School Reform: Thoughts?

I mean, obviously you’re going to learn the most while you're actually on the job—that’s just how it works after finishing undergrad or a PhD—but I think there’s a pretty significant gap in technical trades between someone with one year of experience versus three years of training under their belt. After three years, you're looking at someone who is actually capable of getting things done without having to constantly look over someone's shoulder or running into avoidable headaches.

I don't really feel like getting into my own anecdotes or quoting those master carpenters who apparently skipped trade school entirely, but if anyone were to ask me which I’d prefer: would I rather hire someone charging me an arm and a leg, someone I’m stuck waiting for all day like they're the second coming, only to have them show up and have zero, one, or three years of actual schooling? My answer would be pretty clear, and I wouldn't hesitate for a second.
If someone with absolutely no formal training turns out to be great, well, good for them, I suppose, but I certainly wouldn't be willing to test that theory using my own bank account.😁

🤣What can I even say about this?

Robert Rodriguez9 said:🤣What can I even say about this?

🤣 Honestly, what can you even say?
It’s like someone absolutely had to make a profit off those tablets, right? 🤔

Seinfeld....

I guess they're running reruns on CBS these days just so anyone who didn't grow up watching Dunphy can finally catch up and get informed. 🍿

A little bit of basic culture, please. I just hope this doesn't turn into some documentary titled Only in America...

Susan James said:🤣 Honestly, what can you even say?
It’s like someone absolutely had to make a profit off those tablets, right? 🤔

Seinfeld....

I guess they're running reruns on CBS these days just so anyone who didn't grow up watching Dunphy can finally catch up and get informed. 🍿

Paranoia is quite the fascinating ailment—it doesn't cause any physical pain, yet suddenly everything becomes crystal clear.

Was there an actual public bidding process for the supplier, or was the vendor perhaps handpicked during some clandestine meeting over charred burgers? Has anyone—anyone at all—written, said, or even considered that this contract favored Joe instead of Bernard?

It is indescribably irritating, this hairdresser-style rhetoric from above oh, you know just spitting on everything and everyone and labeling absolutely everybody a thief—except, I suppose, for oneself.

Do you honestly believe that someone just happened to have 8,000 unsellable tablets sitting in their garage and then called up and said, hey, Blaze, hey, listen, let me unload this junk on you, hey, if you catch my drift, wink wink?

Nicholas King said:Paranoia is quite the fascinating ailment—it doesn't cause any physical pain, yet suddenly everything becomes crystal clear.

Was there an actual public bidding process for the supplier, or was the vendor perhaps handpicked during some clandestine meeting over charred burgers? Has anyone—anyone at all—written, said, or even considered that this contract favored Joe instead of Bernard?

It is indescribably irritating, this hairdresser-style rhetoric from above oh, you know just spitting on everything and everyone and labeling absolutely everybody a thief—except, I suppose, for oneself.

Do you honestly believe that someone just happened to have 8,000 unsellable tablets sitting in their garage and then called up and said, hey, Blaze, hey, listen, let me unload this junk on you, hey, if you catch my drift, wink wink?

If those steaks were carbonized, it’s no wonder the tablets turned out like this.

What a disaster, what a solution.

I mean, that seems like a pretty flawed conclusion. There was a public bidding process in place! They pick the best vendor through a system that's supposed to be totally transparent and fair.

Is this some kind of joke?
Transparency and integrity where massive amounts of cash are moving and there’s plenty of room to cook the books? This is America, not some third-world country.

A colleague from the other PDF mentioned:
The QR code carries text, a URL, and a download link.
One could simply type out the link itself; why on earth would they even need a camera for that?

So, there you have it—this issue can be tackled through various methods. It really just requires one to flip the switch and engage their brain.

analogseal18 said:A colleague from the other PDF mentioned:
The QR code carries text, a URL, and a download link.
One could simply type out the link itself; why on earth would they even need a camera for that?

So, there you have it—this issue can be tackled through various methods. It really just requires one to flip the switch and engage their brain.

Exactly. I mean, I just skimmed the subheader and immediately thought: man, we really do need more computer science classes in our schools if people genuinely believe you can't download textbooks without a smartphone camera. That's what leads to these totally sensationalist, clickbait articles. 😵

It feels like the Secretary of Education has really stepped on some toes lately. Between the constant sabotage attempts and the over-the-top headlines, it's pretty obvious there’s massive pushback within the system against any kind of meaningful change.

Look, this isn't actually about some Cabinet Secretary or blistered feet—it’s about this pervasive, almost desperate need some people have to just lash out at everything and everyone. It always starts with those constant, baseless insinuations that we all just somehow —you know—about criminal activity.

I already made my point in that other PDF document: if cameras were simply listed as a standard spec for these tablets, I guarantee you the outrage would begin immediately. People would start screaming about corruption or the wasteful squandering of taxpayer dollars on nonsense, all while shouting, "I didn't send my kid to school just so they could be on Skype and filming everything! What on earth are they supposed to be recording?!!11!!!"

The tablets were paid for $333 gross per unit by the same company that placed the order in China
and they don't even have cameras 🙏

The government could have easily handled this through the Department of Education. Just reach out to a few suppliers in China and get a quote for 10,000 tablets—with cameras included this time

Good grief, if they had just gone on Alibaba, they probably could have picked them up for at least half the price (shipping costs 😁 included)

Sure, you can make it work without a camera and just use QR codes, but why does everything always have to be done the hard way?

By the way, has any professor here actually laid eyes on one of these tablets? I'm wondering if they come with proprietary software that limits internet access and allows for remote admin control... or if they're totally wide open, letting students install whatever they want and do whatever they feel like

I wonder what kind of lucrative gig Stephanie could land after leaving her post at the Department of State. Though, I suppose—and I might be wrong here—it’s hard to say if such a transition would even be legal under current federal regulations.

Also, just a heads-up: when you look at those Alibaba prices, you really have to factor in the customs duties and state taxes. Plus, if he actually went through with it, I imagine those computers would end up being used by his little band of forty henchmen.

It seems some people here haven't had much direct experience dealing with the chaos of federal government bidding processes.

Such blissful ignorance...

CNN - Channel 3 11/25/2018 10:55 PM
Dreams of Tomorrow: School of the Future, a documentary series

We all want our kids to go to the best schools out there—places that actually spark their curiosity, make them want to learn, pack in the tech skills, and sharpen their brains so they aren't totally lost when they hit the real world. The world isn't standing still, and we seriously need to rethink how our entire education system works. Get this: about 65% of kids in preschool today are going to end up in jobs that haven't even been invented yet. So, what does school look like in 2050? How is the digital revolution going to flip the script on learning? What’s left for teachers to do? And will students eventually just run the show themselves? In this episode, we're diving into how the digital age is reshaping classrooms, how collaborative learning works, the shift away from physical textbooks, and how school buildings are being redesigned to fit the way people actually learn now...

Larry Walker24 said:CNN - Channel 3 11/25/2018 10:55 PM
Dreams of Tomorrow: School of the Future, a documentary series

We all want our kids to go to the best schools out there—places that actually spark their curiosity, make them want to learn, pack in the tech skills, and sharpen their brains so they aren't totally lost when they hit the real world. The world isn't standing still, and we seriously need to rethink how our entire education system works. Get this: about 65% of kids in preschool today are going to end up in jobs that haven't even been invented yet. So, what does school look like in 2050? How is the digital revolution going to flip the script on learning? What’s left for teachers to do? And will students eventually just run the show themselves? In this episode, we're diving into how the digital age is reshaping classrooms, how collaborative learning works, the shift away from physical textbooks, and how school buildings are being redesigned to fit the way people actually learn now...

What we’ll actually get is a bunch of semi-literate bots with zero motor skills but incredibly loud voices, ready to tell their creators and teachers exactly where to go. After all, this is the most advanced generation ever—perfectly programmed to feel like they don't need anyone or anything.
That school they're talking about doesn't exist even in Wonderland. But hey, it's fine if "our experts" want to ramble on about everything while saying absolutely nothing. And that part about "students taking control of the school"? I won't even dignify that with a comment.

SCHOOLS ARE FINALLY GETTING TOUGH ON DISCIPLINE If kids don't listen after a warning, they're getting sent to mandatory counseling. And if parents try to block that? They’ll be reported to Child Protective Services.

Larry Walker24 said:SCHOOLS ARE FINALLY GETTING TOUGH ON DISCIPLINE If kids don't listen after a warning, they're getting sent to mandatory counseling. And if parents try to block that? They’ll be reported to Child Protective Services.

Just another bureaucratic essay written the American way—full of holes and arbitrary interpretations.
Literally—just shouting into the void.

For starters, look at this: "...when it comes to professional treatment, 'other specialists' will be involved, meaning the school is obligated—according to the draft—to cooperate with necessary external agencies."
Which "external agencies" are we talking about? Who is rushing out to some remote rural schools that don't even have a full-time psychologist or a counselor who isn't working part-time (meaning 2 or 3 days a week depending on their workload)? How long does it take for a principal's memo to actually reach these "external agencies"? Think of all the wasted, stamped, signed paperwork just piling up on someone's desk or sitting in an overflowing inbox.

Zoe? The Department of Education? Are they supposed to be the help?
Who are you people trying to fool with these empty drafts and regulations?

Go ahead, let's celebrate the next round of "measures" they've announced (it only took them three years to dig this one out of the dust)🍿

Zoe (edit - zero points, just like those failed American reforms)

Honestly, Zoe is just full of parasites who don't do a damn thing—I've seen it myself.