I have said before that I think the system of education is in need of reform in this country. I have said before that I think it is wrong to transform scholastic athletes into idols and prevent them from learning or developing their minds. I was reminded last night how desperately criminal the situation has become.
Imagine a math class with 30 students. Eighteen of those students are prominent athletes on a very prominent sports team at the school. The 18 students continually disrupt class, preventing learning from occurring in any capacity. Are so disruptive in fact that the teacher nearly called the police to intervene. This is a college math class with adult students over the age of 18. Things in the class worsen every day until the coach of the team is berated at an academic function. He promises to speak to the team and does and things do not improve. A proctor is hired to sit in on the class, to babysit. Things do not improve. This teacher would ordinarily eject the students from class and fail them for the semester. But these particular students must carry 12 credits to remain eligible to play their sport. So, buckling under enormous pressure to keep her position with the university, the teacher must bravely face every day in an unteachable environment, controlled by the good old boys.
These same students then politely come to the center for help with papers. We sit. For three hours we struggle through a paper one sentence at a time, desperately pulling for any remembered tidbit from class, for new ways to phrase ideas for which the students lack a lexicon.
Functional literacy. Intellectual curiosity. Analytical skills. These three skills should be honed in middle or high school to allow for higher development in college. Unfortunately, because of the scholastic athletic machine that drives through our nation, certain students are gathered up to run the treadmill powering the machine. They are used and abused, denied an opportunity to learn, given a glimpse over the top of the hill and then ejected from the ride when we have no further use for their bodies. They have the arrogant attitudes we taught them, fit bodies, and no education to speak of. Something is wrong. Something is very wrong and it needs to be fixed.
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8 comments:
And that is why women should rule the world. That good old boys club needs to be taken over by someone who has bigger balls and can also stand to pee. The world needs to be re-directed, we need to understand why we are on that treadmill going no place. because the good old boys club is sitting around smoking cigars on Friday afternoons
some schools are worse than others. look at joe pa - then look at the behavior of players at vt or miami. academic philosophy should be part of the hiring criteria for coaches.
How about sending this as a letter to the editor of the Phg. Post Gazette? I would think that they would find it very printable & maybe even follow up on their own. The press seems to be all we have left to right the many wrongs that are pervasive in all areas.
Philosophical question for you: "does college athletics coincide with the mission of a university?" We can have many pints while deliberating this topic!
How do you know what is going on in the math class? Why are they polite when they come to you...because they are alone, apart from their cronies? The suggestion to send it to the Post Gazette is from Harry. Can you do something about this without risking your own job? Take action!
i third the motion - if my dad can get editorials published, than so can you! this is a good post.
- mer (still won't let me post while signed in for some reason)
Hey Hey Hey... not all atheletes are the same... just the footballers and basketball players... although Okafor was smart (UConn Huskies- 3.7 GPA in Finance).. but yes no accountability.
~Val
whew hoooo - jute is posting!
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