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Saving money shopping
Since my wife is a teacher and she on spring break, I thought it would be a good time to inspect the car she drives. It’s an older model Honda CRV, we like it, and good car maintenance is important. I have my step dad mechanic to drive it and he gives me some good advice. Next day I go to the side of the road tire guy I have gone to for years. This time, he advises me that I need two rear tires. Then strangely he convinces me to buy two used tires costing $30.00 because it was a deal and he is a good guy. Cool.
Next order of business. Stepdad has recommended new shocks and struts. When shopping the price on the web it looks something like the dealer charges around $1,100, some places will do it for $750 or $800 (but I got a guy). My guy says he will do the labor for $180 and I know that is a great price.
I go to a couple of car places and they quote around $425 after taxes for the four parts. At this point it would seem to be $425 + $180 = $605 but no. Buying auto parts on the web I find two places that sell would I need for $160 with no shipping (and possibly no sales tax). My point
The range in consumer cost, I will be paying $340 but could have paid $1,100.
This takes me back to the time I took my young son to a pediatrician. He sent us next door to a pathology place to draw and test blood. When they said it would cost $800 and be coming out of my pocket as part of the deductible first deal, I kind of freaked because we don’t just have $800 for blood stuff at our house.
Drove away thinking about it. Saw a sign that said pathology lab 200 yards from the first place. Went in with son and said how much for this, they said $400. WOW so I said ok
Then because I paid cash they took 20% off.
I paid 320 and 200 yards back it would have been $800. The morale of my story.
Shop everything
The Curriculum is Suspect
What if conventional wisdom concerning elementary school curriculum selection and prioritization of subject matter is incorrect? What if those in a position to influence curriculum selection, lack frame of reference in subject areas requiring delayed gratification adequate to form an opinion? What if rethinking the educational system meant putting authorities of subject matter in charge of the most chronological point in students lives most advantageous to learning their area? What if studying violin one hour a day, five days a week from grades two through four, at the expense of other topical areas proved to develop the cerebral cortex to such a degree, that those students who initially seemed to be falling behind comparatively, actually, measurably, and statistically, blew by their peers academically by the end of fifth or sixth grade.
It has been my experience that public education spends way too much time learning about perceived subject areas of importance and not nearly enough time focusing on how to learn most efficiently. I’m a lifelong pianist and prejudiced ok, I admit it. However!
I believe that the dendrite density of students having studied piano for three to four years from ages seven to ten years old or thereabouts, has shown to be eleven to fifteen percent greater than those not having this experience. I believe the implication to be profound.
As I understand it, dendrites are paths in the brain that impulses travel. The impact of greater lasting dendrite density would seem to imply greater global problem solving skills and in essence the ability to call on a type of greater pool of resources when reasoning.
Unfortunately, musicianship does not lend itself to immediate gratification, hence in my opinion, it’s lack of standing in public education. Now if I may digress for a reason that will become apparent shortly.
Groups of children were experimented on in the following way:
They were given one chocolate chip cookie and told they could eat it immediately. However, if they could wait for fifteen minutes they would receive a second cookie. The results were tallied for a rather large sampling group. Thirty to forty years later, the sample groups were polled as to life style. Overwhelmingly, those that displayed greater delayed gratification were more successful in ways most of us would suggest as being meaningful.
Public school back to math and science math and science. I get it, they are important. That does not mean there might not be academic areas more beneficial when studied at the right time, such that they actually accelerate comprehension in ways that vastly outpace the status quo.
The problem would seem to be, how do those of us who have spent a career in an artistic endeavor convince those who have not, the importance, implications and benefits of what we have learned?
Incidentally, I believe the dendrite density thing has something to do with thinking on your feet. When a musician gets in trouble, they must learn to respond to the situation and cover it, IN REAL TIME. In most occupations, when a mistake occurs most of us pause to think about it and what that means to us. The discipline required to persevere in real time and attempt to fool the listener both aurally and visually is something most people only get a glimpse of.
See ya later.
Is age the best barometer in grade placement? NO!!!
In every instance that comes to mind, qualifications are a prerequisite for attaining a level of achievement except education. Teachers are required to have a bachelors degree. doctors, lawyers, professors, attorneys, plumbers, carpenters, electricians; all are required to go through a process that ensures comprehension, expertise, and a degree of professionalism. How ironic it is then that the formative and preparatory training for competency is so dramatically impacted by something that has so little to do with proven comprehension as how old you are.
Although I taught both adult and children in class piano settings for a number years, it was only a matter of weeks before I recognized the disparity in progress among adult beginners as truly remarkable. In was not uncommon to have a class of 20 students for six weeks at which time, none of them were in the same place developmentally. This experience eventually to my mind begged the question. Why do public schools strive so mightily to group children by age?
Research has proven repeatedly that part of how we learn is governed by age appropriateness, however that dynamic is fluid and different for everyone. I cannot think of a single parent who wouldn’t prefer to have their children learn concepts at the point in time in which they were most likely to comprehend.
Recently I became acquainted with a situation in which a student could not be retained simply because it would be the second time in a row.
Achievement should be the mechanism that indicates competency, any other vehicle is simply denial of factual data. Furthermore, moving children along before they are ready, exacerbates the problem of learning both for them and their classmates.
The counter argument to a system of displayed competency as the ONLY means for promotion would seem to be one of social difficulties. How would you deal with the bullies for example, as if that is a valid deterrent. I don’t have all the answers, I just believe socialization should not retard educational progress.
BRAINSTORMING:
Implementation of educational curriculum that allows advancement by subject area. (Seven year old Billy could be at level 3 in math, level 6 in science, level 4 in reading at the same time.)
Divide classrooms into self contained booths with teacher above children on stage as a protectionist physical isolation venue during class time. (I know it’s a reach but I’m brainstorming.)
Recess and socialization time by age.
The current educational environment suffers all to frequently with the teacher spending disproportionate amounts of time with the struggling few at the expense of the many. Success seems to be determined by what percentage pass, PASS a standardized test instead of; measuring the number of students that skipped a grade or were able to leap ahead topically because they were up to the challenge.
Not to digress, but would it not seem that an institution which benefited from a high percentage passed scenario might be prone to not let overachievers out of the barn to early?
The Validity of Conventional Educational Wisdom
Math and science, math and science. When the media comments on the current state of education, they consistently address comparative world rankings among countries as if the results of test scores in these two subject areas are the items of greatest concern. Unfortunately, repeating the same theme over and over seems to drive the general public to buy into general premises with little regard for their validity. Although I do not deny that these topical areas are of great importance, I am not one to buy into the premise put forth quite so easily.
Education to my mind should be about problem solving, the ability to recognize patterns (a definition of intelligence by more than one source), age appropriateness, and prioritization of curriculum. Conservatism although valid as a political agenda, is oftentimes subject to an anal philosophy that undermines educational progress. After all, it is much safer to not rock the boat. Unfortunately, the prevailing philosophy seems to be driven by everyone except those who are authorities, the teachers.
It does not seem the least bit surprising to have profound difficulties in a subject area when of the four decision making bodies; parents, administrators, school board members, and teachers, those having by far the most expertise have the least amount of input when it comes to educational priorities.
FUTURE TOPICS
Mandatory musical instrument training at appropriate ages to promote dendrite density as it relates to whole brain problem solving.
Reduction of dead weight or too many administrators.
Core curriculum prioritization, memory enhancement in elementary education and pattern recognition development.
Addition, start with the left column not the right, duh!
Teacher appraisals should be done by experts.
Proper allocation of monies, coaches salaries, really?
Should how old you are influence what grade you are in?
danoettel 