Education in the U.S.

[Mike]

> Miles:
> But every time we wonder what a young boy or girl does not
> know, we should think about what s/he knows we never 
> heard of at their age.

Mike:
This is a very good point. I got a degree in Computer Science (back 
in the Jurassic Period) and use a computer every day, yet I couldn't 
do half the stuff kids these days can do with computer graphics and 
even more complicated stuff.



> [Lee]:
> <snip>
> (like the fact that there are five finger-lakes and seven great
> lakes and fifty states,

Mike:
HA! Seven great lakes? Sorry Lee, there are only five great lakes; 
Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. Lake St. Clair is never 
counted as a great lake even by a MIchigander like me who lives not 
that far from it. And is Lake Champlain your seventh? If so, methinks 
your New York state of mind is showing. <wink>


> [Lee]:
> Knowing (as far as the US is concerned) how many presidents have
> come and gone, the structure of our government, and the names of
> the government officials for their state (at least) are, what I
> call, essential educational *Musts*.

Mike:
I'm not sure about state governments, I'd like to think that High 
Schoolers could tell us who their governor is. It would be nice if 
they knew who the President and V.P. were. As far as government 
structure, most of the US House and Senate, as well as almost every 
member of the media don't seem to know that we have a constitutional 
republic. They think it's a democracy, just listen to their speeches. 
It's downright depressing that they can't be bothered to correctly 
name our form of government.


> [Lee]:
> Now, I'm no math wiz, not by a long shot. But when I hand a clerk
> a $20.00 bill and my purchase is for $9.95, I don't want to see 
> that clerk struggling to figure out how much change to give back.

Mike:
Oh, Lee, they don't struggle any more. Haven't you noticed, they 
press a button that has a little picture of what you bought on it and 
the computer/cash register tells them how much change to give back.



> [Lee]:
> Unfortunately, with all the tests kids have to take now, I have to
> wonder if they're really learning or learning to test well.  

Mike:
Just as unfortunately, we have no way of measuring knowledge 
objectively besides testing. And you know, learning to test well 
teaches one deductive reasoning, so that's not all bad either.



> [Lee]:
> Anyway, not being a teacher or having kids of my own, I probably 
> should keep my face shut,

Mike:
Don't you dare. "Aggitate, aggitate, aggitate" as Frederick Douglas 
famously said. If we accept lower standards, they become the norm. A 
commonly heard phrase in the military was, "If the minimum wasn't 
good enough, it wouldn't be the minimum." As a soldier's lament for 
the endless inane procedural tests they made us take, I understood 
the sentiment. Unfortunately, again, that also seems to be the goal 
of too many regular folks these days.


> [Lee]:
> another co-worker writes, "How should I imput the leter,"

Mike:
Heh, this reminds me of my brother. I always tease him that he won't 
waste two "t"s when one will do the job.



> Well, time to crawl back under my rock. :-)
> 
> Peace,
> 
> Lee :-)

Mike:
We'll see what responses we bring. I might have to ask you to budge 
up under that rock. LOL