More school: Obama would curtail summer vacation

This is just sad, I can't believe it.

I didn't expect to see so many supporters of this on the ATS boards. What kind of a dimwit do you have to be to think MORE TIME in these cesspools we call the American education system, will have ANY benefit whatsoever?

There will be a higher dropout rate, there will be a higher demand for quality teachers when there are no teachers to be had, because they will still be underpaid and virtually useless.

When I went to school, my teachers were on STRIKE, and they weren't even in any form of union at all. They would just mope about acting pissy and generally be completely useless. My science textbooks were from the 1970s and 80s.. and I went to high school in 2000....


You people make me sick. We really are totally phucked as a nation.

[edit on 28-9-2009 by SyphonX]

reply to post by SaturnFX


Summer makes kids forget things?

what kids and what families?

What have I forgotten over the years and it's been 20 now...

What a load of lies...

Some kids read over the summer I was one of those kids... the issue is culture and behavior not hrs in a classroom .

You know what SMART IS?

It's having the time to Read LITERATURE not assigned by the curriculum and school agenda...

some of us READ and need that time to get a REAL education not regurgitate the books assigned to us to teach us how to THINK the way they want us too.

Steal that and you get more sheep than ever...

OPEN YOUR EYES see what this kind of education really is education of SELF is the best education there is that is being taken away from our children... and the ones that want that are the only ones that matter anyway

It'll never be implimented. There's not enough money as is for education and no one is going to hand over an addition quarter of the existing education budget for 3 more months.

But the point is this: our school system isn't going to meet the demands of the new century. There was a time when all it was needed for was to produce good little factory works who had a minimium of education. And it served the country as planned.

But now? Those blue collar jobs are gone. Our schools produce kids who cannot enter the work force in useful ways, to support the nation's economy, without further training.

They cannot just 'get by' in school and be able to fill the jobs that need to be filled. They need different, additional skills, they need MORE education. I'm not sure that that means more time in the classroom, but it doesn't seem counter intutiative.

Originally posted by pai mei

" In school, a washing away of the innate power of individual mind takes place, a "cleansing" so comprehensive that original thinking becomes difficult.

This rings true to me. I have never been able to understand why other people my age go blank-faced like a computer waiting for a command when you ask them an open-ended question, while my first instinct is to begin thinking out loud until I have a good answer.

Afterall, I went to a California public school where more than half of the student body spoke Spanish as a first language and where 1 in 5 still required remedial English instruction. My teachers were way too busy to waste time on a reasonably well-performing student like me.

But maybe that was my saving grace. I never paid attention in class. I just sat there reading by myself. I didn't watch the movies, I didn't participate, I didn't even do my homework. I just read the textbooks then read my own books and knocked every test right out of the park, and when a teacher offended me (as my Spanish teacher did when he openly discussed the idea of breeding out the white race and the ASB advisor did when she had a nervous breakdown in class) I would just walk out of the class and never go back (In my senior year I spent as much time hiding in the back of the school library as I did actually attending the classes I was assigned).

I also liked to laugh at how holy the bells were to everyone else in school. Whenever I had a reason to leave class, I just stood up and left quietly without asking (teachers were forbidden to give passes- only the office could). Without even being told to, a student acting as teacher's aid once actually followed me down the hall screaming at me and trying to physically restrain me for that. I swear I cannot make this stuff up. When I came back to class from the restroom the teacher was laughing at her and applauding me- he had nothing to do with her zeal for the religion of the bells. She was just very well trained.

reply to post by Solarskye

I'm for getting Government out of our schools and the private sector in.

f

I strongly suspect Obama wants the kids in school longer so that he and the NEA can spend more time indoctrinating.

The result will not be smarter kids.

Private sector educational opportunities should be increased without a doubt but not under Obama and his Democrats.

Hey now..

Wake up and get ready for school.

Get home and go to work 2/5 weekdays.

Two of the other weekdays are for homework and rest...

Friday is for going out.

I work Saturday and Sunday, taking up about a day combined. So it leaves maybe a day or day and a half of more rest.

Toss a relationship in there if you got one, or any social events...

Not to mention hard classes = mucho homework already.

Yeah right Obama.

Has anyone seen the movie Recess: School's Out?

We'll see if the travel and vacation industry takes this one laying down. Your talking BILLIONS of dollars within that industry alone.

Funny how our kids were able to compete 50 years ago, while enjoying Spring break, Summer break, Christmas break...

Now kids can't learn the basic's in 12 years...they have to go to college for two years to learn what they should have in high school. Then another two, to study the actual endeavor or discipline they chose.

Schools were dumbed down to make it easier for the ignorant to progress.

Society has collectively let its children become to distracted with way too many stupid assed pursuits, that have nothing to do with education. Unless your child is in a highly accredited private school, they will not learn a damned thing, except how to copulate.

Strengthen and bring back education standards, and you will not need kids in year around school.

I see Obama's move nothing short of getting kids into the work force faster, so that they can pay off their share of the national debt!

I'm glad Obama thinks kids should stay in school longer. Maybe that will stop the Teacher Furlough going on in Hawaii right now, that is closing public schools here on fridays to save money. That is what the Unions have done instead of furloughing our state workers we are furloughing the teachers, because we have a great educations system here. When have politicians ever really cared about our Education system and kids education???

Originally posted by Confused and Dazed!
Schools were dumbed down to make it easier for the ignorant to progress.

Lawyers and Law Suits

Gotta take the chemistry labs out of schools because little Johnny will burn himself on the bunsen burner and parents will sue the school. Even store bought chemistry sets are using kitchen chemistry while those other countries are learning to make bobs

Field trips.... to expensive... and who will be responsible when someone trips on the Museum steps and the parents want to sue someone

Much better to build a huge fence around the high school to make sure they can't get out during the day (Vegas Valley HS has such a fence a few blocks from me)

That's the ticket Obama That's what the student vote that got ya in expected from you... longer hours, no more Saturdays off and forget the holidays.

Just lock em inside and keep em safe off the streets... OH and don't forget the metal detectors and armed security when they get a little testy being locked up

yes i agree but where could this all be coming from?

So much for dumbing down in America. How about dumb and dumber dumbing down in America? More time for dumbing down. Dumb time for dumbing down. Arghhhh it just does on forever.

Wow.

You people are so unbelievably self-less.
You must really want your kids to learn something of value.

It maks me laugh. How long ago were you people in school? When the textbooks were still new? Guess, what? Those are the same textbooks still in use, for a large part. And that's pitiful.
You whine and complain about longer hours and more days. Your children can't even begin to compete against foreign systems. They're losing against themselves. Summer vacation? A week or two less isn't going to kill any time camping, and are you really likely to have an extended stay in a foreign country in this economy and world situation?
I didn't think so.

The school system in the States is so laughable. Your teachers have such enthusaism, and the cirruculam is current and relevant. If 50% of your teachers became teachers to help children flourish into whatever they may want to be, instead of for summer, winter and spring holidays, it would already be a huge improvement.
Nope. That ain't the case.
You become a teacher to teach, not for holidays.

Speaking as someone who really wasted their high school and am now regretting the loss of many things, like class, lunch with friends, my own real grad, the correspondence style class I study now is better than what teachers are teaching your students. And I get around to teaching it to myself for maybe 4 hours a week. And not to get egotistical, but I'd say I'm bright. High reading comprehension atleast. Not bright enough to attend high school regularly, but hey. We mess up, some more than others.

You people spend so much on your precious military and your guns. Maybe, in one state(in the south, we'll say), when ever a gun is bought, the same amount will be donated to the school system, for better teaching standards, a week or two more a year, and the same hours as now.

I'm sorry if I sound condescending, immature or whatever else. But this thread infuriated me. Truly. You people teach your children to hate school, based on your own biased experiences. Summer good. School year bad. Why haven't we grown out of this idiotic mentality?

edit:minor spelling

[edit on 29-9-2009 by TheAmazingK]

reply to post by crw2006


More school won't solve anything. They should be working on improving the quality of the school time we already have.

Call me a cynic but does it sound like this might coincide with all the community work Americans are going to have to do some time down the road?
With the kids in school for more hours and more days, and also after school care, guess there won't be any excuse for anyone to get out of it.

Originally posted by zorgon

Originally posted by Confused and Dazed!
Schools were dumbed down to make it easier for the ignorant to progress.

Lawyers and Law Suits

This quickly reminded me of the movie 'Idiocracy'. I would imagine they chose to include a lot of "lawyer laughs" to point out the fact that lawsuits in the United States have pretty much undermined America, especially the school system. After watching that movie, and seeing various discussions about the topic, I find myself understanding everything very easily.

Of course kids need to be in school more, the government is learning that that they dont have enough time to brainwash the children of america and make it stick when they spend so much time at home with there parents!

Honestly I think there are other changes to be made before doing this!

its sad but there are still people graduating high school who cant read!

and to add Americans schools a safe place to go? Ha ha ha ha!

Its not a bad idea however like i said i think we need to better the qaulity before we thing of quantity more of a bad thing is never better!

[edit on 9/30/2009 by Verd_Vhett]

reply to post by TheAmazingK

It maks me laugh. How long ago were you people in school? When the textbooks were still new? Guess, what? Those are the same textbooks still in use, for a large part. And that's pitiful.

No they are not. My kids have much more updated textbooks than I had when I was in school. In fact, some of my kids textbooks are on their laptops....they are not even issued anymore, they just come on the school issued laptop.

reply to post by TheAmazingK

If 50% of your teachers became teachers to help children flourish into whatever they may want to be, instead of for summer, winter and spring holidays, it would already be a huge improvement. Nope. That ain't the case. You become a teacher to teach, not for holidays.

I do agree with you in the fact that teachers are more worried about what my kid is wearing (and it is not baggy pants and some gang rapper t-shirt I assure you) than actually teaching kids at times. My kids wear nice blue jeans, and school logo shirts that we purchase every year to be in 'compliance', and the teachers still find something to gripe about. They actually called me and said that i needed to bring my son his belt (he forgot it), and that if I did not, he would have to go home for the day! i found that ridiculous....they would rather not teach my child because he did not have a belt on...give me a break! And, unfortunately, alot of teachers just teach because of the schedule.....I have a co-worker that is on a local school board, and he told me that alot of the teachers become just that because of the great schedule, not because they really care about each student. I also believe that teachers are underpaid....that is part of why they really don't give a crap.