[geeks] New Tech Schools: Digital Harbor in Baltimore

[Lionel Peterson]

>From: velociraptor <velociraptor at gmail.com>
>Date: 2007/04/12 Thu PM 04:50:26 CDT
>To: The Geeks List <geeks at sunhelp.org>
>Subject: Re: [geeks] New Tech Schools: Digital Harbor in Baltimore

<snip>

>This gets back to the problem we've talked about on this list before,
>though.  They are teaching a tool that may well be obsolete by the
>time these kids in the workforce.  I mean, chose your career at 17
>when statistically, you are going to average one career every 7 years?

The funny thing in my case is that despite my long-term interest with 
technology, I never got a college degree in it (well, I'm working on one now 
;^) - my associates and bachelors degrees are in Humanities.
 
>Teach the kids how to teach themselves a new program, then have them
>go out, find something they want to use, and develop a
>document/project proving they know how to do it.  But this is *hard*,
>and not easily measurable, so it'll never happen.

I had a co-worker who went to a college that taught subjects from "source 
documents" Physics from Newton, etc., evolution from Darwin's writing, etc. 
He was smart in a pain in the ass way - like he'll someday be the smart, yet 
misunderstood clerk in the Mega Bookstore...

>Schools are so hamstrung by "standards" that the children are getting
>no real education, just being spoon-fed the answers to tests.  It's
>pathetic and makes me fear for the future.  One of my good college
>friends (a history & classics geek, on top of an IT geek) has been
>teaching his son, who's 8, iirc, Greek and Latin.  His son is gobbling
>up pretty much every piece of info put in front of him by his dad.  He
>loves it, so he doesn't even think it's hard.

I'm running for the local school board (I won't win, but that's OK), and it 
is amazing the pressures on the local school boards...

>Like I said, my kids aren't going to public school.  NCLB just put the
>headstone at that grave.

NCLB had a purpose, and it was well intentioned, but it focused too much on 
those with profound needs, ignoring those that have profound abilities.

Lionel