Cons Versus College - Curriculum Versus Cold Facts


Selene

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This is about as crystallizing a story as you could find today to illustrate the scam that public education has perpetrated upon the citizenry.

On one side of the stage at a maximum-security prison here sat three men incarcerated for violent crimes.

On the other were three undergraduates from Harvard College.

After an hour of fast-moving debate on Friday, the judges rendered their verdict.

The inmates won.

Now how could Harvard lose to hustlers, hit men and hoodlums?

Easily...

Judge Mary Nugent, leading a veteran panel, said the Bard team made a strong case that the schools attended by many undocumented children were failing so badly that students were simply being warehoused. The team proposed that if “dropout factories” with overcrowded classrooms and insufficient funding could deny these children admission, then nonprofits and wealthier schools would step in and teach them better.

This is very telling:

The Harvard team members said they were impressed by the prisoners’ preparation and unexpected line of argument. “They caught us off guard,” said Anais Carell, a 20-year-old junior from Chicago.

The prison team had its first debate in spring 2014, beating the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. Then, it won against a nationally ranked team from the University of Vermont, and in April lost a rematch against West Point.

Preparing has its challenges. Inmates can’t use the Internet for research. The prison administration must approve requests for books and articles, which can take weeks.

They kinda had to think and create arguments, lines of attack and prep the other sides possible arguments.

I would love to see the judge's flow charts of the debate...

http://www.wsj.com/articles/an-unlikely-debate-prison-vs-harvard-1442616928

A...

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And the prisoners won. Not surprised. I'd be willing to bet they on the whole have more real-world life experience, problem solving skills and common sense than the average Harvard college graduate. This is not to say that they are good people, but lets not dismiss their capabilities or creativity.

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And I'd be willing to bet [the prisoners] on the whole have more real-world life experience, problem solving skills and common sense than the average Harvard college graduate.

Just about anyone who isn't a Harvard college graduate has "more real-world life experience, problem solving skills and common sense than the average Harvard college graduate" - except maybe the average Yale graduate. :laugh:

Ellen

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People in prison have a lot of time, and nothing else to do except to serve it. Their achievement is noteworthy and commendable, but should be kept in context. More salient would be their lack of previous education. That speaks to their productive use of their forced free time. The debate was only the tip of the iceberg. Their real effort was not perceived. That was the building of a foundation of skills which the Harvard students already had. It is the same 12 years for everyone. You can do it as a child or as an adult.

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People in prison have a lot of time, and nothing else to do except to serve it. Their achievement is noteworthy and commendable, but should be kept in context. More salient would be their lack of previous education. That speaks to their productive use of their forced free time. The debate was only the tip of the iceberg. Their real effort was not perceived. That was the building of a foundation of skills which the Harvard students already had. It is the same 12 years for everyone. You can do it as a child or as an adult.

Fair point as to context.

However, you would consider that imprinting a "12 year paradigm on all children" is pedagogical foolishness forced on "educating" the masses.

A...

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