Teaching

Sometimes teaching can be richly rewarding, then there are days like today. Kids today seem to have no direction and are not willing to work to reach their goals. I say that, but then I have some really good debate kids that really try. Wish I could have kids like that all day.

@Edamame said:

@db8coach said:

Kids today seem to have no direction and are not willing to work to reach their goals.

Why do you think that is?

I think they don't realize the consequences of their actions just yet. They think that there's always more time.

@Edamame said:

@Mekboy said:

Kids today seem to have no direction and are not willing to work to reach their goals.

Why do you think that is?

I think they don't realize the consequences of their actions just yet. They think that there's always more time.

Interesting. It may be the case that some may not realize how short life can be. Also, there are a lot of distractions these days. Education probably doesn't seem to be as popular as these distractions.

I get the feeling that the previous generation (Baby Boomer or whatever) somewhat spoiled our generation. I think our competition with the former Soviet Union gave us the drive to work hard and compete. Now, our country is a hyperpower. So, we may no longer feel the need to compete as intensely.

Interesting. Hopefully our country will realize that China, India, and other countries are kicking our butt currently in the education department and that we need to always compete intensely.

@Edamame said:

@_Black said:

Interesting. Hopefully our country will realize that China, India, and other countries are kicking our butt currently in the education department and that we need to always compete intensely.

That is true! South Korea, Singapore and Finland are also known to have the highest educational standards in the world as well.

If people are complaining about India's or China's rise to power, then they should realize that all of those jobs that are being "shipped" there are what assists a nation's rise to power. America is China's biggest consumer, and China's goal is to become an economic superpower. If you purchase a product or anything that says "Made In China", then you are helping China. lol So, America is essentially assisting China's rise to power. Blame those greedy people/corporations for taking jobs away from Americans and giving them to the Chinese, Indians, etc. Outsourcing is destroying many areas of this country. I was once in a Midwestern town that used to have a lot of factory jobs and the like, but they were all shut down and moved elsewhere. Now, that town has about 20% unemployment, quite a bit of crime and drug dealing. What a nice replacement for a factory jobs, huh?

There is a strong presence of anti-intellectualism these days. I wonder if hedonism and materialism are to blame for this. I have been called arrogant and weird for my mannerisms and simply speaking the way in which I speak. I wasn't trying to put anyone down. I am a respectful person, for the most part. I don't like bothering people.

You are often considered to be a "loser" or "unpopular" if you sound "intelligent" or "well-educated". I won't even mention how you can't be considered a "loser" these days because those things are so insipid, in my opinion.

People say that we Americans have won the Cold War, but have we really? Sure, we managed to outspend the Soviet Union militarily and cause the Soviet Union to collapse, but there are plenty of other ways in which a nation can win or lose a war. How about education or economics or living standards/lifestyle? Russia doesn't seem to have the problems that America has, while America doesn't seem to have the problems that Russia has. So, I guess there is always a plus and a minus. I also find it disturbing how America spends so much money on prisons and how so many of our fellow citizens end up in jail.

That isn't to say that China and India are much better off. Both countries have a lot of issues.

Sorry for the long post. lol

Edamame for president! Lol but I really agree with all of your points. I can't tell you how many times I've been called "brainiac" or "teacher's pet" just for getting good grades. There is positive and negative pressure to develop academically. Sometimes the negative succeeds, and it seems it wins more often than not nowadays. America has pretty much always been heavily involved in the interdependent global dynamic. However, now we have helped many other countries develop and thus created our own rivals. What's a guy to do?

I'm on the other end. I'm one of those 'good students' who tends to sit there, get his work done, and not make it harder on the teacher. I can confidently say this: A great deal of high-schoolers are selfish, rude, and unnecessarily loud idiots. They don't give a rat's a** about their own success and instead want to socialize all day long, eat, and screw off. Anything involving hard work is almost immediately a plague to be booed and met with disdain and disgust. This is by no means characteristic of all, but it is a bit annoying how many are like this.

And before you ask, yes, I am a bitter person.