Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Branches North Central Let's start some trouble!

Well it's Saturday the tour is incased in a half inch of ice and we haven't had a new thread in sometime, so let's start some trouble. Spout off about things that bug you! Jesse the big baby. A new stadium.(We have to keep Carl now! Oh crap!) Taxes! The weather, can you beleive the rain we got last night! I know I'm not the only one who's not going anywhere today so chime in. I'll start, Jesse needs to go sit in the corner till he learn's to play nice-nice with the other kid's in the sandbox. New stadium and Carl; For crying out loud did Carl figure out how to take his money with him when he goes or what! How much can a solid gold diamond studded casket cost? Remember he who dies with most toy is still died! Have fun plaing with them. He's 120 years old has more money then most of us will ever see. How much is enough? If he built a stadium and slapped his name on it he would be a hero in this town long after he's gone. Instead Carl stands with his hand out cying poverty while the city looks upon him as a penny pinching Scrooge begging for more when he already has more then most of us will EVER see! TAXES! @#%$%@#*&! Enough said? Affordable housing!?! No such thing is there. I live in a 2 bedroom apartment with my three kid's. Cost $900 a month for rent. I'm trying to find a house but the market is crazy!(Any help?) Cmon folks start your own controversy, let's hear what you have to say!

So my school gets a grant from Bill Gates to create "Small Learning Communities." Basically, from now on, students choose certain focus areas they will study in (Liberal Arts, Health and Human Services, Technology and Science, and Global Visions). The idea behind these communities is to try to make the school into 4 small schools. Students and parents get to choose where they would like to study and each community has specific requirements.

Despite these changes, the rest of the programs in school will remain the same (athletics, extracurricular, International Baccalaureate, etc).

What's the International Baccalaureate program (which I am in)? IB is a very intense program college prep program with 5 core areas: English, a world language (like Spanish), history, science, mathematics. There are also optional courses in the arts and computer science, etc. depending on what your school can provide. In 11th and 12th grade students can test in the subject areas they?ve taken classes in to earn certificates recognizing the work they have done, or to work toward the IB diploma (I?m trying to get mine, w00t!). The idea behind IB is to help students become well-rounded students with high academic achievements.

Now, if IB is going to continue to exist within these communities, where does it go? It doesn't fit in any particular community, so shouldn?t IB be its own community? That would sound like a good idea, but apparently those that participate in IB are ?elitist?. Somehow it is our fault that IB students meet each other in IB classes, become friends, and stick together as friends. Of course, IB students meet ?other? people in elective classes and there?s no reason why we can?t be friends with people in there, and IB students do in fact make friends with non-IB students. The only difference is that IB students take harder classes, which are open to anybody who wants to take them. But still, IB students are looked upon as snobs and denied a place in the communities.

So how is IB going to work within these communities? All students are allowed to take any classes they like, as long as they meet credit requirements (4 years of English, history, you get the deal). Well, if anybody can take any class they want, then what?s the point of the communities? ?They?re supposed to be like an IB program for those that do not do well in school, those that need help in focusing their academic abilities,? they tell me. Why are they trying to apply a program to an entire school there are many that don?t need it?? Also, don?t you think high school?s a little early to start determining a future career? People do that when they?re in college! If you don?t like a particular community and want to switch, how can you make up all the ?focused? classes that you missed?

Well, I?ve ranted for way too long. I?m sure I left out important parts, I know there?s more that I would like to complain about (my school basically has no money, thanks to budget cuts, not like we ever had much to start with ? read: $1 per student), but yeah.

I need to go blow off some more steam . If anybody actually bothered to read, I appreciate it.

Their starting you down the road to classism early. No pun intended. Isn't school clicky enough without promoting even more seperation. As for you Kaz I'm sorry but you don't fit in anywhere please excuse yourself from the planet. Maybe they should focus on educating everybody. Or maybe education has to prostatute itself's to people like Bill Gates to make ends meet. Or it's all part of Bill Gates master plan to rule the world through Microsoft and education. Makes no sense to me thou Kaz man.

Well I like that I am not the only one sitting around on a Saturday night. So let's keep the chatting going.

Yeah, well, it's all good that they're trying to help those that need it, but I think they're just going about it the wrong way.

But really, what can they do? Schools barely have enough money to stay up and running, and with the budget cuts, I can see why they'd take the Gates money. There's just no other way to make it.

You better watch out, or I'll sic the IB gnomes on you.

HMMMMMMM what can I say?????

Its funny how Bill Gates pumps money into schools when he didnt even graduate from college. What is he saying, "This is how you make money without graduating from college."

Anyways, why in the h*ll can't we get ahold of our congress reps up in here. I have emailed many of our state reps about a LEGAL, yes I said LEGAL dragstrip. The state could open a legal dragstrip in the Twin Cities and make a grip load of money. I wish I could get a hold of them, get something started here.

Well the reason I am here on a sat. night is because a girl ditched me for her friends. But I guess its only one night.

Peace, I'm out

What are you doing up at 5 am? Well this is what time I get up for work during the week and my body won't let me sleep in on the weekends. (@#$%&!) The kids are asleep, things are quite. Trivia question? Well ok! Do you know how Bill Gates got his big break? Bill (I call him by his first name because he,I and the IB gnomes are tight )was hired by IBM to create an operating system. What he did was he found an OS that another company had created gave them a million dollars for it turn around and sold it to IBM for 16 million IIRC. The bonus question, name that operating system? BEEP, times up! DOS! Almost all Windows(and most software for that matter) software is based on DOS. In true American business fashion Bill has made a lot of money off other peoples work.

Government pervasiveness in our lives is my beef. Let's get back to a strict interpretation of the Constitution which would scale back government to it's intended task. Then, instead of screwing us every time we turn around, all taxation ought to be done by a proportinal income tax with no deductions or exemptions. Lastly, where's the financial responsiblility of our government, including schools. I'd like to see numbers, REAL numbers stating where the money comes from, how much it is, and where it goes.

Everyone says schools are so short of money... look at the millions they have to spend. Where does it all go? If the schools need more money, they have to prove it to me using hard numbers. Personally, I think it's being used to fund an archaic and inefficient bureaucracy. Why do you need a superintendent? Can't the principals work directly with the school board? Why do parochial schools provide superior education with far less money? Why do we have all the special education programs that eat money and do nothing more than provide the parents with subsidized day care?

In short, strip government to the bare essentials, and run it as efficiently and inexpensively as possible.

Interesting you should say that James. While they continually cut the funding that the actual schools get, it seems like the superintendents down at 360 Colbourne keep getting more and more money.

C'mon, Patricia Harvey makes a 6 figure salary, and can afford things such as fur coats and a Jag, and yet she will never have as great an influence on me as my teachers, who make meager salaries in comparison. Patricia's "Read 25 Books a Year" program?
I shouldn't be required to read 25 books just because other people may not recognize how integral reading is to our lives - I don't take reading for granted. I won't even go into how POORLY implemented this program is...If I'm missing something completely important that cannot be done by administrators in my own school or by fewer superintendents altogether, then by all means, please tell me.

Whoops, got a little OT there. Cuts in district administration would be a huge break for the whole school system. Like I said before, when all is said and done, teachers have $1 for every student in terms of funds. My chemistry teacher has to ask students to bring in matches for class labs (don't tell anybody).

I'm sure the school system gets a lot of money, but I certainly don't see it anywhere in my school.

Great thread! As Dennis Miller says, I don't mean to go off on a rant here but......
The school budgets... I have put 3 kids thru school and have NO idea where the money is going. School attendance #'s have gone up about 40% in the last 10 years and the budget has gone up over 150%. What's up with that! Eagan high has a huge number of non-teachers on staff. Are they REALLY needed? And this Profile of Learning... What a crock! If school boards would spend the money in the classroom it would be a better use of tax dollars.
Taxes.... No way te state, as the 4th highest taxed in the country, should have to raise the tax rates further. If I don't have the money to buy an item or take a college course,too bad. I have to meet a budget every day and don't have the option of telling my employer the he or she MUST pay me more or I will cut back on my work. Get real! We have too many special programs for too few people and too many bulls**t programs in general.
O.K., I feel better now! Got lots more to say butdon't want to run you all off!!!