My best friend's husband just posted on Facebook that he has 91 high school students in his last hour class...up from 87 yesterday. There are only seats for 28. The district is "working on it." His FB page has been lighting up with fellow teachers' comments. Forget the union...he should probably call the fire marshall!

He really should call the fire marshall! That's a great idea! As a parent, I would be livid.

I also think it's funny in this economy where so many people are unemployed or underemployed that amanda6035 thinks every student could work their way through college without student loans. Not realistic. I was very fortunate to have a full paid scholarship to college, but I borrowed all of my tuition for medical school...all $80,000 of it, which was a bargain when it comes to med school! Could I have worked? Absolutely not. Could my parents have put me through? Nope. Could I have earned a scholarship? I got $1000 from AOII. That helped but didn't preclude the need for loans. I could have joined the military, but I am very glad I didn't. I have many friends that did and have done 2-3 tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. The military gets their money's worth. I'll take the loans any day.

This makes no sense.

My statement, or the concept?

High-stakes testing is an excuse to defund inner-city schools, period. It is a racist and classist policy, and our schools are as segregated now as they've ever been, at least in Chicago.

The whole idea that you'll base teacher performance off of test results that have nothing to do with what they are teaching. That is asinine.

Well, yes. But this allows them to either shut down schools, or make them "turnaround" schools where they hire young teacher for less money and then see no improvements.

It's ridiculous. How did we get to this point? Teaching to the test at the detriment of real learning? I feel like changes are often made just to make changes. We see it in medical education too where now they are taking away anatomy. Yes! No anatomy for your doctors! Who needs to learn anatomy? They'll just teach the surgeons and radiologists what they need to know when they get to residency. So the primary care physicians don't need to know what the specialists are talking about? I don't know where they come up with this crap.

Welcome to Indiana. As a teacher of an elective class, a decent chunk of my pay will be determined by my school's overall score on English and Math standardized test scores. How is that fair?

It started with No Child Left Behind.

How can they even teach med school without anatomy? As an Occupational Therapist I had gross anatomy with cadaver lab. I can't imagine a doctor not having that.

My thoughts exactly. :rolleyes: I'm scared for the future.

Thanks for the explanation. Forgive me for being too dim to realize that, rather than calling it a tax that is stupid, you were suggesting that you are paying for your own stupidiy.

Wow. I don't think I've ever met anyone who thinks that debt is the only way to get a good education. I certainly don't -- I didn't incure a dime of debt and got a very good undergraduate and graduate education.

But some people in some circumstances may find it is the best option for them. Here's a thought: you decide what's best for you and your family, and give others the same courtesy.

How would someone without a huge trust fund get a J.D. from George Washington (in D.C.) at around $2,000 per credit hour without incurring debt? Is getting a degree from a highly rated law school a stupid tax?

Would someone be stupid for being admitted to a top law school and instead opting for some tier 2 school?

What you spend on your education is an investment in your future. As with other investments, some are good and some are bad. YMMV.

Sure. However, I also feel that I have a responsibility to at least plant the seed in a young person's head that they don't have to listen to what's "normal" by taking out student loans just because they are available. Just because it's an option doesn't mean it's the best option. If there are students reading this, they need to know there are ways to avoid debt, and to avoid those chains once they do get a big boy or big girl job.

Absolutely. The more information people have, the better -- no argument about that. But with all that information, some people may still reasonably decide that for them a student loan is the best option.

Student loans aren't always bad or, well, stupid. They are an option that may be good or may be bad, depending on a variety of factors. Like Kevin says, incurring debt for an education is a form of investment, and some investments are wise and some aren't. That's all I'm saying.

I just got home from the Big Rally. It sounds like the talks are progressing well, but nobody is certain yet if there will be school on Monday. The biggest thing I'm hearing? Both sides are now negotiating in good faith.

That's good news!