> From: "Charles A. Barclay" <BARCLAY@busadm.cba.hawaii.edu>
> Date: Sat, 27 May 1995 11:30:07 -1000
> Subject: Re: Being paid to Learn LO1401
Captain Chas and I have been discussing some of this issues for more than
... fours years? We have been in other lists before this one. I agree
with some of Charles comments...
<<< lots of good stuff deleted here >>>
>
> It is intellectually shortsighted to suspect that people won't get
> educated without federal help. Worse yet, there is a common belief that
> we all need federal help to get educated and that without this help
> society will deteriorate.
>
What is worse is that this belief seems to be so strong that we may have a
lot of problems trying to think about solutions to the educational
problems, how to improve learning, etc. away from money! For too long we
have thought that all we need is to throw money at education...
> There seems to be a negative correlation between Federal financial help
> and improving levels of education. More money was spent and funding
> increased through the 80's and yet the education level declined. It
> doesn't seem to be working. The reason is based in personal
> responsibility.
>
> You can't guide and support an invididual through an education from a
> federal bureaucracy and suspect that they will actually benefit from it.
> Education requires determined effort and sacrifice. There is a
> discernible difference between the student who pays for his/her education
> and he or she who has it paid for by an unknown source. These are things
> that Federal bureaucracies are ill-equipped to help with.
The funds that coem from the Federal Government are too far apart
from the whole process to create or develop too much of a sense of
responsibility. In fact, that generally feeds into the common belief that
government's monies can be used in any way, "is ours", or worse "is
nobody's", and it has no Face! So we are not accountable to any one. The
sense of personal reponsibility and learning go so close together that
even in our personal lives, when we don't take responsibility from our
actions we fail to learn from them. This is also true in the classroom.
It is very important that all the learning partners sense that
responsibility. Monies that belong to no body or that "I am entitled to
by fact fact that I am a member of society" will not generate a whole lot
of responsible behavior.
Like Charles says, those who assume full responsiblity for their
learning can learn, even without Federal help!
> No one held my hand through college or grad school, and no one gave me
> money to go. True, subsidies were paid to the grad school in tax dollars
> but I didn't complain that I couldn't get financial aid, and I paid my
> taxes in support. I got a job and paid for my education with the
> proceeds. If I can do it so can every one else who wants an education.
> Furthermore, why should I pay the taxes for someone elses studnet aid
> while I get none myself nor even get consideration because I worked?
>
<<< some deletions here too >>>
For the most part, my most responsible learning partners are those
students who have to work a lot to pay for many school expenses. There is
no difference between day and night students. If the student has to work
30 or more hours a week to help pay for school, s/he will be generally
more responsible than those who receive Federal aid or daddy's money. I
have also noticed that most foreign students (our student body in the
School of Business is about 43% international), who receive some kind of
Government help (from the American Govn't. or their own governments), are
generally very responsible and concerned about their performance. They
want to learn!
Ivan,
--
***************************************************************
R. IVAN BLANCO, Ph.D. Voice 305 899-3515
Assoc. Prof. & Director Fax 305 892-6412
International Business Programs
Andreas School of Business _________E-Mail Addresses________
Barry University Bitnet: Blanco%bu4090@Barryu
Miami Shores, FL 33161-6695 Internet: Blanco@bu4090.barry.edu
<<<<< ---------------- >>>>>
"Las naciones marchan hacia el termino de su grandeza, con
el mismo paso que camina su educacion." "The nations march
toward their greatness at the same pace as their educational
systems evolve." Simon Bolivar
===============================================================