8th-grader planned school shooting

gobrowns19
gobrowns19 Posts: 1,447
edited May 2009 in A Moving Train
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090519/ap_ ... l_shooting

LAROSE, La. – A Louisiana middle school student stormed into a classroom and fired a gunshot over a teacher's head Monday before shooting himself in a bathroom, authorities said. Investigators found a suicide note and plans for a rampage in the teen's journal.

The 15-year-old student, whose name was not released, fired once around 9 a.m. inside a classroom at Larose-Cut Off Middle School, then shot himself in the head, said Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre. He was in critical but stable condition. The teacher had never taught the teen.

Webre said investigators found a note describing the boy's plans to "gear up" before his spree, along with a drawing of how he'd dress. The boy also scribbled "I am king" and "y'all will die!" on a sheet of paper investigators found.

Although he apparently was intent on killing people, he was armed with only four bullets for the .25-caliber, semiautomatic pistol he had taken from his father's home during the weekend. The boy's mother noticed he seemed nervous before school, but he said he was just worried about seeing his standardized test results, which were released Monday, Webre said.

About 500 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders attend the school in a rural community of about 7,000 people, some 45 miles southwest of New Orleans. Webre said the boy had no disciplinary problems at school and hadn't been in trouble with the law. The teen had no reason to be in the classroom, he said.

He was a year or two older than most of his classmates, who described him as a quiet boy who never talked about guns or violence.

Webre said investigators found inside the boy's bookbag a completely filled journal and two loose sheets of paper that appeared to be a plan for the shooting and a suicide note. The school has both standing and handheld metal detectors, but they aren't used all the time and weren't in use Monday.

Webre said the boy arrived at the school in uniform — white shirt, khaki pants — but changed into camouflage pants shown in his drawing. In an expletive-laced note, he wrote, "First, I will tell my art class teacher that I had to go to the bathroom. Then I would go to the last stall and 'gear up.'"

Eighth-grader Dustin Sevin said the boy has been his friend for several years and that he never talked about guns or violence. At the end of second period, his friend said he needed to see the nurse and left with his backpack.

The teen apparently headed to another classroom, walked to the front of the room and pointed the pistol at the whiteboard, said sheriff's spokeswoman Sgt. Lesley Hill-Peters. He tried to fire at the board, but it wouldn't go off. He then stepped forward, pointed the gun at the teacher, raised it and fired a single shot over her head.

Coley Gaspard, 14, said he was in his seventh-grade English and reading class when the boy came in. The teen yelled for everyone to get down, cursing at the class.

Nobody moved. Gaspard knew the boy, whom he described as quiet and nice, and thought it was a dramatic enactment for some sort of lesson. Then, he said, the boy walked over and pointed the gun at the teacher, ordering her to say, "Hail Marilyn Manson," referring to the shock-rock icon, Gaspard said.

She said nothing. He fired into the wall and told another boy to get up. The seventh-grader stayed in his seat, and the teen left.

Hill-Peters, the spokeswoman, said she couldn't confirm Gaspard's account.

"After a situation like this you're going to have a lot of kids, a lot of parents, a lot of people saying a lot of stuff," she said.

The school was scheduled to reopen Tuesday with enhanced security and several counselors on hand.

My question that arises from reading this is 'what is it that makes students in our country in the last two decades do this and things like it?'

Gun laws are more relaxed now? Generations have been raised more violent? Our society being one that is always scared? What is it?

I've been thinking about it and would like to know your opinions...and in depth please :mrgreen:
Happiness is only real when shared
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments

  • Cosmo
    Cosmo Posts: 12,225
    Well... first thing that comes to mind is this kid gets an F- in 'Planning'.
    ...
    It's both sad and good at the same time. Sad for the obvious reasons, good because his poor planning and inadequate math skills... 4 bullets = 'Killing Spree'???... means the damage is contained to one less tainted set of chromosomes in the gene pool. It's Darwin's Theory put into practice... the thinning of the herd.
    ...
    Jaded? Me? Really? How'd you guess?
    We live in a place where guns are worshipped, violence is accepted (but naked tits get the blurred treatment... because we all know how dangerous those tits are, with those sharp tips and all) and celebrity for stupidity is how to make a name for yourself.
    So... yeah... I guess i'm fucking jaded. If we're not going to even fucking try to do something about it except to accept it as 'Free Fucking Will' and the god given right to free access to guns and justice for all... then, we shouldn't be fucking surprized when it happens... again. It's getting to be an expected event here... just like those car chases we all love to watch, but get so disappointed when they don't end in a firey wreck of death and destruction.
    ...
    And don't worry... if you feel bad about that kid... you'll see him when you go to Hell. Along with all the rest of us.
    Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
    Hail, Hail!!!
  • Commy
    Commy Posts: 4,984
    this is a society built on the fundamentals of greed and selfishness. and I don't mean that as a bitter opinion, its the way capitalism is structured.

    At its core, capitalism puts individuals against each other in a lifelong competition to get ahead, from day one of school. For some of us its not the way we're wired. We actually care about other people, and would like to work together to achieve goals, whatever those are. Most of us turn to rebelling in other ways...drugs, alcohol, skipping class, dropping out of school, whatever the case may be.

    This kid and others have chosen a different way to express that angst, I believe. And there may be reasons for that.

    Culture in America is becoming more and more violent....in every media we see. On the news the government is bombing some country to solve a problem, the movie hero of the day is kicking ass and solving his/her problems-tv shows reward greed and selfishness and scheming. like Cosmo mentioned, nudity is still blurred on tv, but brains on teh sidewalk, no problem. America has become desensitized to violence. and I believe everything about our culture is carefully crafted and shaped by the corporate owners who feed us the bs.

    every part of it is breeding these outsiders, and every day alienates them more. violence is what they know, and guns are easy to come by. I'm actually surprised it doesn't happen more. kids acting out on a society they want nothing to do with.

    education in amerika is criminal. it trains drones for the work force, not independent thinkers and compassionate individuals. I smoked pot in highschool every day before class, at lunch and after school. that's how i chose to escape the bullshit...still got good grades, anyone can recite random capitols if they look at a book long enough. I can't recite those same capitols now...which is either the weed or the teaching methods. probably a combo of both. but that's not learning. they are not teaching critical thinking, in any way. more the opposite. just accept everything. watch tv. listen to commercials. compete. be selfish and greedy. you might get ahead...

    the problem is the end result. not everyone is wired to want to become rich or famous. I don't care about any of those things i know that. but that's the prize for succeeding at capitalism. some of us would rather not spend a life trying to achieve those ends.
  • Byrnzie
    Byrnzie Posts: 21,037
    Commy wrote:
    this is a society built on the fundamentals of greed and selfishness. and I don't mean that as a bitter opinion, its the way capitalism is structured.

    At its core, capitalism puts individuals against each other in a lifelong competition to get ahead, from day one of school. For some of us its not the way we're wired. We actually care about other people, and would like to work together to achieve goals, whatever those are. Most of us turn to rebelling in other ways...drugs, alcohol, skipping class, dropping out of school, whatever the case may be.

    This kid and others have chosen a different way to express that angst, I believe. And there may be reasons for that.

    Culture in America is becoming more and more violent....in every media we see. On the news the government is bombing some country to solve a problem, the movie hero of the day is kicking ass and solving his/her problems-tv shows reward greed and selfishness and scheming. like Cosmo mentioned, nudity is still blurred on tv, but brains on teh sidewalk, no problem. America has become desensitized to violence. and I believe everything about our culture is carefully crafted and shaped by the corporate owners who feed us the bs.

    every part of it is breeding these outsiders, and every day alienates them more. violence is what they know, and guns are easy to come by. I'm actually surprised it doesn't happen more. kids acting out on a society they want nothing to do with.

    education in amerika is criminal. it trains drones for the work force, not independent thinkers and compassionate individuals. I smoked pot in highschool every day before class, at lunch and after school. that's how i chose to escape the bullshit...still got good grades, anyone can recite random capitols if they look at a book long enough. I can't recite those same capitols now...which is either the weed or the teaching methods. probably a combo of both. but that's not learning. they are not teaching critical thinking, in any way. more the opposite. just accept everything. watch tv. listen to commercials. compete. be selfish and greedy. you might get ahead...

    the problem is the end result. not everyone is wired to want to become rich or famous. I don't care about any of those things i know that. but that's the prize for succeeding at capitalism. some of us would rather not spend a life trying to achieve those ends.

    Well said. I agree.
  • jlew24asu
    jlew24asu Posts: 10,118
    Commy wrote:
    this is a society built on the fundamentals of greed and selfishness. and I don't mean that as a bitter opinion, its the way capitalism is structured.

    At its core, capitalism puts individuals against each other in a lifelong competition to get ahead, from day one of school. For some of us its not the way we're wired. We actually care about other people, and would like to work together to achieve goals, whatever those are. Most of us turn to rebelling in other ways...drugs, alcohol, skipping class, dropping out of school, whatever the case may be.

    This kid and others have chosen a different way to express that angst, I believe. And there may be reasons for that.

    Culture in America is becoming more and more violent....in every media we see. On the news the government is bombing some country to solve a problem, the movie hero of the day is kicking ass and solving his/her problems-tv shows reward greed and selfishness and scheming. like Cosmo mentioned, nudity is still blurred on tv, but brains on teh sidewalk, no problem. America has become desensitized to violence. and I believe everything about our culture is carefully crafted and shaped by the corporate owners who feed us the bs.

    every part of it is breeding these outsiders, and every day alienates them more. violence is what they know, and guns are easy to come by. I'm actually surprised it doesn't happen more. kids acting out on a society they want nothing to do with.

    education in amerika is criminal. it trains drones for the work force, not independent thinkers and compassionate individuals. I smoked pot in highschool every day before class, at lunch and after school. that's how i chose to escape the bullshit...still got good grades, anyone can recite random capitols if they look at a book long enough. I can't recite those same capitols now...which is either the weed or the teaching methods. probably a combo of both. but that's not learning. they are not teaching critical thinking, in any way. more the opposite. just accept everything. watch tv. listen to commercials. compete. be selfish and greedy. you might get ahead...

    the problem is the end result. not everyone is wired to want to become rich or famous. I don't care about any of those things i know that. but that's the prize for succeeding at capitalism. some of us would rather not spend a life trying to achieve those ends.

    so if big evil capitilism is the source of Americans problems, what system should we adopt?

    and your little rant about American education system is a fucking joke.
  • jlew24asu
    jlew24asu Posts: 10,118
    Cosmo wrote:
    Well... first thing that comes to mind is this kid gets an F- in 'Planning'.
    ...
    It's both sad and good at the same time. Sad for the obvious reasons, good because his poor planning and inadequate math skills... 4 bullets = 'Killing Spree'???... means the damage is contained to one less tainted set of chromosomes in the gene pool. It's Darwin's Theory put into practice... the thinning of the herd.
    ...
    Jaded? Me? Really? How'd you guess?
    We live in a place where guns are worshipped, violence is accepted (but naked tits get the blurred treatment... because we all know how dangerous those tits are, with those sharp tips and all) and celebrity for stupidity is how to make a name for yourself.
    So... yeah... I guess i'm fucking jaded. If we're not going to even fucking try to do something about it except to accept it as 'Free Fucking Will' and the god given right to free access to guns and justice for all... then, we shouldn't be fucking surprized when it happens... again. It's getting to be an expected event here... just like those car chases we all love to watch, but get so disappointed when they don't end in a firey wreck of death and destruction.
    ...
    And don't worry... if you feel bad about that kid... you'll see him when you go to Hell. Along with all the rest of us.

    overreact much? go live in Islamabad Pakistan and tell me if guns and violence are worshiped. and stop acting like this is a weekly event. they have become few and far between. what should we do...ban all guns? I swear some of you just like to type a bunch of bullshit and jerk off to it later.
  • ajedigecko
    ajedigecko \m/deplorable af \m/ Posts: 2,431
    Commy wrote:
    this is a society built on the fundamentals of greed and selfishness. and I don't mean that as a bitter opinion, its the way capitalism is structured.

    At its core, capitalism puts individuals against each other in a lifelong competition to get ahead, from day one of school. For some of us its not the way we're wired. We actually care about other people, and would like to work together to achieve goals, whatever those are. Most of us turn to rebelling in other ways...drugs, alcohol, skipping class, dropping out of school, whatever the case may be.

    This kid and others have chosen a different way to express that angst, I believe. And there may be reasons for that.

    Culture in America is becoming more and more violent....in every media we see. On the news the government is bombing some country to solve a problem, the movie hero of the day is kicking ass and solving his/her problems-tv shows reward greed and selfishness and scheming. like Cosmo mentioned, nudity is still blurred on tv, but brains on teh sidewalk, no problem. America has become desensitized to violence. and I believe everything about our culture is carefully crafted and shaped by the corporate owners who feed us the bs.

    every part of it is breeding these outsiders, and every day alienates them more. violence is what they know, and guns are easy to come by. I'm actually surprised it doesn't happen more. kids acting out on a society they want nothing to do with.

    education in amerika is criminal. it trains drones for the work force, not independent thinkers and compassionate individuals. I smoked pot in highschool every day before class, at lunch and after school. that's how i chose to escape the bullshit...still got good grades, anyone can recite random capitols if they look at a book long enough. I can't recite those same capitols now...which is either the weed or the teaching methods. probably a combo of both. but that's not learning. they are not teaching critical thinking, in any way. more the opposite. just accept everything. watch tv. listen to commercials. compete. be selfish and greedy. you might get ahead...

    the problem is the end result. not everyone is wired to want to become rich or famous. I don't care about any of those things i know that. but that's the prize for succeeding at capitalism. some of us would rather not spend a life trying to achieve those ends.
    well............it is the blanket statements such as these that are the problem.

    as an educator of the public school system, i see doors open for kids who are normally marginalized. and to address your point of being in highschool and learning capitals, where did you attend highschool? the learning of capitals is a third grade standard in our district.
    live and let live...unless it violates the pearligious doctrine.
  • jlew24asu
    jlew24asu Posts: 10,118
    ajedigecko wrote:
    well............it is the blanket statements such as these that are the problem.

    as an educator of the public school system, i see doors open for kids who are normally marginalized. and to address your point of being in highschool and learning capitals, where did you attend highschool? the learning of capitals is a third grade standard in our district.

    thats the problem with Commy. he knows all. he has all the answers. the world is very cut and dry. and its all too easy to paint something with a broad brush.
  • soulsinging
    soulsinging Posts: 13,202
    ajedigecko wrote:
    Commy wrote:
    this is a society built on the fundamentals of greed and selfishness. and I don't mean that as a bitter opinion, its the way capitalism is structured.

    At its core, capitalism puts individuals against each other in a lifelong competition to get ahead, from day one of school. For some of us its not the way we're wired. We actually care about other people, and would like to work together to achieve goals, whatever those are. Most of us turn to rebelling in other ways...drugs, alcohol, skipping class, dropping out of school, whatever the case may be.

    This kid and others have chosen a different way to express that angst, I believe. And there may be reasons for that.

    Culture in America is becoming more and more violent....in every media we see. On the news the government is bombing some country to solve a problem, the movie hero of the day is kicking ass and solving his/her problems-tv shows reward greed and selfishness and scheming. like Cosmo mentioned, nudity is still blurred on tv, but brains on teh sidewalk, no problem. America has become desensitized to violence. and I believe everything about our culture is carefully crafted and shaped by the corporate owners who feed us the bs.

    every part of it is breeding these outsiders, and every day alienates them more. violence is what they know, and guns are easy to come by. I'm actually surprised it doesn't happen more. kids acting out on a society they want nothing to do with.

    education in amerika is criminal. it trains drones for the work force, not independent thinkers and compassionate individuals. I smoked pot in highschool every day before class, at lunch and after school. that's how i chose to escape the bullshit...still got good grades, anyone can recite random capitols if they look at a book long enough. I can't recite those same capitols now...which is either the weed or the teaching methods. probably a combo of both. but that's not learning. they are not teaching critical thinking, in any way. more the opposite. just accept everything. watch tv. listen to commercials. compete. be selfish and greedy. you might get ahead...

    the problem is the end result. not everyone is wired to want to become rich or famous. I don't care about any of those things i know that. but that's the prize for succeeding at capitalism. some of us would rather not spend a life trying to achieve those ends.
    well............it is the blanket statements such as these that are the problem.

    as an educator of the public school system, i see doors open for kids who are normally marginalized. and to address your point of being in highschool and learning capitals, where did you attend highschool? the learning of capitals is a third grade standard in our district.

    Where do you teach? I've tutored in multiple cities in Ohio and know junior high kids that couldn't list our own state capital. Our education system is a crushing failure.

    That said, not everyone belongs in school. People that are born to be "independent thinkers" will manage it with or without school. But not everyone has that capacity and aptitude. Let's face it, most people are stupid, lazy, and apathetic. They're not made for anything more than to be a worker bee. There's a reason every human society since the dawn of civilization has had rulers and the ruled... because the masses need leaders to tell them what to do, going all the way back to a tribal chief. We're bred for this. And it's time we recognized it. Because as it is, these kids spend 12 years learning nothing of value except entitlement and most of them hold the real winners back from success.
  • Cosmo
    Cosmo Posts: 12,225
    jlew24asu wrote:
    Cosmo wrote:
    Well... first thing that comes to mind is this kid gets an F- in 'Planning'.
    ...
    It's both sad and good at the same time. Sad for the obvious reasons, good because his poor planning and inadequate math skills... 4 bullets = 'Killing Spree'???... means the damage is contained to one less tainted set of chromosomes in the gene pool. It's Darwin's Theory put into practice... the thinning of the herd.
    ...
    Jaded? Me? Really? How'd you guess?
    We live in a place where guns are worshipped, violence is accepted (but naked tits get the blurred treatment... because we all know how dangerous those tits are, with those sharp tips and all) and celebrity for stupidity is how to make a name for yourself.
    So... yeah... I guess i'm fucking jaded. If we're not going to even fucking try to do something about it except to accept it as 'Free Fucking Will' and the god given right to free access to guns and justice for all... then, we shouldn't be fucking surprized when it happens... again. It's getting to be an expected event here... just like those car chases we all love to watch, but get so disappointed when they don't end in a firey wreck of death and destruction.
    ...
    And don't worry... if you feel bad about that kid... you'll see him when you go to Hell. Along with all the rest of us.

    overreact much? go live in Islamabad Pakistan and tell me if guns and violence are worshiped. and stop acting like this is a weekly event. they have become few and far between. what should we do...ban all guns? I swear some of you just like to type a bunch of bullshit and jerk off to it later.
    ...
    You're so cute when you over react. You seemed to have missed the gist of my message... perhaps I didn't spatter enough jizz on it to your liking.
    Now, let me explain it to you... you folks that take everything so fucking literally...
    These types of violent acts have become routine in America. So routine, this story was relegated to those stories on our news broadcasts that are reported after the weather. Sure, in Louisiana, where it happened (and other places where the news usually consists of how much the grass has grown today) it was newsworthy... but, not in America as a whole. We have become used to this... when there are at least 5 dead... then, it becomes important enough to report on.
    The point is that in all the muck and mire we bury ourselves with here... shit like this has become just part of the muck and mire. Car chases, school shootings, Britney sightings, drive-bys... they have all become one in the same.
    ...
    You responded in the exact way I expected someone to react...
    I said nothing about guns except for the fact that they are considered sacred in this country (do you disagree?)... and you tell me to go to Pakistan??? And I'm over reacting???
    ...
    Oh, and the part about us all going to Hell... I wasn't kidding... we're all going to Hell. You, me that kid and everyone else in the world. I'll see you there.
    Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
    Hail, Hail!!!
  • ajedigecko
    ajedigecko \m/deplorable af \m/ Posts: 2,431
    ajedigecko wrote:
    Commy wrote:
    this is a society built on the fundamentals of greed and selfishness. and I don't mean that as a bitter opinion, its the way capitalism is structured.

    At its core, capitalism puts individuals against each other in a lifelong competition to get ahead, from day one of school. For some of us its not the way we're wired. We actually care about other people, and would like to work together to achieve goals, whatever those are. Most of us turn to rebelling in other ways...drugs, alcohol, skipping class, dropping out of school, whatever the case may be.

    This kid and others have chosen a different way to express that angst, I believe. And there may be reasons for that.

    Culture in America is becoming more and more violent....in every media we see. On the news the government is bombing some country to solve a problem, the movie hero of the day is kicking ass and solving his/her problems-tv shows reward greed and selfishness and scheming. like Cosmo mentioned, nudity is still blurred on tv, but brains on teh sidewalk, no problem. America has become desensitized to violence. and I believe everything about our culture is carefully crafted and shaped by the corporate owners who feed us the bs.

    every part of it is breeding these outsiders, and every day alienates them more. violence is what they know, and guns are easy to come by. I'm actually surprised it doesn't happen more. kids acting out on a society they want nothing to do with.

    education in amerika is criminal. it trains drones for the work force, not independent thinkers and compassionate individuals. I smoked pot in highschool every day before class, at lunch and after school. that's how i chose to escape the bullshit...still got good grades, anyone can recite random capitols if they look at a book long enough. I can't recite those same capitols now...which is either the weed or the teaching methods. probably a combo of both. but that's not learning. they are not teaching critical thinking, in any way. more the opposite. just accept everything. watch tv. listen to commercials. compete. be selfish and greedy. you might get ahead...

    the problem is the end result. not everyone is wired to want to become rich or famous. I don't care about any of those things i know that. but that's the prize for succeeding at capitalism. some of us would rather not spend a life trying to achieve those ends.
    well............it is the blanket statements such as these that are the problem.

    as an educator of the public school system, i see doors open for kids who are normally marginalized. and to address your point of being in highschool and learning capitals, where did you attend highschool? the learning of capitals is a third grade standard in our district.

    Where do you teach? I've tutored in multiple cities in Ohio and know junior high kids that couldn't list our own state capital. Our education system is a crushing failure.

    That said, not everyone belongs in school. People that are born to be "independent thinkers" will manage it with or without school. But not everyone has that capacity and aptitude. Let's face it, most people are stupid, lazy, and apathetic. They're not made for anything more than to be a worker bee. There's a reason every human society since the dawn of civilization has had rulers and the ruled... because the masses need leaders to tell them what to do, going all the way back to a tribal chief. We're bred for this. And it's time we recognized it. Because as it is, these kids spend 12 years learning nothing of value except entitlement and most of them hold the real winners back from success.
    wichita.

    i understand that there will always be individuals who lack the cognitive capacity to retain trivial information, that is why i inform my students that the "nonsense" they are learning is more of a "push up" for their brain. it will in time, create a stronger person/mind. they believe me, because i tell them the truth.

    i also inform them of the fact, i am trying to prepare them for a job that may not even occur yet, when asked the age old question of "when am i ever going to use this?"

    i agree also.........not everyone belongs in higher education/school. we have diluted our universities with "entitlement" and these entitled persons do, as you stated, hold the winners back.
    live and let live...unless it violates the pearligious doctrine.
  • jlew24asu
    jlew24asu Posts: 10,118
    Cosmo wrote:
    ...
    You're so cute when you over react. You seemed to have missed the gist of my message... perhaps I didn't spatter enough jizz on it to your liking.
    Now, let me explain it to you... you folks that take everything so fucking literally...
    These types of violent acts have become routine in America. So routine, this story was relegated to those stories on our news broadcasts that are reported after the weather. Sure, in Louisiana, where it happened (and other places where the news usually consists of how much the grass has grown today) it was newsworthy... but, not in America as a whole. We have become used to this... when there are at least 5 dead... then, it becomes important enough to report on.
    The point is that in all the muck and mire we bury ourselves with here... shit like this has become just part of the muck and mire. Car chases, school shootings, Britney sightings, drive-bys... they have all become one in the same.
    ...
    You responded in the exact way I expected someone to react...
    I said nothing about guns except for the fact that they are considered sacred in this country (do you disagree?)... and you tell me to go to Pakistan??? And I'm over reacting???
    ...
    Oh, and the part about us all going to Hell... I wasn't kidding... we're all going to Hell. You, me that kid and everyone else in the world. I'll see you there.

    mmmmm I like it when you talk dirty. your little rants are always entertaining.

    whats bullshit is that this has not become all too common. they are actually few and far between. and how do you expect the media to react? yes of course, this is just another story that comes on before the weather. we live in country of 300 million people. crimes like this, along with car chases, drive-bys, etc, is going to happen from time to time. how should we and the media react? you think every single violent crime that happens in America should become nation wide news? why?
  • Cosmo
    Cosmo Posts: 12,225
    ajedigecko wrote:
    wichita.

    i understand that there will always be individuals who lack the cognitive capacity to retain trivial information, that is why i inform my students that the "nonsense" they are learning is more of a "push up" for their brain. it will in time, create a stronger person/mind. they believe me, because i tell them the truth.

    i also inform them of the fact, i am trying to prepare them for a job that may not even occur yet, when asked the age old question of "when am i ever going to use this?"

    i agree also.........not everyone belongs in higher education/school. we have diluted our universities with "entitlement" and these entitled persons do, as you stated, hold the winners back.
    ...
    And It doesn't help when a major objective of schools are to teach kids to get higher scores on the standardized tests because the results of those test scores are tied to monetary rewards... right?
    Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
    Hail, Hail!!!
  • ajedigecko
    ajedigecko \m/deplorable af \m/ Posts: 2,431
    Cosmo wrote:
    ajedigecko wrote:
    wichita.

    i understand that there will always be individuals who lack the cognitive capacity to retain trivial information, that is why i inform my students that the "nonsense" they are learning is more of a "push up" for their brain. it will in time, create a stronger person/mind. they believe me, because i tell them the truth.

    i also inform them of the fact, i am trying to prepare them for a job that may not even occur yet, when asked the age old question of "when am i ever going to use this?"

    i agree also.........not everyone belongs in higher education/school. we have diluted our universities with "entitlement" and these entitled persons do, as you stated, hold the winners back.
    ...
    And It doesn't help when a major objective of schools are to teach kids to get higher scores on the standardized tests because the results of those test scores are tied to monetary rewards... right?
    correct.........scholarships are important.

    my family did not have the resourses to pay for my college, i am thankful for the objective to get higher scores, it allowed me the opportunity to succeed.
    live and let live...unless it violates the pearligious doctrine.
  • Cosmo
    Cosmo Posts: 12,225
    ajedigecko wrote:
    Cosmo wrote:
    ajedigecko wrote:
    wichita.

    i understand that there will always be individuals who lack the cognitive capacity to retain trivial information, that is why i inform my students that the "nonsense" they are learning is more of a "push up" for their brain. it will in time, create a stronger person/mind. they believe me, because i tell them the truth.

    i also inform them of the fact, i am trying to prepare them for a job that may not even occur yet, when asked the age old question of "when am i ever going to use this?"

    i agree also.........not everyone belongs in higher education/school. we have diluted our universities with "entitlement" and these entitled persons do, as you stated, hold the winners back.
    ...
    And It doesn't help when a major objective of schools are to teach kids to get higher scores on the standardized tests because the results of those test scores are tied to monetary rewards... right?
    correct.........scholarships are important.

    my family did not have the resourses to pay for my college, i am thankful for the objective to get higher scores, it allowed me the opportunity to succeed.
    ...
    By monetary awards... I meant in the form of Federal money to the school district.
    Isn't that how it works... the schools that get higher overall test scores... get more money?
    ...
    What are you talking about?
    Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
    Hail, Hail!!!
  • ajedigecko
    ajedigecko \m/deplorable af \m/ Posts: 2,431
    you made the statement, high scores = money.

    i agree..........a student scores high, they receive money in the form of scholarships.

    in our district, we do not receive extra funding for high scores.
    live and let live...unless it violates the pearligious doctrine.
  • soulsinging
    soulsinging Posts: 13,202
    ajedigecko wrote:
    Cosmo wrote:
    ajedigecko wrote:
    wichita.

    i understand that there will always be individuals who lack the cognitive capacity to retain trivial information, that is why i inform my students that the "nonsense" they are learning is more of a "push up" for their brain. it will in time, create a stronger person/mind. they believe me, because i tell them the truth.

    i also inform them of the fact, i am trying to prepare them for a job that may not even occur yet, when asked the age old question of "when am i ever going to use this?"

    i agree also.........not everyone belongs in higher education/school. we have diluted our universities with "entitlement" and these entitled persons do, as you stated, hold the winners back.
    ...
    And It doesn't help when a major objective of schools are to teach kids to get higher scores on the standardized tests because the results of those test scores are tied to monetary rewards... right?
    correct.........scholarships are important.

    my family did not have the resourses to pay for my college, i am thankful for the objective to get higher scores, it allowed me the opportunity to succeed.

    I think he meant it's ridiculous that teachers are forced to teach to standardized tests because funding for the school itself is tied to those results, not that scholarship incentives are a good thing.
  • soulsinging
    soulsinging Posts: 13,202
    ajedigecko wrote:
    you made the statement, high scores = money.

    i agree..........a student scores high, they receive money in the form of scholarships.

    in our district, we do not receive extra funding for high scores.

    Can't you lose money for low scores though?

    And don't most scholarships lean heavily on factors other than test scores?

    I'm a big fan of standardized test though... my standardized test scores are always off the charts... pity my grades, effort, and achievement never match them ;) It's gotten me a lot of scholarship money I probably didn't merit.
  • ajedigecko
    ajedigecko \m/deplorable af \m/ Posts: 2,431
    edited May 2009
    ajedigecko wrote:
    you made the statement, high scores = money.

    i agree..........a student scores high, they receive money in the form of scholarships.

    in our district, we do not receive extra funding for high scores.

    Can't you lose money for low scores though?

    And don't most scholarships lean heavily on factors other than test scores?

    I'm a big fan of standardized test though... my standardized test scores are always off the charts... pity my grades, effort, and achievement never match them ;) It's gotten me a lot of scholarship money I probably didn't merit.
    you would do well in my class.

    you could test out of the class...................and then i would use you as a peer instructor.

    as for losing money..........i have not seen that applied to our district. i do believe it happens, not sure though.
    Post edited by ajedigecko on
    live and let live...unless it violates the pearligious doctrine.
  • Cosmo
    Cosmo Posts: 12,225
    edited May 2009
    jlew24asu wrote:
    Cosmo wrote:
    ...
    You're so cute when you over react. You seemed to have missed the gist of my message... perhaps I didn't spatter enough jizz on it to your liking.
    Now, let me explain it to you... you folks that take everything so fucking literally...
    These types of violent acts have become routine in America. So routine, this story was relegated to those stories on our news broadcasts that are reported after the weather. Sure, in Louisiana, where it happened (and other places where the news usually consists of how much the grass has grown today) it was newsworthy... but, not in America as a whole. We have become used to this... when there are at least 5 dead... then, it becomes important enough to report on.
    The point is that in all the muck and mire we bury ourselves with here... shit like this has become just part of the muck and mire. Car chases, school shootings, Britney sightings, drive-bys... they have all become one in the same.
    ...
    You responded in the exact way I expected someone to react...
    I said nothing about guns except for the fact that they are considered sacred in this country (do you disagree?)... and you tell me to go to Pakistan??? And I'm over reacting???
    ...
    Oh, and the part about us all going to Hell... I wasn't kidding... we're all going to Hell. You, me that kid and everyone else in the world. I'll see you there.

    mmmmm I like it when you talk dirty. your little rants are always entertaining.

    whats bullshit is that this has not become all too common. they are actually few and far between. and how do you expect the media to react? yes of course, this is just another story that comes on before the weather. we live in country of 300 million people. crimes like this, along with car chases, drive-bys, etc, is going to happen from time to time. how should we and the media react? you think every single violent crime that happens in America should become nation wide news? why?
    ....
    I bet you tell that to all the boys...
    There was a time... in the not too distant past... where a shooting at a school was BIG NEWS. There's not supposed to be shootings at schools... fights, yeah... gang shit, expected. But the whole thing about going into the classroom only to be gunned down by a classmate... yeah, at one time it was big news.
    And as you have stated... in agreement with the basis of my point... we have become acclaimated to accept this type of violence as part of our normal society... along with car chases and gang related drive-bys. We have found it just part of our normal, every day living that Metal Detectors are required at schools today. Metal detectors to locate guns and knives at schools. What does that tell us about our society?
    That is my point.
    Post edited by Cosmo on
    Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
    Hail, Hail!!!
  • Cosmo
    Cosmo Posts: 12,225
    ajedigecko wrote:
    you made the statement, high scores = money.

    i agree..........a student scores high, they receive money in the form of scholarships.

    in our district, we do not receive extra funding for high scores.
    ...
    What I meant was the standardized testing that test whether or not the schools in the district will receive Federal money. So, schools... driven by administrators... run a curiculum that teaches the students to pass the tests... not to understand the underlying material they should be learning as a basis for a more competative future workforce.
    What tests are you talking about? Do the students get the money for those test scores?
    Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
    Hail, Hail!!!