The problem with education is -- in truth-- we have no idea what's coming. We cannot predict with certainty the evolution of thought, environment or the coming demands on our individual intellectual capacities. There are simply too many variables. Yet, each year, we churn out(?) more children to be nestled within "educational" systems. (Churn out seems such an unfair word when fertility and procreation are arguably decreasing.) And yet still -- we have no fixed idea on what it "means" to be "educated" even amongst "educated" adults. How to have "education" reach all? How to "educate" all equally? So, on and so forth. And of course, we should not forget our natural curiosity and inquisition that takes place outside of educational systems. And really, I think that is key. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink. However, you can make drinking really really appealing. Yet, still, anyway, some horses will jump over and through anything to drink. No prompting necessary. ======= So! What does this clipping mean? A percentage of science and math educators apparently do not have degrees nor certifications in subject taught. First, there were a few things missing from this article. 1) What population of educators are being referred to? 2) Age range of students 3) Education environment (public/private, non specialized general education in K-8, etc.) So, I wanted more detail. That's an aside. But assuming referred topic is primary education -- what are the potential detrimental effects? And, data can be misleading -- does the absence of an educational certificate or degree make the educator any less educated/ qualified? Because academic institution policies can muddy majors, certifications and "what gets printed on the diploma" results in funky ways -- example: My undergraduate degree is in Liberal Arts. My degree granting institution did not have majors, so, despite having 40+ Biology credits on an undergraduate and graduate level and having passed all NYS Biology teaching exams (Content Specialty Test, ATS-W, LAST) -- I still, do not "technically" have a degree in Biology. Considering that, even if I was teaching Biology in NYS on a high school level, I still would be considered in the article-mentioned-population -- although I have equivalent Biology credit hours. I wonder if a portion of the educators referred to in this article might have similar situations. In such a case, I'm not concerned about the overall effect. Debated on formal vs. informal education aside -- 40+ credit hours in a subject is 40+ credit hours in a subject. What we declare it as -- doesn't change the content. I really would have liked to have seen a citation for the statistics (I would assume) Gordon is referring to. =========== Now, super, super, super off topic. I'm not always worried about an impending "science crisis" because "interest" is there. I think a fairly good level of science popularization has been achieved. Well, sort of. Example: I spent a chunk of time in college working with truckers. Not because I wanted to -- but because it paid the bills. One day I was studying my Neurobiology text at work when one of the workers asked me "what that shit is all about?" I said it was "about the brain". He responded he "likes the brain and shit". "Like when I'm smoking weed man, it's cool how chill everything is". I nodded my head and launched into an extremely simple explanation of the possible chemical underpinnings of such a reaction. To which his eyes got all wide with some kind of recognition -- and he said -- "Oh like seramatoninin and shit". I checked my reaction, I tried not to overtly show disdain or immediate correction. (Because part of teaching others is not making them feel like they're stupid for the few things that they know, that only "approximate" the area of correct.) Opting instead to ask him where he learned about a neurotransmitter like "serotonin". His answer was that he learned it from that "blue cloud thing on tv". Presumably he meant a pharma ad for a well known antidepressant. So -- it's not that information is not out there. Nor an absence of interest. Nor a potential to develop that interest. I think the problem, if we do indeed have one, comes from the quality of information available. Following an academic model, "we" want most education to occur in our predetermined plans and initiatives within academia. But, I often think general improvement to open access quality information and public educational programs may do proportionally more good at the basic level. As often, I feel, academic programs self select for those who have previously succeeded in prior educational/academic programs. But that will turn into a longer rant tangent. (To be continued.) ========================

forty degrees oh my god if i had a tarp i would spread it over the backyard and lay outside on the ground and stare up for an hour listening to deerhoof everything sort of makes sense nothing makes sense figuring out bureaucratic situations feels far, far away from how everyone should spend their time but fuck, how did your job interview go i can't gauge how i make that many people feel but with you i am relatively confident and it is ok to be stupid i have established this i am going to make a pot of tea that rivals, in volume, mass, and circumference the tank of mr. shamu o shamu bring on the splinters, the dry skin, guitar blisters, i can't stay here i can't stay here i can't stay here for very long i am going to miss this age when i am older how do i wake up and hang onto it jessica writes, i know i am alone i know i am too but ah it doesn't feel like it write ten pages for the hundred page poetry zine being fifteen here is a television show about excess and decadence i can write in my notebook for a mile i can eat a plate of spinach in thirty seconds i can make you crack up with inappropriate rap music lyrics call me to say, oh, i just don't think, oh, i just don't think anything is ever going to work out for me i wonder if there is some collegiate database somewhere in an east coast college town next to a fancy art museum and a resource library of neuroscience information and leather bound novels a database cataloging every time a collegiate female cried in a public bathroom piles of bleached 8 and a half by 11 pulp, pressed flat, printed out and saved i am going to become sad about that do high school, college, young, etcetera aged women have harder lives than everyone else or are we just more self righteous or aware or whutttt neuroscience depresses me biology depresses me academia is depressing based on the hope of understanding of coherence is comprehension un-depressing is discomprehension depressing discomprehension is not a word but i am not well read enough to come up with a synonym for what i mean is discomprehension depressing or is it just the way things are is the way things are sad or is it just whatever that means i am happy it is freezing i am happy i am happy i want to share it i want to make you something i want to make bread appear from thin air / doing large amounts of drugs what is the difference between sustenance and decadence in the mind of a hardcore environmentalist that could be a semi-decent paper topic if i were in that class staring at creepy portraits all the while wishing for picasso simply because i'm self centered and want something i can relate to when you listen to a song by a professional musician and the words line up better with the notes better than anything you could possibly come up with ah, this is a nod to some folk noise band, errrr christ can a playa get a font re-size play a record, both sides, man is it so hard just to put it back after you listen to it vacuum laundry whatever things can be mundane and by all rights they should be class, clubs, half hour phone conversations with friends in different states my brother telling me about his girlfriend, dog, job interviews, moving in and out of apartments mixed cd things should be complicated, monotonous, painful, because hey aren't we young but right now all i can do is drink tea eat breakfast for a change make jokes call my brother back i feel healthy i feel healthy i am not so angry and ah, your skin sort of glows and ah, your sarcasm does too white snow blinding in the morning the sky and the ground teaming up want me to close my eyes again maybe this song reminds me of you