Hows the education coming?

Lounge
21

Yeah most teachers at my high school would deduct points for grammatical errors and what not. Same is true at the college level. I think most people have a decent enough understanding of fundamental grammatical rules at the high school level, so long as they stick to conversational type writing. Where you really start seeing people make mistakes is when they try to be more technical than they really are…words being used out of context…punctuation errors, improper or awkward sentence forming.

I certainly think there’s room to drill these types of grammatical rules more at the high school level…maybe so its less of an issue at the college level. Whatever the case is, I really think that the American educational system neglects the importance of really teaching people the basic rules of the English language. As a society we seem to put less value in being able to write and even speak well. It always seems to amaze me when public speakers, good ones even, ignore basic grammatical rules and probably aren’t even aware that they’re making mistakes.

You don’t do good damnit…you DO WELL!

22

Bales out of this thread, since she is currently the one doling out TONS of exam papers to over 1500 students…

Ail :slight_smile:

23

A couple of major obstacles I face are

  1. Journalistic writing: Although important in grammar, sometimes the flow of an article can interfere with the flow of a research paper/assignment. It’s easy to get lost in a pyramid format and not add as much content as you should to validate points for the simplistic reason that most Americans suffer from ADD (IMHO it’s actually a form of “Dumbing Down”). 10 years ago you could pick up any news stand magazine and articles would span pages, now that same magazine the articles span a few paragraphs.

I believe this can have a negative impact on what may suffice as “classic” literature. How many kids, or for that matter young adults, will pick up a novel like “To Kill A Mockingbird” and read it just because it is a brilliant portrayal of life in all it’s complexities as seen through the eyes of a child?

  1. Coding for programs sometimes crosses over into my grammar. I have to take the time and read over everything before I post or submit as an assignment. I have caught myself using coding syntax many times instead of proper English grammar. Take for example this paragraph:

cout << "Enter Phero results: ";
cin >> "pheroResults;
cout << "Define phero style: ";
cin << "pheroStyle;

Now how many would understand that if I posted it? Some, yes, but not many. I certainly can tell that those are my results with pheromones and what particular ones at what dosage I used.

24

[Rant]I agree with you completely on this point. However, I think it involves more than this. I think the problem is the lack of respect for learning in this country. Smart people are called “nerds” or “egg heads”, teachers are just under-paid drones rather than the “honored master”, and we can’t hold students back to repeat a grade if they don’t have a grasp of the subjects…it might hurt their “self esteem”, poor babies, what will happen to their self esteem when they get out in the “real world” where no one gives a crap about their self esteem, they want results!!
I can’t place all of the blame on the schools or teachers either. It’s the parents who don’t have the time or interest to get involved in their children’s education. Sure, they’ll drop the kids off at “activities”, but they’re “too tired” at night when they get home to actually sit down with the kids and listen to them read or go over their math home work. Or perhaps they don’t give a crap, after all “it’s the teacher’s job”. \Rant]:open_mouth:

25

You hit the nail on the head, sir! I gave teaching a shot a long time ago when I first got out of school. I was quickly disillusioned by all that went on. Lack of support from the community, from parents, from administration… Education is given lip service here in the United States.

Now, I also do not believe that it should swing so far in the other direction where childrens lives are consumed by school to the exclusion of everything else as it is in some other countries, but a balance must be struck.

26

Well I’m in LUST with my Logic teacher :stuck_out_tongue:

27

Well steveo, I aced my first auditing exam, while taking the most qualified, hard-ass teacher there is, a former partner at both arthur andersen and Deloitte. So yeah, i think i am doing okay. We will see this next week what i am really made of with midterms at stake. I think i will do fine though. I graduate in the fall with a BA in Business Admin. with emphasis on accounting. I will gain some experience after that then sit for the CPA exam, maybe go into auditing, then perhaps become a partner? Who knows really what the future may bring. Everything seems so much brighter when we are kids. I guess I am just optimistic about graduating and starting a promising career.
HH

28

I just finalized my last exam, an online class, and I’m certain I did well. It does have its challenges being 39 and re-entering university to better myself. The days of all night partying and getting up at 7:30, after 2 hours sleep, and making class by 8:00 are over. Now I just don’t bother sleeping at all.

I know for me I was persuaded to return to college after I left the Caribbean. I had a wonderful career and poured everything I had into an organization that was, unknowingly to me, bilking the World Bank and the citizens of the island. It was an unfortunate situation that ultimately led to my resignation and leaving a place I have come to love and admire. The people did not deserve what was happening and the day I found out was the day I left the company.

Although there was never a question as what I was to do, my actions forced me to not only vacate my position as Operations Director, but to leave my island home. Indeed I fell in love with the island and its inhabitants. It was traumatic and forced me to look deep within myself.

I decided that the marketing industry was too cut-throat and not congruent with who I was as a person. It was a series of bad experiences that ultimately led me to question the entire industry and move on.

Only naturally I chose to re-enter an institution of higher learning to pursue my BS in computer science. Although I yearn to return to the island, and I will, I better myself today so that my goal of returning might bear fruit. Today I learned that I aced my Data Base Management mid-term. Spring break starts now :smiley: .

29

I’m gonna jump in on this thread. :slight_smile:

School for me has been a trip. I spend 2 years at Purdue in Mechanical Engineering totaly 9 credit hours becuase i’d screw around, not go to class, and drop all my class 1/2 way though the semester. The work wasn’t to hard, I just wasn’t motivated. I completed 3 classes with a 3.0 my first semester.

I left Purdued still eligable for reaceptance and in decent standings due to some serious work with their acedemic policies and apeals. I moved to Bloomington and signed up at Ivy tech to fix my transcript and get into IU. I ended up dropping all my Ivy tech classes and moving home after 1 semester. BTW IU rocks out so hard I can’t believe it. It’s truely and amazing place.

I took a year off, and got a shitty factory job. I was on 3rd shift janitor duty. I requested 3rd shift because I have sleeping problems. I was forced to move to first because they needed a furniture mover on 1st. I fit the bill, being strong, inteligent (installing the computers and making repairs on just about any random office thing that broke), and professional enought to work around highly paid excecutives.

Well that sucked. I ended up furthering some old football injuriesj, never sleeping, and missing work. I was in process of training a replacement so I could go back on 3rd shift upon request. I missed one last day and was canned. From what I was told, they set me up. They did have an opening on 3rd shift and wanted me to train the next guy before they fired me (bastards). I warned them that I was going to have issues on 1st shift. Enough bitching about that lol :stuck_out_tongue:

I got back into school at IPFW doing Hospitality and Tourism management, and am loving it so far.

I have 2 options at this point that are driving me nuts. I have to get out of this area for my sanity. If I load up on classes I can finish my degree in 2.5 years from now, but it will be intense and i’m going to hate every minute. The advantage is i’d be able to move out of this state so much sooner, and enjoy the last of my youth in my new location.

Option 2 is… I could move to Indy and transfer to IUPUI. They don’t have Purdues Hopitality program, but they have IU’s Tourism Convention and Event Managment program. TCEM has more beverage classes which is great because I’m interested in liquor sales or working at a vinyard. All of credits will transfer. I wouldn’t have to do the “Dinner Series” if I went to IUPUI which is great. It involves hosting a dinner at an establishment. This includes, entertainment, cooking, selling tickets, donations, contracts, a 9 hour lab ever week, insane amounts of stress, and having no life for a semester. The major down side is that i’d be stuck in Indiana for the next 5 years. That would put me at 27-28 before I could move from this state. Maybe i’ll like it in Indy, but I know I don’t like Indiana. What if I get stuck here, or I change with age and become one of those people who settled for less than their dreams and stayed! AHHH!

Whatever decision I make is my last change of plans. It’s pretty nerve racking.

30

Toil,

You are apparently intelligent and it is evident in all of your posts. This is in reply to your last statement though. Don’t do that to yourself. There will be many changes in your life and although some you might think upon as a mistake we can never go back and change them, we may only learn from them. It’s the beauty of life!

Most people make mistakes repeatedly and never learn from them. Every decision you make will be a change and those must be embraced. Please don’t ever limit yourself to one path as many more are yet to be opened before you. Think Robert Frost; “and I took the path less traveled and that has made all the difference.”

I look upon my life as remarkable and so should you at yours. Every experience is a different memory, a different dream and dreams my friend are precious. I know of few people who have experienced half the things I have in my life and even as of today I make changes and adjustments. Not because what I chose was incorrect, yet because what I chose lead me to another fork in the road. Every road eventually ends and yet another opens.

Go with what you choose, but don’t limit yourself as if it’s the end-all, it won’t be. Tomorrow you might awaken and realize your dream is to become a scientist and if that dreams never materializes we might miss out on the cure to cancer. At 37 years of age after a very long, successful career as a marketing director, I left my career behind and embraced a world fascinating yet foreign. Sometimes it takes more guts to change than it does to stay the course.

You’ll find yourself. After all we like Toil and the knowledge he puts forth.

31

Thanks for the encouraging words.

After a good nights sleep I think i’m going to move after all. I’ll probably change my mind in a day or two. lol :stuck_out_tongue:

32

I can’t believe this semester is almost over. There was a massive departmental screw up with my student loan and finally the school just called me and said it was there.

The only problem with that is it was sent to the main campus and it’s Spring Break this week. Me being the wonderful caring son I am will travel with my wonderful beloved mom and dad on a 2 hour journey. I can’t stand my mom for more than 21.72854373295071980754 minutes a day, but seeing she won’t be around much longer I’ll take her along. They need to get out of there freaking house more instead of just church.

I will let my dad drive his car, so they can be much more relaxed than my jeep and sit in the back with my Zune blasting some Bob Marley:

[Lovely SteveO melody]“Don’t worry about a thing, cause every little thing, is gonna be all right, 3 little birds, sit by my doorstep, singing sweet songs, of melodies pure and true, singing this is my message to you huh huh.”[/Lovely SteveO Melody]:smiley:

33

I lost my education/graduation on saving an ex =/ im 17 and have nothing to do… just need some part time jobs till im 18 and then Im outta here and in the army for 3 years, THEN Ill fix my education.