Stardust Musings and Thoughts for the Freethinker: Now if school officials could just be as concerned with EDUCATION

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Now if school officials could just be as concerned with EDUCATION

10 comments:

Jewish Atheist said...: To be fair, there is some evidence that students do better academically when they have healthier food. Besides, as a PE teacher once said, "Nobody ever died from not knowing how to conjugate a verb."; 5/09/2006 2:54 PM
Stardust said...: My job is to grade the essay portions of standardized achievement tests (mainly science) and it is pathetic what these kids DON'T know. Also, if they give the correct regurgitated main words they are looking for, even though the context makes no sense at all, they receive points for having the right memorized answers.

I think health is important, and am glad to see soda pop removed from the premises of schools and replaced with more healthy choices, but I also think the "health" of our education system must be examined and changes made. Get back to the basic reading, writing, spelling, math and science. PE is just a waste of time today. The kids in our district do textbook studies of bowling, archery, football etc instead of spending that time actually in physical activity. PE should be a time to exercise and should be a pass for participation and do away with grading of PE.; 5/09/2006 3:37 PM
Stardust said...: I will never forget the time our son, who was in junior high at the time, failed the written bowling test and he had all As in everything else. He had to have it signed by us and my husband and I went up to school to find out WTF was going on that they were doing bookwork for bowling. What a waste of tax money! It is only one of the many, many things that convinced us to allow our three to independent study for high school.; 5/09/2006 6:54 PM
The Jolly Nihilist said...: I strongly oppose the soda pop ban. As far as I'm concerned, it infringes on the students' choices and violates their bodily sovereignty. If you want to give kids healthy choices, that's fine. But give them CHOICES. Either soda pop or skim milk - let them choose. Either a candy bar or an apple - let them choose.

Schools are responsible for teaching kids reading/writing/science/history, and keeping them safe in the most general sense. It's not to act as a substitute parent. That's why, when I was in high school, I was so annoyed when they banned the "smoking section" outside school, where kids congregated to smoke. As far as I was concerned, even as a non-smoker, it wasn't the school's business to protect kids from their own unhealthy choices.

The War on Obesity is actually A War on Personal Freedom and Bodily Sovereignty.; 5/09/2006 7:19 PM
Stardust said...: I strongly oppose the soda pop ban. As far as I'm concerned, it infringes on the students' choices and violates their bodily sovereignty. If you want to give kids healthy choices, that's fine. But give them CHOICES. Either soda pop or skim milk - let them choose. Either a candy bar or an apple - let them choose.

Frances - I can see your point on this for high school. They should be free to make those decisions for themselves by high school age.; 5/09/2006 7:31 PM
Stardust said...: That's why, when I was in high school, I was so annoyed when they banned the "smoking section" outside school, where kids congregated to smoke. As far as I was concerned, even as a non-smoker, it wasn't the school's business to protect kids from their own unhealthy choices.

I must be getting really old because I completely forgot about the outside smoking area for smoking students! Our school had a special area for smoking students, as well. I never smoked and still think it's nasty. But we had Pepsi and other soft drinks in school. We were also allowed off campus for lunch and could go to the Vienna Red Hots place for hot dogs and fries or hamburgers for lunch. Now kids are locked in schools like prisoners.; 5/09/2006 7:37 PM
Roya said...: How could they care about education? The more education these kids get, the more likely they would rethink what they are told every sundays. They don't want that do they?; 5/10/2006 5:18 AM
Frank said...: It's soda! Not pop! Freaking weirdos!; 5/10/2006 7:36 AM
Stardust said...: Franky - Here in Illinois it's pop. A soda is pop with ice cream in it. LOL! ;); 5/10/2006 9:27 AM
The Jolly Nihilist said...: Frances - I can see your point on this for high school. They should be free to make those decisions for themselves by high school age.

Definitely. I really hate the nutrition police. You know, the people who said Calista Flockhart needed to gain weight and who said Carnie Wilson had to lose weight. There is no such thing as a "correct weight." It's a personal choice, not to be infringed by government. Hell, if somebody wants to eat KFC 7 days/week, it's nobody's business but that portly fellow. It's all about bodily sovereignty.

A smoking area at school...hmmmm

We didn't have an official one, we created our own.

It was never "endorsed" or made official by my high school, but the administrators certainly were quick to ban it. Assholes. Leave the students alone already!; 5/10/2006 6:57 PM