So be it. Let the chips fall where they may. Not to sound like a jerk, but if they can't take the heat then get out the kitchen. Besides we need people who can do good hard labor and keep illegals out of the country. However, those people should be respected for their labor and receive a good living wage.

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That doesn't surprise me. My Mom taught English 101 and was appalled at the grammar and spelling of some of the students in her classes. She couldn't understand how they got their high school diplomas, let alone were accepted into college, and she graded them accordingly; no social promotion for them! This was years ago before colleges started to teach remedial classes for semiliterate, high school graduates.

This is more proof of the dumbing down of our educational system! If students are graduating high school without the ability to write a functional sentence, a high school diploma isn't worth what it once was. This is a definite failure on the part of the educational system which now allows "social promotions" whether or not students have successfully completed the requirements of their grade. And some of these students then go on to become teachers! :idiot:

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Walter Mondale: "George Bush doesn't have the manhood to apologize." George Bush: "Well, on the manhood thing, I'll put mine up against his any time."

I still feel insulted. I failed my danish writen exam in collage, only barely passed it in highschool.

But what does that have to do with all the other skill I have and know

With special needs and at risk students, testing on academic standards every year can be a real self esteem loss experience. Some have learning disabilities, some have developmental disabilities, and some come from home and life conditions that in most ways compromises learning. We need an alternative.

I really don't see a valid reason to not have several tracks for students, and one of those tracks leading to trade school and getting apprenticeships.

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National Debt =

Self-esteem is meaningless if it isn't based on real achievement. I'm not sure that frequent formal testing is the way to go but it is important to measure whether and how well students are learning what it is we want them to learn - if for no other reason than to see if we need to change the methods of instruction.

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A panda walks into a cafe. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.

"Why?" asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes toward the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.

"I'm a panda," he says at the door. "Look it up."

The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation.

"Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."