Frazz by Jef Mallett for September 30, 2016

If it’s on the test, then it’s relevant.

Listen, kid. All that’s in the eye and ear of the beholder, unless he’s so into his need to be a thorn in everyone’s side that he doesn’t pay much attention to anyone else.

We. Worms?

Just puting it on the test doesn’t make it relevant. I took “Restoration Era English Literature” as an undergrad, and the midterm consisted solely of questions about the material in the footnotes on the political infighting of the era.

“Teaching to the test” is one of the chief banes of modern education. What ever happened to learning for the sake of knowledge?

You gonna pay for the cameras?

I’d rather spend the tax dollars on stuff like updated materials to keep school interesting

AgewalkerYou could pay for them with what was left over from buying updated materials instead of a new stadium. Once paid for, the upkeep is far less than either the stadium or the (gasp) up to date instructional materials.

A student asks if something will be on the test because the instructor failed to show why it might otherwise be relevant. Poor teachers get that a lot. Truly bad teachers simply teach the test – ever been in the military?

Way back in the day, I had a class in Roman history. The school had just begun optional attendance. The professor, not wanting to disadvantage those who cut class, just read the textbook to us in class. Yeah, really boring. But the benefit was that he would tell us what exactly would be on the test. You could ignore the rest and still get a good grade. And pity the class cutters who had no idea what to study.

He’s of the idea of some things he doesn’t want to study if it won’t be on the test. Reminds me of Holmes talking about expunging his mind of what he considered irrelevancies in order to make room for information he wants to know.

AgewalkerAbout a third of capital expenses of a public school systems is spent on athletics for some 5% of the students (stadium, weight room, uniforms, etc. Indeed it is doubtful if many would even have a music program except that it is traditional accompaniment of sports). Males generally won’t be hired as teachers unless they can also coach (Title IX has taken some of this pressure off now that women can coach too.) .My point was, if you cut out the expensive interscholastic athletic program, substituting intramurals (“house teams” a la Hogworts) for the mens sana in corpore sano and life sports training, you will have enough money for both the up to date curriculum materials and the cameras, plus a little tax relief for the citizenry.