I got realy pevved today

Leaving the jail today going home for lunch. Had a prospectus for the local college under my arm. Talking to a colleauge and said that I am thinking about going back to college part time to learn a bit more about another part of our trade.
One of the jail teachers (under contract from another college) pipes up "You dont want to go there you should go somewhere good" Well I seen red and let her know exactly what I thought of her and her employment prospects. ( Expecting to be summons to the Governor soon )

That would be like me saying bad things about another tradesman.

Are all so called "Academics" like this?

Not all, but many are. To make things worse, one of the places I went to is not a "popular" school. Maybe they lack a football team.

Folks here, not having heard of the place, have at times made remarks about how it must be a no-account, third rate place- unlike the fine local school, of course.
I point out that the school belongs to an association of similar schools, that the entire association has but ten members.... and, oddly enought, the other nine they all agree are 'top of the heap' places.

That's when I say "don't blame me for your ignorance!"

Seems to me that 90% of education snobbery is pure ignorance. The same folks also probably consider the trades to be somehow "below" them. When they do attempt to do some work.... you'll likely see pics of it in these forums!

I used to go to Penn State (McKeesport Campus). Basically, the further the student came from McKeesport, the more he/she was a snob. To us who lived closer to the school, realized it's a branch campus and see it only as a community college with a big name on it.

Now I go to community college. I'm much happier there, as they offer all kinds of hands on courses, such as a comprehensive soldering course (where you can get IPC certified), and other cool programs, as the college is sorta vo-tech/ prep for 4 year.

Peple are usually disgusted with me when I told them I left Penn State for a Community College, but people don't realize that the CC has more to offer.

Any of these places are only as good as the particular instructor you get.

One thing to remember when talking about the "big name" colleges vs the local community colleges is that the professors at the big name 4 year places are not evaluated on how well they teach their students in class, but only on their ability to write acedemic research papers (publish or perish) and in securing government research grant funds for their college. So the profs mostly see teaching undergraduate students as a big waste of their time and do not put any effort into teaching. Community colleges for the most part don't do research, so the profs there have teaching students as their only job. And thus they put forth much effort in teaching.

They are at it again

Got this nice email from the head of the eucation unit today. They are now trying to poach my students from me.........

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As a result of recent meetings, it was decided that prisoners
attending the SPA courses are now eligible to attend education also.

I do not envisage this afftecting many prisoners at all, but where there
is a need and a desire to attend this is now to be accommodated.

If you have any concerns or queries, please get back to me.

..........................
Explination SPA = "Scottish Progetional Award." written by our national awarding body "The Scottish Qualifications Authority" and deliverd on their behalf
...........................

Needles to say I did get back to her

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Where, when, who was involved in this meeting and why were me ######, and ####### not invited to it to put over our points of view?

This give me a problem in that the fist two units (80hrs) that I teach are all theory.
I deliver a lot of this in classroom 5 where I have a lot of it on the interactive whiteboard.

It is not practical for me to lose someone half way through a lecture and try to deliver it to the odd one or two at a time.
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Clearly this lot think tradesmen are below them. What they froget they are only here under contract.
I will now be stoping all the small repair jobs they ask me to as a favour. Such as repairing extention leads, hairdiers, hair straghtners, vacuume cleaners and the like that they bring in from there homes.

They will need me before I need them.

Lots of generalizations about college, big and small.
First, what you get out of a college depends more on yourself then it does on any one teacher.
Second, the idea behind research colleges is keeping new ideas flowing. Research doesn't mean they only care about grants and screw their students. Harvard has alot of research going on, are their students left out in the cold because their profs only care about grants.

BTW, I rated every professor I had at a research University as I did at a local community college

Exactly!! , a good teacher with the actual practical work experience is very important.

It can make or break a technical subject when not supported with the field experience.

A boring teacher who just woffels over the technical stuff out of a book is very uninteresting, and may make you fall asleep in the class or just drop the subject.