This may explain no Campus Carry allowed..

[santahog]

It's bound to be hard to resist putting these people out of the nations misery..

[MikeBjerum]

But you do realize that it is Bush's fault, and the continuing blame falls on the Republicans for continuing to cut spending for education.  I mean, how do you expect these students to keep up with current affairs if you hold education inflation to slightly more than national inflation?

When I went to college, 1991 and 31 years old, one of my first professors required that everyone in the class obtain and read a newspaper, local daily or national daily, everyday.  He quizzed us on current events at the beginning of every class.  This was a general ed course not related to journalism, political science, social studies, or the like.  He pointed out that you are in a university setting to learn more than a trade.  You are there for the well rounded education that teaches you how to think for yourself and arrive at an informed decision.  These morons, including the senior citizen, all deserve a full refund on their tuition paid to this point!

[fightingquaker13]

But you do realize that it is Bush's fault, and the continuing blame falls on the Republicans for continuing to cut spending for education.  I mean, how do you expect these students to keep up with current affairs if you hold education inflation to slightly more than national inflation?

When I went to college, 1991 and 31 years old, one of my first professors required that everyone in the class obtain and read a newspaper, local daily or national daily, everyday.  He quizzed us on current events at the beginning of every class.  This was a general ed course not related to journalism, political science, social studies, or the like.  He pointed out that you are in a university setting to learn more than a trade.  You are there for the well rounded education that teaches you how to think for yourself and arrive at an informed decision.  These morons, including the senior citizen, all deserve a full refund on their tuition paid to this point!

As a prof, I will say you are half right. I did require my students to get a subscrition to the NYT (as it was basically free, and the local paper was a ten page small town mullet wrapper). BUT....I was having to teach at the college level what they should have been taught from junior high. Its hard to do your job when you're dealing with four years worth of catch up. Here's something we can all agree on. Let's start calling social studies Civics again, and start giving weekly quizzes on current events. Damn, but things would get much better inside a generation. Forget the spin the MSM puts on things, at least they'd know what happened. A famous Airforce quote? "Our bombs are smarter than the average American High School student. They can at least find Kuwait".

[tombogan03884]

I'm not sure what difference changing the name from social studies to Civics would have.
You'll need to give some explanation of your thinking on that, I would think History and Current events would be more apt, and more in line with where the focus should be.

[fightingquaker13]

I'm not sure what difference changing the name from social studies to Civics would have.
You'll need to give some explanation of your thinking on that, I would think History and Current events would be more apt, and more in line with where the focus should be.

You just summed it up. Teach our government, our history, our culture, and what went on the world last week andask them to figure out how those events fits into the first three.

[Sponsor]

[tombogan03884]

Another thing that would be handy would be comparing current events to Historic incidents.
For example Jefferson Vs Barbary pirates compared to modern jihad.

[MikeBjerum]

FQ,

I had a couple, thankfully only a couple, professors and instructors like you.  When I go to a course that has entry standards I am there to further my education - not review what I should know.  If you have students that are not up to speed it is their responsibility to catch up.  The majority in your class are paying over $100, and often much more, per credit to learn.  Quit dumbing down education by catering to the lowest common denominator!

I have not talked to a college student that could not find tutoring help if they need it to catch up or meet the minimum entry standards.  When you offer that as a part of your class you are stealing from those that came prepared.

I have learned through 30 years of adult and youth education that I have been involved with that people will achieve the standard you set.  If you lower the bar that is as far as they will go.  However, if you keep raising the bar, within reason, they will keep striving to reach that bar.  There are always a few that will do just what they need to do to pass, but most will try for the extra, and some will try for more than you expect.

The following is a current dilemma I have with a teaching partner that I am trying to resolve, but it ties to the current mess our teacher's unions have created locally:

Teaching To The Test

Every year I am the lead instructor for our Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Firearm Safety and Hunter Education.  This is the mandatory course if you wish to obtain a hunting license in Minnesota, and most of the students are 11 or 12 years of age.  We do have about 30% of the class that are older teenagers and parents of youth.

I start the course with a description of what they will learn and how they will learn it.  I introduce the textbook and its format.  100% of the time I will get several questions at that time and multiple times a session about what to read, how far into the book to go, and if they need to do the worksheets.  My constant response is that they need to know everything in the book, and they should start reading and completing the worksheets.  They should continue until they are finished!  I tell them that we want to focus on the most important safety issues and the extras not in the book, but we can not do that if we need to teach the book.

Every year we have about 20% that struggle with items we don't focus on verbally, and 4% to 5% that need to retest or get special help to pass the test.  My co-instructor wants me to update and reintroduce a practice test that I used one year when I was an assistant instructor a decade ago.  That year we had 100% pass on the first try and an average score of 96%.  I am reluctant, because I am just teaching the test and not true knowledge and skill.  I am spoon feeding the student what they need to pass the test without true practical knowledge and skill.

Too many teachers today are going the easy route to raise scores and move things on in a non-confrontational manor at the expense of true teaching.  Now I just need to get across to my co-instructor that in the name of feel good get them their card so they can go hunting with dad, I will not sacrifice true safety and knowledge.  If I bend in this area I am feeding the fire of the anti's that idiots are running around in the woods in their Elmer Fudd hats shooting everything they see or hear.

[MikeBjerum]

I'm not sure what difference changing the name from social studies to Civics would have.
You'll need to give some explanation of your thinking on that, I would think History and Current events would be more apt, and more in line with where the focus should be.

Tom expresses the problem when we fail to communicate.  The name does not matter!  The content is what matters!  I don't care whether you are teaching American History, American Social Studies, Civics, Social Studies, American Civics, Political Science, or any other name, I care that we are teaching who we are, where we came from, why we came, how we came, what we became, how we became, how we evolved, how we operate, etc.  Call you what you want, the name doesn't matter.  If we get bogged down in names we will never move on to the most important part - the content.

[fightingquaker13]

M58, I get your point, but you're wrong. I can't start lecturing on Drug policy in the age of Imperialism, when more than half the class doesn't know what that is, that TR was President, or that we invaded the Philippines. They should know that stuff, but they don't. And to start talking about our relations with British India and China, when they have no clue that the British controlled both countries and then to talk about the Philippines would be a waste of breath. So, its either teach to 5 kids out of a hundred, or spend a week playing catchup. It irritates the hell out of me, but as you say, they're paying $100 a pop to be educated, so educated they shall be. Even if I want to strangle their high school history teachers.  

[fatbaldguy]

, they're paying $100 a pop to be edcutated, so educated they shall be. Even if I want to strangle their high school history teachers. 

That education needs to come from a failing grade and remedial history/civics/current events classes, that also cost $100 a credit.  When mom and them get the bill for that, then we'll start to get somewhere.  Life ain't fair, college/university should be training for life, not a post high school party.