Reply to How to fix our crisis

Forum Index » College and University Discussion

Reply to "How to fix our crisis"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Stop teaching so many courses. We could consolidate many ap English and history courses to a series of Humanities courses- literally call them Humanities 1, 2, and 3. Make them rigorous general education courses on US and global history, English Literature, and potentially add in some philosophy/sociology in the later coursework. Increase and normalize the “fast track” where Algebra 1 is taken in 8th grade across the country; then, by senior year have students choose between a project-based stats course or calc.

Stop making students take every class under the sun for elite colleges and have them tested across these two courses: Humanities and Math to free up space for whatever electives they want. If you wanna take Humanities, Calc 3, Physics, Bio, and Chem with a language, do it. If you wanna take Humanities, Stats, Latin, Advanced European history, do it. No reason why we have to take so many classes across the spectrum that we don’t care about.[/quote]

Because not everyone is ready for Algebra I in 8th grade.

I watched this unfold with my oldest in HoCo (at a MS in the Top 25%).  Someone decided in 6th grade that everyone needed to be at least 1 grade level ahead in math.  So they eliminated the 6th grade math courses and put all those kids in 7th grade math.  Well, for my kid, it worked out.  They have a talent for math, but have learning issues (anxiety, reading issues and ADHD) so had never tested into advanced math.  After a D on first test (highest score in class), they went on to get an A that year and excel.  However, the first 6 weeks of math were HELL for many many students, who simply were not ready for skipping a year of math at the 6/7th grade level---there is a reason they were ON GRADE LEVEL.  It was a nightmare for on friends kid.  Parents and kid went thru hell trying to do the homework, study and the stress was not needed.  After 6 weeks, that parent along with others finally convinced the school to put some kids back into 6th grade math.  That friend's kid got a B+ in math that year.  And you know what, that kid went on to be a journalism major, and started working in sports journalism immediately upon graduation from a 4 year college and has continued to find great jobs to advance their career.  They are happy, just not a STEM oriented kid.   But that first 6-8 weeks of MS was an unnecessary hell and made the transition difficult (and killed the kids already fragile self esteem about math---they already felt they were not good at math---it's HoCo, everyone is advanced it seems.  ) 
[/quote]
Parents need to stop teaching their kids that being bad at math should personally affect them. Way too much societal clearance that being trash at math is normal and valid. People speak about being bad at math like they’re being tortured-no, you struggle with critical thinking and don’t like being challenged. So many people “like math when I get it”[/quote]

DP.  Are you (or your kid) "trash" at reading Shakespeare?  If so, I guess you don't like being challenged.  Right?[/quote]
Nope. My kid is thinking of double majoring in philosophy and math. Not everyone has to make excuses for their defeatist attitudes with being bad at things. You practice and you can get better at any subject.[/quote]

You didn't respond to the question about Shakespeare.  How many plays/sonnets/acts have you (or your kid) memorized?[/quote]
Memorized? None. I can recite the scene where Lady Macbeth pleads to be unsexed by memory, because it’s one of my favorite moments in literature. Plays I’ve read? Basically all of them, I went to a classical high school way back when conservatives didn’t dominate that scene. My kid has read quite a few for English class, and I haven’t heard any issues through them; he likes a midsummer night’s dream, so…like what else do you need me to say? I don’t see why you envision that people who can take math classes can’t like reading?[/quote]

There were posters - don't know if you were one of them - complaining about Shakespeare and insisting boys "don't like" literature, etc.  The point was simply that not every subject is essential to every student.  Not sure why some of you keep insisting otherwise.[/quote]
The evidence does clue into boys and later men not reading at all. This is a startling reality that is making the book industry appeal more to women, because men aren’t reading. Boys often like speculative fiction genres that are discounted in school. You see this divide all the time where guys are interested in Murikami, McCarthy, Pynchon, Foster-Wallace, and are made fun of for it.[/quote]

Who is "making fun" of them?  My boys read widely, to include the listed authors.  No one has ever made fun of them.  So strange.[/quote]
I mean I can open this can of worms for you, but you don’t sound interested and will only care about your boys experience. 
“Lit bro” was a term literally created on the internet to denounce these types of guys.
For example: [url] https://thestrand.ca/bro-do-you-even-lit/[/url]
Or
[url] https://gnocchiccodices.substack.com/p/consider-the-lit-bro[/url]. This is a real thing in English departments, and people will try to push these guys out when they simply like a different flavor of English.[/quote]

You seem to be describing a very tiny, very niche group of people.   :roll: [/quote]
You seem to only believe your own tune. It’s been well documented and you can read the New York Times article on the absence of men in literature.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics