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Re: Thursday, May 5, 2005
Doc: Man...You struck a chord Many, many, thoughts triggered by your piece (and Julie's) First read it 4AM, and have mulled it over for a while. Quick one for Patrick I too tried teaching, but had the same reaction, I saw, quite quickly, that I would not be able to hold up. Excellent on the "Factory Factor" aspect of schools Let's not call schools, education, other than "life skills" of dealing with others. I covered some ideas in comment to Julie Let's jump to IQ True, tests are flawed, sometimes greatly flawed But the ideas that the "Bell Curve" doesn't apply to the Flat World, in my opinion, are wrong. If anything, it applies in spades. Having dealt with a wide range of folks over the years, from being a day laborer to guest lecturing at a University, to my current positions with small companies and on Foundation boards, I've met many people from many walks of life. Not all have the same capabilities, there are many who get by, but "just don't get it" Job descriptions or positions are not the determinant. I've had friends and associates who were National Merit Scholars and Mensa members, partnered with PhD's, as well as those who barely got through school. Note that Mensa designation doesn't connote life skills! Degrees and schooling do not equal intelligence. Some of the absolutely brightest people I've had the pleasure to be friends with either never finished college or barely so. Some have chosen simple lives, mechanics and technicians. But there is a difference, bright people can grasp new ideas and concepts, while some (most?) folks just plain can not. I'm rambling, but the Bell Curve does exist. The message Tom Friedman brings is both that there are bright people everywhere, and that there are many not so bright people in our midst. Challenge going forward ... how to encourage and nurture all to be "the best they can be" ? How to move beyond the "worker bees" model ? (note - did a couple of edits as something is doing serious hash on some of the characters..)
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