Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Thursday, July 8. 2010

School choice in New Orleans

It is happening. A good thing, indeed. Monopolies are bad policy, especially government monopolies. Monopolies do not respond to market demand.


However, I am an extremist. I do not believe in government education in any form. We did better before we had any of that. See John Adams and Abe Lincoln...


As I repeat ad nauseum, education cannot be "delivered." It can only be grabbed by those who wish to grab it. I also believe Harvard or Yale (your choice) diplomas should be an entitlement for all American kids on reaching age 21. Like the Wizard of Oz did.


Let's face it: How many Ivy grads know Fermat's last theorem, today? Or can translate Caesar or Plutarch? The education industry today is a giant rip-off and nothing more than a credential sales scam.

Posted by The Barrister in Education, Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects, Our Essays, Politics at 17:57 | Comments (8) | Trackbacks (0)

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Do you use "stress testing"?
I always did.
90% (made up stat) of most jobs are "routine", but what you really want is the ability to handle stress and new challenges, and adapt quickly and effectively.
#1 Bruce Kesler on 2010-07-08 21:45 (Reply)
Well, I know what Fermat's Last Theorem is, but I can't translate Greek or Latin.

The only use I normally got out of a job candidate's resume was to find two experiences there and think of a way to ask the candidate to compare them. I could find out quickly whether he could apply abstract principles to concrete situations, on short notice, in a way that made interesting sense, and what else does a lawyer need to be able to do?
#2 Texan99 (Link) on 2010-07-08 22:25 (Reply)
I do not believe in government education in any form. We did better before we had any of that. See John Adams and Abe Lincoln...

Lincoln did get some of his schooling in a government-run schoolhouse. His childhood was spent in Kentucky and Illinois, both states created from the old North-West Territories. The Northwest Ordinance which created those territories specified that one plot of land in every township was to be set aside for a town-run school.

When I interview potential employees for our firm, I ignore their paper credentials. ... Most people that get to me are credentialed dopes.

I wonder how many good candidates you've never seen because they get screened out early on for not having good-enough credentials.
#3 wolfwalker on 2010-07-09 00:23 (Reply)
If you want something that will really make you pound your head against the wall, try this expose of the Texas Education Agency in today's Houston Chronicle: "I'll Gladly Pass You Today for the Expectation That You Probably Could Pass Someday in the Future"

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/casey/7100119.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+houstonchronicle%2Fmetrocasey+%28HoustonChronicle.com+-+Rick+Casey%29

I'm sorry, did I do that right? Can I do a=href things here?
#4 Texan99 (Link) on 2010-07-09 12:24 (Reply)
Follow the link at More tips here. See below the comment box you write in when making a comment. Follow to web links. One difference with Maggie's Farm setup and standard setup is that MF uses "[ ]" instead of "< >" . Etc.
#4.1 Gringo on 2010-07-09 16:27 (Reply)
Ha! Thank you, that's exactly what I needed. Spectacularly insane education article here.

Now I'll see if that worked.
#5 Texan99 (Link) on 2010-07-09 16:45 (Reply)
So where exactly did you learn to write then?
#6 dissident (Link) on 2010-07-09 18:42 (Reply)
Whom is that a question to? Is the question where people can learn to write who don't rely on government schools? There are lots of options.
#6.1 Texan99 (Link) on 2010-07-09 18:51 (Reply)

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