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I think relativism does play a role on outcomes regardless of the parallels you are drawing here. However, you do make a point on a person's competence based o

by mac1175 14y ago

I think relativism does play a role on outcomes regardless of the parallels you are drawing here. However, you do make a point on a person's competence based on how well they can handle a situation but I don't think you can group one's role as a teacher being equal as one's role as a lead engineer.

crusso 14y ago
I don't think you can group one's role as a teacher being equal as one's role as a lead engineer. Why not? Government run education is pathetic. Incentives are all out of whack, there's no competition between teachers or schools that can affect the status quo. Teachers could use a huge dose of whatever it is that the more competitive business world has to deal with.
- sethammons 14y ago
  Schools are the entity least run like a business out of anything else I can think of -- this is at the administrative level. When it comes to teacher competition, it is a different game than Company A winning a competitive contract over Company B. We want both companies to win here (read: both teachers -- or schools). Another problem with this idea is that you can fire obstinate clients. You can't do that with students. Teacher competition, I think, would reduce collaboration. Why give your competitor your secrets to success? Incentive pay? The problem under this idea is that new teachers are often given the most difficult and unruly of students while more experienced teachers get honors classes. I find this odd because the teachers will the best "tools" for dealing with difficult problems are moved away from those problems. Then again, the problem is that with any idea for reform, there is a list of reasons why it should not or would not work. I'm a fan of letting students who are not interested in the academics of school work towards trade school and let those who are academically inclined to work towards university. However, a retired college physics professor friend of mine does not like this solution because he would have been tracked towards trade school and never discovered his love for physics.
  - crusso 14y ago
    I recommend that you watch "Waiting for Superman". It focuses on the charter school initiatives across the country and shows that maybe we should be running schools much more like businesses. When you see how poor the options are for many of these inner city kids outside of the limited charter school options - it's heartbreaking. Just like you'll see recommended on HN, if you're going to fail, fail early and get on with something that has a chance of working. Our government funded education system is a long painful failure that established forces prevent from being scrapped and reinvented.

by mac1175 14y ago

crusso 14y ago

I don't think you can group one's role as a teacher being equal as one's role as a lead engineer. Why not? Government run education is pathetic. Incentives are all out of whack, there's no competition between teachers or schools that can affect the status quo. Teachers could use a huge dose of whatever it is that the more competitive business world has to deal with.

sethammons 14y ago
Schools are the entity least run like a business out of anything else I can think of -- this is at the administrative level. When it comes to teacher competition, it is a different game than Company A winning a competitive contract over Company B. We want both companies to win here (read: both teachers -- or schools). Another problem with this idea is that you can fire obstinate clients. You can't do that with students. Teacher competition, I think, would reduce collaboration. Why give your competitor your secrets to success? Incentive pay? The problem under this idea is that new teachers are often given the most difficult and unruly of students while more experienced teachers get honors classes. I find this odd because the teachers will the best "tools" for dealing with difficult problems are moved away from those problems. Then again, the problem is that with any idea for reform, there is a list of reasons why it should not or would not work. I'm a fan of letting students who are not interested in the academics of school work towards trade school and let those who are academically inclined to work towards university. However, a retired college physics professor friend of mine does not like this solution because he would have been tracked towards trade school and never discovered his love for physics.
- crusso 14y ago
  I recommend that you watch "Waiting for Superman". It focuses on the charter school initiatives across the country and shows that maybe we should be running schools much more like businesses. When you see how poor the options are for many of these inner city kids outside of the limited charter school options - it's heartbreaking. Just like you'll see recommended on HN, if you're going to fail, fail early and get on with something that has a chance of working. Our government funded education system is a long painful failure that established forces prevent from being scrapped and reinvented.