A Question of Sacrifice

Andy Spano asks – “are we in the US ready to make the kind of mass sacrifices that were made by thousands of American servicemen on Normandy beaches in 1944?” Norm Jacknis says that the answer is “No, not unless we perceive that our survival as a country is at stake.” Add the changes to the American psyche wrought by the significant losses incurred in Viet Nam – to no avail – and it is fair to ask if the US is ever again going to be willing to play the role of defender of the free world. What do you think? Are we ready to pay and die for causes. Or does today’s America prefer to hunker down in our affluent homes and hope that evil passes us by?

Marriage: Who Needs it?

I wish I were a tear to be born in your eyes when you cry for joy.
I wish I were a breath to gently caress your skin.
I wish I were a feeling to be able to love you directly.
I wish I were time to make this last forever.
I Love You….

Did you say something like this to your significant other this morning?  After all it is Valentine’s Day and we celebrate love and affection.  Maybe it’s just a warm caress or a card.  Maybe it’s flowers or a romantic dinner.  Whatever it is… does it convey the emotion of love?’

How to Fix Education

Today we completed the first series on education.  We intend to come back to this topic after the elections.  Many different “solutions” have been proposed for our education problems. .  We would like to hear your comments on what you think will work and what will not. 

Here are some of the proposals: 1. Do away with teacher tenure; 2. Eliminate teacher union rules that inhibit flexibility; 3.  Provide incentives- increased pay to teachers and/or for student performance; 4.  Smaller classes;  5.  More individualized teachings instead of treating the students as widgets in a factory; 6.  Make all students meet standardized tests;  7.  Increase status of teachers and learning in general; 8.  Spend more money on education;  9.  Increase the length of the school day and/or year;  10.  Provide equal funding for all schools;  11.  More sharter schools and/or vouchers; 12.  Increased use of digital technology- video and computers.

Do you have any other suggestions?

Charter Schools

This week we are discussing charter schools in our final (for now) show on education. With the whole educational system coming under intense scrutiny recently, charter schools are becoming more in vogue as the need for reinventing the public school system becomes more apparent. Please join Andy, Norm and Tom Monday at 10am on WVOX or listen live here for what will surely be a great discussion on the matter.

technology and education

Technology has restructured the way we educate our children, and restructured the way our children learn. Information is only a few clicks and a few seconds away. Has the easy access to information numbed out our youth to the critical thinking practices? Have teachers taken lessons plans directly from the internet? Both important questions. However, technology in education has provided opportunities for people who otherwise would not have the time or resources available to properly attend school. Today a person can obtain a college degree without ever steeping foot into a class room. One could argue that they would be losing the invaluable experience of interacting with other students, while the other would argue for the convenience that one could educate themselves without having to sacrifice responsibilities like raising a family or attending work and school. Common ground must be found between old style educators, and new technology advanced methods of teaching. The internet and technology are only getting bigger and gaining strength. It is important to use its advantages and be mindful of its dangers.

Reforming Education

America’s reputation of having the best higher education programs available is starting to die. With math and science scores plummeting in this country, and on the rise in countries like India and China, it is important to find where our education system has been failing our students, and what can be done to help them succeed. In a financial crisis, the lure of private education has been slowing due to the yearly increases in the cost of education, forcing parents to enroll their children in public education programs that are not always a promising alternative. Colleges and Universities today are more like a business than a place of higher learning. With everyone feeling the impact of the recession, institutions have lessened their requirements for acceptance and are now paying more attention to who can pay in full. In the past, admissions officers would market their schools with the promise that if attended, the return on your investment will be seen in the form of a higher lifetime income rate. However, with colleges over enrolling students, the stature of an undergraduate degree is becoming less and less glamourous. It is no longer a smart idea for every school to cover every subject. According to an article published in the New York Times “Academic Bankruptcy” NYU and Columbia both have competing philosophy majors in there schools at a time where jobs for philosophy academics are low. It is the contention of the author that the schools should combine their programs which would reduce costs by requiring fewer faculty members, and would also give students the opportunity to increase their course choices. Tune in to “Yesterday Today and Tomorrow” on the 1460am dial of your radio this monday September 6th to listen to our show about American education. Please call in to the show at 914-636-0110 to offer your opinions.

If you missed the last show…

Our last show aired August 23 and was on Social Media. Kris Ruby from Ruby Media Group guest-hosted and helped Andy, Norm and Tom discuss the Heroes and Zeros of the web.

You can listen to it right here: August 23, 2010 – Show Topic: Social Media Pt. 1 :Heroes and Zeros