Out of the Blue
Exactly as the title of the post says--out of the blue. I don't know why, but I started thinking about a few things. I'm not one for following the news, keeping tabs on government, criticizing politics, and the like. I guess its like something randomly snapped.
Here goes...
So, the other day I walked into RIC's bookstore to replenish my supply of lead for my mechanical pencils. The cashiers and other workers are starting to clear off the shelves as well as buying back textbooks from students who've dropped classes. I took it upon myself to browse through a few books. I've seen worn and battered books. Hell, I've even ruined a few myself. What they looked like on the outside isn't what annoyed me...it's what was on the inside. Printing and copyright dates from the mid 90s. The same thing happened in high school. History, science, and math books from the early 90s. Anybody wonder why we seem to be falling behind in the educational system, even in scientific and technological development?
Doesn't anybody know how to buy more recent editions of textbooks or is education NOT a priority? I've browsed through local newspapers over that past few months and I've noticed all the budget cuts to various educational systems. School systems are rarely in the black. The ones that are barely scrape by reducing student accessibility to supplies or by jacking prices. I don't know about any of you, but I used that same chemistry text book for three semester in college from 1998 about three years ago. And we're still using it at RIC.
I had a somewhat heated argument with a friend over this, only to learn those damn republicans targeted the educational system after Obama's propsed economic stimulus. I don't remember how much was lost where, but it was about $70 billion between state funding, federal funding, and Pell grants. No wonder two of my college classmates lost most of the their financial aid and all of their grants!
Nice job, guys. I applaud you for supporting illiteracy and minimal intelligence. Start caring about your children's education. The hope to change the world--more money for you greedy politicians--begins with them.
Here goes...
So, the other day I walked into RIC's bookstore to replenish my supply of lead for my mechanical pencils. The cashiers and other workers are starting to clear off the shelves as well as buying back textbooks from students who've dropped classes. I took it upon myself to browse through a few books. I've seen worn and battered books. Hell, I've even ruined a few myself. What they looked like on the outside isn't what annoyed me...it's what was on the inside. Printing and copyright dates from the mid 90s. The same thing happened in high school. History, science, and math books from the early 90s. Anybody wonder why we seem to be falling behind in the educational system, even in scientific and technological development?
Doesn't anybody know how to buy more recent editions of textbooks or is education NOT a priority? I've browsed through local newspapers over that past few months and I've noticed all the budget cuts to various educational systems. School systems are rarely in the black. The ones that are barely scrape by reducing student accessibility to supplies or by jacking prices. I don't know about any of you, but I used that same chemistry text book for three semester in college from 1998 about three years ago. And we're still using it at RIC.
I had a somewhat heated argument with a friend over this, only to learn those damn republicans targeted the educational system after Obama's propsed economic stimulus. I don't remember how much was lost where, but it was about $70 billion between state funding, federal funding, and Pell grants. No wonder two of my college classmates lost most of the their financial aid and all of their grants!
Nice job, guys. I applaud you for supporting illiteracy and minimal intelligence. Start caring about your children's education. The hope to change the world--more money for you greedy politicians--begins with them.