On Sat, 08 Apr 2006 02:04:37 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
wrote:

"JohnH" wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 07 Apr 2006 19:57:47 GMT, "Doug Kanter"

wrote:

"JohnH" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 07 Apr 2006 17:55:04 GMT, "Doug Kanter"

wrote:


"Shortwave Sportfishing" wrote in message
om...
On Fri, 07 Apr 2006 16:18:14 GMT, Gene Kearns
wrote:

On Fri, 07 Apr 2006 14:09:33 GMT, Shortwave Sportfishing
wrote:

http://www.break.com/movies/suffrage.html

I couldn't believe it.

I know that this is probably preaching to the choir... since I know
your wife is a teacher, but education is now defined as the ability to
pass a standardized test. It has nothing to do with ability to reason
or accrued knowledge.

A recent newspaper article found that, locally, of 350 applicants,
only 23 of 350 applicants with a high school diploma had adequate
skills in reading, writing, and math to begin entry level college
classes.... but having a high school diploma, we know they can pass
that test! Right?

I am feeling particularly mean today and really don't want to get
started on that one. :)

Last night, my son said his physics teacher mentioned that the speed of
light had been measured using mirrors on mountaintops, or some such
thing.
I
vaguely recalled reading the details many years ago, so I asked him
about
the method. He said he and 2 other kids asked the teacher the same
question.
The teacher said it wasn't important at the moment.

Bitch slap time.

Did you bother to call the teacher to find out why? Sounds like you're
rushing to judgement here.

Parent slap time!

Thanks for the tip, John. I left a message at lunch time.


Also, keep in mind that teachers are very time constrained. They must
cover
a given amount of material to satisfy the teaching objectives given them.
If there were enough time to go off on any and all tangents, I'd spend a
lot of time talking about motorcycles. The kids would love it.

Actually, that was his reason, although I don't really buy it. You've heard
the term "teaching to the test", I'm sure. This teacher's running out of
time. Too bad, because the kids asked a good question which was directly
related to what was being taught. Fortunately, my son is becoming obsessed
with physics. He found, and dusted off my copy of "The Dancing Wu Li
Masters". He promised to explain the mirror experiment to me by dinnertime
tomorrow.


Sounds like the teacher is doing a great job. She provided enough info to
get your kid interested enough to look it up himself.

Yes, she's running out of time. Final exams are coming, and maybe the
SAT's, or state Standards of Learning tests. It would not be fair to the
kids to make them responsible for material that wasn't covered in the
classroom because the teacher went off on too many tangents.

While working for the US Coast and Geodetic Survey in the Bahama Islands,
we used a 'geodimeter' to measure distances between surveying points in the
Atlantic Missile Range. Have your son do some quick research on that
instrument. The one we used, in the mid-60's was accurate to within 3cm
over a distance of some 26 miles.
--
'Til next time,

John H

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