[geeks] New Tech Schools: Digital Harbor in Baltimore

[wa2egp at att.net]

> Public school education these days:
> 
> 1.  A form of mental cruelty to children (child abuse).
> 2.  A way to force people to conform (the stupider the lesson plan the 
> better, actually).
> 3. A way to force people to accept, even expect, drudgery in their 
> future jobs.

#1 in some cases, #2 are you sure you're talking about students?  I get
that a lot in faculty meetings and workshops.  #3 has always been that way.

> > Contrast that with the typing and 'office automation' courses I took in
> > high school as 'just in case' courses.  We used IBM Selectrics and
> > 10-key adding machines but what we learned was 'how to' manage the
> > paperwork that runs a business.

Something that is deperatedly needed.

> I was talking to a pastor, asking him which Bible translations he 
> recommends in addition to the KJV.  He made the point that in the 1950s 
> the average vocabulary was 10,000 words for high school graduates.  Now 
> it is 4,000 words.  KJV requires a vocabulary of (I think) about 6,000 
> words, RSV requires 4,000, ESV (based on RSV / KJV blended) requires 
> 8th grade vocabulary which I think is about 2,000 words.

That much?

> Bottom line:  the rest of you are all a lot dumber than me 
> ^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H a lot dumber than previous generations.

A friend of mine used to say that we should wait to go to graduate
school.  We'll be so much smarter than what will be coming out of
college. :)

Bob