GRRRRRRRRRR!!
07-15-2011, 08:54 PM
#71
Super Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 9,386
Originally Posted by FroggyinTexas
I have a Master's in government with majors also in English and history and a minor in economics. I often thought that I would never use some of the information I got in classes that in my infinite wisdom seemed irrelevant.
What I have learned in my 75 years is that no knowledge is ever wasted, that all of it is relevant to something in my life and that learning it keeps your mind fresh and active.
I often told my students to stop feeling angry and fustrated because indulging themselves in those feelings meant they were wasting their time and energy on that instead of on learning the material they needed to learn to get credit for the course they were taking.
Good to vent occasionally! Not good to nurture the anger and frustration. froggyintexas
What I have learned in my 75 years is that no knowledge is ever wasted, that all of it is relevant to something in my life and that learning it keeps your mind fresh and active.
I often told my students to stop feeling angry and fustrated because indulging themselves in those feelings meant they were wasting their time and energy on that instead of on learning the material they needed to learn to get credit for the course they were taking.
Good to vent occasionally! Not good to nurture the anger and frustration. froggyintexas
07-16-2011, 01:30 AM
#74
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: 53 degrees North
Posts: 1,679
I am going to disagree. I took lots of courses over the years that seemed irrelevant at the time, but as life happens, more and more of it IS useful (especially the chemistry, oddly enough)
I think EVERYONE needs to knwo the basics of science, and economics, and civics, and geography, and history.....
Education is not just about your job- it is about learning to think and reason.
I think EVERYONE needs to knwo the basics of science, and economics, and civics, and geography, and history.....
Education is not just about your job- it is about learning to think and reason.
07-16-2011, 05:36 AM
#76
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 697
Originally Posted by FroggyinTexas
We already have plenty of people with high school diplomas and college degrees who don't know doodley squat about anything but their field. They don't have a clue about how other people live, how economics and politics actually work, what it takes to write a book or even a short newspaper article, but they think they are qualified to vote and make decisions about other people's lives because they know about something in their field.
Come on folks! Quit griping because you or your kid might learn something new or be exposed to something you don't know anything about. froggyintexas
Come on folks! Quit griping because you or your kid might learn something new or be exposed to something you don't know anything about. froggyintexas
07-17-2011, 04:54 AM
#77
Power Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Ohio
Posts: 17,068
You just brought back a flood of memories! I also had to take some courses that I had a lot of trouble with and never had to use in my nursing career. But I don't regret any of them. They stretched my mind!!
The only thing that helped me was an excellent professor, actually more than one. I found the teachers made all the difference, at least to me. Also study groups- those were the best!
I know it's hard when you're in the thick of it but someday you'll realize you know a lot more things than you ever realized!! :D
Good luck :)
The only thing that helped me was an excellent professor, actually more than one. I found the teachers made all the difference, at least to me. Also study groups- those were the best!
I know it's hard when you're in the thick of it but someday you'll realize you know a lot more things than you ever realized!! :D
Good luck :)
07-17-2011, 05:29 AM
#78
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 601
Well said! I'm with you, froggyintexas, and the others who think that this is a necessary part of yours, and really everyone's, education.
Before becoming a SAHM, I was a chemistry professor, and I taught the pre-req that students needed to get into nursing school. Many students don't see the need for that type of class, but it is necessary to even truly understand what you read in the newspaper. A great example: global warming. Now, if you watch one news channel, you might think that global warming is a left-wing conspiracy concocted to bankrupt US businesses. If you watch another news channel, you see global warming as a scientific fact that threatens our very existence. Who do you believe? If you have a good basic scientific education, you read information from scientific (not news) sources, and you make up your own mind.
Another example: some people who have run for president and vice president of the US feel that intelligent design needs to be taught in schools. Some people say that ID is religion, others say that it's science. If you've had a good quality biology course, you can judge for yourself. If you haven't, you're left taking another's word for it. Having an opinion on ID can end up informing who you vote for for President. Will it help you be a vet tech? Well, actually, yes. Will it help you be a well-informed, voting citizen who can also raise thoughtful children, and contribute in a positive manner to the world around you, absolutely!
It's good to vent, but step back, and try to get some perspective. I, too, will be happy to answer a PM if you have any content-related questions.
Before becoming a SAHM, I was a chemistry professor, and I taught the pre-req that students needed to get into nursing school. Many students don't see the need for that type of class, but it is necessary to even truly understand what you read in the newspaper. A great example: global warming. Now, if you watch one news channel, you might think that global warming is a left-wing conspiracy concocted to bankrupt US businesses. If you watch another news channel, you see global warming as a scientific fact that threatens our very existence. Who do you believe? If you have a good basic scientific education, you read information from scientific (not news) sources, and you make up your own mind.
Another example: some people who have run for president and vice president of the US feel that intelligent design needs to be taught in schools. Some people say that ID is religion, others say that it's science. If you've had a good quality biology course, you can judge for yourself. If you haven't, you're left taking another's word for it. Having an opinion on ID can end up informing who you vote for for President. Will it help you be a vet tech? Well, actually, yes. Will it help you be a well-informed, voting citizen who can also raise thoughtful children, and contribute in a positive manner to the world around you, absolutely!
It's good to vent, but step back, and try to get some perspective. I, too, will be happy to answer a PM if you have any content-related questions.
Originally Posted by noveltyjunkie
I am going to disagree. I took lots of courses over the years that seemed irrelevant at the time, but as life happens, more and more of it IS useful (especially the chemistry, oddly enough)
I think EVERYONE needs to knwo the basics of science, and economics, and civics, and geography, and history.....
Education is not just about your job- it is about learning to think and reason.
I think EVERYONE needs to knwo the basics of science, and economics, and civics, and geography, and history.....
Education is not just about your job- it is about learning to think and reason.
07-17-2011, 05:44 AM
#79
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 601
One more thought. There have been a lot of complaints here about schools requiring classes of students just to pad their wallets. Both my husband and myself work in higher ed, so I like to think that I actually understand some of these issues very well. While colleges of course have to make money, they are not forcing education down your throats in order to get your cash.
Curriculum is a complex subject. All schools (at least any you should be giving your money to) are accredited. These accreditation bodies require schools to be very specific and rigorous in determining what you will be taught, when you will be taught it, who you will be taught by, and how you will be taught. Colleges also need to please other institutions. The requirements fo your degree programs need to also allow you entry into 4-year programs, graduate school, or professional programs. If my college wanted to remove my chemistry course as a pre-req, none of our students would be admitted to nursing school, because they require it for entry in order to take their classes. It's a complex topic. Can you imagine the scandal if there were a slew of deaths attributed to poorly-educated nurses, and it came out that their nursing school didn't even require them to be taught basic chemistry? The s#%t would really hit the fan then.
As for blaming the situation on greedy professors, I'm guessing many of you don't reallize what life as a professor is really like. First you slave for years as an adjunct, making too little money to live on. Then, if you're one of the lucky few, you finally get a full-time position which pays only a little bit more. You work 70+ hours each week, having to not only teach (usually more classes than your contract requires) as well as doing committee work, and you have to take papers home to grade at night and on weekends. Each semester you have a few students who make it worth it, but you also have those students who file an official complaint because they got an F in your course (never mind that they didn't even show up to three of the four exams) or who compain to the Dean because you didn't give them a third chance after they plagiarized not only their first paper, but also their second, make-up paper when you gave them a second chance.
My husband and I both love being educators, and wouldn't trade it for the world, but it really feels like a slap in the face when people say or insinuate that our own or our school's greed is what has us doing this work, or teaching our classes. We teach because we believe in helping others, because we believe that edification is always a good thing, and because we love the look on a student's face when they finally "get it."
Ok, off my soapbox now.
Curriculum is a complex subject. All schools (at least any you should be giving your money to) are accredited. These accreditation bodies require schools to be very specific and rigorous in determining what you will be taught, when you will be taught it, who you will be taught by, and how you will be taught. Colleges also need to please other institutions. The requirements fo your degree programs need to also allow you entry into 4-year programs, graduate school, or professional programs. If my college wanted to remove my chemistry course as a pre-req, none of our students would be admitted to nursing school, because they require it for entry in order to take their classes. It's a complex topic. Can you imagine the scandal if there were a slew of deaths attributed to poorly-educated nurses, and it came out that their nursing school didn't even require them to be taught basic chemistry? The s#%t would really hit the fan then.
As for blaming the situation on greedy professors, I'm guessing many of you don't reallize what life as a professor is really like. First you slave for years as an adjunct, making too little money to live on. Then, if you're one of the lucky few, you finally get a full-time position which pays only a little bit more. You work 70+ hours each week, having to not only teach (usually more classes than your contract requires) as well as doing committee work, and you have to take papers home to grade at night and on weekends. Each semester you have a few students who make it worth it, but you also have those students who file an official complaint because they got an F in your course (never mind that they didn't even show up to three of the four exams) or who compain to the Dean because you didn't give them a third chance after they plagiarized not only their first paper, but also their second, make-up paper when you gave them a second chance.
My husband and I both love being educators, and wouldn't trade it for the world, but it really feels like a slap in the face when people say or insinuate that our own or our school's greed is what has us doing this work, or teaching our classes. We teach because we believe in helping others, because we believe that edification is always a good thing, and because we love the look on a student's face when they finally "get it."
Ok, off my soapbox now.
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