Another example of how our children are being brainwashed in todays schools.

In Long Island, New York the children have banned helium balloons on their school district grounds. Why you may ask?
Because when the balloons come down they are hurting sea turtles, and fish, and cute dolphins (that lure vacationers out into the deep waters to gang rape them…ask me sometime). This is ridiculous how our children are treated as just solders to give marching orders too in order to advance the environmentalist uneducated unproven and illogical theories.

If someone tells me that if I don't use helium balloons at my school dances because it may cause damage to the environment then that's fine with me. I don't see why you're so militant about balloons...do you like shiny things

Two things:

1. What is the percentage of balloons that when lost from a party end up in the ocean? And on top of that what percentage of those balloons end up choking a sea turtle? And on top of that why the hell are the turtles eating them anyway?

If they want to ban rubber from ending up in the sea I think condoms should be banned. Don’t most of them get flushed down the toilet, or tossed in the trash, and how much of that ends up in the ocean? I would bet a lot more than balloons released by children.
They don’t ban condoms in schools, in fact depending on where u live they give them out to you for free.

2. It is not the fact that they outlawed balloons, but it is that they convinced the students to “vote” (as if they wont do exactly what the teacher suggests) on weather to ban the balloons. Its just a form of brainwashing…the students are just doing what the teachers tell them to do.

Oh please, I think brainwashing is a little extreme of a word for what is happening in Long Island, NY. I try to reserve "brainwashing" for cults, terrorist groups, Patty Hearst. . .etc.
Maybe they are just trying to instill a sense of enviromental responsibility in today's youth, although I admit that it is a pretty wierd way to do it.

-Kisov

Oh, I can speak from experience on this. We were taught, during the 2000 election, that GW Bush would use his oil money to influence the electoral college. Forget that little fact that most students didn't know what the electoral college is, but now they were being told....

"Kids, did you know GW Bush is rich? He'll even use his money and power to take some votes from the electoral college?"

I hear a hint of socialism in that statement. Did you?

Better be careful there, sounds like you are almost thinking like i do.

I want NOBODY telling my kids what to think, i want them (and pay them) to each facts, not theorys or opinions.

It can't be that bad thinking like you do. Your avatar resembles the Republican elephant, so it can't be that bad.

Dmarcs writes that he wants (his) teachers teaching facts not theories or opinions.

In Dmarcs classroom, one would likely "learn" that learning is excessively dull and painful.

Innovative studies in education have shown that people learn by constructing knowledge for themselves (which would include comparing opinions and testing theories).

But the role of student and teacher is changing.

Gone soon will be the days where the all knowing teacher imparts information to students who are expected to passively receive it. Very little, if anything is learned, and less than that, even, is retained.

The mini-lesson and student activities are replacing the forty minute lecture in high schools, and law schools are now preferring the socratic method rather than the "fact based" lecture style - advocated by our beloved Dmarcs.

I love reading remarks about education by people who know so little about it.

When people are sick, they go to doctors. When people need legal advice, they go to lawyers, but when it comes to education - it seems like everyone has something to say.

jj

JJ, opinion and theory is fine when done in moderation. When opinion is portrayed as fact and shoved down one's throat, it ain't worth a pitcher of warm *** NOTICE: THIS WORD IS AGAINST THE RULES. FAILURE TO REMOVE IT WILL RESULT IN A STRIKE. ***.

JJ said:

I believe we all have something to say on this matter because we have all been students, and therefore part of the system. I have opinions on health care and I'm not a doctor, but I've been a patient (as so on...)

That was obviously not your focus, though. And your main point was interesting. It got me to thinking that most of the "best" teachers I had were those who followed the new teacher/student dynamic you described.

The best teachers were the ones who made me question everything. They were able to evoke these questions by providing a spectrum of valid opinions or evidence on a single subject. The worst teachers were the boring lecturers.

But surveying kids about the use of helium balloons? If drmarcs presented the story correctly and the teachers did ask a leading question rather than a proper survey-style question, then they failed to present a spectrum of ideas and therefore, failed their students.

According to the story, (which is now old so I cannot find it) the students sat through an assembly where a guest speaker talked about chocking sea birds, turtles, and fish. Then at the end of the assembly they had a vote on who things we should eliminate helium balloons from our campuses…. Sounds slanted to me.