The results of the dumbed-down generation

[huntr1]

What class was this? Curious because I'm a Towson alum (Class of '91).

TSU '94 here.

I had a Professor for a math class that on the first day said "I want to show you something. You do not need to take notes, it will not be on any exams." He spent 5 minutes on the subject and never mentioned it again. It was 25% of the final exam 4 months later. Over 75% of the class failed the exam. Over 50% of the class failed the class. I was one of them. I retook the class the following summer session and missed an A by like 5 points.


Had another professor for Microeconomics that was an idiot b!tch. Not only did she talk in widgets and wodgets, she would switch them in the same example. I read the book cover to cover atleast 3 times and failed the class. Nothing would stick in my head. Retook the class and had a Professor that would come to class wearing jeans and a Penn State sweatshirt. He explained stuff in terms that non economics majors could understand. Not a widget or wodget in sight. Instead of widgets and wodgets, he used beer and pizza. He explained opportunity cost as what you would have to pay me for my tickets to opening day at Camden Yards. Needles to say, he was denied tenure at the end of the semester.

 

[mrweb]

First off, I am a liberal arts major,new sentence this last semester I did more reading and writing than any of my friends who are English majors... I agree that the teachers i got the most from are the ones who didnt curve... I remember girls crying in Mr. Flood's class at Leonardtown, crying when they got their papers back, covered in red writing and a big 30% at the top... He would then give you plenty of opportunity to make it up, new sentence here as well most people chose to sit there and complain while trying to argue the grades, never worked. I agree having to teach to the test is a problem in the highschools and even moreso in middle school...just ugly

if its the teachers fault (they have been out for weeks, the got behind on the lesson, etc...) kids are failing then sure curve it, provided they didnt have the means of getting the information themselves in a reasonable manner (reading the assigned material...)... if its the kids fault, like as mentioned before what ever...

You are getting a bit better Spoiled. Go back and edit this post a bit and you are there.

 

[Spoiled]

The class was Professor Benkhe's (I think that right) Introduction to International Relations class, he is married to a professor in the political science department who is working with the Supreme Court on something. I really wish I could remember her name.

 

[sleuth]

If it is in the book it is valid for test.

Not if it isn't assigned reading.

 

[sleuth]

I just dont understand how people can get through college without understand credit, how to balance a checkbook or perform simple math to figure out if they can make it to get gas... I took Pre-calc as my gened math, was a lot more difficult than in highschool (may have had a lot to do with my half jordanian half palestinian teacher) but i got through... Most people take lower maths if its not for their major, but seriously... that is just -- i dont have a word for it other than wow... they must be very sheltered and parents must help them with everything.... Even jersey girls learn to pump gas in college...

My mother taught me to balance a checkbook when I opened my first checking account. Never had anything like that in any college or high school class. :shrug:

 

[Spoiled]

My mother taught me to balance a checkbook when I opened my first checking account. Never had anything like that in any college or high school class. :shrug:

I had it in highschool. It just amazes me that people can go through 4 years of college (which I will assume they are living on their own for 2 of those years) can't do that.

 

[vraiblonde]

My mother taught me to balance a checkbook when I opened my first checking account. Never had anything like that in any college or high school class.

My 6th grade teacher, Mr. Fischer, got the bank to print up some bogus checks and registers and spent two days teaching us to write checks and balance a checkbook, then he explained the banking system.

He also, at Christmas, taught us how to run a business by having us sell, manufacture and distribute Yule Logs. We figured price based on cost of materials and labor, just like you do in real life. Then we had a class party with our profits.

I probably learned more practical skills in his class than in the rest of my schooling combined. Of course, this was back when teachers could actually teach you something instead of having to stick with the syllabus.

 

[sleuth]

My 6th grade teacher, Mr. Fischer, got the bank to print up some bogus checks and registers and spent two days teaching us to write checks and balance a checkbook, then he explained the banking system.

He also, at Christmas, taught us how to run a business by having us sell, manufacture and distribute Yule Logs. We figured price based on cost of materials and labor, just like you do in real life. Then we had a class party with our profits.

I probably learned more practical skills in his class than in the rest of my schooling combined. Of course, this was back when teachers could actually teach you something instead of having to stick with the syllabus.

We had an applied econ class in high school where we sold stock in our own sweatshirt company for $2 a share, then designed, found a manufacturer for, and sold the sweatshirts in school. We used the capital from our stock sale to fund the manufacturing.

Then we split the proceeds according to the number of shares we bought. Very cool semester-long class project.

 

[Bustem' Down]

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/01/19/D8F7UO204.html



So we can thank the Teachers Unions for this. Had they been more concerned about actually educating students, rather than worrying about their days off and the kids' self-esteem, maybe we wouldn't have all these idiots taking up space in our colleges.

Because these are the leaders of tomorrow - these kids who have no concept of how things relate to one another and no idea how to interpret what they read. Can't wait.

Don't blame it on teachers unions, blame it on standardized tests. Those tests are garbage and only contain a fraction of what a student needs to learn, but schools are forced to teach it to prevent looking bad on paper.

 

[ylexot]

Don't blame it on teachers unions, blame it on standardized tests. Those tests are garbage and only contain a fraction of what a student needs to learn, but schools are forced to teach it to prevent looking bad on paper.

Ok, let's multiply what's covered on the standardized tests by a factor of four and watch the teachers scream.

 

[ylexot]

I'm not for grade inflation by any means.
But what about those teachers who give tests on material that was never covered, or give 25 problems knowing full well that even their best students will be lucky to get half of them done.

I knew of some professors that readily admitted to this. They knew you wouldn't finish.

If it hadn't been for those curves, I would have flunked many a tests, even though I may have had one of the top grades in the class.

I had a teacher in college that used to joke that his tests were limited in size by the capacity of his stapler

We joked that we were going to buy him an industrial stapler...after we graduated

BTW, I don't think anyone ever completed one of his tests.

 

[2ndAmendment]

Not if it isn't assigned reading.

Not true unless the professor specifically said, "You are only responsible for the assigned readings."

 

[2ndAmendment]

My mother taught me to balance a checkbook when I opened my first checking account. Never had anything like that in any college or high school class. :shrug:

I learned about checking accounts ans savings accounts in 8th grade math.

See how our education system is getting dumber and dumber? I learned in 8th grade; I am a bit older that some here. Some a bit younger than I learned in high school. Students today aren't learning about them at all. Sad.

 

[sleuth]

Not true unless the professor specifically said, "You are only responsible for the assigned readings."

Come on 2A... you and I both know that in college, especially say in an engineering curriculum, you are already working your tail off 10-16 hours a day (for me it was more like 16 at least 5-6 days a week), just to keep up with the assigned readings in 4-6 classes.

If we had to read every book, especially techical books, cover-to-cover, we'd flunk because we didn't get our homework done.

If the professor says... "Your assignment is to read pages 100-250", and he says we will be tested on that material, and then he tests you on material that was on page 273, then that's baloney.

I've never had a professor that instructed me to read certain portions of the book with the caveat that I am responsible for knowing all of the book. I've had professors that test that way, but none who have explicitly stated that they would.

Unfortunately, by the time you find out, you've already flunked the test.

Thankfully, 95% of my teachers were reasonable human beings, and only held us responsible for what was assigned. There were a few, however, that didn't, and those are the classes from which I withdrew after the first exam and retook it again the next semester under a different professor. I think I had to do that twice in 5 years.

 

[2ndAmendment]

Come on 2A... you and I both know that in college, especially say in an engineering curriculum, you are already working your tail off 10-16 hours a day (for me it was more like 16 at least 5-6 days a week), just to keep up with the assigned readings in 4-6 classes.

If we had to read every book, especially techical books, cover-to-cover, we'd flunk because we didn't get our homework done.

If the professor says... "Your assignment is to read pages 100-250", and he says we will be tested on that material, and then he tests you on material that was on page 273, then that's baloney.

I've never had a professor that instructed me to read certain portions of the book with the caveat that I am responsible for knowing all of the book. I've had professors that test that way, but none who have explicitly stated that they would.

Unfortunately, by the time you find out, you've already flunked the test.

Thankfully, 95% of my teachers were reasonable human beings, and only held us responsible for what was assigned. There were a few, however, that didn't, and those are the classes from which I withdrew after the first exam and retook it again the next semester under a different professor. I think I had to do that twice in 5 years.

Sounds like you needed to be able to read faster to me. The text was assigned for a reason.

 

[sleuth]

Sounds like you needed to be able to read faster to me. The text was assigned for a reason.

I read 80-90% of my assigned readings, and at least skimmed the remaining portions.
I admit that I am a slow reader when it comes to technical material. I would guess that most people read technical material more slowly than say... junk fiction.

And like I said... I have no problem with a professor testing me on assigned readings. If the professor says, "You're responsible for the whole book" up front, then I consider the whole book to be assigned, and I haven't a problem with being tested on that.

It's when he tests me on readings that weren't assigned, and never gave warning that I was responsible for the whole book, that it's time to throw down.