Census

**littlelolligagged** · 02-21-2010, 04:12 PM

http://www.census.gov/schools/

Okay, I'm a bit of a geek, and think the census actually matters and all (even though I do think they don't go to much effort to ensure everyone is counted), and this is just cool.

They are actually making attempts at teaching children about the importance, and trying to make this generation less apathetic than previous ones. It's brilliant. I was already impressed last year with them using the election as a teaching opportunity, and now there is this. Maybe there is hope for our schools, after all.

**agamemnus** · 02-21-2010, 04:28 PM

Waste of money.

Children don't take the census. They should teach them basic arithmetic and art first.

**littlelolligagged** · 02-21-2010, 04:34 PM

Why shouldn't they see how things they learn can be applied?

**Loki** · 02-21-2010, 04:35 PM

They learn survey methods?

**Nessus** · 02-21-2010, 04:42 PM

Originally Posted by agamemnus

Waste of money.

Children don't take the census. They should teach them basic arithmetic and art first.

**littlelolligagged** · 02-21-2010, 04:46 PM

Graphing, economics, American government, the Constitution...

There are so many lessons that you can get out of the census - and all are things that are in the required annual standardized tests.

Hell, even the basic math Aga thinks they should be learning could come from it by comparing population differences.

**EyeKhan** · 02-21-2010, 06:29 PM

Originally Posted by agamemnus

Waste of money.

Children don't take the census. They should teach them basic arithmetic and art first.

Originally Posted by Nessus

Math and reading / writing first. All else follows. Art's cute and all, but anyone knows its useless unless you can sell it for the Money.

**agamemnus** · 02-21-2010, 06:44 PM

My bad, I "forgot" about writing.

Art is essential though, and so is gym and st00f.

Learning about the "census" is just a way for teachers to rant about liberalism instead of teaching. Children won't learn math from that.

**Steely Glint** · 02-21-2010, 06:48 PM

Learning about the "census" is just a way for teachers to rant about liberalism instead of teaching.

what

**Supermarioman** · 02-21-2010, 07:04 PM

Learning about the "census" is just a way for teachers to rant about liberalism instead of teaching.

what

**Nessus** · 02-21-2010, 07:05 PM

Originally Posted by Steely Glint

what

**Illusions** · 02-21-2010, 07:55 PM

Originally Posted by agamemnus

Children don't take the census. They should teach them basic arithmetic and art first.

You are right, children do not take the census. The people being taught about it, who at the moment are children, will possibly do so some day...

Originally Posted by agamemnus

Learning about the "census" is just a way for teachers to rant about liberalism instead of teaching. Children won't learn math from that.

Ignoring how incredibly dumb this comment is, if Math was used as a means for teachers to rant about liberalism in whatever warped universe you live in, would you not want Math taught?

**Spawnie** · 02-21-2010, 08:11 PM

Originally Posted by Illusions

Ignoring how incredibly dumb this comment is, if Math was used as a means for teachers to rant about liberalism in whatever warped universe you live in, would you not want Math taught?

In his defence, he does say the census is what teachers will use, not maths

**Ominous Gamer** · 02-21-2010, 08:22 PM

Aren't teachers always being accused of being liberal, no matter what they teach?

Lolli's link is not an example of waste.
You want an example of waste, watch the commercial the census aired during the Superbowl. I've got no problem with trying to reach as many people as possible, and the Superbowl is huge, but they wasted $2.5+ million for a commercial with horrible actors, horrible lines, and no fucking point.

**Illusions** · 02-21-2010, 08:28 PM

Originally Posted by Spawnie

In his defence, he does say the census is what teachers will use, not maths

Alright, fine, if they used adding as a platform for teaching liberalism, would he not want adding taught?

**ar81** · 02-21-2010, 08:45 PM

Teach kids about how to be liberal. Then they will graduate and they will see the result of the system on them.
1 American wage = 15 chinese
So Americans are too expensive, so jobs go overseas, since dollars' value is too high and yuans' is to low.
What is the logical answer? Well, Federal Reserve thought the way to recovery is to rise dollar even more.
It seems US has invented a model where employment (and therefore consumers who get their icome from a wage) is not needed anymore.
You may say democrats believe that, given current policy... but no. Republicans also do not believe in job creation.
Fortunately The Onion now knows that liberal or not, money does not matter. It is just a game.

Who should you blame? Deregulated liberal banks that seize the liberal model, but also receive a socialist bailout from Bush, of course.
To solve the crisis, Americans will have to go against the beliefs that caused the crisis.

Young Americans and jobs
Reuters: Record number of young Americans jobless
Reuters: Lost generation? U.S. grads work for free, look abroad
BBC: Dollar rises on surprise Federal Reserve move
Reuters: Job-creation bill could fail in U.S. Senate
The Onion: U.S. Economy Grinds To Halt As Nation Realizes Money Just A Symbolic, Mutually Shared Illusion

Ferguson and Krugman have opposing view about the crisis, but still they somehow agree on banks as the problem.
New York Times: Bankers Without a Clue (Krugman)
09/11/2009 There's no such thing as too big to fail in a free market (Niall Ferguson)
15/12/2009 How to take Moral Hazard out of Banking (Niall Ferguson)

Stiglitz
CNN Commentary: How to rescue the bank bailout (Joseph Stiglitz)
The Telegraph: Let banks fail, says Nobel economist Joseph Stiglitz

Bank ethics
New York Times: Wall St. Ethos Under Scrutiny at Hearing
Banks Bundled Bad Debt, Bet Against It and Won
US bank reports $3.3bn profits
Bank Earns $11.7 Billion in Year
YouTube: How Bank's synthetic collateralized debt obligation (synthetic CDO) robbery works

Effects of the action of banks
Reuters: Cleveland Sues 21 Banks Over Mortgage Foreclosures
Reuters: Cleveland deemed most miserable city in USA

**agamemnus** · 02-22-2010, 07:45 AM

I remember learning in elementary school from many things-- my teachers' fascinations with art or history, courses on recycling and conservation, weeks spent on whales... but, the census? Really? There is nothing more creative to discuss? Well, there could be; dunno how many people actually use this material...

edit:

Originally Posted by littlelolligagged

Graphing, economics, American government, the Constitution...

There are so many lessons that you can get out of the census - and all are things that are in the required annual standardized tests.

Hell, even the basic math Aga thinks they should be learning could come from it by comparing population differences.

Well, ok, u are right, but only in terms of possible applications...(I still think something less dry can be used) when did the census become an arm of the us department of education?

**Wraith** · 02-22-2010, 09:39 AM

**littlelolligagged** · 02-22-2010, 11:20 AM

Originally Posted by agamemnus

Well, ok, u are right, but only in terms of possible applications...(I still think something less dry can be used) when did the census become an arm of the us department of education?

Less dry? Ugh.

Why shouldn't the US DoE use anything at their disposal to help educate children? Using things that are going on around them helps make it real.

**EyeKhan** · 02-22-2010, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by agamemnus

Learning about the "census" is just a way for teachers to rant about liberalism instead of teaching.

Originally Posted by Spawnie

In his defence, he does say the census is what teachers will use, not maths

But but but the Census is required by the Consitution. Lots of stuff depends on local population. its got nothing to do with liberalism ... the statement is indefensibly absurd

Originally Posted by Ominous Gamer

Aren't teachers always being accused of being liberal, no matter what they teach?

That's because ignorance is conservative.

**GGT** · 02-22-2010, 04:27 PM

Agreed with lolli. Makes sense to use it as a real-life tool to teach kids, whether it's polling, how to create a survey, graphs, math, or civics. Maybe they'll go home and ask parents if their household has been counted?

<I also think the Olympics could be used to teach geometry and physics, using those crazy ass snow boarders, lugers, and skaters

>

**agamemnus** · 02-22-2010, 05:04 PM

Except the US Olympics team wasn't given a few hundred million in "advertising/outreach" to play with...

So, maybe it's not a complete waste of money like that superbowl ad, but it could have been given for Dept. of Education programs instead.

**Illusions** · 02-22-2010, 06:05 PM

Originally Posted by agamemnus

So, maybe it's not a complete waste of money like that superbowl ad, but it could have been given for Dept. of Education programs instead.

So, your argument thus far is: It is of my opinion that the census isn't a useful or productive subject to be taught, for the amount of classroom time it will occupy, and I'm only going to offer conjecture and my opinions as proof as to why it is, including some random diarrhetic thoughts born of ignorance.

Or is there something else you're attempting to grasp at?

**ImAnOgre** · 02-22-2010, 07:58 PM

Does anyone read Ar81's post anymore?

**EyeKhan** · 02-22-2010, 08:09 PM

Originally Posted by ImAnOgre

Does anyone read Ar81's post anymore?

who's that?

**agamemnus** · 02-22-2010, 09:42 PM

Originally Posted by Illusions

So, your argument thus far is: It is of my opinion that the census isn't a useful or productive subject to be taught, for the amount of classroom time it will occupy, ~~and I'm only going to offer conjecture and my opinions as proof as to why it is, including some random diarrhetic thoughts born of ignorance.~~

Yes.

Obviously, I can't prove this.

My thoughts here can be summarized like so: "How is it that an organization meant to simply get accurate census data is trying to provide classroom material? That's not their job, and they're probably doing it rong."

**GGT** · 02-22-2010, 09:53 PM

US Census is mandated by our constitution, since we have a representative legislature.

If they can spend a whole academic day "teaching" about bullying, cyber-bullying, and sexting, they can damn well spend at least that much time on the Census. These students will be voters one day.....

**agamemnus** · 02-22-2010, 09:58 PM

Originally Posted by GGT

US Census is mandated by our constitution, since we have a representative legislature.

If they can spend a whole academic day "teaching" about bullying, cyber-bullying, and sexting, they can damn well spend at least that much time on the Census. These students will be voters one day.....

Well, on the list of things to not teach about, I suppose this (the census) WOULD be below all those other things.

Sure, talk about the census, but I think that should be in the context of history in a section of an American History book, no?

**littlelolligagged** · 02-22-2010, 10:00 PM

Why? Should the goal be to turn out apathetic completely uninformed citizens? People who don't know how to apply anything they learn at all to the real world? Perhaps even people who think that the government is really nothing to do with them?

**agamemnus** · 02-22-2010, 10:56 PM

Not at all, but shouldn't we be learning our kids things like conservation of the environment and the history of voting rights in America, instead of something so narrow?

Thread: Census

Thread Tools

Search Thread

Display

Census

Posting Permissions