classes. Someone mentioned this to her, and she sniffed in her inimicable Cajun accent, "The day they start allowing calculators in my class is the day I quit teaching math."

Long live her memory and her dedication to true education.

[TeenageRepublican]

Few Yale seniors, it turns out, know which American President created the New Deal.

I know who it is, FDR.

Public School kids are dumb, I'm surrounded by them everyday because I go to a public school. I'm not surprised.

[Wolfcounsel]

Do the schools still teach students how to extract the square or cube root of a number manually, or are calculators the only way, TR?

[Riverboat]

Public School kids are dumb, I'm surrounded by them everyday because I go to a public school. I'm surrounded by them, too. Only I'm on the other side of the desk.

Keep up the academic work, TeenRep. The dumbasses will be calling you "boss" later. Assuming, of course, they actually go to work.

[DesertFox]

Do the schools still teach students how to extract the square or cube root of a number manually, or are calculators the only way, TR?I got no idea, but I can extract square roots manually and have wondered all these years what good it was to be able to do it, except to be able to say that I can. It has never, not once, been of any practical value whatsoever. None. Zip. Zero. Nada.

What about you? :question:

Similarly, I can cite most of the state capitals, and have wondered all these years what value that has. It's useful for showing off to my grandkids, as once it was useful for showing off to my kids, but I don't really need to impress them as they already think I'm small-G god -- and if they don't I'll beat them until they DO think that. :D

Yeah, we learned all sorta useless stuff back in our own days. Some of it can be put down to the rationale that it builds structures in the brain that are useful later as we expand our knowledge base. Some is good as drill material, since kids need the discipline of drill. Some is good just to keep the little chitz busy. Some is good because of the you-never-know principle.

But after you work thru all those weak reasons, the real reason for an education -- being able to think -- isn't particularly advanced by some kid being able to state all the state capitals, or extract roots by hand, or do emergency appendectomies in the corridor spell never-used words that nobody else ever heard of.

In fact, I've long thought that the test for getting out of high school should be to hand a kid a checkbook with some figures already put in, a list of realistic-looking bills and instructions to "pay" the bills and balance the checkbook. People going to college need more than that IF they're going to be using higher-level math in their careers, but nobody else.

Opinions, please.

[Wolfcounsel]

"I got no idea, but I can extract square roots manually and have wondered all these years what good it was to be able to do it, except to be able to say that I can." --DesertFox

Literacy and numeracy are important or not? What is the SQUARE ROOT key for in a scientific calculator? It's a little like saying, I have a brand new sailboat and I have several GPS devices on board. I don't need to know manual navigation, PHOOEY! Heck, what are all those keys for in a calculator, when all you need to know is how to multiply, divide, add, or subtract. No, I take it back. Heck, a calculator does all that. just ask Rosie.

[DoctorDoom]

The queer-marriage-related posts have been moved to the homo forum, where they belong.

[Wolfcounsel]

"In fact, I've long thought that the test for getting out of high school should be to hand a kid a checkbook with some figures already put in, a list of realistic-looking bills and instructions to "pay" the bills and balance the checkbook. People going to college need more than that IF they're going to be using higher-level math in their careers, but nobody else.

Opinions, please." --DesertFox

I'm sure none of the dumbasses graduating from high school would be able to make heads or tails out of a checkbook if they were not educated in the basics of math, and the dumbasses going to college would not have need of an old school high school graduate for a tutor ( not bragging here) to teach them the higher math needed in the engineering world of chemicals, electronics, computers, et cetera, if they paid attention to their math exercises. Yes, that includes being able to manually extract roots without Rosie's toy.<!-- / message -->

[DoctorDoom]

The benefit of learning seemingly useless items such as manual square roots or state capitals is exercise for the little gray cells (ala Poirot). Just as an arm muscle will never gain strength or mass if it's never called upon to lift anything heavier than a gallon of water, the mental "muscle" will never develop if all it's called on to do if add 2 plus 2 or remember the names of one's kids. Beyond that, the mind learns discipline by being made to do complex thinking.

Re never needing it, I studied geometry, trig, chemistry, physics et al in high school, and never found a need for them for the next 35+ years. And then I signed up on a web BB (now defunct) that specialized in homework help for kids. Within a few days all that "useless" learning was being called upon in answering the questions posted by the li'l rugrats. The hours spent on those subjects were worth the time.

No one has ever died or come to harm from learning things beyond the Three Rs. And there may well come a time when it will be good to know that stuff.

Of course, Avogadro's Number isn't exactly party talk ...