AN ENGINEER TURNED TEACHER!! ... A RARE SCIENTIST-VIEW OF WHAT IS WRONG WITH SCIENCE IN OUR CLASSROOM!! By John Xuna, an Engineer who taught 7 years in several of Florida`s High Schools. (worked 35 years as Telecommunications Engineer ). Dr. Michio Kaku, an American Theoretical Physicist and famous Author, explains how the teaching of Science stinks in the USA, and it has frustrated his daughter. ºº He expresses some of the same reasons for which I DECIDED TO QUIT TEACHING Physics and Science. Basically, I could not instruct the way I wanted, and the way I was told did not make much sense to me. As an insider I do have more reasons than Michio to feel depressed about the American Education System, especially when the subject matter is Science and Physics. [1] Your BREADTH OF SPECTRUM (in freedom to offer relevant knowledge) is too limited. Lesson plans are to be fitted into a narrow alley; and you are not allow to touch -even in the slightest fashion- the Religious Establishment’s “fairy tales” that block children minds, and obstructs them to use good reasoning, and have an open mind. Retrograde parents might get offended. So be it! -I used to say- Children first! [2] Too much emphasis in NOT LEAVING ANYBODY BEHIND lowering the bar to the least-common-denominator... in other words MEDIOCRITY GALORE! Too much emphasis in administrative lesson plans that burdens teachers, and often do not make any sense keeping them up, or diversify them to reach “everybody”, which is really an impossible task. [3] CONDUCT OF PUPILS OFTEN UNBEARABLE. Many spoiled students. Having free education for granted, many have not slept enough (perhaps watching TV, or Facebook, or video games) and they fall asleep easy, regardless of the theatrics you might have to use to keep them alert. Most parents cannot help, since do not know much of Physics, or even general Science. As to minimize the education`s budget...brains, interests, and dedication shown by pupils need to be consolidated into just one group. Even those with serious challenges are being mainstreamed. A few with attention deficit disorder (ADD) -often hyperactive- will be distracting you -and the class- every six seconds. Administration requires more emphasis in dress code that in conduct. I could care less how they dress, as long as is reasonable. If you bring grievances, your contract might not be renewed. No academic freedom at all for Teachers, they just act as a bunch of shepherd sheep. [4] NO FINANCIAL INCENTIVE to come to teach from the Engineering / Scientific fields, what is badly needed. Not value was given to my 35 years as Engineer, has to start teaching at level-ZERO. I wanted to make a difference, yet I do not think I did, really, and -yet- teaching 7 years (instead of continuing working as Engineer) was very patriotic -perhaps- but cost me around $300,000 in lost wages and benefits (money that now I miss in my bank accounts). In retrospect –mostly- it was kind of a stupid decision. consciouslifenews/michio-kaku-curiosity-crush…/…/ ... The story is longer, but this is plenty! You can see what is going on! :O( ** John Xuna, Engineer, Physicist, + Software Venture Founder (JXPE, XunaSoft) + Concerned Scientist (ZUET, DoomedGlobe, OilDepletion, PetrolSOS) + Former “Qualified” Candidate US Congress (GE 2002, FL CD22, Xuna, Xuna.net) + Atheist Writer (The Ignorance of Faith, ´Amazon`, ´Barnes&Noble`, …, EHXS). + JXuna/paginas/06_WhoIsJX.htm
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 20:26:04 +0000
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