Dale Hill has written his two bits on the comments made a few weeks ago by Jobs and Dell. Here is a clip that I think hits the core argument:
Dell also blamed problems in public schools on the lack of a competitive job market for principals. Neither one of them brought up the fact that every child is different and come to school with different experiences and different abilities. No choices in power or space options. Forget, build on demand! None of the sweat-houses in Asia that starts with all, exactly the same quality materials.
Schools take all student, green card or not, and every child, no matter the handicap. Any teacher knows that “unions” play little part of a teacher’s success. The fact is, teaching is the hardest job in the world. While a company like Apple makes one huge decision over several months of deliberation, a teacher must make a hundred decisions in a day. Every child must bond with their teacher and there teacher to them.
One of the teachers blew me away, when she talked to me about her most difficult student she ever had.
“Dale, ” she said. “I realized that I would have this student all year long, so I took his picture home with me and looked at him all weekend. I must make myself recognize all the good qualities of this child and work from there, with enthusiasm.”
No throwing the kid out because his motherboard isn’t working properly. No Intel chips in children. Employers like Jobs, can hire the best using any criteria set, and even then can let them go if they don’t show progress.
Because schools have to take all comers, because teachers and the other staff don’t get the respect that they deserve, because money is always being cut from education and being smart is no longer cool (has it ever been? – but at least geeks now are getting some “respect”). Parents are also taking the easy way out when it comes to helping their children out – not all of them mind you and of course I disagree with Hill on the video game comment.
So what is the real problem in schools… where do you want to start?
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