June 2003

Well, I got bumped again, so I'm off to bigger and better pastures. At the time of this writing, I have no idea where this will be. Oh well. On the up side, I'm gaining a lot of varied experiences and filling the filing cabinet with material.

All this makes me a better, more talented teacher, as the more experiences I have, the more challenges I undertake, the wider my breadth of knowledge becomes.

Hayseed Dixie - A Hillbilly Tribute to AC/DC

I am in the middle of building a mini bush-buggy for a friend of mine. This project will get documented in the Crazy Projects section once the pictures are developed. It currently consists of a fully triangulaed 3/4" .060 square tube space frame, with double-wishbone front suspension, powered by a 340 Skidoo engine and rolling on 22x11x8 ATV wheels. It's been a LARGE amount of work, but I do want to thank a number of my students, especially Tyler F for all his help in completing this beast.

No Guts, Know Glory: My cousin Robert Hill is doing a mountain climbing fund-raiser for Chrones and Colitis, an intestinal disorder that runs in my family. Robert has had some of his intestines removed (the No Guts part) due to the illnes, and is no planning on climbing the highest peak on each of the seven continents. Please consider donating to your local Chrones and Colitis foundation.

As of this writing there are six classes left. A number of students are finishing off their medieval armour, while others are working on individual projects. Technology students have just finished Solid Fuel Rockets, and arenow starting the final project, Drag Boats.

Sometimes I think there should be more media exposure on the state of the Educational System in BC. There are a lot of things within the system that I think should be different. I joke that "when my totalitarian dictatorship comes to power, by god things will be different." The provincial government is making all kinds of changes to the system, that I don't believe are going to make significant improvements. Granted, I merely a peon, a pawn in the grander scheme of things, but I am reluctant to believe that all change is good. Change for the sake of change should not be. Improvements in efficiencies (financial as well as procedural) are a must, but radical changes very often are no improvement at all.

I also believe that many issues plaguing students today are not a fault of the highschool system. I believe that society is the cause of the majority of our ills. Let me explain:

Today, we have a society that seems to consist of a

• Strong value of individual rights - The rights of one are made to outweigh the rights of the many. Personal rights are valued more than the rights of those upon which they are imposed. A student who skips an entire course still has the right to receive that education. Convicted criminals have a "right" to colour tv, internet, all the the creature comforts of freedom. My thoughts are if you are unable to interact socially without harming others, you have no right to those freedoms.
• Inability to accept responsibility - People sue everyone and anyone they can for their problems. Traffic tickets are fought, people are fired for making mistakes (What? I'm human? Go figure!), ADHD is used as an excuse to act irresponsibly, everyone has/finds someone to blame for their problems. No one plays the hand they're dealt, they're always making excuses for why they are so unwilling to deal with it and move on. I don't believe in excuses.
• Soft judicial system - Offenders are let off with little more than a slap on the wrist. "Life Sentance, eligible for parole in three years." Repeat offenders still allowed to repeatedly offend. Doesn't surprise me, kids go all the way through school learning that no rule is concrete, and that little happens to those who break the rules. Is it any wonder that this continues out in the real world?
• Limited ability to interact socially - We live in a world of email, voice mail, online banking, online shopping, cable TV and video rentals. Consequently, very few people learn and develop skills for interacting in a social context. There are little to no social graces anymore. People are impolite, discourteous, selfish, rude, obnoxious, etc etc. Gone are the days of standing up when a woman enters the room, removing your hat indoors, offering your guest first choice, opening doors for others, and so on. Granted, there are a few poeple who do, and I salute them for it, but you are a minority.
• Disrespect for vocational and trades training - Every day you see stories in the paper and on the news about the shortage of skilled labourers, and how it is so difficult to find technically competent workers. And yet parents, administrators, counsellors, and even the government CONTINUE to push University training as the be-all/end-all goal for students. And yet ONLY 7% of those who go, COMPLETE UNIVERSITY! Shocking. How many of those even get a job in their field?

Then again, this is just my rant. In the immortal words of Dennis Miller, "Of course this is just my opinion, I could be wrong."