schools

When I was in high school, I thought my nearly all of my teachers were incompetent. As time passed, I gave that story up and thought it was just my youthful arrogance. Then Heather was in high school. Once again, I thought most of her teachers where incompetent teachers but reasonably competent in their fields. I also thought they were really interested in the students' success. Now I'm watching Serra HS. Three years of watching the few competent teachers and administrators leave for other school or other jobs.

I'm pretty good at finding adequate reasons for the ongoing failings of teachers. Class sizes are too large, too many standardized tests, too few resources of any type, etc.

I've had long conversations about teachers with the friends of mine who are teachers. I'm back to my original conclusion. Most teachers are not competent. Of course, it's a relative measure.

Why are they incompetent? Well, they seem to be stupid. Proudly stupid. And a few seem to really like the power to fuck with people.

There isn't much to do about it, either. In San Diego City Schools, and all of California, for that matter, there is a cultural conversation about schools that will keep the states public schools in this sad state for another generation, at least.

In the meantime, kids will be bored out of their minds, they will learn practically nothing, they will learn bogus "facts," and they will leave school woefully unprepared for being a young adult.

It is truly sad that we KNOW how to run schools that work. There are demonstration schools all over the place that work beautifully for all the students at the school. They learn. They are happy to be learning.

But those ways aren't "traditional" and there is no chance of getting the system to abandon the utter failure of their past.

I'm disgusted.

Edit to add: You know there is something wrong when every bright child you know hates going to school and some hate it so much they are in a more or less constant state of tears.

I'd be optimistic if the teachers at Serra even gave lip service to notion that the system is failing these kids, but the teachers at Serra are really clear that the kids are just being purposefully difficult!

S T U P I D. Entirely and grossly ignorant of human nature.

At one time, I thought of being a teacher. Seriously. I looked at what it would take to get a teaching credential through SDSU and throw myself into high school. I would not have lasted two years. Not because the kids would get to me, but because the adults would.

"No child left behind" means that when we leave them behind, we just make sure they aren't recognizably human any more.

Not just disgusted, but frustrated, too.

same but different

Oy.

It is the same size valve. It is the same type valve. It is the same manufacturer. The only difference is the year of manufacture. Three years apart.

New valve has different threads so one can't use the nut that is already on the brass tube. That means the nut and the ring have to come off and be replaced by the new nut and ring. Except that the old ring will not come off. Liquid Wrench, a torch, and a lot of twist and shout and it will not come off.

As far as I can tell, this change did not improve the valve one bit. It did not increase sales. It did nothing. I am not ready to believe that the decision makers at that valve company are assholes or stupid or both. They might be have made the change to meet some building code change. It doesn't really matter. Someone somewhere is a dick.