Wow! The dumbing down is almost complete. Got this breathless announcement in e-mail this morning:

Shop Pay: $25.00 and $20 bonus! = $50 total pay!

I was no math whiz, but I don't need a calculator for this one!

Plus a $5 reimbursement?

Creative math!

cease

I have done shops where I have seen it first hand. I wanted to swat the administrator of the facility and explain what was wrong with what they were doing however I was on a shop.

I, mind you, had received a roll of the eyes and deep breath held when I played the part of a mother wanting to keep my child on an unprocessed diet. I stated I would be bring in the childs snacks, breast milk, and lunch. The administrator stated several times that the state mandates certain foods be administered to the child. I am sorry but does that mean chex cereal and fruit loops is healthy for my child who has an genetic disposition to allergies be taken off home made snacks?

Anyway, we then went onto the topic of education - of course it was the type of shop. I was told that the child would be played with, rocked, put to sleep, and read to. The children under 6 months old do not need a real curriculum! I was dumb founded. I tried to explain that I do sign language with my child and it has greatly advanced my childs comprehension. I was told, "oh that is not real. The state doesn't believe in that sort of thing. They have certain standards and they are the best."

I really felt like screaming at her that my nephew at 5 years old knew the difference between Bach and Mozart, could carry on conversations in sign language and speak 3 different languages. When he was put into school, the school system had no clue what to do with the child that advanced. My sister finally home schooled and put him into Montisouri (sp) school. He is now in med school! His sister is becoming a lawyer.

It is beyond unfathomable what we have done to our school system. We do not want free thinkers that can make a difference. We want cogs in a machine to make other people wealthy and be the servants.


I digress however - we shall now return back to the topic at hand...

That's really scary, gypsy! No free thinkers allowed. Learn the new math and do as we tell you! Yikes!

All you have to do is an Arches shop to find the "dumbing down of America!!"


I am wondering why there is a red squiggle under the word "dumbing"... there it is again...

Kathee70 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> All you have to do is an Arches shop to find the
> "dumbing down of America!!"
>
>
> I am wondering why there is a red squiggle under
> the word "dumbing"... there it is again...

Apparently Big Bro doesn't like it, Kathee!

Playing devil's advocate, I see a rushed scheduler trying to get an email out ASAP to fill the job ASAP so the grumpy boss stops yelling. It's a simple math mistake. Nothing more.

Should the email writer check their work and catch that? Yes. But we all make mistakes.

Just the other day I wrote an invitation to a meeting and had it read by two other people. None of us caught the fact that I wrote March 28, rather than April 28.

Dumbing down to me implies taking a complex issue and putting it into black/ white, yes / no, or even you're for it or against it viewpoints.

Hmmmmm

Maybe I didn't eat my wheaties this morning.

Playing devil's advocate, I see a rushed scheduler trying to get an email out ASAP to fill the job ASAP so the grumpy boss stops yelling. It's a simple math mistake. Nothing more.

Should the email writer check their work and catch that? Yes. But we all make mistakes.

I'm not cut much slack there, Mike, so why should I extend grace to the MSC? They fooked up pure and simple.

I have always worked for non profits where staffing was slim. Still, we found a way to have co-workers proof our materials prior to print. It is never a good idea to do otherwise. I often read shopper instructions with type-o's and conflicting scenarios. The type-o's are meaningless to me. The confilicting scenarios can turn to a "shop gone bad" when the schedulers are either unavailable to answer questions or minimize the requirements when contacted in order to get the shop done.

If you want to know, it's Montessori. I had to correct you spelling because you asked ("(sp)", and because I was really feeling inferior to your brilliant nephew.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/23/2014 06:59AM by kamarkim.

Kamarkin thank you for the spelling check.

anywhoo my ex-husband and I had this argument often. He said I was a strict parent and should let kids be kids. We went to his sisters house who followed the current school system. Her kids were screaming, throwing tantrum and down right uncivil. The 18 month old didn't speak a word just grunted. The 3 year old kept throwing food around and couldn't sit still for the life of him. The 5 year old thought it fun to beat every one up, eat when he wanted to, and didn't know colors, letters or complete sentences. I was there for 2 days before I "snapped".

I began sign language with the 18 month old. If she wanted the bottle, a grunt didn't cut it. She had to ask for it. And she learned quick the signs for bottle, hungry, diaper, mom, dad, yes and no. The 3 year old learned sign language and basic speaking and basic eating skills. The five year old went over my knee 3 times. When I was about to do it a fourth time, he stopped the crap. He learned colors and everything else a 5 year old about to go to school should know.

I was there for 14 days. By the time I left, these 3 had manners, basic knowledge, and were no longer angry. They could speak and be heard and understood. My sis-in-law was fuming that I "took over". She had said that she was told by the doctors that it was the teachers job to teach the children. I looked at her and said plainly: you are the teacher. you are the mom and what is a mom or a dad but a teacher.

His family never really liked me. Stated I was going against the grain, a radical and other comments. I asked for a video from my sister with her wee ones. Anytime my ex began being upset about my "strict parenting", I would pull the video of his sisters kids vs my sisters kids. My entire family believed that you read to the womb, ask the cradle what it wants and an ol' fashion glare should sit any child. There shouldn't be a reason to hit a child if you have the right look starting at a young age.

but I digress. this topic was suppose to be about schedulers not school systems. Maybe it's me however don't the two go hand in hand?



To answer your question, I have no kids of my own. I am infertile which is why my ex left me - long story. I helped raise another sisters children however. I also rescue aggressive pups and make them into functioning members of society. Everyone/thing needs to learn and be heard. Everyone/thing needs some way to communicate. To stop the rage, you have to start the listening and communication. With over crowded schools, under paid and over whelmed teachers how can we hear a child's real voice.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/23/2014 02:59PM by gypsymonkey.

It is to much work to get real excited about an error that a scheduler or editor makes. Several times I have made mistakes and the msc let me work through the error.
After spending many years in education, I get very hostile when I hear that the schools are garbage. Yes, schools have issues but before issuing insults about a school, please, please, please work in a 45' by 45' room with 20 kids before opening your mouth.

iagal, we can start with "issues in the American school system" by the fact that one person is expected to handle 20 children (which is more like 30 or even 40 in most schools). Do you know what an acceptable ratio is for four-year-olds at a preschool?

One adult to six children.

Why does that magically become "one adult to 30 children" only six months later?

That 1 adult to 20 children is a big thing. I do cyber school with six of my children at home, and while they all have virtual classes to attend, I have to help the three youngest ones with the majority of their learning, especially my twin 2nd graders. I can't imagine having to teach 20 2nd graders, especially with something like the "new math".

gypsymonkey Wrote:

>
> I really felt like screaming at her that my nephew
> at 5 years old knew the difference between Bach
> and Mozart, could carry on conversations in sign
> language and speak 3 different languages. When he
> was put into school, the school system had no clue
> what to do with the child that advanced. My sister
> finally home schooled and put him into Montisouri
> (sp) school. He is now in med school! His sister
> is becoming a lawyer.
>
> It is beyond unfathomable what we have done to our
> school system. We do not want free thinkers that
> can make a difference. We want cogs in a machine
> to make other people wealthy and be the servants.
>
>
Gypsy,
Doesn't your state mandate gifted education? I have worked in gifted ed since 1986 and it is required here in AZ. It sounds like your true calling may be as a state legislator!

Not just 20 kids… but 20 kids who may have been given froot loops and gogurts at home, hot dogs for school lunch, and "fruit" gummies (corn syrup with 10% juice) for snack. Food additives can cause kids to bounce off the walls, swing from the chandeliers, and have trouble concentrating. So we have them wash their ritalin down with sunny-d, and blame the teachers for their inability to manage the classroom.

I'm a substitute teacher, too. At high school level in California, we're not talking about 20 kids, we're talking about 35 to 40.

Teaching that many students may be impossible to help any one of them very much, Ismael.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/25/2014 07:34AM by bestofbothworlds.

bestofbothworlds Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Teaching that many students may it impossible to
> help any one of them very much, Ismael.

I agree.

As a former elementary school teacher, I can say that managing a classroom of 35 students was not an issue for me. The prohibitive issues were that our curriculum expanded widely from the 3'R'S to health and social curriculum, best taught in the home. This cut into the time that we could devote to the 3'R'S. This pattern was then repeated in middle school and again in high school. As a result, students graduate high school with the required number of credits/units, but not with the education required to move to the next level. The students are not to blame. They will do what is expected of them by their parents first and teachers second.

I do not expect schedulers to be exact in their posts in terms of grammar and spelling........only in the requirements of job overview, pay and due dates. Equally, I hope and expect that the editors (many of which are English Majors) be realistic.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/25/2014 08:03AM by KathyC.

That's a sad commentary, Kathy.

When I went to elementary school in the late fifties and early sixties in North Louisiana, there were 35-40 students per classroom, so the size of classrooms is nothing new. I remember being amazed when my kids were in elementary that the classrooms had only 22-25 students. As Kathy says, curriculum and expectations have changed.

Also changed is our support for teachers and home reinforcement. As a student, if I were scolded or punished by a teacher, I would not have run home to tell Mom and Dad - I would likely have been punished again for getting in trouble at school. Over the years, I've been amazed to see how many times parents demand explanations and justification from a teacher without getting all the details of a situation from their child. And our society now seems to believe homework should be abolished - it interferes with our free time. And we've "dumbed down" our grading system- we think all children should pass and that more should make an A or a B - a C is no longer "average" - and it's now bad to be average. All our children must excel - whether they do or not.

There are some major problems with today's educational system and we think money is the answer. We are spending more and more on less and less. Rant for the day.

The problems from the educational system are coming from many sides. Legislation coming down about what to teach and how to assess it. And much of this legislation comes people who have actually taught little humans. The state testing we had to give our fourth graders a couple of years was over 100 pages long. Many of these pages had only one or two questions along with some blank pages, but the look of terror you see on a 9 year olds face is unforgettable. By tying the teacher eval process to the scores time has to be taught teaching to the test even though that might not be the best in terms of developing critical thinking.

Parent attitudes that their children can do no wrong make it tough. Actually overheard a parent tell a teacher that if there was ever a difference between the story a child told about the incident and the teacher version, she would always believe her child hundred percent no questions asked. This assignment this child standing next to her. This is after a small fight on the playground. In reality it wasn't a big deal, as many elementary school age children will get in a fight at some point in their educational career. But since mom is adamant her kid had zero fault at all times, instead of a little learning about behaving and keeping a calm head, he learned that whatever he says will be believed, so he can just behave how he wants.

Also seen homeschooled children enrolled in school meeting here. Parents claimed they did not have any supplies when we requested them, including pencils, notebooks, or crayons. I find it hard to believe there is a really an effective homeschooling program out there that would be utilizing those supplies for 7 year olds.

Gypsy, I just have to comment about your SIL's kids. Based on their ages, it sounds like it's all stemming from home/parenting issues. I currently am a teacher and we get children like this coming in to 1st grade every year. Often they are moving in from other districts so we have no clue what they're like until the day they show up to start class. Even with kids with less extreme behavior than that, we have so many who just have poor social skills. I can't even play a fun game with my small group without 2 or 3 out of 5 first graders getting pouty if they don't win. I have kids who are starved for attention and complain to me how mom is always on the phone (texting or browsing) or computer.
we tell all parents that we expect them to take part in their child's education. That is really irresponsible of your SIL's ped to tell her that education is just the school's job. But you know in my 17 years of teaching, I have seen plenty of docs who are totally out of touch.

With all the problems this Country has, making a typo is nothing, unless, the company pays only $45. Hopefully, the $50 will be honored.

Am I on the wrong page? Isn't this post to be about mystery shopping?

It is SUPPOSED to be about mystery shopping, however whenever we get beyond about five posts in a thread things start to get off task. A few of us have difficulty with staying focused.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/27/2014 02:30AM by Shelly.

About the focus issue - How many of you Mystery Shoppers have ADD? I do MS plus crowd source apps, and found many people do admit to ADD troubles, and I have been diagnosed myself with it. I wonder if this type of work draws that certain personality, because of the variety and independence involved. (I've gotten in trouble in a strait-laced, routine office job.)

heartlandcanuck Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not just 20 kids… but 20 kids who may have been
> given froot loops and gogurts at home, hot dogs
> for school lunch, and "fruit" gummies (corn syrup
> with 10% juice) for snack. Food additives can
> cause kids to bounce off the walls, swing from the
> chandeliers, and have trouble concentrating. So we
> have them wash their ritalin down with sunny-d,
> and blame the teachers for their inability to
> manage the classroom.


Try 35 the day after Halloween.