Has it come to this?

I was a 3.0 in high school. I did two years of junior college physics but never thought of myself as smart. Went to Riddle and got a C+ in calculus for aviators. Also went to Riddle with credit for all my ratings thru CFI. Had to do one rating with Riddle to graduate. Did my CFII at Riddle over a semester and it cost like 5K in 1981. Ouch. But not a bad investment. Am I smart? I don't think so. I fly with academy grads all the time and I don't even have a smart phone. My job isn't rocket science you but need to be observant and able to apply what you have learned from PPL to up to 767 Capt. You need to be able to relate to your co-workers and take their input (the FAA decided to call that CRM in the mid-90's and now it's a big buzzwerd). It's not rocket science but you need a certain skill set.
 
Autothrust Blue said:
I didn't find anything fun about high school except for chemistry, physics, and calculus. I happened to kick ass at U.S. History too. But nothing else really pushed my buttons. I'm not going to completely throw the public schooling system under the bus, but I certainly agree with this sentiment. The local term is "GATE" - Gifted And Talented Education. Turns out that it's just as hard to (effectively) teach a GATE kid as the opposite end of the spectrum. Computers have always, always captured my attention. We had a PS/2 and a few homebuilts when I was a wee kid and I was hooked.

Grades 1-3 were spent at a (now closed) school in Burien, Washington, in a class of 18 kids. And 2 of the 3 years there was a student teacher in the room most of the time too. Pretty awesome. Second grade, Boeing dumped a bunch of surplus 486s on us and then in third grade a bunch of surplus Macintoshes. School was fun. They did this nifty thing where they actually tried to keep your attention.

Grades 4-5 were in the best that the Pleasant Valley School District could offer for alternative schools, with 27 in the room, far inferior by every dimension to what I had up at Highline. "Computers? What are those?" I think we might have had one, somewhere.

Fun story. My math scores cratered and in fifth grade mom took me to the Kumon math centers. The stern Asian lady asked after running her battery of tests, "Is your son ADHD?" My mom, never one to pull a punch: "No, he's just uninterested in what you are selling." I flat out told my fifth grade teacher that I thought her teaching was dull; she sent me outside to think it over after telling me that school is not dull. (I spent a LOT of time outside that year "thinking over" various transgressions. Good going, Mrs. B.)

6-7-8 I got to work in the computer lab one to two periods a day. That was cool.

9-10 are a blur. Junior year, chemistry class, and suddenly I gave a damn. Too late. Skated out of HS with "only" a 3.4.

Attend local CSU. Obtain two concurrent bachelor's degrees in unrelated fields.

Suck it, California primary and secondary. You are terrible.

So yeah, I have a beef.
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Yeah moms used to teach Special Education for 30+ years. Most of it was in developmentally delayed, then those with learning disabilities. And finally in the twilight of her career, Honors and AP/G.A.T.E classes. Which fell under the umbrella of Special Education and consequently forced her retirement. Why you ask? Because she always said the parents were always helicopter parents and way worse than the kids, and they consequently killed her love of teaching. Which is why I happen to know with authority that as usual @Cherokee_Cruiser is yet again, talking out of his ass.

Also I'm guessing that G.A.T.E wasn't just a local term, it's what The Tucson Unified school district also called their gifted program.
 
Maximillian_Jenius said:
Yeah moms used to teach Special Education for 30+ years. Most of it was in developmentally delayed, then those with learning disabilities. And finally in the twilight of her career, Honors and AP/G.A.T.E classes. Which consequently forced her retirement. Because she always said the parents were always helicopter parents and way worse than the kids, and they consequently killed her love of teaching. Which is why I happen to know with authority that as usual @Cherokee_Cruiser is yet again, talking out of his ass.

Also I'm guessing that G.A.T.E wasn't just a local term, it's what The Tucson Unified school district also called their gifted program.
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I was in MGM (Mentally Gifted Minds (minors?)) in early elementary school but then it changed to GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) when I was in second grade. Pretty fun stuff, but when we stopped getting half days on Fridays, I stopped attending in 9th grade.
 
DE727UPS said:
I was a 3.0 in high school. I did two years of junior college physics but never thought of myself as smart. Went to Riddle and got a C+ in calculus for aviators. Also went to Riddle with credit for all my ratings thru CFI. Had to do one rating with Riddle to graduate. Did my CFII at Riddle over a semester and it cost like 5K in 1981. Ouch. But not a bad investment. Am I smart? I don't think so. I fly with academy grads all the time and I don't even have a smart phone. My job isn't rocket science you but need to be observant and able to apply what you have learned from PPL to up to 767 Capt. You need to be able to relate to your co-workers and take their input (the FAA decided to call that CRM in the mid-90's and now it's a big buzzwerd). It's not rocket science but you need a certain skill set.
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Calculus for aviators? At best you guys use maybe basic math maybe pre-algebra/Algebra 1 up there.
 
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Derg said:
I was in MGM (Mentally Gifted Minds (minors?)) in early elementary school but then it changed to GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) when I was in second grade. Pretty fun stuff, but when we stopped getting half days on Fridays, I stopped attending in 9th grade.
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MGM, yeah never heard that term before.
 
Maximillian_Jenius said:
Yeah moms used to teach Special Education for 30+ years. Most of it was in developmentally delayed, then those with learning disabilities. And finally in the twilight of her career, Honors and AP/G.A.T.E classes. Which fell under the umbrella of Special Education and consequently forced her retirement. Because she always said the parents were always helicopter parents and way worse than the kids, and they consequently killed her love of teaching. Which is why I happen to know with authority that as usual @Cherokee_Cruiser is yet again, talking out of his ass.

Also I'm guessing that G.A.T.E wasn't just a local term, it's what The Tucson Unified school district also called their gifted program.
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Some of my contemporaries' parents were just terrible.
 
Derg said:
I guess I was part of the "fire and forget" generation. I didn't have to worry about interfacing with overzealous parentals.
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I have some cold beer stories, if you're curious.

I mean, good god. If you're 17 and Mom and dad are still griping about your grades in a sport on your behalf...
 
A friend is an elementary school teacher, and she refuses to teach in Peachtree City because of the helicopter parents. She'd rather teach in the high crime areas because at least she can do her job without having 30 parents showing up each day to scream at her about why their little rugrat isn't getting perfect grades.

Note: For those not familiar, Peachtree City is a suburb of Atlanta where property values are inflated by at least 40% because all of the stuck up families with their perfect precious little spawn must live there.
 
HELL SPAWN! :)

Some days I thought it would be fun to be a substitute teacher on my days off. Then I think about the idea that the lady with the baby carriage at 2:00pm with the Mercedes at Starbucks would be poking her finger in my chest about "HOW DARE YOU mention psychosomatic responses to gluten when the subject doesn't have Celiac Disease"

Is you cray-ZAY? I will CUT you!
 
ATN_Pilot said:
A friend is an elementary school teacher, and she refuses to teach in Peachtree City because of the helicopter parents. She'd rather teach in the high crime areas because at least she can do her job without having 30 parents showing up each day to scream at her about why their little rugrat isn't getting perfect grades.

Note: For those not familiar, Peachtree City is a suburb of Atlanta where property values are inflated by at least 40% because all of the stuck up families with their perfect precious little spawn must live there.
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I remember in sixth grade when Miram Milfolski (sp) who had always been an A student her whole life got a B in science and was (seriously) put on a 72 hour psychiatric hold for self harm. No lie. We never saw her again...

I learned the truth to all this in eight grade. Miram was put in a psychiatric facility after release from the hospital. She cracked due to the intense pressure to perform and be perfect.

Parents!
 
Maximillian_Jenius said:
I remember in sixth grade when Miram Milfolski (sp) who had always been an A student her whole life got a B in science and was (seriously) put on a 72 hour psychiatric hold for self harm. No lie. We never saw her again...

I learned the truth to all this in eight grade. Miram was put in a psychiatric facility after release from the hospital. She cracked due to the intense pressure to perform and be perfect.

Parents!
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Ironically, science is all about goofin' it up.

Let me savor this irony for a moment. Hmm...

obama-not-bad.jpeg
 
Maximillian_Jenius said:
Calculus for aviators? At best you guys use maybe basic math maybe pre-algebra/Algebra 1 up there.
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Well, yeah. On the 727 we didn't have no VNAV or FMC. It was three to one and make your crossing. So, I had to do numbers in my head to look at my DME and altitude to figure out if I was going to make the crossing. It really wasn't a big deal. But someone decided to make beer cans out of 727's and I had to move on. Such is life.
 
Maximillian_Jenius said:
Yeah moms used to teach Special Education for 30+ years. Most of it was in developmentally delayed, then those with learning disabilities. And finally in the twilight of her career, Honors and AP/G.A.T.E classes. Which fell under the umbrella of Special Education and consequently forced her retirement. Why you ask? Because she always said the parents were always helicopter parents and way worse than the kids, and they consequently killed her love of teaching. Which is why I happen to know with authority that as usual @Cherokee_Cruiser is yet again, talking out of his ass.

Also I'm guessing that G.A.T.E wasn't just a local term, it's what The Tucson Unified school district also called their gifted program.
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Which part of what I wrote do you feel is 'coming out of the ass'?


Sorry your mother had a problem with helicopter parents. Honestly, I'd rather have a helicopter parent than not... at least it means there is someone in the house watching how the kid is being raised and taught.

You "know with authority"? What authority would that be? :rolleyes:
 
ATN_Pilot said:
A friend is an elementary school teacher, and she refuses to teach in Peachtree City because of the helicopter parents. She'd rather teach in the high crime areas because at least she can do her job without having 30 parents showing up each day to scream at her about why their little rugrat isn't getting perfect grades.

Note: For those not familiar, Peachtree City is a suburb of Atlanta where property values are inflated by at least 40% because all of the stuck up families with their perfect precious little spawn must live there.
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Don't worry, in those high crime areas, chances are there isn't a parent in the picture which is the reason no one is screaming.

I don't care about perfect grades, but as a parent it is your responsibility to be involved in your kids life and make sure any problems are being addressed. If a teacher has a problem with a parent/teacher meeting over a kid issue, then that comes with the territory. We pay a certain tax to the city which helps the school pay their bills - including teacher salaries.
 
ATN_Pilot said:
A friend is an elementary school teacher, and she refuses to teach in Peachtree City because of the helicopter parents. She'd rather teach in the high crime areas because at least she can do her job without having 30 parents showing up each day to scream at her about why their little rugrat isn't getting perfect grades.

Note: For those not familiar, Peachtree City is a suburb of Atlanta where property values are inflated by at least 40% because all of the stuck up families with their perfect precious little spawn must live there.
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Ugh, when I was a surejet new hire I didn't know much about the place. Found a good deal on a place to rent in PTC....

And that's why I hate suburbia.
 
Not trying to get in on being preachy, but I remember not feeling comfortable before our first sim in a saab transition. My partner and I went in at 8pm when the sims were down, and left at5 am the next day. We had 2 days off before our first sim and figured we might as well get as comfortable as we could before starting.

There's a lot I can't tell you about the airplanes I fly, but I can fly Derg Tyler and not kill everyone.


All kidding aside, sometimes it really helps to put in a bit more effort in different ways in regards to training. I guess I considered that 'hitting the books'.
 
Screaming_Emu said:
Ugh, when I was a surejet new hire I didn't know much about the place. Found a good deal on a place to rent in PTC....

And that's why I hate suburbia.
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Loved living in PTC for the most part! Not busy, close to the airport, very little traffic, nice neighborhoods, and little crime if any. The schools are top notch, but due to not getting federal grant money due to the lack of low income kids, they always had their hand out for money when they could. Expensive field trip fees! Too many ex-sorority girls involved in PTA and school activities. It was nauseating going to back to school night or any other activities where parents were in attendance!
 
DPApilot said:
I guess I considered that 'hitting the books'.
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Hitting the books is an analogy, if we are going to be intellectually honest. The term doesn't mean just "books", it is taking the direction you've been given and then getting with your team of other new hires (that you know you should build from being around here for a week) and then being completely doggedly persistent and not letting anything get in the way of you succeeding. No excuses for why this or why that or going home or not going home…who gives a care? The training program works for anyone who is in it that works hard and has honestly about shortcomings…well that is if you have the aptitude to be an airline pilot. Once they have brought you there it is yours to give away…

Very rarely do they wash people out for no cause…mostly because it costs money.
 
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