Thumper
03-30-2016, 08:18 AM
Lynn came home last night and dropped a list of names in front of me ... and when I say "list", I'm talking about a LIST ... like 400-500 names! I asked what it was for and she asked me to take a guess. I perused through the pages and they were probably 75% (if not MORE) foreign names. Mostly Asian and Middle Eastern. My first guess? I dunno, a list for the next citizenship Naturalization ceremony? (WRONG!)
As you probably know, Lynn works at the Hyatt which is on the same property with our Convention Center here in town. The hotel is usually full of guests attending whatever function(s) is/are going on at The Center as it is so convenient (the front door to the center is probably 200-feet from the front door of the hotel). What she laid in front of me was a copy of the hotel guest list. Evidently there is a huge Science & Engineering Show going on at the Center and it is comprised of the top 1% of the science/engineering students in the State of Florida! She went in early this morning as she's going to help out feeding all these kids breakfast before they head over to the Convention Center for the day.
I understand the ethnic breakdown would probably be quite different in the Dakotas or Nebraska, etc, but it's almost scary when you think about it. I was part of a group like this when I was in high school. I was one of the top science students in the State of Tennessee and attended a special program for gifted (science) students that summer at the University of Tennessee (Memphis). That was in the late 60's and we were working with lasers (which was VERY new technology at the time). Thinking back, I honestly believe probably 90% of that group was white and 9.99% black.
Is this part of the "dumbing of America"?
I don't know if this post will stir up a bunch of controversy or not. It's not meant to be an argument, just a personal observation from someone on the outside looking in. To be honest, reading through that list last night was a shocking and eye-opening experience. I also realize a name itself means nothing ... I'm sure many of these kids could be 2nd, 3rd or 4th generation citizens, who knows? It's nothing but their ethnic "background" (based on their last names) that I'm taking into account. Is it really our educational system that's broken (like so many people claim), or is it the basic mentality regarding education among our kids (AND their parents I suppose) these days? SOMETHING is broken, that's for sure, but I sometimes wonder if the "system" is nothing but a scapegoat and reality is something altogether different?
As you probably know, Lynn works at the Hyatt which is on the same property with our Convention Center here in town. The hotel is usually full of guests attending whatever function(s) is/are going on at The Center as it is so convenient (the front door to the center is probably 200-feet from the front door of the hotel). What she laid in front of me was a copy of the hotel guest list. Evidently there is a huge Science & Engineering Show going on at the Center and it is comprised of the top 1% of the science/engineering students in the State of Florida! She went in early this morning as she's going to help out feeding all these kids breakfast before they head over to the Convention Center for the day.
I understand the ethnic breakdown would probably be quite different in the Dakotas or Nebraska, etc, but it's almost scary when you think about it. I was part of a group like this when I was in high school. I was one of the top science students in the State of Tennessee and attended a special program for gifted (science) students that summer at the University of Tennessee (Memphis). That was in the late 60's and we were working with lasers (which was VERY new technology at the time). Thinking back, I honestly believe probably 90% of that group was white and 9.99% black.
Is this part of the "dumbing of America"?
I don't know if this post will stir up a bunch of controversy or not. It's not meant to be an argument, just a personal observation from someone on the outside looking in. To be honest, reading through that list last night was a shocking and eye-opening experience. I also realize a name itself means nothing ... I'm sure many of these kids could be 2nd, 3rd or 4th generation citizens, who knows? It's nothing but their ethnic "background" (based on their last names) that I'm taking into account. Is it really our educational system that's broken (like so many people claim), or is it the basic mentality regarding education among our kids (AND their parents I suppose) these days? SOMETHING is broken, that's for sure, but I sometimes wonder if the "system" is nothing but a scapegoat and reality is something altogether different?