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Author Topic: What is the capital of the USA?(pg 3. The Job Application)  (Read 10167 times)

blaque

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Re: What is the capital of the USA?
« Reply #15 on: May 18, 2006, 07:01 AM »
I dont even want to begin with the medias responsibility in this. Every teen female singer that started out prim and proper goes tramp when they turn 16-18. Sweet life with Zach and cody has twin 12 year olds talking about romantic  relationships, Drake and Josh on Nickelodeon have make out scenes. Cant walk through blockbuster more than 10 feet without asking my little nephew to close his eyes cuz every 10th movie on teh rack is a smut movie with some tramp on the cover half naked (they really need to put that stuff behind the counter or at least in a certain section. )  Yeah i may sound like an old fart.....(only 35) but when it comes to what kids are able to see and hear and experience at the age they can these days.......its out of control.                        

Dr. IceGeek

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Re: What is the capital of the USA?
« Reply #16 on: May 18, 2006, 07:33 AM »
I should probably share my story.....a little long but insightful for parents (I think)

I was fortunate in that I was always above average intelligence.  My problem was that I never tried.  Things came easy for me and I was content to just slide by.  Most times that still put me towards the front of the class.  Once I got into high school things went downhill even more.  I don't think I ever did much homework, not because I couldn't I just didn't want to.  My father tried everything on me and nothing worked.  I simply didn't care.  He tried punishing me and taking things away...I just did even less knowing that at some point he would give up.  I managed to somehow graduate high school and walked across the stage in the bottom 1/3 of my class...no awards for me, no gold ropes or special tassles, just a kid that made it out of high school.  My problem was that I knew that I could fail all year, BUT if I passed the regents exam I would pass the course....so I would fail all year, do nothing and then just make sure that I did well on the regents exam.  Anyways I was supposed to attend college after high school.  I took the SATs and did very well on them.  My grades were terrible, but I still mananged to get acceoted to a couple of colleges.  Laziness prevailed again however because I never filled out the paperwork to attend college.  Instead on the day that dad was supposed to drop me off at college he kicked me out of the house.  He told me that if I wanted to go to school and get an education he would make it easy on me, otherwise it was up to me to survive.  So I got a minimum wage job and rented a crappy apartment from my aunt.  Turns out that after 4 months I could barely make ends meet and had to geta second minimum wage job in order to keep from falling behind in my bills.  At this point college started to look like a good option.   I didn't know what I wanted to do ,but since math and science were easy for me I thought something along those lines would be good.  I started taking classes at a local community college and actually liked it.  Dad told me that after 1 semester if my grades were good I could move home.  Trying to work 50 hours per week and go to school full time was so freakin' hard. I managed to get all A's that semester and moved back home.  I finished up at the community college with nearly a 4.0 and then transferred.  About the time I was going to graduate with my bachelors degree in math and physics my dad was diagnosed with cancer and he died only 3 months later.  I promised him that I would continue my education no mater what.  I am actually thankful that he kicked me out. He later told me it was the hardest thing he has ever had to do other than to tell his kids he was dying, but I appreciated it in a kind of strange way.  I started graduate school in the fall and ultimately graduated with a Ph.D. in semiconductor physics after 6 years in grad school, 2 for my masters and then another 4 for my Ph.D.  Because of my grades and willingness to teach classes at the university I ended up paying only 25k for my entire education.  If you add it all up I probably have a quarter of a million dollar education courtesy of uncle sam.  I'm in the process of changing jobs and in some sense will be paying back my debts to the people of this country and uncle sam due to the nature of the job.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that not everyone is ready to always be a good student.  Sometimes it takes a situation or condition to make that person want to be a good student.  Looking back now I appreciate the teachers who really tried to make a difference and I appreciate all those who maybe let me slide a bit, knowing that I had potential, but just wasn't using it.

I think my word of advice would be...go hard on your kids, but not too hard.  Set a good example and be a role model.  No one likes a hippocrit.  Show your kids how to better themselves by setting an example not just by preaching.  My dad was a great role model and got what he had using eduacation AND hard work.  There is no substitute for that, and he taught me that.  I learned what hard work was once he kicked me out of the house.  I continued to work that hard all through school and by the time I was done I had a good work ethic AND an education.  Teach your kids both and give them the opportunity to harbor some of the responsibility that comes along with being a student and I think they'll go far
-Bob

adkRoy

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Re: What is the capital of the USA?
« Reply #17 on: May 18, 2006, 07:46 AM »
Doc,
   I wish I could have you come talk to my students. That is a great story.

Pikeguy

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Re: What is the capital of the USA?
« Reply #18 on: May 18, 2006, 08:17 AM »
Everyone blames the teachers...nobody looks at the home life. That is where a child's education begins long before he ever reaches kindergarten.

Philadelphia, NY  :blink: :blink: :wacko: :wacko:    :rotflol: :rotflol:

I thought it was Pittsburg Tennessee  ??? :whistling:

jayswimmer09

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Re: What is the capital of the USA?
« Reply #19 on: May 18, 2006, 08:27 AM »
As a freshman in highschool i know first hand whats going on. its all on the teachers. Yes the kids are getting lazier but the teachers are too. i go to the 3rd highest ranked school district in PA and i can say that all the younger teachers are worse then the kids. the older ones are the ones who can teach really well and keep us concentrated on the actual subject while having fun. but the new ones are just plain lazy.  All in all make sure you send your kids to a district thats known for having good teachers and good schooling

Dr. IceGeek

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Re: What is the capital of the USA?
« Reply #20 on: May 18, 2006, 08:43 AM »
Jay,
  I wouldn't ever blame poor grades or lack of understanding on a teacher.  I'm not singleing you out or anything like that, so don't take it that way at all.  In most cases it's up to the students to figure things out. Teachers aren't there to "force feed" the students.  Whether they are young or old makes no difference. While young teachers may not have as much experience they usualy have more energy and creativity than older teachers.  In my opinion you need both types of teachers to make a well rounded student.  At some point if you don't step up to the plate and take the responsibility to learn as a student you will never make it. In the real world no one forces you to learn anything.  It's up to the experiences and the habits you developed while going to school. Kids that put the effort in and are capable of learning from a poor teacher are the ones with talent.  Anyone can learn from a good teacher......The more experiences you acquire while going to school, the more competitive you will be on the open market after school.

OTIS

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Re: What is the capital of the USA?
« Reply #21 on: May 18, 2006, 08:53 AM »
I have three children, a boy 12, a boy 7, and a girl 5.  My oldest always had a hard time with school despite the continued pressure from us and his teachers to get his work done and study.  Come to find out several years later that the majority of his problem's were due to older children bullying him.  This year he's in sixth grade and in the oldest class in his school, since the older children have moved on to middle school his grades and attitude towards school have gone through the roof.  He was always a C-B student and we made him do his work, but this year he's gone to a straight A student who has his work done correctly before we even get home from work.  My second started school early and has always been lazy and tries to slide by on his wit.  Well last night we got a call from his teacher and she is concerned that he might not be ready to move on to third grade.  Now mind you he has been a strong B student all year and not four weeks ago he brought home a report card that showed he improved in every subject and had straight B's.  I was content with his progress, but lectured him on the importance of trying harder and not having a lazy attitude towards school.  I have to say that I was floored by the phone call, and have to leave work in an hour to discuss this with his teacher.  In my house you are guilty until proven innocent and I'm probably one of the toughest parents you'll find, but there is no excuse for his teacher letting this slide all year and then drooping the ball with only a couple weeks left in school.  I'm definitely NOT saying that teachers are to blame, but I believe that there is definitely not enough communication from teachers to parents.
'If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.' -- Ronald Reagan

'Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the democrats believe every day is April 15.' -- Ronald Reagan

Dr. IceGeek

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Re: What is the capital of the USA?
« Reply #22 on: May 18, 2006, 09:01 AM »
OTIS,
  I totally understand what you are saying...I was more or less talking about jr. high and high school.  When students are young they need a strong teacher to help them as a learner.  No offense meant at all
-Bob

archbishop

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Re: What is the capital of the USA?
« Reply #23 on: May 18, 2006, 09:14 AM »
lol, this reminds me of my brother, a few years back, he was in his early 20's, but a real idiot, so i was messing with him and said jokingly that he didnt know the capital of the US, he said its Washington DC, i then asked him what DC stood for? without a blink of the eye he said Designated Capital :blink:

adkRoy

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Re: What is the capital of the USA?
« Reply #24 on: May 18, 2006, 10:03 AM »
Otis,
   If there is one thing I've learned as a teacher, it is communication between parents and teachers is a must. It has to be constant, ie at least once a month, not just at parent conference time. Do not hesitate to ever call your childs teacher to see how he/she is doing. I have binders of parent emails, pages of phone conversations, and a folder full of notes. I try to contact as many parents as I can, its hard because of work schedules, and a lot of parents will contact me. No hesitation. To every I say, open up that line of communication early in the School year and keep it open, use it often and be honest. My happiest parents are the ones who work with me and not against me.
Roy

Slimechaser

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Re: What is the capital of the USA?
« Reply #25 on: May 18, 2006, 10:07 AM »
Quote
Lessons from Bill Gates

Bill Gates recently dished out at a high school speech. The 11 things they
did not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good; politically correct
teachings created a full generation of kids with no concept of reality and how
this concept set them up for failure in the real world.
 RULE 1: Life is not fair - get used to it.
 RULE 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The
    world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you
    feel good about yourself.
 RULE 3: You will NOT make 40 thousand dollars a year right
    out of high school. You won't be a vice president with a car
    phone, until you earn both.
 RULE 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a
    boss. His job is not guaranteed.
 RULE 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your
    grandparents had a different word for burger flipping - they
    called it opportunity.
 RULE 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't
    whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
 RULE 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as
    boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your
    bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about
    how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest from
    the parasites of your parents' generation, try delousing the
    closet in your own room.
 RULE 8: Your school may have done away with winners and
    losers, but life has not. In some schools they have
    abolished failing grades and they'll give you as many times
    as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the
    slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
 RULE 9: Life is not divided into terms. You don't get
    summers off and very few employers are interested in
    helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.
 RULE 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people
    actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
 RULE 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up
    working for one

This is real, Gates really did say these things.
Dr. Geek, If you had this in your hands before you "grew up", would it have made any differance? It would not have me, unfortunately. I ask you this because your story is mine up until your dad did you right, I didn't grow up until I was 23 yrs old. I never did want to go back to school and as a result, I never achieved a high school diploma. I have been lucky in life in that, that fact has not held me back too much. I wouldn't call it regrets, But if I had to do over, I would have "grown up" much sooner.
Since then, I've managed to put my much younger wife through college (my retirement plan) and I have a 12 year old daughter who pulls all A's & B's, has numerous science fair awards, is a gifted musician (I don't know where she got that from) AND she is a tremendous athlete (basketball trophies are squeezing out my mounted "trophies"!) At age 38, I am the last of the ESSOX SLAYER type generation, and really only caught on by myself.
ADK- I have a new respect for you, don't give up on 'em, If you can just reach one of them it will all be worthwhile!
Rockbass - not just another pretty fish!
Got nymph?         I do!

walleyechaser

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Re: What is the capital of the USA?
« Reply #26 on: May 18, 2006, 10:12 AM »
this is a great thread.  My oldest son will be starting school next year and we work with him a lot.  He already knows how to spell several words and can count to 20.  He's 4 BTW.   I'm a bit nervous about sending him to school because of all the liberal ideas some of these schools preach.  They are teaching kids about AIDS in kindergarten for God's sake.  All the wife and I can do is offer our guidance.  I know at some point my boys will be exposed to all the evils of the world.  My mother is a teacher and I have a few friends that are teachers.  Some of the crap they tell me blows my mind.  Some parents need some serious help.  

Also I think it works both ways.  Some schools will hang their students out to dry and don't care if they get an education.  I could tell stories of my bro and I growing up but that would be a very large post.  It took both of us to get into trouble before we straightened up.  I hope to God my boys are not going to be like me.   don't get me wrong my dad was very old fashioned and kicked our a$$ when we deserved it.  But we still went astray.  Had it not been for that lesson in life I would have never gotten my masters degree and gotten a life.  

Keep the kids exposed to the outdoors and as many family activities as you can.   All the kids who are fishing and hunting my hat goes off to you.   Keep it up and remember this when you have kids.  Seeing a kid riding his bike with a stringer of fish is a very rare sight these days.
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adkRoy

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Re: What is the capital of the USA?
« Reply #27 on: May 18, 2006, 10:19 AM »
Slimechaser that is why I have ulcers. I work my butt off to try to get them to succeed despite the handicap of their learning disabilities and home lives. I may not get many thanks from the students but I have seen the results. I have one former student who stayed in school and didn't quit because of me. I have had former students go on to become cooks, auto mechanics, heavy equipment operators, and yes teachers. I fought to get them placements in classes to suit their needs and what they wanted to do in life. I do get frustrated as all heck when I see a student, who has so much potential and opportunity, just throw it all away because it would require a little effort on their part to do the work and study.

Walleyechaser,  I'm lucky that my school is a good mixture of liberal and conservative teachers. The stuff we have to teach though comes from the NYS Education Department, the Board of Regents, and the Federal Government.

buzzbomb

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Re: What is the capital of the USA?
« Reply #28 on: May 18, 2006, 10:30 AM »

These guys didn't look quite so promising way back then, but they had faith in themselves.  That little nerdy guy in the lower left especially!

walleyechaser

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Re: What is the capital of the USA?
« Reply #29 on: May 18, 2006, 10:35 AM »

These guys didn't look quite so promising way back then, but they had faith in themselves.  That little nerdy guy in the lower left especially!


They look like a bunch of high ons  8)
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