Page 2/The Battalion/Thursday, October 15,1987
Monda
Solid education sadly lacking
in American secondary schools
What’s
happened to
secondary
education? It is
failing to satisfy its
goal of providing
a solid education
to the country's
youth. I t’s become
too creative.
Educators,
believing students
learn more
DA
Jensen
effectively when they want to learn,
have tried to make education an
enjoyable experience by eliminating the
unpleasant-aspects of learning.
In some ways the results have been
disastrous.
Creative education has freed students
from drudgery and enabled them to
grow in the education process.
Unfortunately, in many cases, they’ve
grown away from a sound education as
they’ve moved away from a strict,
formal education.
The trend toward mediocrity in
education should have all but the most
unconcerned citizen alarmed. There are
23 million f unctionally illiterate adults
in the United States. They did not crawl
out of the woodwork; they were not
adequately served by the public
education system.
Education reform, especially in the
area of curriculum development, is
desperately needed to restore
excellence in education.
The curriculum in contemporary
high st ools has become more diverse,
but oftei it has done so at the cost of
quality. St <. ondary school curriculum
has becou)" diluted and diffused to the
point that lot ^er achieves basic
education. It has 1< st its focus.
Schools still offer quality academic
courses, but student are lured away
from them by offerii gs such as
mat t iage training anti preparation for
adulthood.
Even bright students are leaving
more challenging courses behind in
favor of easier courses. The trend is
understandable because diluted courses
can be used as a means to make better
grades while expending less effort. This
trend can also be seen in the university
setting with its relatively unstructured
curriculum. Universities have started to
change curriculum requirements to
combat the problem.
The actual deficiency occurs when
students are allowed to graduate with a
minimum of academic courses and a
majority of f iller courses. Students are
not receiving the basic education they
need to function in society.
The curriculum problem is
exacerbated by the attitude many
boards of education take about their
role in school districts. They see
themselves as mainly a support vehicle.
Under this method, local schools
determine their own curriculum and
requirements for graduation.They base
these decisions on what they feel the
needs of the students are. Often the
textbooks used by the local schools do
not even require state approval.
In order to reverse the direction
curriculum development has taken,
extensive reform is required. High
school graduation requirements must be
raised in order to promote a well-
educated class of graduates. A
nationally uniform program requiring
four years of English, three years of
math, three years of science, three years
of social studies and one year of
computer science for graduation would
guarantee every individual a basic
education. Statistics currently indicate
that fewer than 2 percent of all students
meet these standards.
Let’s try to renew the original goals of
education and return to reading,
writing and arithmatic. Maybe then our
kids will get the education they deserve.
D. A. Jensen is a senior journalism
major and a columnist for The
Battalion.
Want to know if you’re a bimbo?
Take this easy, 16-question quiz
The headline
on the cover of
People magazine
quoted Jessica
Hahn, lovemate to
the television
ministry, as
saying, I am not a
bimbo.
Upon seeing
that headline
jump out at me (
from a magazine
Lewis
Grizzard
With the help of my colleague,
Raunch Botts, lounge lizard, deflowerer
of young girls who come to the city to
meet a man who wears underwear like
Jim Palmer, and whose dates all have
first names that end with “i,” I
developed the following quiz for those
concerned about being bimbos:
1. Would you have trouble naming a
single capital of any of the 50 states?
2. Did you say, “No. New York, New
York”?
rack at a convenience store, I asked
myself, has the term “bimbo” ever been
fully and exactly defined? I don’t think
so, even though the term — used
basically to describe a slick-brained, air
headed young female — is being used
more and more often in our language.
Because there seems to be an ever-
increasing number of young women
(see Hall, Fawn; Rice, Donna) who are
being forced to deny their bimboness, it
seemed natural for me — as a public
service — to offer a quiz that will allow
female readers to determine if they are
already bimbos or are headed down the
path to bimbohood.
3. Were you ever a cheerleader?
4. Did you ever forget (or forget on
purpose) those little shiny pants that
went under your cheerleading skirt?
5. Do you wear matching leg warmers
and headbands when you work out at
“The Bod God”?
6. Does the name Ronald Reagan ring
a bell?
7. Is it the one in your head that goes
“Ding-dong” whenever you see a gold
American Express card?
8. Do you own a cat?
9. Is a good suntan more important to
you than life itself?
10. Do you think the public library is
located in the checkout line at your local
supermarket?
11. Are you from California?
12. Do you think panty raid is the
name of a feminine hygiene spray?
13. Have you already forgotten why
you are trying to answer these
questions?
14. Are you an Aquarius?
15. Have you ever met a man named
Raunch Botts?
16. Did you believe him when he said
he was an Aquarius, too?
If you answered any of these
questions, “Yes,” you’ve got a better
than average chance of being a bimbo.
If you answered them all “Yes,” then
you are definitely a bimbo.
Congratulations.
This is probably the last time in your
life you’ll have to think.
Copyright 1987, Cowles Syndicate
BLOOM COUNTY
The Battalion
(USPS 045 360)
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Sondra Pickard, Editor
John Jarvis, Managing Editor
Sue Krenek, Opinion Page Editor
Rodney Rather, City Editor
Robbyn Lister, News Editor
Loyd Brumfield, Sports Editor
Tracy Staton, Photo Editor
Editorial Policy
The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspaper oper
ated as a community service to Texas A&rM and Bryan-College Sta
tion.
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editorial
board or the author, and do not necessarih represent the opinions
of Texas A&M administrators, faculty or the Board of Regents.
The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper for students
in reporting, editing and photography classes within the Depart
ment of Journalism.
The Battalion is published Monday through Friday during
Texas A&M regular semesters, except for holiday and examination
periods.
Mail subscriptions are SI7.44 per semester, S34.62 per school
year and S36.44 per full year. Adverrising rates furnished on re
quest.
Our address; The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M
University, College Station, TX 77843-4 111.
Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battalion, 216
Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, College Station TX
77843-4111.
me AMERICAN PAtteLORg :
A 5TRAN&6 ANP MY5TERI0U5
aeASr mth an uncanny
POLITICAL SIXTH SENSE POK
THINGS THAT YOU AN CP 1
CAN ONLY GUESS ATT
Mail Call
An outdated attitude
EDITOR:
To Yale St. Clair, who stated, “I was shocked and horrified ... "aboutthf
84,000 abortions performed in Texas alone last year: I am shocked and
horrified that you are lacking in the area of regard for women and their
choices.
I have one question: Would you keep your narrow-minded opinion if
your mother were raped — and impregnated by her attacker? How about
your sister? I’ll bet you would insist upon them having the child becauseyou
are pro-life, right? The disgrace and shame the mother and child would
emotionally deal with is irrelevant, right?
St. Clair, you seem to be ignoring some major issues in this age-old
debate. There are legitimate cases in which the emotional and physicalhealti
of the mother and/or baby is at risk. I’m not pro-abortion but pro-choice.
Your assumptions that our society has lost its sense of decency and any
compassion for the unborn are complete exaggerations that are notfactualk
based. Your chauvinistic attitude is outdated. Grow up, St. Clair. A mindisa
terrible thing to waste.
Paige DiMaggio
grad student
Apartheid apathy appalling
EDITOR:
I am appalled at how apathetic college students are these days! It seems:
me that they are more concerned with their afternoon soaps then theyart
about national or world matters that affect them. Students are more worn?
about what they are doing Friday night than they are about world suffera;
and discrimination.
1 am referring to South Africa’s system of apartheid. Blacks are not
allowed to vote, and they have segregated educational facilities whichoffen
less than adequate education. White students receive almost double thek:
for schooling. And blacks make up the majority of the South Aivican
population. Clearly then, no true American would support such a system
inequality, injustice and oppression. Yet A&M organizations such as Studenj
Against Apartheid have an active membership of about 15 people. Thisis:
shocking display of indifference towards the blacks in South Africa,
particularly in a school of 39,000 students. 1 believe that the blacks of Souif.
Africa someday will get their freedom, with or without our help, but would
it be better to be on the winning side? 1 urge all students to get involvedinit|
fight against racism and human suffering that exists in South Africa.
Susan Vint ’90
Wasting a finite environment
EDITOR:
It was very interesting to see the opposing opinions in Mail Gallon
Friday, Oct. 9. Coffman’s opinion is that bonfire isn’t worth the price,whil
Tiesman says the bonfire is valued by Aggies more than the woodlandsili:
made of.
As has been said before, whether it is from claimed land or not, the
bonfire is built form local forest land, a habitat Coffman realizes is terribl'
finite and worth more than to burn and to roast weiners on.
There is a growing body of knowledge that seeks to get through to
attitudes like Tiesman’s. You have no idea how dangerous and wrongitisit
think that water, air and even trees are expendible. If you knew anything
about it, you would not mock those who try to make you understand,beca.*
you would be just as concerned. This “world” that yon may think is he
dies faster every day now; when once it only knew lif e building on life,no*!
dies literally at an exponential rate.
This is not a crazy religion or a fantasy — it is a reality that must be
accepted, or we all lose. I support those who argue against bonfire becaust
they obviously are aware of something Tiesman isn’t: bonfire is notaposiff
event. It is, of course, a symbol of our school tradition, etc., but 1 known®
people who would be a lot prouder to see (yes, to see) a bonfire thatissmali
in size but immensely richer in practicality.
Peter Walton ’87
Start tradition of saving environment
EDITOR:
In answer to a few observations about bonfire, I think Aggie traditonii
great. However, as a student who has been in the real world and returned! 1
college for training, I can remember the time of the early to mid-197
I was in high school. It may be the biggest and best bonfire, but yet who#
a bonfire to beat t.u.? The true waste of natural resources may be negli^ 1
for about 20 years. The young people today do not know about real
pollution. Yet it is the environment suffering from the fumes and dump®!
of the 60s and 70s.
I believe the young students should know about issues that werel
the public when they were just children. Thank God someone tried tostof
pollution back then. I have asked several Aggies who Ralph Naderis. Ttli*
think he is running for student office or on the football team. Personally
respect A&M for rich tradition. But 1 can remember a midnight yellbefo 1
game in Waco a couple of years ago. The site was donated by the Hil
Contrary to popular belief, the Aggies showed no class. They litteredi!®-
extensively with beer cans and bottles, fast food sacks, cups and other
assorted trash.
A friend of mine pleaded over the microphone for everyone to pid 1 !
their trash. It was all to no avail. So we spent hours cleaning up. If you"*
to start a new tradition — save the environment!
John White ’87
Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial staf] reserves the ng/i
for style and length, but will make every effort to maintain the author’s intent. Each letter muslkM 5 *
must include the classification, address and telephone number oj the writer.
by Berke Breatf
To son
MSC Tue
like just ;
students
display ta
an oppor
and worl
dents whc
portunite:
foreign cc
Tuesda
sored by t
Texas A&
program
anyone in
seas for cr
Mona f
study abr
pose of tb
dents for i
offered o’
students w
opportuni
Rizk-Fii
office this
including
full semse
courses th
dents hav
A&M and
travel and
tries and g
gree plans
The mi
Finne said
all fields ol
ucational e
A&M h;
untversitie
bingen Ur
many and
hagen in D
Student:
themselves
spending *
eign unive
seas on a si
A&M prof
Kathleei
fessor in tl
Communic
spent part
teaching a
tion class ti
along with
Little
No
North*
Now O]