"...a course of leeches." - Blackadder II
Posted on 10/29/2016 5:32:06 PM PDT by BruceDeitrickPrice
Bloodletting was, for more than 2000 years, the most common form of medical treatment on the planet. Theory and tradition agreed that the body sometimes had too much blood in it, and the best thing was to let it out.
According to Wikipedia, "Bloodletting was used to treat almost every disease. One British medical text recommended bloodletting for acne, asthma, cancer, cholera, coma, convulsions, diabetes, epilepsy, gangrene, gout, herpes, indigestion, insanity, jaundice, leprosy, ophthalmia, plague, pneumonia, scurvy, smallpox, stroke, tetanus, tuberculosis, and for some one hundred other diseases."
The doctor could cut a vein. Another method, dating back to 800 BC, employed a bloodsucking parasite. One species is even named after this function: Hirudo medicinalis.
"Leeches became especially popular in the early nineteenth century.…Through the early decades of the century, hundreds of millions of leeches were used by physicians throughout Europe." (Wikipedia) Modern science has concluded that in almost every case the bloodletting was harmful or, at best, irrelevant.
A soldier might suffer a major wound resulting in the loss of blood. Never mind. Doctors would prescribe bloodletting, and then more bloodletting. "The withdrawal of so much blood as to induce syncope (fainting) was considered beneficial, and many sessions would only end when the patient began to swoon." (Wikipedia)
So imagine a patient, pale and sickly, with dozens of leeches fastened to his skin. The patient takes a turn for the worse. What is the answer? More leeches.
In fact, what was actually the correct solution? First, get rid of the leeches. Which brings us to the perilous state of K-12 education. The patient is sick. The patient is covered with leeches. Experts demand: more leeches for this patient. Of course, the patient becomes sicker. Meanwhile, the cure is simple and cheap. Get rid of the leeches!
If you go back 80 years and make a list of all the reforms and experiments attached to public education, you will find that hardly one of them resulted in better results. Nearly every one was a leech sucking blood out of the children and the school system.
Whole Word (also known as Look-say) was introduced in 1931. That was a particularly large and nasty leech, still a pandemic. If the Education Establishment could get away with not teaching reading, while pretending to teach reading, anything was possible. The floodgates were open. New Math, Constructivism, Discovery Method, Self-Esteem, Multiculturalism, Relevance, No Memorization, Whole Language, Cooperative Learning, No Cursive, Sight Words, Common Core Math,…. you would need a page to list all the pretentiously proclaimed but ultimately destructive leeches. Enough.
How do we fix our schools? You will note that the Education Establishment's answer is always the same: MORE LEECHES. That is, they always want to try a new gimmick (for which they will be exorbitantly paid).
The correct answer is not to add bad stuff, but to get rid of all the bad stuff that was added in earlier decades.
Go back to 1930 and look at the typical public school curriculum. In a pinch, that would work fine. Teach all the basic skills, all the fundamental facts and knowledge, that were routinely taught, to the degree that each student can handle this information. Now the students have a foundation for acquiring a genuine education.
Ah, a school without leeches. That's what we need.
Do you realize what is happening nowadays? The schools teach almost nothing and give all the students A's and B's. What kind of people would create a school system like that?
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Three-minute video clarifies what works and what doesn't: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuihhEpQETs
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Bruce Deitrick Price explains theories and methods on Improve-Education.org.
People are allowed to be students at a community college AND a university AND work all at the same time.
I THINK that he preferred the ambiance of the community college.
None of yoga classes were ever called "outreach" as they were open to the anyone in the STATE. Foreigners could come too though they had to pay mucho $$$$$.
I once had FOUR Japanese students (straight from Japan) in my class but they came THREE WEEKS after classes began. They SAID that their government was in control of that.
Well, I told them that their government INSULTED us as to think that the first three weeks of ANY class were so UNIMPORTANT as to be skipped.
After that semester I had NO MORE Japanese students.
That was OKEY-DOKEY with me.
Okay, that’s informative.
All my children of relevant age have gone to community college. The oldest joined the military after a year, the second went to a state university as a junior, and two are still at community college.
So, when you were VERY young (only last year) you ALWAYS kept a box of peas under your bed to keep the dragons from EATING you.
At least the dragons could COOK the peas with their dragon breath.
"...a course of leeches." - Blackadder II
Scorched peas are not satisfactory. They need to be al dente and at room temperature.
I only eat peas if I can smother them with mustard!
University tuition is SO HIGH these days. So it's a win-win to attend a community college first.
Besides, all those pesky "pre-reqs" can be safely taken care of for MUCH LESS $$$ so when the upper division classes had to be taken, in one's major, they could be taken with a clear conscience and free mind!
I DID that myself.
In fact, in my senior semesters of college I took TWO semesters of Scandinavian mythology. Learned ALL about Loki!
Our professor, a short, handsome guy from Stockholm, had blond hair, blue eyes and pink cheeks...100% stereotypical Scandihoovian! I loved those classes.
Mycket bra!
O gawd, I think I'm gonna be ILL!
My oldest boy took courses like Modern Irish Literature and History of Modern Latin America. Since he was a Marketing major, it’s all helpful. Marketing is about making a connection with people (unless you’re in the “efficient shipping” end), and you never know what might interest someone.
Since he still lives at home, it’s nice that you can have an interesting conversation with him. I might have put him on the curb otherwise.
Lol. Al dente, eh? You sound like a connoisseur.
You are WELCOME to ALL the peas on God's good earth, thangkewverymuch.
Dragons are picky. They won’t eat kale with brown edges.
HAHAHA!
I am NOT surprised that YOUR son can have an interesting conversation.
It would be a shame, though, to put him out...you never know WHO might pick him up and take him home with her!
They MUST have been watching Rachel Ray's cooking show!
And I prefer it to be the hot mustard or grey poupon. If its grey poupon I hold my pinkie finger out when I hold the fork!
I got class man class !
With his guitars, his hair products, and a sign that says, "Will look pretty and make conversation for food."
... you never know WHO might pick him up and take him home with her!
Bill the Son has high standards and a vision of upward mobility. (He has his shirts tailored. He drives a vintage BMW.) I'm not worried about his bringing home some slattern.
Life with exotic pets is fun.
50 errors in a small paragraph? That is exceptional. That is genius. Any possibility you could recall that paragraph and print it here for everyone to see?
(I would love to have it as an example for an article later on.)
love blackadder!!!
It really wouldn't be anything new or unusual...if you had ever had to correct papers at either a high school or college level.
It's abysmally sad and there's no reason in the world for anyone to see/read his humiliating show of ignorance.
I DID tell him that this farce WOULD be accepted and he WOULD get his M.A. but someday he would have to deal with that.
He WOULD get a job/position that he DIDN'T deserve but got because of his race. But, someday he would HAVE to write something...SOMETHING and ALL his literary shortcomings would be on display and he would be humiliated.
You CAN go to ANY high school or community college English instructor for examples of poor literary skills. ASK THEM and you would have PLENTY of fodder for your article.
Trust me, you CAN.
P.S. I do have a fairly good memory but recalling such garbage is not likely. SOME things I try very hard to FORGET.
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