[Ducati] what's in a word (very NDC...Kevin's on a jag)

Tue Oct 31 15:59:50 EST 2006

Ken your right on the money. I work at a Charter school in Southern 
California, San Bernardino to be exact. Born and raised in this town I can 
see first hand how the attitude of the general public influence learning . 
We get the kids that just dont fit in at your "Normal School Invironment". 
These kids for the most part come from families that live and condone the 
Gangsta mentality. These kids are not stupid by a long shot. 99 % of these 
kids graduate with a High School Diploma and it is not handed to them, they 
work for it. I have found that when you sit down with most of them their 
education comes primarily from the street. When givin the oppertunity to ask 
questions and are truely educated to the subject they excell. I often ask 
them why they think they couldnt make it at their home school and the answer 
is pretty much the same, " I was ridiculed because I didnt get it". So as a 
result they go on and just give up. It's too bad someone couldnt take the 
time to notice they had special needs earlier. We are overcome with the gang 
mentality and that is a result of ignorance and a sense of worth. They dont 
have any sense of self worth and they sure dont get it at home. I can see 
the difference in these kids with just one minute of one on one attention. I 
guess what it all sums up to is , Learning starts at home but society is 
really at the root of the problem. A lot of folks will point to the media 
for a large part of the problem and to a degree I think that is true. The 
people that kids look up to are the same people that put such a negative 
spin on the youths dicision making process. Monkey see, Monkey do ! Simple 
but true. And dont get me started about kids with special education 
needs.....Sheesh ! I say , give em all Ducatis and a hero and watch the 
change in these kids. Education is a choice but if no one gives you an Atta 
Boy once in a while, what's the use.

Peace...Ron"Desmohead"Betts 95 900 SP
I've learned that I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy it!

>From: the_lammster at comcast.net
>Reply-To: Ducati Owners Group <ducati at ducati.net>
>To: Ducati Owners Group <ducati at ducati.net>, ducati at ducati.net
>Subject: Re: [Ducati] what's in a word (very NDC...Kevin's on a jag)
>Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2006 15:09:09 +0000
>
>I'm glad we have now changed focus!
>
>Kevin, you are equating public speaking ability of a person in a very 
>excited state with absolute intelligence.  Many highly trained and educated 
>people in this country, and around the world are horrible public speakers 
>who sound like babbling idiots unless you can talk to the them one-on-one.
>
>Had it not been for a former job that forced me to make public speeches to 
>literally hundreds of people and respond to their questions about public 
>policy, I could easily sound the same (I THINK I don't sound like a 
>babbling idiot most of the time).  It took me a while to figure out how to 
>not be nervous when there is a microphone in my face and I never had to 
>face a camera.
>
>My point, our nation's literacy rate, our nation's premier motorcyclists 
>ability to speak properly, and the state of childhood education about other 
>natiion's governments in this country are not all to be lain at the feet of 
>the educators.  The former may be a direct result of the educators giving 
>up on a child or it may be there is a mental deficiency in too many people, 
>or it may be that there was no home support for the child to learn (and I 
>have learned that the home is the single most important factor here).
>
>Nicky's ability to speak above a 5th or 6th grade level may be dependent 
>upon the topic and the audience.  That is personality driven, or poor 
>education.  The latter is always being foisted off on the schools when it 
>takes a good home environment where learning is cherished, a good set of 
>instruction and teachers, and a willing student.  Any of those 3 failing 
>and the education level will be diminished.
>
>I am not a teacher.  I have never been directly associated with an 
>education institution, nor any political agency to manage or direct 
>education in this country.  I have been a policy person in the US DOT.  And 
>I used to be married to an elementary school guidance counselor.  It was 
>the latter that allowed me to see directly what happens to a child's 
>learning ability when there is a defective or disrupted home environment.  
>We visited many families in dirt poor situations.  The children's school 
>results were directly correlated to the parents attitude towards their 
>child learning.  That doesn't imply that there are those that overcome 
>adversity on their own; just that I have never seen it in an elementary 
>school child.
>
>How many of our 11 year-olds could speak intelligently about foreign 
>governments?  Not many.  How many U.S. states require an 11 year old to 
>learn about foreign governments?  Do any?  That means that the politicians 
>in charge of our schools have decided that foreign governments are not 
>important for our children's and our society's welfare by the time the 
>children are 11.  Does that mean our system has failed us?  Nope, it means 
>that we have different priorities from the cited French society.  Why?  The 
>U.S. is effectively bordered by 2 nations (Canada and Mexico for the 
>geographically challenged).
>
>Canada uses the British parliamentary system of government.  Mexico uses a 
>unicameral, presidential system (I think but will be gladly corrected).  
>Regardless, when a U.S. citizen goes to Canada, we don't see a big 
>difference in lifestyle and politically, the Canadians are generally in 
>alignment with us.  Mexico has been a good neighbor for many years, but of 
>little financial interest to the U.S. until recently (post-NAFTA).  What is 
>it about these two nations that are important for little Jimmy and Suzie to 
>know?  Some Canadians speak French and all Mexicans speak Spanish.  In our 
>society, I can see no reason for our children to learn anything else before 
>age 11.  Fifth and sixth grade is where understanding where the U.S. fits 
>into the world as a whole should begin.  I would like to think that given 
>all things being equal, our children will have been presented the knowledge 
>of other nations' governmental systems, and possibly their current 
>political issues (which is no doubt why
>the French child knew about U.S politics).  Learning what is presented is 
>up to the child.
>
>Why my rant response?  I am tired of the education system and our teachers 
>taking the brunt of the blame for what is not, generally, their fault.  The 
>first thing to change is to remove jingoistic politicians that don't see 
>that the U.S. is part of a globe and that we all need to find a better way 
>to move forward.  That might change the educational priorities.  Take the 
>money bound to build the idiotic and useless fence and give it to our 
>schools.
>
>Better still fiind a way to use that money to make sure our children are 
>provided with an environment in which education is truly cherished and 
>worshipped as much as the almighty dollar.  Bad homes equal bad students in 
>the majority of instances.  In the end, it is really tough to overcome who 
>you are and where you come from.
>
>Ken Lamm
>-------------- Original message --------------
>From: kevink38 at comcast.net
>
> > I took some time to listen to Nicky's and Valentino's after race 
>speeches. The
> > highest level word that Nicky used was either "dedicated" or 
>"fortunate,"both of
> > which are somewhere around a 5th or 6th grade level vocabulary. 
>Valentino's
> > highest word was "polemic," which probably comes in somewhere around 
>11th or
> > 12th grade.
> > Now, this is not a commentary on Nicky's relative intelligence or wisdom 
>or
> > greatness as a rider. It's a commentary on how we, the richest and most 
>powerful
> > country in the world, can't manage to educate our children past a 5th 
>grade
> > vocabulary (think this doesn't affect their ability to reason and 
>analyze? think
> > again!). "We speak plain," is substituted for "we're semi-literate."
> > There's a lot more to it than this. Rossi and Hayden are different 
>people, with
> > different backgrounds and opportunities. So, I present another piece of
> > evidence. My friend had an intelligent and informed conversation in 
>Paris a few
> > months ago, with an 11 year old, about the United States governmentl. 
>How many
> > 11 year olds in the United States could carry on any sort of 
>conversation about
> > the government of any other country in the world?
> > I like Nicky, and I love to listen to various U.S. accents, which are 
>often
> > confused for illiteracy or stupidity (among my favorite accents are 
>Florida and
> > Baltimore), but I wish someone in his childhood had placed a little more 
>value
> > on education.
> > EOR (end of rant)
> > --
> > Kevin Kachadourian
> > 96 900 SP
> > 85 650 Alazzurra (old dog still bites)
> >
> > Ducati On Line thanks its sponsor and friend, Cycle Cat, maker of
> > some of the most beautiful products ever for Ducati's.
> > Visit http://www.cyclecat.com/
> >
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>some of the most beautiful products ever for Ducati's.
>Visit http://www.cyclecat.com/
>
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