The Biden Administration and All Things Politics

[babe]

This comes directly from my department chair, talking to those of us teaching a completely asynchronous class, on the extra attention we will need to spend on student involvement to keep them invested in the class. SWIC has been doing asynchronous classes for a few years now. It has nothing to do with school choice, nor vouchers, nor the teacher's union.

I'd class this as contemporary teaching theory, with no evidence or competent facts. I'd guess it's more likely something like focus, interest, or student motivation. All this can be addressed online as well as in a classroom.

It is so you, that the groups that your don't trust regarding good teaching practices are precisely the groups representing actual teachers.

I believe there are large numbers of teachers with issues like mine...... Union leadership, and educational leadership, has been hijacked by political activists, people who don't think American values are good.

You prefer the indoctrination we got as children?

Absolutely.

I saw the indoctrination in grade school in weekly student pamphlets about the UN and other things I saw it in textbooks as well. I really disliked those textbooks in general. I knew I was being fed ****.

But my teachers ignored it the same way I did, for the most part. Well, maybe except for Mr.Feller who ran the Model UN Club in my high school. He had that deer in the headlights stare, maybe a fish outta water. Maybe dead. Anyway, he never seemed credible to me. He got angry at people who disagreed way too easily.

Intellectual intolerance is a sure sign of a dead end in your learning experience.

 

[LogGrad98]

I'm creating this thread to talk about politics and things not pertaining to Trump. As enticing as the impeach Trump thread has been, he's no longer president and I'm tired of talking about him. I also don't think it's the place to talk about the new admin.

Anyway, I read today that Biden is against the $50k debt cancellation of student loans and I'm actually okay with this. I don't think people going to Ivy League schools should get to do so for free. Moreso than that, how are we going to pay for this?

Cancelling up to $10k in debt or allowing up to $10k in college loans to be written off on taxes is easier to stomach. Make college more affordable, loans interest-free provided regular payments are made (exceptions for hardships) and you can get kids into schools without sacrificing their financial future.

I would honestly like to be more radical and really understand the need for two years of general as I find these to be a waste of time and money for 'allied' courses that may have nothing to do with your major. Maybe reduce them down to one year as a starting point. Kind of feel like we have four years of college for the sole purposes of collegiate sports which is funny as those students are usually only there because they have to be in order to meet 1 year deadlines for NBA or 3 year deadlines for NFL.

I think instead of basic generals required the first 1-2 year should be direct pre-requisites for your major courses, or you can test or take AP courses in high school to meet that requirement instead. So if someone is focused in high school and takes care of their pre-requisites then they can just go straight to their major.

I do think they should still offer a 2-year degree that can be a lead-in to a "4-year" degree, but should not be required of everyone. The only benefit I saw was that I changed my major like 4 times before settling on my final degree (Logistics and Supply Chain Operations Management), so there is an exposure factor that can be beneficial to the student, but it should be considered elective, not required.

 

[Avery]

I think instead of basic generals required the first 1-2 year should be direct pre-requisites for your major courses, or you can test or take AP courses in high school to meet that requirement instead. So if someone is focused in high school and takes care of their pre-requisites then they can just go straight to their major.

I do think they should still offer a 2-year degree that can be a lead-in to a "4-year" degree, but should not be required of everyone. The only benefit I saw was that I changed my major like 4 times before settling on my final degree (Logistics and Supply Chain Operations Management), so there is an exposure factor that can be beneficial to the student, but it should be considered elective, not required.

All good points. My counselor explicitly told me to take classes that I would just have fun with. I ended up taking classes that were interesting such as Geology to meet some requirements, but don't think taking Basketball Refereeing for a credit hour will help me become a better financial planner.

Just looked up my old tuition for the U for 15 credit hours and it was about $1,300. Current tuition for that amount is $4,600 so a 400% jump within <20 years. That's just nuts and outpaces inflation to an impractical degree.

At my workplace, a huge amount of people take tuition reimbursement which gives them about $5k back they can get in a year and work full-time. Most hate it, but the entire reason they work is to nearly halve the cost of college. Problem is they're so burned out that they either decide to do less credits and push them to more years or quit school altogether because they don't see the value.

 

[fishonjazz]

Athletics dominate the collegiate landscape and the amount of budget they have is downright sickening. I can't imagine most board of trustees would be willing to flush $20M to drop a low-performing history professor as opposed to that coach who didn't get you more than one bowl berth.

I'm all in on the online perspective - provided they are accredited institutions with a good experience, makes much more sense to not riddle students with not only their college debt but room and board, overpriced parking passes and inflated book prices, etc.

If online learning would have been an option when I was younger, I would have gone that route for sure. The college experience taught me many things, but I gladly would have lived with my parents a few years and worked part-time vs. finding that roommates are awful, your stuff stolen and looking forward to it simply being over more than anything.

Your experience may vary, but life comes at you fast and trying to raise a family with car payments, rent, etc. under the bedrock of student loans sets nobody up for success.

You could have even got a degree from trump University! Imagine how far they would have taken you

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[fishonjazz]

On-line learning, especially asynchronous on-line learning, is inferior to in-class instruction. Retention rates go into the toilet.

I know this would be the case for me.

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[idestroyedthetoilet]

This is something we have got to at least talk about.

Historically, tuition scholarships or grants have fueled higher tuition. And lower scholastic values. That's what funds the general ed crap and irrelevant stipulated classes.

I think online universities make more sense than brick and mortar "traditional" institutions. I'd go for ending the various monopolistic strangleholds. Incentivize online programs. Cheaper and better education, saves kids a lot of moolah.

That's what they say. So why haven't prices decreased with the continually decreasing state support for higher ed?

 

[idestroyedthetoilet]

I'm creating this thread to talk about politics and things not pertaining to Trump. As enticing as the impeach Trump thread has been, he's no longer president and I'm tired of talking about him. I also don't think it's the place to talk about the new admin.

Anyway, I read today that Biden is against the $50k debt cancellation of student loans and I'm actually okay with this. I don't think people going to Ivy League schools should get to do so for free. Moreso than that, how are we going to pay for this?

Cancelling up to $10k in debt or allowing up to $10k in college loans to be written off on taxes is easier to stomach. Make college more affordable, loans interest-free provided regular payments are made (exceptions for hardships) and you can get kids into schools without sacrificing their financial future.

I would honestly like to be more radical and really understand the need for two years of general as I find these to be a waste of time and money for 'allied' courses that may have nothing to do with your major. Maybe reduce them down to one year as a starting point. Kind of feel like we have four years of college for the sole purposes of collegiate sports which is funny as those students are usually only there because they have to be in order to meet 1 year deadlines for NBA or 3 year deadlines for NFL.

Biden seems to genuinely care about the working poor. I've been surprised and optimistic on several of his proposals. One thing that really hets under my skin is welfare for the well off wrapped up as for the poor. The college debt forgiveness is largely that. That debt is bimodal and highly skewed to being owed by well off. The median is well below the average.

 

[babe]

That's what they say. So why haven't prices decreased with the continually decreasing state support for higher ed?

I wasn't aware of that. I was thinking of more Federal programs including research grants.

 

[babe]

Biden seems to genuinely care about the working poor. I've been surprised and optimistic on several of his proposals. One thing that really hets under my skin is welfare for the well off wrapped up as for the poor. The college debt forgiveness is largely that. That debt is bimodal and highly skewed to being owed by well off. The median is well below the average.

Tuition payment programs for college? Don't most of poor just not go there?

Apprentice trades need it more.

 

[One Brow]

I'd class this as contemporary teaching theory, with no evidence or competent facts. I'd guess it's more likely something like focus, interest, or student motivation. All this can be addressed online as well as in a classroom.

If there is no evidence and no facts, it's not a theory.

Of course it's focus, interest, and motivation, all of which are related to the method of instruction. Asynchronous classes have significant issues in maintaining focus, interest, and motivation because (and this might not be a surprise to you), human contact matters.

Intellectual intolerance is a sure sign of a dead end in your learning experience.

You mean, like when a poster accuses others posters of being dupes or agents of conspiracies?

 

[Avery]

For today, Ted Cruz is getting raked over the coals (deservingly so). Dude jetted off to Cancun while his state goes through a generational power/water crisis.

I mean, bad timing and really poor optics. Politicians can take vacations just like anybody can and should, but you don't take one when your state and people are freezing to death and can't get gas. R's would be smart to primary this dude as he's just a buffoon with no spine.

Ted Cruz accused of flying to Cancun amid Texas power outages as photo goes viral

It's not yet clear if the Republican has left the country as some photos on social media have suggested.

www.newsweek.com

 

[candrew]

For today, Ted Cruz is getting raked over the coals (deservingly so). Dude jetted off to Cancun while his state goes through a generational power/water crisis.

I mean, bad timing and really poor optics. Politicians can take vacations just like anybody can and should, but you don't take one when your state and people are freezing to death and can't get gas. R's would be smart to primary this dude as he's just a buffoon with no spine.

Ted Cruz accused of flying to Cancun amid Texas power outages as photo goes viral

It's not yet clear if the Republican has left the country as some photos on social media have suggested.

www.newsweek.com

Say what you want about Chuck Schumer - I know I have. But the day after Hurricane Sandy hit NYC he was riding through Brooklyn on a ****ing 10-speed bicycle checking on people. No entourage, no bodyguards, no photographers - just him.

I know this because he stopped to speak to my parents (they used to live in the district that he represented when he was in the House of Representatives) for 10 minutes and asked how they were doing and their neighbors were doing.