Posted on 05/09/2011 5:23:47 PM PDT by jazusamo
One of the sad and dangerous signs of our times is how many people are enthralled by words, without bothering to look at the realities behind those words.
One of those words that many people seldom look behind is "education." But education can cover anything from courses on nuclear physics to courses on baton twirling.
Unfortunately, an increasing proportion of American education, whether in the schools or in the colleges and universities, is closer to the baton twirling end of the spectrum than toward the nuclear physics end. Even reputable colleges are increasingly teaching things that students should have learned in high school.
We don't have a backlog of serious students trying to take serious courses. If you look at the fields in which American students specialize in colleges and universities, those fields are heavily weighted toward the soft end of the spectrum.
When it comes to postgraduate study in tough fields like math and science, you often find foreign students at American universities receiving more of such degrees than do Americans.
A recent headline in the Chronicle of Higher Education said: "Master's in English: Will Mow Lawns." It featured a man with that degree who has gone into the landscaping business because there is no great demand for people with Master's degrees in English.
Too many of the people coming out of even our most prestigious academic institutions graduate with neither the skills to be economically productive nor the intellectual development to make them discerning citizens and voters.
(Excerpt) Read more at jewishworldreview.com ...
Yes, and I like your graphic.
“Even reputable colleges are increasingly teaching things that students should have learned in high school.”
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It seems to me more of a case of FAILING to teach things that students should have learned in high school...or even grade school in many cases. I have personally spoken with recent university graduates who majored in history but don’t know the history I learned by age twelve. I don’t think I have met one young graduate recently who could pass the finals for my high school in 1962, the year I graduated. Many of them couldn’t pass an exam to ENTER high school in that era.
” I dont think I have met one young graduate recently who could pass the finals for my high school in 1962, “
Some interesting reading, more-or-less on-topic....
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2716113/posts
Know Your Government Test
Intercollegiate Studies Institute ^ | N/A | N/A
Posted on Friday, May 06, 2011 10:11:01 AM by engrpat
This test is not an easy one. It is a test of your civics knowledge. It is one of the better ones that I have seen. The website reports that college professors average about 55%. I find that odd. See the chart following the quiz that shows how our elected officials did.
I’ve said for some time that a degree in today’s so-called “Liberal” Arts tends to make one less suitable for gainful employment. Who wants a lawsuit-happy whiner as an employee?
That’s a good point. Liberal Arts degrees are a dime a dozen and ‘whiner’ is a great handle to put on a bunch of them.
I’d venture a guess that they’re not much more educated than a HS graduate of 30 to 40 years ago and most of them weren’t indoctrinated with liberalism.
As Mark Steyn said:
A university education in America is where our most lethargic and mediocre youth spend tax payer money on a leisurely half-decade acquiring a fraudulent six-figure credential in some worthless pseudo-discipline simply because we can afford it.
I missed one on that quiz. As I took it I heard different voices: my mother, my fifth grade teacher, a high school history teacher (who was a last one hired first one fired victim and one of the best teachers I had), and my intro to poli sci professor.
Not only are students getting into “soft” majors by too large a margin, too many are expecting to work for some one else rather than take a risk as an entrepreneur. I think it’s increasingly rare to find some one willing to springboard into creativity, develop something and market it from the knowledge gained.
A good landscaping/grass cutting/snow removal business makes money. If the owner has an MA in English they should have some awesome press releases and maybe English classes for any employee that doesn’t speak English.
Many are educated beyond their IQ despite the soft (easy) subject material. Now you can get a degree about how to be a homo, or a slut, known as Gay and Lesbian Studies. There is also African American studies. What in the hell kind of job do you get with a major in GL studies with a minor in AA stuff.
I knew a guy, a white guy who happened to be Jewish (I doubt their are many rednecks taking these course) who received a degree from Emory in AA studies. I asked him what he did with his high priced degree. He was manager of a bagel shop for a couple of years.. So he went back to school and became a very respected professor with a PhD in statistics. Needless to say, he hates Bush.
Thanks for the ping. I did not ping you because I had noticed that already posted the article :) I was late as I had to take my grandson to his baseball practice
I wanted to warn you because you were late and went ahead and posted it. Thanks, Kas. :-)
As a real redneck would say, that’s plumb pitiful.
“Now you can get a degree about how to be a homo, or a slut, known as Gay and Lesbian Studies. There is also African American studies. What in the hell kind of job do you get with a major in GL studies with a minor in AA stuff.”
A job in the Federal government, with a bloated pension plan and higher wages than somebody in the private sector who might have a education.
Thanks for the ping jaz. I saved it to file for my stepson’s next visit. Probably over his head.
Bump; Ping!
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