Patrice Lewis says, "Kids, Get Off My Lawn"

[GolightlyGrrl]

Patrice Lewis, of the very self-satisfied blog Rural Revolution, claims today's kids are "unteachable" at WingNut Daily:

www.wnd.com/2014/02/have-children-become-unteachable/

[gustava]

According to the teacher quoted by Lewis, “I have spent hours explaining an essay’s grammatical, stylistic, and logical weaknesses,â€

Pretty shitty teacher.....

[dairyfreelife]

As someone who did observations in several elementary school classrooms I can say that all she says is bullshit.

“[M]any students cannot forgive the insult†of a low grade, Fiamengo notes. “Some students are prepared for a fight, writing emails of entreaty or threat, or besieging the instructor in his office to make clear that the grade is unacceptable.â€

Sorry, I hear this a lot, but just haven't seen it.

“in the wearying certainty that the student was unable, both intellectually and emotionally, to comprehend what I was saying or to act on my advice. … Most of them simply hope that I will come around. Their belief that nothing requires improvement except the grade is one of the biggest obstacles that teachers face in the modern university.

Many freshman are like this, but to call them unteachable is absurd. As the classes advance, they learn and they grow and they see the reasoning beyond the basics. College is there is to teach young adults to go beyond the test and think critically and I think it's doing a reasonable job if I may say so.

I am also having trouble finding a legitimate news source for the racist grammar accusation at UCLA. Not saying it did or didn't occur, just that all the sites are right wing, mostly opinion pieces, including the forum that shall be named here. Maybe I missed something.

With the exception of science (which was apparently not taught at the time), most high school graduates a century ago could whup the academic fannies of high school (and college) graduates today.

Bullshit.

much of the blame can be placed on monolithic government monopolies that have ousted traditional ideals of educational and behavioral expectations in favor of feel-good nonsense, self-esteem drivel and fuzzy math baloney that demands more and more funding for less and less academic results. Teachers who actually hold high expectations and demand academic excellence are marginalized because they “fail†too many kids or lower their students’ precious self-esteem. And let’s not forget that self-esteem is more important than actually doing something to earn it.

Major bullshit

This fantasy of academic achievement comes to a crashing halt once students graduate and face the cold, cruel world where “grades†are secondary to a work ethic, honest labor and fundamental skills. Employers are frustrated at applicants’ inability to communicate, either verbally or in writing. They are faced with new hirees who demand the proverbial corner office without having put in the effort to earn it.

So much bullshit it smells.

demanding such absurdities as collective wealth ownership and guaranteed “living wage†jobs without the necessity of working for them.

Demanding a living wage after getting a college degree, who knew that asking for a wage that lets you afford rent and food would be so absurd.

Meanwhile, folks, homeschool or use private schools. Don’t let your children become unteachable

I smell irony.

[GolightlyGrrl]

Dairyfreelife, ITA. This piece of Patrice's is complete bullshit. When she calls children unteachable she's just writing off a segment of young people who don't fit into her narrow scope of the right kind of student (complete drone, no creativity, ass kisser, etc). I dealt with people like her and it's positively soul-killing.

[Maggie Mae]

This fantasy of academic achievement comes to a crashing halt once students graduate and face the cold, cruel world where “grades†are secondary to a work ethic, honest labor and fundamental skills. Employers are frustrated at applicants’ inability to communicate, either verbally or in writing. They are faced with new hirees who demand the proverbial corner office without having put in the effort to earn it.

Or, in the world I live in, they are unable to find jobs because aging baby boomers (her generation, IIRC) didn't plan for retirement and are working into their 70s. Also, this generation of baby boomers was nice enough to create an economic crisis when they took a very strong economy in manufacturing and sent all of the manufacturing to overseas. Further more, and this is something that I'm dealing with now, is that young people communicate just fine. They communicate differently, and a lot more efficiently than the older generation. Everyone needs to adapt, but sticking your head in the sand and pretending that your way is the only way or best way solely based on age is stupid and ignorant. But what can you do? It's illegal to do anything to "older people" in the workforce because they managed to make "age" a protected class.

In short, young people may come to the ugly realization that their entire academic careers have been a farce of low expectations, false praise and padded grades – none of which carry any weight in the adult working world. Eager to lash out and assign blame, they respond by “occupying†various places and demanding such absurdities as collective wealth ownership and guaranteed “living wage†jobs without the necessity of working for them.

Oh, god forbid that people receive a living wage. There is a local on guy on our radio who was going on about how when he was 16, he worked a minimum wage job and saved money and sacrificed and lived in an apartment and it was just so hard but he did it and all on minimum wage. Never bothering to point that minimum wage has not risen with the cost of living.

It’s time to realize that today’s public education is NOT about academics. It’s not about knowledge. And it certainly is not about teaching young people to think for themselves. Instead, public education is about training children to become herd animals obedient to the state, lock-step with progressive government groupthink.

Actually, it's about money. Like everything else. It's about getting kids there for "counting" day, getting the most money from the state, and then using that money in administration instead of directly to programs that educate. It's about getting contracts for remodels, food, textbooks, and other supplies to people that administrators know. It's about 60% of education funds going to "administrators" or people who don't even work with the students. It's firing teachers (who make 50K) to "cut costs" while administrators make 300K.** That's why our schools are broken, Patrice. Not because the teachers aren't trying to educate, not because of the NEA. Because of Capitalism, and because people like you don't bother to educate yourselves before spouting off your party line.

**I am sure not all public schools in the US have the problems I alluded to. I don't know though, I only know my experience. I'd hazard a guess that many school districts have problems other than "low expectations"

I agree slightly on the "we have low expectations" but only for some colleges, including some state colleges, which have become nothing more than diploma mills. But again, my own experience and once again it's not all classes or departments.

[GolightlyGrrl]

Or, in the world I live in, they are unable to find jobs because aging baby boomers (her generation, IIRC) didn't plan for retirement and are working into their 70s. Also, this generation of baby boomers was nice enough to create an economic crisis when they took a very strong economy in manufacturing and sent all of the manufacturing to overseas. Further more, and this is something that I'm dealing with now, is that young people communicate just fine. They communicate differently, and a lot more efficiently than the older generation. Everyone needs to adapt, but sticking your head in the sand and pretending that your way is the only way or best way solely based on age is stupid and ignorant. But what can you do? It's illegal to do anything to "older people" in the workforce because they managed to make "age" a protected class.

Oh, god forbid that people receive a living wage. There is a local on guy on our radio who was going on about how when he was 16, he worked a minimum wage job and saved money and sacrificed and lived in an apartment and it was just so hard but he did it and all on minimum wage. Never bothering to point that minimum wage has not risen with the cost of living.

Actually, it's about money. Like everything else. It's about getting kids there for "counting" day, getting the most money from the state, and then using that money in administration instead of directly to programs that educate. It's about getting contracts for remodels, food, textbooks, and other supplies to people that administrators know. It's about 60% of education funds going to "administrators" or people who don't even work with the students. It's firing teachers (who make 50K) to "cut costs" while administrators make 300K.** That's why our schools are broken, Patrice. Not because the teachers aren't trying to educate, not because of the NEA. Because of Capitalism, and because people like you don't bother to educate yourselves before spouting off your party line.

**I am sure not all public schools in the US have the problems I alluded to. I don't know though, I only know my experience. I'd hazard a guess that many school districts have problems other than "low expectations"

I agree slightly on the "we have low expectations" but only for some colleges, including some state colleges, which have become nothing more than diploma mills. But again, my own experience and once again it's not all classes or departments.

Excellent points, Maggie Mae. You wrote what I am thinking. Patrice should be damn lucky she was slid into the generation she was slid into. College expenses weren't through the roof, Pell Grants were more plentiful, you could spend your college years contemplating your novel without the need for internships, extracurriculars and other resume-enhancing activities and pretty much be guaranteed a job. Also, minimum wage did go farther. And sadly, education is seen as a business, not just college, but often primary and secondary education. The problem isn't teachers and professors (well, not always) it's the management.