[www.dfw.com]

Jobs compared schools to businesses with principals serving as CEOs.

Darn it Steve, I always figured you might be smarter than to fall for that simplistic notion.

You don't have to hate teachers to hate the NEA.

Let's start a dialogue here.
What's wrong with our schools ?
Not enough money (which is what everyone keeps harping about) ?
Burned out teachers ?
Or a psychotically restrictive set of work rules and school boards controlled by the very unions that they somehow 'oppose' that have the effect of making teachers hew to the 'no child left behind but not child moved ahead either' concept.

Why is it that we celebrate teachers who go above and beyond the work rules and restrictions and actually elevate their students to a higher standard of learning ? And technically those 'guardians of education' the school boards and unions should be punishing those exceptional educators for breaking rules ?

Anyone ?

Many believe public schools have too much money. In fact, they'd prefer to divert some away, and (ironically) publicly provide it instead to private institutions where they can more personally control the education. Regardless if they are qualified. "What's best for my kid" takes precedence over what's best for society.

Many are in that nether-world like Jobs, who don't seem to oppose public schools per se but would prefer they be run like private institutions. Standardized tests are the hallmark here, because it absolves true education in lieu of qualitative "results" that have importance on paper.

I suppose the idea is to weed out what appears to be under-performance in the hope that the replacement does better, like throwing darts at a target.

"Education is bad/doesn't work well" but strangely, it's never because supplies are lacking, kids are undisciplined/malnourished/abused at home, teachers underpaid relative to professional experience in other fields etc.etc. No, it's simple: too many unqualified teachers, and well protected by the NEA. See how nice and tidy that is --- no thought, analysis or extra money needed!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/2007 02:37PM by deckeda.

Quote
MGS_forgot_password
You don't have to hate teachers to hate the NEA.

just like those who say "i support the troops but dont support the war..."


(just kidding.. that was too easy)

Jobs: "What kind of person could you get to run a small business if you told them that when they came in they couldn't get rid of people that they thought weren't any good?"

Why does he think this kind of business model thinking should only apply to the relationship of principals to teachers (incidently, principals are more like middle management than CEOs)? Why shouldn't it apply to the workers whose production ultimately counts the most - the students? (As a teacher I can guarantee you scores would go up if I could fire nonproductive students.) I suppose you could try to argue that students are consumers - except they would be an odd type of consumer who are forced to "consume" the services even if they don't want them and even if their parents don't particularly care that they do well in their consumption of those services. It is nothing remotely like a typical business/consumer type relationship. The whole "apply business models" to schools just isn't appropriate in anything but a peripheral way because schools aren't much like typical businesses.

Are there some problems with a few teachers that are too difficult to get rid of because of strong teachers' unions? Probably. Is that even in the top five reasons why some schools are not doing well? Probably not (I suspect it's not even in the top ten reasons). The number one determining factor (other than innate mental ability) in student success or failure is parental expectations - a factor upon which teachers and the schools have little or no influence.

Steve is a big reason Apple Computers are so good, but his opinion on education isn't any more insightful than anybody elses' that doesn't have a great deal of intimate knowledge of the details of education.

Sometimes the blueberry crop's just so awful, there's little to be done no matter how the harvesters do their job. If you've got a significant chunk of change, you can go looking for better blueberries and maybe you'll find enough really good ones to make you and your company a swell product and a nice profit to boot. But what happens when you're told, "Nope, can't go looking for any better blueberries?" "You've gotta use the blueberries you've got; you know, the one's we grew for you." "We're sorry you don't think the blueberries are ready for market, or that you think they're not of the quality you'd prefer to have, but you've gotta produce w/ these blueberries."

"And if you can't come up w/ a fantastic product using these blueberries, maybe you're in the wrong business. Maybe you should find another line of work."

There'd be no System X or Vista if the raw materials were the same now as they were when Steve and Bill were playing in the garage all those years ago. They'd never get anything of lasting value on the market if they were told they had to use raw materials that didn't meet their minimum requirements.

There's no easy solution, and Steve Jobs and the Dell guy should know that. It starts w/ how you see kids and schools. If it's a business the above applies. If it's something else, then CEOs need to understand that.

[www.storm-lake.k12.ia.us]

If you don't have time for your kids, why did you have them?

Quote
iMe
If you don't have time for your kids, why did you have them?

For the orgasm.
That's the problem.

Quote
Pops

Quote
iMe
If you don't have time for your kids, why did you have them?

For the orgasm.
That's the problem.

This from a man who made a living off orgasmic aftermaths.

---

"Who's more foolish - the fool or the fool that follows him?" - Obi Wan Kenobi

Yee Haw, go get 'em
my next computer will have to be a Mac.

[www.nysun.com]

Quote
Macaficionado
Yee Haw, go get 'em
my next computer will have to be a Mac.

[www.nysun.com]

Hopefully that extra USB port wont be too large for your full enjoyment.

---

"Who's more foolish - the fool or the fool that follows him?" - Obi Wan Kenobi



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/2007 05:58AM by RgrF.

I love the new apple/pc ads where the older guy and the young kid have
discussions...they are wonderfully funny and smart.

[www.apple.com]

[www.apple.com]

[www.apple.com]

[www.apple.com]

Whoa! I didn't see that coming from Steve. And Michael Dell followed him with a wimpy
kiss-up jobs to the unions....desperately trying for the sales Steve expects to lose for
speaking truth.