lol @ Gravity video

[dpastern (Dave Pastern)]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BtJ6v9SIww

Some people shouldn't be allowed to breed...sorry, not sorry.

[el_draco (Rom)]

Shoot me... shoot me now...

... on second thoughts... shoot them...

[Paul Haese]

Flaming idiots, who did not study any maths or science coming up with idiot ideas. Irritating at best, infuriating at worst. These are the same dim witted fools who believe that vaccinations cause autism, that the moon missions were staged, that Donald Trump is their saviour. Education not working. And; it is not confined to the US. We have plenty of these idiots here in Australia. When the educational standard is lifted the occurrence of these idiots spouting nonsense will be reduced.

[Bart]

Why do we keep giving these people air time and bumping up their viewing numbers? Stop posting their links would be a good start.

[speach (Simon)]

S**t and they breath our air. Seriously why are americans so f***ing thick

[el_draco (Rom)]

Originally Posted by Bart

Why do we keep giving these people air time and bumping up their viewing numbers? Stop posting their links would be a good start.

... or comment, face them down and name them up as ignorant morons!

[LewisM]

Sadly, it is not just Yanks (though we are on a role of anti-American lately here ). Millennial Australians and current primary and secondary schoolers probably can't. We have had to EXTENSIVELY home-teach (supplemental to regular schooling) our 9 y.o - she was not able to tell me a single Australian capitol until I taught her, let alone name any planets, understand what a year is, or even do division.

What appals me is they get homework once a fortnight, and ONLY if we ask for it!!! WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Soros education for you! So, we take matters in our own hands - a responsibility that every parent should take since the education system is failing to deliver - our 9y.o went from all C's to now nearly all B's in a matter or a couple months of work. Plus she also attends non-English after-school schooling for 3 hours 5 days a week.

Her younger sister, thankfully, we "rescued" in time after recognising the failings of the sordidly pathetic education system.

[dpastern (Dave Pastern)]

Originally Posted by Paul Haese

Flaming idiots, who did not study any maths or science coming up with idiot ideas. Irritating at best, infuriating at worst. These are the same dim witted fools who believe that vaccinations cause autism, that the moon missions were staged, that Donald Trump is their saviour. Education not working. And; it is not confined to the US. We have plenty of these idiots here in Australia. When the educational standard is lifted the occurrence of these idiots spouting nonsense will be reduced.

Exactly Paul! Interest in maths and sciences is at an all time low as far as I understand, and each future generation is showing less interest in these subjects. The problem is that these sorts of people are involved with younger generations, and influencing them in a bad way. That must be stopped at all costs imho.

Originally Posted by Bart

Why do we keep giving these people air time and bumping up their viewing numbers? Stop posting their links would be a good start.

Because, sadly, their numbers are growing in every Western country. We need to be proactive and stop the rot wherever possible, especially with the younger generations.

Originally Posted by speach

S**t and they breath our air. Seriously why are americans so f***ing thick

It's just not Americans though. Whilst I'm not fond of many things American, not all Americans think like this, and it's a unfair to tar them all with the same brush. The video features Americans simply because it has American sources for the media input. We could go around the general populace of Australia and get similar comments I fear.

Originally Posted by LewisM

Sadly, it is not just Yanks (though we are on a role of anti-American lately here ). Millennial Australians and current primary and secondary schoolers probably can't. We have had to EXTENSIVELY home-teach (supplemental to regular schooling) our 9 y.o - she was not able to tell me a single Australian capitol until I taught her, let alone name any planets, understand what a year is, or even do division.

What appals me is they get homework once a fortnight, and ONLY if we ask for it!!! WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Soros education for you! So, we take matters in our own hands - a responsibility that every parent should take since the education system is failing to deliver - our 9y.o went from all C's to now nearly all B's in a matter or a couple months of work. Plus she also attends non-English after-school schooling for 3 hours 5 days a week.

Her younger sister, thankfully, we "rescued" in time after recognising the failings of the sordidly pathetic education system.

Wholly agreed Lewis. Our education system is being pushed to a US style metrics system, and imho, it does *not* work. By the age of 9, kids should know the Australian capital cities, as well as basics like the names of the planets, etc. I plan to do the same as you, and add to my 4 year old niece's education.

I also firmly believe that there is an over-reliance on computers and technology in schools. IMHO, children @ primary school should not be using any computer based devices, with them ONLY becoming available in secondary school and onwards. Children need to be encouraged to think for themselves, and not rely on tools that do nothing to enrich their thought processes.

[el_draco (Rom)]

Originally Posted by LewisM

Sadly, it is not just Yanks (though we are on a role of anti-American lately here ). Millennial Australians and current primary and secondary schoolers probably can't. We have had to EXTENSIVELY home-teach (supplemental to regular schooling) our 9 y.o - she was not able to tell me a single Australian capitol until I taught her, let alone name any planets, understand what a year is, or even do division.

What appals me is they get homework once a fortnight, and ONLY if we ask for it!!! WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Soros education for you! So, we take matters in our own hands - a responsibility that every parent should take since the education system is failing to deliver - our 9y.o went from all C's to now nearly all B's in a matter or a couple months of work. Plus she also attends non-English after-school schooling for 3 hours 5 days a week.

Her younger sister, thankfully, we "rescued" in time after recognising the failings of the sordidly pathetic education system.

You are naming up some very common misconceptions here and I'll explain it to you, being a teacher.

- If everything goes well, a teacher gets an average of 6 minutes per student 1:1 time per week. (The math is simple)

- Suffice to say, that wonderful state does not exist in our current reality...

- I'll leave the next line blank, just think "discipline, or lack there of..." and fill it in for yourself...




- Most "parent associations and others" oppose "homework" on principle. Most of those bodies are composed of people who did not study academic subjects or understand the first thing about the knowledge acquisition process. (I actually have a an open email policy with my students... 24/7; got a problem, talk to me about it... Need help, come see me before/after school or during lunch break and I'll help. Number of takers? 1%)

- If governments don't fund education, students don't get resources and though they bleat mightily about how much they "spend", the reality is teachers are often buying resources for their classrooms out of their own wages... I do several grand per year myself. Some teachers are providing breakfast as well...

- Guess how many times the curriculum has been reworked by pollies in the last 20 years?

- There are many who say teachers get great holidays.... I pull 60 hour weeks on a regular basis and work straight through my "holidays" most years... You wanna know stress? Become a teacher who cares about children... most of us do!

Finally....., who said education was a school based activity? It is supposed to be a partnership between families, schools and society in general.
- If parents do not value education and,
- If parents do not insist children study and learn a bit of discipline and,
- If we live in a society where parents dump their kids in front of trash like the Simpsons and
- The role models we "idolise" can do nothing but kick a bloody ball and,
- Those who lead us are complete pin-heads.... then

WTF do you expect?

I've got a family of my own, all but one are adults and they are in full time employment, strong minded, strong willed, decent men and women... I gave a **** about their futures and put in the hard work...

Glad you caught up!

[LewisM]

Rom, we have a large white board at home - I fill it every day prior to the 9y.o coming home, and she has to complete that before bed. Subjects are Maths, English, Geography, Science and Russian.

Her 4y.o sister has to do writing, numbers, Russian and simple geography (she has an incredible memory - thankfully still in the plastic range).

What our 9y.o is learning in Gd 4, I distinctly remember doing in Gd.2. The maths being taught is...simply...simple. We taught her at home up to the 12X table, and as such, plus the other Maths (simple algebra, fractions etc), she is an A student in Maths NOW.

I fully understand the plight of the teaching fraternity, given their requirement to fulfil the rather lacking syllabus (you probably disagree) and still be expected to deliver results based on Naplan etc.

[dpastern (Dave Pastern)]

Rom, I don't think all teachers are as impassioned as yourself. I also find that many people under the age of 30 have sub standard maths and english skills, including teachers in that age group. This effect seems to worsen the younger the person. Again, I base this on personal observations in the "field".

I understand that many teachers put in a LOT of UNPAID extra hours, outside of the usual school times, to create lesson plans etc. I have a friend in the UK who's just finished her degree in molecular biology and is branching out into teaching at primary school level. Teachers do not get sufficient time to develop lesson plans, or invest in 1:1 time with students. As a society, we need to devote more $$$ to our education system, much more $$$ imho. I'd personally like to compare data for funding to public schools from say, 1975, to say, 2017 (adjusted for inflation of course). I'm pretty damn confident that our schools are receiving far less money from the government than they did 30 or 40 years ago, when adjusted for inflation. I'm not sure if the ABS collates such data or not.

Teacher wages aren't great either imho. Teaching is a critical employment role imho, and competent teachers should be rewarded accordingly. I mean, getting rid of the F35 II fighters could pay a LOT more $$$ to competent teachers...just saying. It's a matter of our government getting its priorities right, and that #1 priority should be the education of our children. It is that, that will allow us to compete on a global market, not some trumped up unrequired military gear...

[dpastern (Dave Pastern)]

A follow up video from the same YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c6qEmIX-8s

the sad thing is that no amount of logical debunking can prove to these flat earthers that they are wrong.

edit: check around 5:35 for a young female teen, sounds like she's from New Zealand...this is exactly why this sort of BS needs to be stamped out. That, and the anti-darwinism crap that's springing up.

[LewisM]

Australia had ZERO need for the F35 - as does every other nation who has been forced into this POS Yank war machine - why we all couldn't have invested KILLING money into going to Mars instead...no, we need to kill each other. Why did we need it..oh yeah, because the Turnbullsh!t government are the biggest sellout vassals in Australian history.

Rant over...temporarily.

[dpastern (Dave Pastern)]

Originally Posted by LewisM

Australia had ZERO need for the F35 - as does every other nation who has been forced into this POS Yank war machine - why we all couldn't have invested KILLING money into going to Mars instead...no, we need to kill each other. Why did we need it..oh yeah, because the Turnbullsh!t government are the biggest sellout vassals in Australian history.

Rant over...temporarily.

preaching to the choir Lewis. I do think a permanent lunar base prior to a martian base is the way to go though!

[kinetic (Steve)]

Brawndo's got what plants crave. It's got electrolytes.

[dpastern (Dave Pastern)]

Even more sad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn3VJ-VJhOw

Simple questions like does the earth revolve around the sun, or vice versa, or is the moon or sun larger...of what galaxy is our stellar system a part of...these are basic science questions that any student who has left high school should know. That some students are leaving high school (irrespective of their country of residence) without knowing these answers is rather disturbing imho.

note: I am aware that the numbers quoted in this YouTube channel's videos is probably skewered to make society look dumber than it is, cos hey, it means more viewers and more $.

[el_draco (Rom)]

Originally Posted by LewisM

Rom, we have a large white board at home - I fill it every day prior to the 9y.o coming home, and she has to complete that before bed. Subjects are Maths, English, Geography, Science and Russian.

Her 4y.o sister has to do writing, numbers, Russian and simple geography (she has an incredible memory - thankfully still in the plastic range).

What our 9y.o is learning in Gd 4, I distinctly remember doing in Gd.2. The maths being taught is...simply...simple. We taught her at home up to the 12X table, and as such, plus the other Maths (simple algebra, fractions etc), she is an A student in Maths NOW.

I fully understand the plight of the teaching fraternity, given their requirement to fulfil the rather lacking syllabus (you probably disagree) and still be expected to deliver results based on Naplan etc.

That's called teaching and your kids with thank you for it, one way or another... The syllabus is a starting point for education. I just live for the days when I find a kid who is mentally turned on... Sigh... rare, but its better than divi 1!

[el_draco (Rom)]

Originally Posted by dpastern

Rom, I don't think all teachers are as impassioned as yourself. I also find that many people under the age of 30 have sub standard maths and english skills, including teachers in that age group. This effect seems to worsen the younger the person. Again, I base this on personal observations in the "field".

Dumbed down curriculum produces dumbed down teachers... simple.

Originally Posted by dpastern

I understand that many teachers put in a LOT of UNPAID extra hours, outside of the usual school times, to create lesson plans etc. I have a friend in the UK who's just finished her degree in molecular biology and is branching out into teaching at primary school level. Teachers do not get sufficient time to develop lesson plans,

We need Scientists in schools teaching, far more than we need them in the field. Off my own bat, I have generated more Scientists who will do more than I could have ever done by myself. That's called long term investment.
In terms of getting time to plan, you have no idea. I got 24 hours to accept a year 11 Science class this year and 5 months later I am building lessons ONE day in advance, doing 4 hours research per class before I start writing ... Faaaarrrrk!

Originally Posted by dpastern

As a society, we need to devote more $$$ to our education system, much more $$$ imho.

Nope, need to devote more parenting time, and make teaching a desirable profession that attracts our best and brightest.

Originally Posted by dpastern

Teacher wages aren't great either imho. Teaching is a critical employment role imho, and competent teachers should be rewarded accordingly.

I dropped 50% in income to do it, walked out on an I.T. career. Why? because I get to build lives... sometimes

[dpastern (Dave Pastern)]

Originally Posted by el_draco

That's called teaching and your kids with thank you for it, one way or another... The syllabus is a starting point for education. I just live for the days when I find a kid who is mentally turned on... Sigh... rare, but its better than divi 1!

Sadly, such kids are generally badly bullied (and the teaching system does nothing to address said bullying). Speaking from personal experience here. Hell, I even had teachers bullying me...

[dpastern (Dave Pastern)]

Originally Posted by el_draco

Dumbed down curriculum produces dumbed down teachers... simple.



We need Scientists in schools teaching, far more than we need them in the field. Off my own bat, I have generated more Scientists who will do more than I could have ever done by myself. That's called long term investment.
In terms of getting time to plan, you have no idea. I got 24 hours to accept a year 11 Science class this year and 5 months later I am building lessons ONE day in advance, doing 4 hours research per class before I start writing ... Faaaarrrrk!



Nope, need to devote more parenting time, and make teaching a desirable profession that attracts our best and brightest.



I dropped 50% in income to do it, walked out on an I.T. career. Why? because I get to build lives... sometimes

Has the curriculum changed that much though over the years? I don't have children, but I await with interest my 4 year old niece entering school. I'm more interested in her education than her parents I suspect lol. At least, the quality of her education.

I don't necessarily think we need scientists in schools teaching students, but we do need to improve the quality of our teachers I suspect. $$$ investment is to both improve school facilities, and to also increase the number of teachers so that the teacher/student ratio is more conducive to effective education. I understand many teachers invest a serious amount of their personal, unpaid, time to lesson planning, and to be brutally honest, that's unacceptable.

I do agree that parents need to be more involved in their child's education, but sadly, many parents don't have the mental or physical energy to do so after a long hard day @ work...that's the sad, long, harsh truth of it imho.

I agree on promoting more parenting time, and making teaching worthwhile (for great teachers). Again, I strongly suspect that many parents lack the proper education to engage with their children in a meaningful way, even if they had sufficient time or motivation to do so.