Rant: Over indulgent parents strike again

In article , toto wrote:
On Tue, 20 Jan 2004 20:19:11 GMT, (Brent P)
wrote:

In article , dragonlady wrote:

was feeling better about being who HE was. (Looking back, I think maybe
he STOPPED trying to be someone he wasn't, stopped trying to fit in, and
gained confidence in himself as NOT one of the "in" crowd.)

This makes the assumption of trying to fit in, in the first place.
It certainly wouldn't work with a kid who wasn't trying to fit and
just being himself from the get-go. Where that independence generated
a negative response from the 'group'.

Of course not. Each case is individual and the person who is targeted
because he is not trying to fit in should not have to change to try to
fit in or even to keep a lower profile.

Analyzing what *can* be changed doesn't mean that you have to change
anything at all, but that you look at the situation and see if there
is something you can do and want to do.

And what if he doesn't want to? What if change is unacceptable to him?

The typical response will be the use of the term 'uncooperative'.
Resisting the corrective action will only bring the system down on
him harder to force the corrective action or cause those in authority to
simply wash their hands of it leaving the kid to fend for himself and
have no support what so ever. If there is another event, he's likely
now set up a system where he will be held accountable for it because
he didn't do what he supposed to.

toto wrote:

I don't think anyone from the auto group is answering,
though I leave in the xpost to that group because I don't
know that for sure.

I'm reading it in rec.autos.driving. Thanks for the URL about the
tests. I'm too sleepy to read it right now, but there's always
tomorrow.

--
Cheers,
Bev
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx
"We returned the General to El Salvador, or maybe Guatemala,
it's difficult to tell from 10,000 feet." -- Anon.

On Tue, 20 Jan 2004 23:22:21 GMT, (Brent P)
wrote:

Like ride a bicycle on the roadway. That's something I do. To avoid
conflict I could stop doing it.

Or you could lobby for bicycle paths that parallel the roads or a bike
lane on the roads.


--
Dorothy

There is no sound, no cry in all the world
that can be heard unless someone listens ..

The Outer Limits

On Tue, 20 Jan 2004 23:22:21 GMT, (Brent P)
wrote:

I haven't noticed that folks who get agressive in return have done
anything to reduce the amount of nastiness in the world.

Again, it's not about being aggressive in turn its about not being
pushed around. There's a *HUGE* difference. For instance: Driver
B to get ahead tries to cut off driver A assuming driver A will nail
the brakes and let him (an intentional act). Driver A responses:

A) nail the brakes and let driver B do it.
B) continue as if driver B doesn't exist, holding his ground.
C) Ram his vehicle into driver B's vehicle.

A) is appeasement, B) is holding ones spot, C) is a violent
response. I am arguing for B.

Except you forgot the response D) which is more usual among
the drivere who thinks he shouldn't let the other guy in.

D) speed up so there is no question that the guy won't get in.

The thing is that if the community of drivers learned to merge
one at a time when a lane has to merge - one from each
lane allowing one other person in, traffic would not even have
to slow down for it. It's when people don't let anyone in at all,
that the traffic jams up at the point where the two lanes are
going down to one. It would also help if people actually looked
ahead for the sign and got into the single lane prior to the
last possible place where they must merge, of course, but
that's too simple.


--
Dorothy

There is no sound, no cry in all the world
that can be heard unless someone listens ..

The Outer Limits

On 21 Jan 2004 12:33:58 -0800, (Roger Dodger)
wrote:

(Robyn Kozierok) wrote in message ...

I agree with this. And I think it is similar to having a child
study martial arts, not only so they will be able to defend himself
should that be necessary, but also, and often primarily, to help
the child exude an air of self-confidence that will help him be
less likely to be bullied in the first place.

My experience says that true self-confidence comes from being in
a place right for you, and following your natural talents. Of
course, these talents have to be developed. It's nice to see
schools do this. Often, they don't.

It's hard to be confident when surrounded by knife-wielding thugs,
unless you happen to be one of them.

However, I also think it is a fine line between suggesting changes that
are "harmless" and help reduce bullying and suggesting changes that
unreasonably ask the victim to change his personality. If a boy is
very sensitive and prone to crying readily, getting him to stop that,
if it's even possible, would probably reduce his being bullied, but
is that a reasonable change to ask?

If a boy is very sensitive - to an alien environment filled with
strangers under no compulsion to accept or tolerate him, that just
happen to be his age, with no consideration of interests, abilities,
or talents.

This is one reason why I prefer to see multiage groupings.
And why primary schools in particular should be arranged
with groupings by interest not by age-grades.

When I was growing up, we learned to play with kids from
ages 3 to 12. We accomodated the younger ones naturally
in our games too. Having an older child mentor a younger
one can give the older child confidence and the younger
child someone to look up to. Bright younger children often
get along better with older kids who are on the same level
as they are intellectually then with their age-peers. If there
are many kids of the same age with that interest and
capability, that should be accomodated in schools also.


--
Dorothy

There is no sound, no cry in all the world
that can be heard unless someone listens ..

The Outer Limits

In article , toto wrote:


How many shop classes did one have to take before taking the CAD
class? (or was that just one particular idiotic school)

I don't know what the requirements were when my kids were there.
I looked it up online and it appears to be in an engineering/technical
strand in applied science. It's apparently not a separate course of
it's own. It's a junior year class which includes robotics,
programmable controllers, CAD, computerized numerical control,
fiber optics, lasers, hydraulics, pneumatics and microprocessors.
It's an honors course. And it requires 2 years of mathematics and
2 years of science as prerequisites. It's two semesters. It sounds
pretty intense.

the idiots who ran the HS I went to required shop classes before taking
any cad classes. In the same idiotic way they demanded typing before
programming.

Well, I don't consider typing a waste of time. Nor do I think shop
classes are a bad thing. OTOH, I don't see that shop classes need
to be tied to CAD classes. My dd had to learn to hand draft, though,
I think, before she could use CAD to do her drafte work in college.

Typing was a waste of time. I have greater speed ignoring everything
that class tried to teach and typing the way I want to. Everything
else about the class is pretty much obsolete, and the most rigid thing
I've ever had to do format wise was a thesis, and that was a battle
against MS Word trying to hang on to it's default behaviors.

As far as shop class goes, it might have been fun if there was a class
that wasn't like the one depicted in the movie "Christine". And yes,
up until the early 90s at least one still had to take old fashioned
pencil and paper drafting classes.

I wonder if I can my '73 painted inexpensively

They used to repair cars pretty inexpensively. Don't know about
paint jobs... Are you willing to let them have it for a good long
while and take it apart before they give it back to you? g

Shouldn't take all that long to paint, since I'd do all the required
part removal myself.

In article , toto wrote:
On Tue, 20 Jan 2004 23:22:21 GMT, (Brent P)
wrote:

Like ride a bicycle on the roadway. That's something I do. To avoid
conflict I could stop doing it.

Or you could lobby for bicycle paths that parallel the roads or a bike
lane on the roads.

sarcasmAnd we can have separate water fountains for the negros too!/scarcasm
Separate is never equal. See google to read my posts why bike lanes
and parallel paths are *NOT* safe and totally unsuitable for anyone who
rides at vehicluar speeds.

In article , toto wrote:
On Tue, 20 Jan 2004 23:22:21 GMT, (Brent P)
wrote:

I haven't noticed that folks who get agressive in return have done
anything to reduce the amount of nastiness in the world.

Again, it's not about being aggressive in turn its about not being
pushed around. There's a *HUGE* difference. For instance: Driver
B to get ahead tries to cut off driver A assuming driver A will nail
the brakes and let him (an intentional act). Driver A responses:

A) nail the brakes and let driver B do it.
B) continue as if driver B doesn't exist, holding his ground.
C) Ram his vehicle into driver B's vehicle.

A) is appeasement, B) is holding ones spot, C) is a violent
response. I am arguing for B.

Except you forgot the response D) which is more usual among
the drivere who thinks he shouldn't let the other guy in.
D) speed up so there is no question that the guy won't get in.

True, but that's still part of B if there really isn't any space.

The thing is that if the community of drivers learned to merge
one at a time when a lane has to merge - one from each
lane allowing one other person in, traffic would not even have
to slow down for it.

Yes it would. Because someone will still get to the end and force
traffic in the lane that goes through to stop. Everyone should
start merging well in advance of the lane end into the gaps that
are existing. This is what avoids a slow down.

It's when people don't let anyone in at all,
that the traffic jams up at the point where the two lanes are
going down to one.

Around here the lane that *CLOSES* processes traffic faster. It's
the lane it merges _into_ that comes to a STOP. There are many
people who also queue jump and purposely ride the lane down to
the end and then force their way in.

It would also help if people actually looked
ahead for the sign and got into the single lane prior to the
last possible place where they must merge, of course, but
that's too simple.

See above.

On Wed, 21 Jan 2004 22:13:45 GMT, (Brent P)
wrote:

In article , Roger Dodger wrote:

Yet, they are responsible for the "pillars of civilization." That is
not a privilege?

No, it's a result. It's their *gift* to humanity. Someone like
Einstein or Edison created so much, and we all reap their benefits
while they ask nothing in return other than just compensation.
Did Newton ever claim the throne of England? Did Einstein ever
stage a military coup? No.

Ever see the movie by HG Wells, "Things to Come" ?

I've seen reviews that say the dvd and vhs releases are pretty crappy.

You can read the book online at
http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/w/w45th/



--
Dorothy

There is no sound, no cry in all the world
that can be heard unless someone listens ..

The Outer Limits

(Brent P) wrote:

In article ,
Charles Soto wrote:
(Roger Dodger) wrote:

Actually, you should read up on this. The PC crowd says that "poor
Juanito can't learn," and therefore support the "dumbing down" being
spoken of. Pseudoliberals have ruined much of education. Real liberals
puke at their ideas.

So what is your solution, what is your system that *ELIMINATES* all
posibility of such corruption?

Can't achieve perfection - only strive for it. The answer: great
teachers. This will require actually paying teachers enough to make it
a worthwhile profession.

Charles

--
Charles Soto - Austin, TX *** 1999 GSF1200S, DoD No. "uno"

("Meepmeep" is "rr," as in "roadrunner.")