A better school plan.

[Fleamo]

I came into this thread to see ideas of paying teachers more,

If this came with requiring higher standards for teachers, I would agree. 

getting rid of No Child Left Behind,

What's wrong with it?  I haven't really researched much about it.

Re: ToB's impending RonPaulIsMyGod post about Federal Government in schools: K.  You don't have to like it.  They can opt out if they want to.

having the states fund public schools,

This is something I think we should push hard.  The idea of school boards and local taxes covering public schools leads to wide variety in quality of education, and forces poorer areas to have poorer education, perpetuating deep problems in a vicious cycle. 

deemphasizing standardized tests, and funding trade schools and other alternative options for education

These I could care less about.  What would they do?

Also, I think we should get rid of the idea of tenure, or at least make it easier to fire teachers.  It was designed to allow teachers to teach "the truth" and not have to worry about getting fired for their teaching styles, but instead it just allows teachers to teach "badly" and still keep teaching. 

[Witless]

But I've been told (and can easily believe) that the American English language is harder to learn than most other languages because it's such a blocky jumble of words.

I find it one of the easiest actually. The rules of grammar and building up a sentece in English are more coherent than most and have a more universal use of thones, thus easy to pick up as it only contains a few ground rules, only a few exceptions to those ground rules and the easiness of actually speaking the words.

French, Chinese or Dutch for that matter, are far more difficult as they use a more complex set of thones, and have like, a hundred different excepctions when it comes to grammar.

[llwoops]

Witless your English is great, probably better then mine in some cases, and I am only trying to help you out when I say this. I think you mean tones not thones. You could also use the word intonations, either word works though.

[Witless]

Witless your English is great, probably better then mine in some cases, and I am only trying to help you out when I say this. I think you mean tones not thones. You could also use the word intonations, either word works though.

Intonation was the word. And yeah, I meant tones.

It's late. My bad.

[TwilightMidna06]

And what's with the zero tolerance for violence, anyway? Everyone has the right to Self Defence. 
Your thoughts?

Wait, what the hell?

Your thoughts?

Schools have never allowed violence, atleast, not that I know of.What makes you think they would make it acceptiable now?Yes, its understandable if your just trying to defend yourself but don't ever look for a fight to start.And besides, with all the gangs and shootings recently, schools have been taking it very seriously.

[The Tao Of Bill]

getting rid of No Child Left Behind,

What's wrong with it?  I haven't really researched much about it.

Quite a few things. It focuses solely on standardized tests which give a very narrow curriculum of study. And since schools are rewarded for students scoring better on these tests teachers are encouraged to teach only as far as what will be tested instead of helping students learn how to apply what they've learned to real world situations. As a basic example say a math teacher wants to teach addition to the class. If the teacher knows the standardized test only has simple equations the teacher might not bother to spend time on story problems.

It basically gives the government full control over the students' curriculum. Something that the 10th amendment says is unconstitutional. Washington cannot possibly know how to fix the school systems in states that could be thousands of miles away. Parents and local school boards should have control over what their kids learn. Not the government.

[Ordona]

Yes, I agree that English class should either not exist or be optional for 7th graders and up.  By then most people know whether they want to learn the rules of every single adverb and adjective and so forth or whether they would just like to write their own way when they please.

On the subject of homework, there should be at most twenty minutes every night. I say that the more people pay attention in class, the less homework they should have. The clearer they make it that they understand, the less homework is needed,

Tests are ways of assessing what people know, but everybody gets stressed out about them at one point, and it gets rather tiring. If tests are assessments, they really should not be counted as grades.

[Sheldon Cooper PhD]

Tohughts:

English Classes- They gotta continue. Today's youth generally sucks at properly speaking and/or writing correctlly. Im no grammar nazi here but it annoys the shit out of me and I know that I am guilty of it too. Its an essential class that you need to have to make it in life.

Hats- Deal with it kid. Ive had to for years. It annoys me but most of the time I listen out of respect for the  other people.

[Negoogunogumbar]

Yes, I agree that English class should either not exist or be optional for 7th graders and up.  By then most people know whether they want to learn the rules of every single adverb and adjective and so forth or whether they would just like to write their own way when they please.

You can't have people deciding whether or not they want to learn the English language, especially if they're only in Middle School. And you certainly can't have people write however they please. It is hard enough understanding people these days with they're atrocious grammar, we don't need half the populous writing with no rules or structure what-so-ever.

On the subject of homework, there should be at most twenty minutes every night. I say that the more people pay attention in class, the less homework they should have. The clearer they make it that they understand, the less homework is needed.

Homework is a way to practice what you've learned in class. Paying attention is not enough, you also have to learn how to apply your knowledge and there simply isn't enough time in class to do that.

Tests are ways of assessing what people know, but everybody gets stressed out about them at one point, and it gets rather tiring. If tests are assessments, they really should not be counted as grades.

Grades should be an indicator of how well you did in a class. If you fail your tests, then you don't understand the material and you don't deserve a good grade in the class.

 

[Horivontez]

English is useless. I can see if you wanted to start writing books or something though. But seriously. Theres no point in it, I'm sure most of us are smart enough to do enough with English the first 7 or so years of their life. In 7th and 8th grade all I did was diagram stupid sentences. 9th and this year: Read and write book reports. Tell me how those are going to help my future.

[Fleamo]

Read and write book reports. Tell me how those are going to help my future.

By improving your writing skills, which all occupations need at least occasionally, and so you know a certain standard of classical literature, to be an educated person who shares a common point of reference with the rest of your culture.  So you know why "to be or not to be" is such a popular phrase, or the importance and meaning of the Diary of Anne Frank or why it's titled "Catcher in the Rye" when it's about an angsty and hypocritical teenager going through his life and school[or lack thereof].

Or as my old AP English teacher would say: "To be considered an educated human being."

[Maladroit Thief]

First of all, do you think we should do away with English by the time students hit High School? I mean, for christ's sake, I learned how to read and write near perfectly by fourth grade. It's a basic human skill, what's the point in still having it in High School? It's simple to read and write. Sheesh. 
I say have it in Elementary, and the first year of Middle School, then end it, God. 

Sorry for ranting. Had to get that off my chest. 

And what's with the zero tolerance for violence, anyway? Everyone has the right to Self Defence. 

And, no hats during Assemblies?! Ugh.

Also, why do they give us 2 hours of HW a night? I say give us 30 mins at MOST, and a test like, once a month or so instead of every week, students are already bored enough with listening to teachers yapping.

Your thoughts?

For the English bit, the language English is easy to pick up Ganny.  It's the grammar, punctuation, rules, and exceptions that need to be studied.  This is mainly to keep the children of America intelligent.  If we were to lower the bar then our youth would begin to become less intelligent in that field.

Self-Defense is semi-arguable.  Mainly because where do you draw the line?  If total self-defense is allowed then shooting a bully could be technically self-defense.  I personally wouldn't like being shot.  It's better off by ruling out all retaliation than making it a court case on whether or not it's self-defense.

The no hats rule is out of respect.  It's common courtesy or manners.  Also, lice can be a problem with hats if someone where to grab the wrong hat and put on an infested one. 

The Homework is what you make of it.  If you don't focus on it, homework is bound to take several hours.  If you're intent on it being completed then it should take maybe 30 minutes.  Plus, what do you intend to do when you get a career Ganny?  Complain to your boss that his hours are too long and you might have to do work at home?

[LunarMaira]

"First of all, do you think we should do away with English by the time students hit High School? I mean, for christ's sake, I learned how to read and write near perfectly by fourth grade. It's a basic human skill, what's the point in still having it in High School? It's simple to read and write. Sheesh.
I say have it in Elementary, and the first year of Middle School, then end it, God."

(Isn't "near" supposed to be an adverb, not an adjective?)
I think it should be eliminated from the students who can make a 90 and up easy on the SAT, carry a strong A in English, etc. upon entering middle school, and let them have the extra period as study hall or something of the sort, then have the kids who can't do English. It would certainly be a good rewards system, and it would encourage those who simply aren't trying to start trying, you know? Of course, the ones who don't have the classes could have semester quizzes, so they don't end up getting rusty and losing their skills. If they don't make a B or above on the test, then back to class for them, hm? I say leave us Grammar Nazis in peace and just take care of those who need it.

"And what's with the zero tolerance for violence, anyway? Everyone has the right to Self Defence."

(Are you in the UK? Is that how people spell "defense" in UK?)
That rule has, well, frankly, pissed me off more than once. I've been attacked before, and I ended up getting in trouble, even though I didn't even fight back. With all the cameras they have in school, why shouldn't we be allowed to at least fight back? If we run away, not only will our reputation be absolutely shattered, but the attacker will not be punished!

"And, no hats during Assemblies?! Ugh."

We can't wear hats at all...And I guess it's for etiquette and to eliminate smuggling by use of hats. But if they want to go that far, they might as well eliminate bras, too, I mean, sheesh.

"Also, why do they give us 2 hours of HW a night? I say give us 30 mins at MOST, and a test like, once a month or so instead of every week, students are already bored enough with listening to teachers yapping."

(*week; students are
I could go on. I'm sorry, but it really bugs me. *twitch*)
If you bomb a single test with tests only one month, you've pretty much bombed the semester. I think tests are a chance to alter your grade, and I look upon them well. Sure, they're pressuring, but I believe that they're a good invention. >_>
And as for homework, we don't get that much. We only get thirty minutes...but I guess it depends on the person. Two hours for you might be half an hour or four hours for someone else.

(BTW, I tried not to correct everything. I really am sorry, but it's an odd sensation to let those mistakes go unaltered. xD Now, if I wasn't feeling so lazy...)

[VideoGameGoddess]

I actually think English should stay through out High School. In our school system you hardly learn grammar until High School. English also tends to cover important liturature, which I think is a good thing to force students to read. It really bothers me to hear people, out of laziness, complain about having to read things like All Quiet on the Wester Front. It's not like they're making you read War and Peace, the school is just trying to give you insight into a different time in human culture, trying to get you to see how the world was. Books are also important to help kids discover that other people have other opinions, other views. Unfortunatley, most of the people who could best benefit from English class merely look up a novel on SparkNotes and learn nothing.

As for tests, it's hard to say. Different schools run on different schedules. My school, for example, is on block scheduling where we have 4 classes a day for a semester and then move on to 4 other classes for the next semester. In this case, material is covered very quickly and so tests and quizes have to be given frequently to make up for the lack of days in the class' curriculum. Sometimes it seems excessive, but sometimes it's necessary.

I'm against violence, but self-defense is something that should be allowed within reason. If self defense means you had to punch the guys face so you could get away, so be it. However, people acting in self-defense can get carried away which is also a problem. It's a fine balance.

Hats should be allowed. I think that's more of an old-time rule then anything. I could effectively hide something in my purse, shoe, pocket, or hat...and purses, shoes, and pants with pockets are allowed, so why not hats?

Homework is often excessive. I think homework should be more of an optional thing. If you need to practice the material covered in class, then do the homework. If you want to fail the class and drop out of school, then don't. If you understand the material covered in the class that day, don't do it. If only people were just more responsible...

[BeyondDreamer]

First of all, do you think we should do away with English by the time students hit High School? I mean, for christ's sake, I learned how to read and write near perfectly by fourth grade. It's a basic human skill, what's the point in still having it in High School? It's simple to read and write. Sheesh. 
I say have it in Elementary, and the first year of Middle School, then end it, God. 

Sorry for ranting. Had to get that off my chest. 

And what's with the zero tolerance for violence, anyway? Everyone has the right to Self Defence. 

And, no hats during Assemblies?! Ugh.

Also, why do they give us 2 hours of HW a night? I say give us 30 mins at MOST, and a test like, once a month or so instead of every week, students are already bored enough with listening to teachers yapping.

Your thoughts?

Hmm...Well, English is a life long term, and even though some peopel learn it very quickly, there is a lot of imformation to cover in that one subject. You have to cover Grammer and reading, and you need to be able to write in clear, crisp sentences. It takes a lot, and even though each year, you're repeteing the same imformation, it will help in the long run.

As for the "No hats", my school has a no hats policy. so no hats at ALL. I like hats, and it's unfair, but so many students have abused it, so they had to makke a rule. One person can spoil it for others.

AND, violence it NEVER a good thing. Sure, if someone is hurting you so badly that you need to defend your self, then do so, but not so delibraty. Chances are, the some teacher will catch them. (They're ever where no a-days. >_>)

I DO agree about the homework. But it helps us practice, and practice makes perfict, so they say. **Shugs**
Sometimes they do have lots of tests, but we have to do what we have to do. **Sigh**

Sorry for sucky spelling. (See? I am in an advance english class, and I can't spell that well. We NEED English!)

Don't double-post.  Please use the edit button.
-NH