Comments on: Words Fail Me http://www.theadjunct.net/2009/05/20/words-fail-me/ FULL-TIME THOUGHTS FROM A PART-TIME PROFESSOR Fri, 14 Oct 2011 01:06:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: Professor STAFF http://www.theadjunct.net/2009/05/20/words-fail-me/comment-page-1/#comment-65 Professor STAFF Wed, 20 May 2009 19:30:09 +0000 http://www.theadjunct.net/?p=233#comment-65 My best guess is that the student was confusing World War II with the Civil War. The problem lies not in our public education system's failure to educate, but in our public education system's failure to fail. Students are more or less assured graduation, regardless of performance, and a high school diploma these days is little more than a piece of paper that says you've turned eighteen. Even in my college classes, students have expectations that if you show up, then you pass. Sadly, with instructors other than myself, this is becoming more and more true. My best guess is that the student was confusing World War II with the Civil War.

The problem lies not in our public education system’s failure to educate, but in our public education system’s failure to fail. Students are more or less assured graduation, regardless of performance, and a high school diploma these days is little more than a piece of paper that says you’ve turned eighteen.

Even in my college classes, students have expectations that if you show up, then you pass. Sadly, with instructors other than myself, this is becoming more and more true.

]]> By: Logan http://www.theadjunct.net/2009/05/20/words-fail-me/comment-page-1/#comment-64 Logan Wed, 20 May 2009 19:05:33 +0000 http://www.theadjunct.net/?p=233#comment-64 I'm totally flabbergasted by this post. Is this a product of our public educational system doing a bad job teaching history? Is this a problem in the U.S. or do Europeans have an equally poor historical imagination? What war in the 30s!? Do they not even know WWII began in 1939? Now I'm all worked up. I’m totally flabbergasted by this post. Is this a product of our public educational system doing a bad job teaching history? Is this a problem in the U.S. or do Europeans have an equally poor historical imagination? What war in the 30s!? Do they not even know WWII began in 1939? Now I’m all worked up.

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