Thoughts About Education

Hi Humans,
I understand that there has been much discussion among American humans concerning the problems of providing a good education for all of you. Of course as a dog I do not have the privilege of receiving the kind of formal education that is available to you humans, but I do have some thoughts on the matter.
First of all, you are too hung up on test scores. I realize there are limited ways of determining results, but when decisions on where the money is going and who gets to keep what job are determined completely on test scores, the result is a chain of pressure coming down from the highest levels of government down the hierarchy ending on the individual teachers to get better test scores, no matter what. The result is at best teaching to the test, and at worst fudging scores, not to mention making the teacher's work environment so unpleasant that the best teachers might be driven out to better paying and more appreciated occupations. Also, it results in more testing which takes time away from teaching. Actually it isn't tests that are the problem (as long as they are not given too frequently). Tests are necessary for helping to determine what is needed for the individual student. The problem is when tests become political, punitive (not just to the student), and financial. Another parameter other than test scores for judging schools might be progress in decreasing drop outs.
Second, although the schools should do as much as they can to offer every student an equal opportunity for education, that is not always completely possible. Much of what happens scholastically to the student is out of the hands of the school and teacher. Students arrive in school with different backgrounds in early child development and language experience. Pre-schools should be available to students who can't afford private early education. Students who grow up speaking a language other than English, should start their education with crash English courses for however long it takes before starting regular classes.
Finally, no matter what you want for the students, their goals will vary. Although all should be given the opportunity to progress as far as the individual student desires or is able, the results will not be equal for all. Some students have goals or abilities that do not include college no matter what you plan for them. Those goals and abilities might be inherent in the individual or environmental. Fair or not, some students will not go to college. There should be an emphasis on technical schools for those students to teach them the highest occupational skills which they can or want to achieve. That would results in less drop outs, a more skilled labor force, and a happier more productive community than a system which forces out less academically oriented students in the name of equality.
Anyway, that's what I think. But what do I know. I'm just a dog.
Chloe

Correction on Health Care Reform

Hi Humans,
Correction. I thought the Health Reform bill did not address Tort Reform. Apparently it does address the issue. So the President is taking the Republican ideas that make sense and using them (although Tort Reform is not strictly a Republican idea, they just like to pretend it is). So, whether or not it convinces any Republicans in Congress to make reasonable compromises (which is how a republic works), it will serve the American people, Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.
So maybe you humans can get it together after all, sometimes.
Chloe

Gun Show

Hi Humans,
I saw something really scary today. I saw a car parked at the curb with a big sign on top advertising "GUN SHOW." Now isn't that really spooky!!! What kind of creatures are you humans? Next time do I expect to see a sign advertising "BOMB SHOW"? or "POISON SHOW"?or "MURDERERS CONVENTION?" or "TERRORISTS GATHERING"? And you humans are supposed to be so civilized? And you look down on us dogs?
Why did God give you all those brains? And let you squander them? He should have given them to us dogs. We would have made a better world. But there must be a reason. After all, what do I know? I'm just a dog.
Chloe

More on Health Care Reform

Hi Humans,
A human commentator (actually they are all humans because they won't hire any dogs) on television recently made a good point about the president's health care reform. He said that the Democrats and Republicans in Congress are so far apart philosophically that they will never come together on a compromise. So the Democrats will have to use their majority to ram a plan through Congress without Republican congressional support, but that should not free the Democrats to do whatever they want because the president will need more than Congress to make the plan work. To make it work, he will need as much support from the American people as possible. That includes Republicans and Independants in the general public.
I think the most striking example is Tort Reform. It apparently is not included in the present bill. The president had used it as a bargaining chip in trying to get the Republicans in Congress on board, but the Republicans did not buy it. They were also just using it as a pawn. But Tort Reform should not be just a pawn in the game. It is a real cost cutting tool. Medicine that is practiced with one eye on the potential malpractice attorney is more costly and less effective. Also, the physicians are key players in making the reform work. So, why do you want to exclude and antagonize them?
Well at least the bill is doing something to move toward containing costs and making health care available to all humans. As I said in a previous blog, don't expect perfection because you won't get it.
Chloe

The Public Option

Hi Humans,
I think that, all things being equal, the Public Option in Health Care Reform is a good thing because it would give the government something to do. Of course, there are problems that require government intervention, but if you don't keep them busy, they will start looking for things to do that are politically expedient but not really necessary. So, if you keep the government busy with its own health plan, it will be less inclined to meddle more than is necessary in all the others.
But, as usually is the case, all things are not equal. The Public Option has become a very divisive issue. The extreme Right hates it because they say it is an opening to a single payer system (or socialized medicine or whatever you want to call it). The extreme Left loves it for the same reason. The fact is, it is not necessarily an opening to anything. It would be just another health plan which might be better, worse, or the same as all the others, depending on how it is run and luck. Although I like it for the reasons I have stated above, it is really not a necessary ingredient in reaching the goals of Health Care Reform, namely cost control and making reasonably good health care available to all Americans.
That's what I think, but of course what do I know? I'm just a dog.
Chloe

Rachmaninov Piano Concertos

Hi Humans,
I love Rachmaninov's piano concertos. Don't you?
Chloe

Weight on Airlines

Hi Humans,
Did you see on the news today that an obese movie director made a fuss because an airline would not allow him to fly in one seat because of his weight? All I can say is that if I want to fly in the cabin, my carrier case and I together can not exceed 20 pounds. Now from his appearance on the television, my guess is that you could fly a dozen Chloes in his place and still have some pounds to spare.
Chloe