Re: Go, "Western" vs. "Asian" Thinking - Philosophical, Sociological, Anthropological, Practical?

"Anton" <antonninno@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1153961850.150351.302570@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
We also welcome in the brightest people from other countries to provide
the extra
spark that is needed.

Not since 9/11 we don't. They're perceived as a risk to national
security. So, many of those people are now going to other Western
countries where they are welcomed. We are in competition for brain
power from around the world and we're shutting ourselves out of the
game. The net result is that we're producing fewer math, science, and
engineering grads, while at the same time, we're keeping out those we
could be taking from other countries.


At the time of sputnick there was a feeling that the USA had to go into high
gear and get more kids into math and science. It is a good thing we did.
However, didn't we have, at that time lots of technical people in the
country?
Clearly, the men were put on the moon by the techincal people that were
already in
place in 1959. We did not have to wait for all the kids to graduate from
universities before we could take on the Russians.

How many Scientists do you really need to build a rocket, if you have a
staff of highly motivated skilled workers
to take direction from excellent scientists that you already have? I
suspect that many types ofjobs that are filled by
engineers todaywere filled by passionate bright thoughtful and undegreed
people in the 1900's, and this did not stop progress at all. Do not get me
wrong, education is very important, but havnig people with a passion to
learn
is far more important.



Like I said in my first reply, go to the library and pick up The World
is Flat. It's not a liberal, democratic diatribe. Friedman just
explains what globalization is doing to both Western and Eastern
countries and their societies. Our kids will have to compete for jobs
in this new world economy. Will they be ready? Know any parents whose
college grads have come home to roost, and got a job making cookies at
the mall? Don't we all? You betcha. The goal for today's parents is not
to get their kids through college, but to get them out of college and
into a decent-paying career -- and out of the house, permanently. :-)


Part of our problem with those parents is that they feel that if their kid
gets the educationthen they are entitled to a good job. In reality, they
are worth nothing to their employer if they cannot produce on the
job or if they have little passion for the job. A good education might make
you
more productive but it might not.

Ideally, a child will develop a passion for something in their young age
and then go off to school to study that passion and becom excellent at it.
If a student goes
to school aimlessly and gets a degree why shouldn't they bake cookies?

I think the bigger question is: Are our kids developing (useful) passions
and then studying them?
If our kids are not developing useful passions then why not?



FYI, I don't blame the White House for everything. Also, I teach in
charter school that's owned by a corporation. It's not a typical public
school with unionized teachers. If the teachers in charter schools like
ours don't perform, they lose their jobs. No joke. Voters who support
the current administration most likely support charter schools, too.
eh?

As for learning Go, I added Go to the chess club activities at our
school. They love it.

Anton


I commend you for putting your passions into educating kids.





.

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