And I believe it exists in the shift from self ADVANCEMENT to one of SELF GRATIFICATION.....

In the nineteen fifties, we were geared more or less towards "Seeing What We Could Do", and this held true through the sixties to some extent.

In the seventies, we still were advancing our technology - but at about that time it began to be stolen by foreign entities. THE DRUG CULTURE had become well established in the United States ten years before.

We had limited human resources thereafter.

What I strongly believe that we need desperately is nothing less than RESPONSIBILITY AND CRAFTSMANSHIP.

We were once world leaders in emerging technology. We need to be again.

How can we re-establish that?

Your inputs, please?

PS:

Our schools have been de-stabilised.
DRUGS have "DUMBED DOWN" the populace.
VIOLENCE in our cities has not been effectively dealt with.
ETC...

And yet -

In the early sixties we sent manned missions to the moon.
Schools were a place where you paid attention, or YOU WERE IN TROUBLE!
DRUGS got you ARRESTED.
FIGHTS got you JAILED.

No doubt about it.

 

aahhh...to much media hype.

to me in reality we are the first and best in everything we can be and still have as free of a society.

the media just likes to hype things up because americans are more interested in watching doom and gloom than any thing that might be good news.

 

Yeah and in the 60's Russia, blacks, and Rock and Roll was going to be the end of us all, what's your point?

 

We need to invest, as a nation, in education. Shift the emphasis to making the most of the kids who are really trying and let the rest try to keep up. If they cannot make it in that environment, teach them a trade. But we have to get on with it. Our primary educational system has been going downhill for decades. We now rank way down the list as compared to other countries.

 

Wipe all interpretations clean of the first amendment and start that sucker clean. It is what it is, and political correctness is a problem, not a solution.

Ryan

 

It's too easy to lay the blame on somebody else nowadays. I'm no old-timer, but I know enough of them that when they do something they back it with thier reputation. Nowadays society has bred crybabies and sponges that want somebody else to take responsibility for their actions. Back-stabbing and blame-shifting are management qualities rather than RESPONSIBILITY and CRAFTSMANSHIP. In this day and age, their is no end to the line of people willing to take credit for doing something right, but when something gets knackered, the reply is usually "Not my job". Until we as a society can sack up and take pride in our work without having to plaster it on a billboard, and take responsibility for our mistakes and FIX THEM, we'll just be diamonds in the rough.

 

microsoft and cisco are based in the u.s.


as far as houston, thier only problem is that NO isnt sending busses to pick up the debris they shipped em....

 

^Can't say too much about Cisco, but Microsoft has not invented much, rather the have purchased most of their technology and are great at commercializing it.

In my opinion a couple of things need to happen:

1. We need to create value through innovation, not marketing.
2. We need to start rewarding the behaviors we want to prevail and penalizing those that we don't. (Case in point popular media folks get too much reward, engineers too little.)

I'd love to hear Dono's opinions on this.

 

Once upon a time: engineers, scientists, and edutors were the most awe inspiring people we could think of.

Imagine if they had the means of Micheal Jackson, or the fan following of Lucas Films?

 

well, with such a low starting salary for the schooling required, who in the heck would want to be an engineer?

 

^Hence my point.

And to answer your question: anyone who is in it to reach their maximum potential for their ability to create things of value for their fellow humans.

 

I like what I am hearing from this board. As a teacher, yearning for the “good old days” is over and the 21st century student needs to develop new skills for the future. Intel pumps a lot of money into a district in the valley (Chandler, AZ). From what I see in education is that there need to be a switch from “everyone is going to college” to “everyone will be employed” We need to establish matriculation agreements with companies. Schools would then train the basics and the industry would complete the finite skills. This would be a win-win situation for companies, schools and for the students.

The one thing people need to understand about standard test and comparison is that in the U.S. we HAVE to test EVERYONE. This means that we test special education, ESL, and ELL students. We are often compared with other countries College prep students. When you look at higher education (College and University) the US is still the best. Just think about how many TA’s are not Americans.

I also know that I do not get paid compared to my educational level, but I also have a lot of benefits that cannot be compensated monetarily. There is nothing like a senior coming up to you at graduation and telling you that you have made them want to go to school and you made a difference in their lives. It has happen to me and it made you feel awesome.

One thing that is frustrating is the lack of social moray in students. They do not get the idea of duty, honor, respect, commitment and honesty.

 

Aztrainer-excellent post.

i am just amazed at the fixation on college the schools have now days, i am not saying college isn't important or someone shouldn't go, but there is more to life, career and getting a job than having a diploma. things as you mentioned such as honor, respect, character ect ect seems to be missed by more and more people.

and it just seems to me that the education system instills in everyone that if you do not go to college, your not going to make it in life and be a bum. it appears at a certain age alot of kids start to beleive it and pretty much quit in life and go out and do whatever, they feel they have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

 

Regarding Aztrainer's last line... It seems to me there is a problem with news/media focusing on rap stars and athletes and making them into heros for the kids. Next thing you know the hero turns out to be a murderer, druggie or a rapist/molester etc. O. J. Simpson, Don King, Michael Jackson, Mike Tyson and on and on.

One good thing that came out of 9/11 is that it turned the focus onto the first responders. Police, firemen, paramedics etc who are the real heros. Heros on a routine basis. Not just hitting a jump shot just before the buzzer, but helping people and saving lives and property and providing a greater margin of safety for everyone.

 

YES, I work with athletes and they all think that they are the next TO or Lebron, but they do not have the skills or drive to be in their place. I tell them all the time to (if they have the chance as I did and get a college scholarship) that they should use that as a way to establishing their future and not as a springboard to the NBA, NFL or MLB.

I also tell my students (I work in a lower SES school) that there is NOTHING wring with going to tech schools or the military. I push the military for A LOT of them as I know it will make them develop honor, community, duty, ect . . . I have a student that is going into the Air Force and asked me what he should try to get into and all I said was something that you would like doing and something that you can use when you get out of the military. He is now trying to decide between Military Police and AP.