What is your highest level of education?

[Wombat]

Although I expected a lot of folks here to have tertiary training in some field or fields, I'm surprised at how few don't have. You can ask a question about just about anything here and get an informed, often highly expert, answer. I think that's great. I should add that I am including topics that involve no schooling whatsoever except experience on the job.

I'm not entirely sure how to interpret the results though. Most members are American. I get the impression that college education is more common in America than elsewhere. Even still, this looks as though we have college education way above the national average. Would I be right about that? I'd like to conduct a similar survey amongst my concertina internet group in Australia but they don't tolerate OT threads.

[Wormdiet]

Me too! BA in East Asian History, currently working on my MA in Ancient & Medieval European History.

I taught 7th grade English and History for 5 years before going back to school. I'm thinkin I'll probably end up teaching high school if I go back, though.

Justine

Both of my degrees are in medieval history. Great minds apparently think alike:)

COincidentally I just started teaching an AP world history class this year. I;ve somewhat turned it into an "East Asian" history class because that type of history is so interesting!

[Flyingcursor]

chas - As Cecil Adams said regarding a college education, "Sleeping your way through four years of monotonous drivel to get a piece of paper so you can make twice as much money for half as much work."

The reason I went to college after the Navy was because I met so many officers who were total @#@$@#, morons, arrogant pompus %%*&#$# and I knew I was as smart if not smarter then they were yet they wore fake gold crap on their shoulders and got paid three times as much to do half as much work because they had college degrees. So I went to school to prove it to myself.

BillChin - I feel your pain. The old late '90's IT boom is over and done. Besides I am just plain tired of trying to keep up. I don't have the same enthusiasm now as I once did for the 'latest' gadgetry.

Finally, I envy you history majors. I love history but I don't think I can get as solid a knowledge without the structure of a class.

BTW, anyone ever read all of Will Durant's history books?

[feadogin]

[quote="Wormdiet"
Both of my degrees are in medieval history. Great minds apparently think alike:)

COincidentally I just started teaching an AP world history class this year. I;ve somewhat turned it into an "East Asian" history class because that type of history is so interesting![/quote]

That's great! I used to focus a lot on Asian History in my World History class with the 7th graders, too. It's amazing how many of my students never learned anything about it before, and how many never get to study it in high school.

World History is such an important class, because in some cases, this is the only chance to give kids some exposure to different cultures and different views. They have so many misconceptions about other countries, and we are fortunate as History teachers to have the chance to get them to reexamine their beliefs. For example, it's amazing how few kids realize that Muslims, Jews, and Christians worship the same God.
It's great to be able to teach them that we're not all as different as many of them think. (Or at least to try to teach them). :roll:

Justine

[feadogin]

Finally, I envy you history majors. I love history but I don't think I can get as solid a knowledge without the structure of a class.

BTW, anyone ever read all of Will Durant's history books?

You should take a class! But I guess I like school so much that I am always taking some class or other...What type of History are you interested in?

I remember reading the Durants' books when I was younger, and I enjoyed them. I believe they are now considered somewhat outdated/ eurocentric, though I'm not sure if there has really been anything else written that covers the same wide scope that they did.

J.

[The Weekenders]

I was listening to former CBS correspondent Tom Fenton on my rwhradio station. He is flogging his new book about the dumbing-down of news and CBS in general.

He mentioned something that is really hard to take: for the entire area of Asia, there is only one stationed Foreign Correspondent each for CBS and ABC News. The one for CBS goes from Tokyo to Beijing mostly.

Rather than conscious censoring of the news, it all boils down to cost and the bean-counters, he says.

So the kids aren't going to learn much on the news either, or anyone else who might foolishly rely on TV news for basic info.

Number of correspondents covering the specific issue of Islamic terrorism and theology in the Mideast, according to Fenton, for CBS: 0.

[Jack]

For example, it's amazing how few kids realize that Muslims, Jews, and Christians worship the same God.

Is it in a public school that you teach this? If so, do you ask the families if any of them have objection to it before you teach it?

[feadogin]

For example, it's amazing how few kids realize that Muslims, Jews, and Christians worship the same God.

Is it in a public school that you teach this? If so, do you ask the families if any of them have objection to it before you teach it?

Yes, public school.
Part of our state curriculum for this grade level is the origins of World Religions. Basically we teach about religion from a historical perspective, which includes teaching about the founders as historical persons and the basic tenets of their faiths.

I have gotten questions from families before, but since we do not advocate any particular religion I have never had any parent object to their children learning about the history of different cultures and their beliefs.

J.

[feadogin]

He mentioned something that is really hard to take: for the entire area of Asia, there is only one stationed Foreign Correspondent each for CBS and ABC News. The one for CBS goes from Tokyo to Beijing mostly.

Rather than conscious censoring of the news, it all boils down to cost and the bean-counters, he says.

So the kids aren't going to learn much on the news either, or anyone else who might foolishly rely on TV news for basic info.

Number of correspondents covering the specific issue of Islamic terrorism and theology in the Mideast, according to Fenton, for CBS: 0.

That's shocking! I bet that one Asia correspondent has a lot of work to do. Don't even get me started on how bad the news is.

J.

[Nanohedron]

He mentioned something that is really hard to take: for the entire area of Asia, there is only one stationed Foreign Correspondent each for CBS and ABC News. The one for CBS goes from Tokyo to Beijing mostly.

Amazing. I suppose the rationale is something to the effect that Asians are all inscrutable and eat strange things, so what more do we really need to know? :roll:

[OnTheMoor]

3rd year in a BPAPM (Public Affairs and Policy Management). I'm specializing in Public Opinion and Policy Analysis, so mostly survey research, communications and statistics. Do I like it? Not especially. Can't for the life of me figure out what else I would like to take. I'm hung up on getting something 'practical' which this current degree is, despite being incredibly dull.

[Jack]

For example, it's amazing how few kids realize that Muslims, Jews, and Christians worship the same God.

Is it in a public school that you teach this? If so, do you ask the families if any of them have objection to it before you teach it?

Yes, public school.
Part of our state curriculum for this grade level is the origins of World Religions. Basically we teach about religion from a historical perspective, which includes teaching about the founders as historical persons and the basic tenets of their faiths.

I have gotten questions from families before, but since we do not advocate any particular religion I have never had any parent object to their children learning about the history of different cultures and their beliefs.

J.

You don't advocate any particular religion? Is not what you've discussed a form of universalism, and is that not unto itself a religion?

[Nanohedron]

Presenting information and espousing it are not the same thing.

[chas]

Although I expected a lot of folks here to have tertiary training in some field or fields, I'm surprised at how few don't have. You can ask a question about just about anything here and get an informed, often highly expert, answer. I think that's great. I should add that I am including topics that involve no schooling whatsoever except experience on the job.

I'm not entirely sure how to interpret the results though. Most members are American. I get the impression that college education is more common in America than elsewhere. Even still, this looks as though we have college education way above the national average. Would I be right about that? I'd like to conduct a similar survey amongst my concertina internet group in Australia but they don't tolerate OT threads.

These educational levels are not at all representative of the US population at large. Last I knew about 50% of young men and 60% of young women (mid-20's, I think) had some college. Of those over 25ish, I think the fraction of batchelor's degrees was around a quarter. Not sure about graduate degrees, but I bet it's less than half of that.

I live in a highly educated county, where about 1/3 (as above) have graduate degrees. But still way more than 11% have no college at all.

I think you're absolutely right that college is more common in the US than in most of the developed world. Part of it is that high school isn't as rigorous here as elsewhere. But part of it is the thing that I was griping about, that companies somewhat arbitrarily require college degrees for any decent job, or pay people more for doing the same job if they do have degrees. Things that required high-school diplomas a generation ago now require college diplomas. Yes, some jobs are way more complex now, but, come on. Many urban police forces are requiring college degrees for cops who walk beats.

So, many people are going to college out of necessity, some out of perceived necessity. And our country is suffering because of it. Politicians (and the population at large) complain about the movement of manufacturing jobs overseas. Yes, part of the problem is our expensive labor force, but some is human infrastructure. My brother-in-law was the comptroller of a plant in the Northeast awhile back. During the recession of the early '90's, they had EIGHT openings for machinists. After six months, they had filled two of these positions, and not with highly qualified individuals. Part of the reason for this is that the kids with the intelligence and common sense required of a machinist are being told they have to go to college in order to have any shot at a career. A machinist or welder who's good at his job can make a very good living, but many parts of the US have critical shortages in many skilled-labor areas.

Those in power continue to address this by requiring more writing in school and cutting the programs that prepare kids for these careers.

BTW, one of the reasons I like my job so much is that I have a fantastic machinist. I really worry about the day he retires.

[feadogin]

You don't advocate any particular religion? Is not what you've discussed a form of universalism, and is that not unto itself a religion?

Not sure what you mean by universalism, but like I said, we don't advocate any particular religion. We simply teach about the world religions in the context of the history and cultures in which they originated. Specifically, the time period we cover in the 7th grade would be Late Antiquity/ Medieval World history.

It's actually impossible to teach about this time period without discussing religion, because during that time period, religion was the main focus of most people's lives, especially in Europe. And in order to understand a people's History, it's important to familiarize oneself with their beliefs and values (as much as is possible).

J.