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No Pressure
"The astonishing reality is that we've become accustomed to mediocrity as the norm."

That sums up nicely one of the major problems we've been seeing become more and more widespread in recent times. Teachers can no longer discipline or challenge children, force them to compete, or even use red pens when marking their work because they must now worry about being sued by parents or being demonized for "making the kiddies feel bad."

Meanwhile, the children in other nations are excelling not because they're innately more intelligent than American kids, but because they're being pushed to achieve results that matter in the real world. And the reason for that is, the schools in those countries push the kids harder and longer, and don't have to be afraid of a parent suing them for "talking angrily to them".

I think back to all the teachers who were mean to me and rode my behind even though I was doing well, and at the time, I hated them. Now, though, I understand that they were trying to force me to think critically, form my own common sense, and push myself to do better than I was. I doubt I would be doing anywhere near as well today if I did not have teachers who, at the time, really seemed like jerks.

We need to stop handling our children with kid gloves (no pun intended) and give them the drive they need to succeed. That's the only way our society can hope to bounce back from disturbing trends like the one in this article.
Posted by: doctormoriarty   Posted on: 04/18/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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No Pressure  doctormoriarty | 04/18/05
I agree and disagree  voska | 04/18/05
Money, money, money - MO--NEY!  Roger Ramjet | 04/19/05
Teachers..  Patrick Jones | 04/19/05
MONEY??  sometime | 04/20/05
More money=better education, not  balsover | 04/20/05
You were taught well and failed to notice...  nucrash | 04/19/05
The Pursuit of Excellence  BanjoPaterson | 04/19/05
Ever heard of No child left behind?  Anton Philidor | 04/18/05
Ever heard of CHEATING?  Roger Ramjet | 04/19/05
Medicine, law, real estate  IT_User | 04/18/05
And that will not change  FirstNLastN | 04/18/05
Then stop using percentile  FirstNLastN | 04/18/05
One reason were 17...who's going into tech  flywatcher | 04/18/05
We Need to reform Society more than Education  nucrash | 04/18/05
Reforming attitudes does not require the metric system.  Anton Philidor | 04/18/05
Cold under that rock?  seosamh_z | 04/18/05
Speech by the Presidents of various countries:  Anton Philidor | 04/18/05
Kilometers make more sense than miles  voska | 04/18/05
First and 9.144!  IT_User | 04/18/05
Not sure what that means  voska | 04/19/05
You already know a quart.  Anton Philidor | 04/18/05
Yes but....  nucrash | 04/19/05
The Louisiana Purchase was typical France...  Anton Philidor | 04/19/05
Left out a line.  Anton Philidor | 04/19/05
Simply Metric just makes sense  voska | 04/19/05
You still fail to recognize.  nucrash | 04/19/05
A fraud discovered (?)  Anton Philidor | 04/19/05
Units of measure are arbitrary.  Anton Philidor | 04/19/05
Math for Anton  nucrash | 04/19/05
May I bring my calculator to the test?  Anton Philidor | 04/19/05
Math Test  nucrash | 04/19/05
Just because you used to it doesn't mean it's easier  voska | 04/20/05
Shorter than that  IT_User | 04/18/05
Compulsion  metre | 04/25/05
As much as I despise the French...  Linux User 147560 | 04/18/05
Even England is Metric  voska | 04/18/05
I stand corrected...  Linux User 147560 | 04/18/05
Not even Imperial  vaxinator | 04/18/05
By imposition of the government.  Anton Philidor | 04/18/05
You still don't get it  seosamh_z | 04/19/05
Then let's use all the French Revolution's innovations.  Anton Philidor | 04/19/05
Metric imposition  metre | 04/25/05
Not going metric  maxo_z | 04/19/05
There is no future in hard work or effort!  No_Ax_to_Grind | 04/18/05
That was a generalization....  nucrash | 04/19/05
Ain't that the truth..  Patrick Jones | 04/19/05
the bottom line is power and the money.  wimbo_z | 04/18/05
Of course the minimum wage should be raised.  Anton Philidor | 04/18/05
I don't feel your pain  nucrash | 04/19/05
Exactly!  voska | 04/19/05
A similiar and much repeated mistake...  nucrash | 04/19/05
Minimum wage is useless  voska | 04/19/05
I don't see the problem  Yagotta B. Kidding | 04/18/05
Or  seosamh_z | 04/18/05
Just about the money  Yagotta B. Kidding | 04/18/05
What good is money when it's worthless  voska | 04/18/05
Good point  seosamh_z | 04/19/05
Where is Carly Fiorina now?  nucrash | 04/19/05
Neither did the French Aristocracy before the French Revolution...  boomslang_z | 04/20/05
I'm sure you're looking forward to that day, aren't you?  monteolsen@... | 04/22/05
Not just an educational issue.  mathandmetal | 04/18/05
Schools and Unions  Midwest_Developer | 04/18/05
Time for Change  OnlineB | 04/18/05
Something most of us have been saying for years...  KOS-MOS | 04/18/05
Get over it  Midwest_Developer | 04/19/05
You points circular  voska | 04/19/05
Thanks  KOS-MOS | 04/19/05
Just so you understand and know  Linux User 147560 | 04/19/05
I'm ex-Navy....  KOS-MOS | 04/19/05
Gee, how did we are managed it  Richard Flude | 04/18/05
We are managed it by how we did!  mggordon | 04/22/05
Why would a "coder" waste time to be better?  No_Ax_to_Grind | 04/18/05
Not really their fault.  doe_z | 04/19/05
Math and coding is the ONLY thing, though.  James Dean_z | 04/18/05
Look who you got beaten by.  igor_nav | 04/18/05
Neither dems nor repubs have made education a priority  FilledOut | 04/19/05
Wrong again...  ddmattison | 04/19/05
What the heck do they expect?  BitTwiddler | 04/19/05
Another Factor "The Religious Right"  Nullifidian | 04/19/05
No kidding  voska | 04/19/05
re: No kidding  igor_nav | 04/19/05
Acutally human evolution is just a theory  voska | 04/19/05
re: Acutally human evolution is just a theory  igor_nav | 04/19/05
Don't let the fury of Zeus come do on you  FilledOut | 04/20/05
Well duh!  voska | 04/20/05
Feels good?!  igor_nav | 04/20/05
re: Acutally human evolution is just a theory  ford_man | 04/22/05
law of gravity proven!  igor_nav | 04/22/05
Thought I heard different story  gregry | 04/20/05
Amen brother  maxo_z | 04/19/05
France  FilledOut | 04/19/05
Our best and brightest are choosing against programmer jobs.  maxo_z | 04/19/05
Let's Look At America, Seriously  morgenthaljp | 04/19/05
What does it take to be a programming startup?  nucrash | 04/19/05
It's too big a gamble these days  voska | 04/19/05
Orwell: Scientific progress cannot occur in regimented society  20075880200550981536805084989909-zdavis | 04/19/05
Orwell was wrong  igor_nav | 04/20/05
That's why!  alxnsc@... | 04/23/05

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