h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I was born in OKC (Oklahoma City, OK, USA) and haven't been back in about 15 years. Go figure.

The hospital my mother trained at is now a top Nodnol hotel and the one I trained at is luxury apartments. Both hospitals moved to new sites.

*Z feels left out - the school I went to is still a school* Though the hospital I was born in closed down - and became a big shiny new one.

We moved around quite a bit when I was a kid, so I went to two different elementary schools (in two different states, Montana and California), a junior high in another city and a high school in another city after that. I've only been back to my first elementary school because I live near there now and it is my polling place during elections. I wandered down some of the hallways one time after I voted and found that I couldn't recognize anything except for the green-tiled girls' bathroom. Nor have I been, except for the initial event, back to the hospital where I was born (Brookside Hospital in San Pablo, California).

Oh, and I drive by one of my childhood homes every day. They now have a far better paint job (cafe au lait with white and burgundy trim) than we did (dark blue with white trim).

All my schools are still there. It felt very odd going back as a 'mom' when I looked after my nieces for a while during a family crisis a few years back. Some of the teachers were still there after more than 30 years!

However, the hospital I was born in is now a dual carriageway .

Welcome Tamberlaine!

Hi Tamberlaine, *waves*.

Courtesy

Hullo Tamberlaine.

Logicus, I was a twin, I still am, I don't get the funny

But then grammar was never my strong point. Until I moved at 12, the school was pretty much a glorified baby-sitting service, no structured lessons at all (except PE and 5-a day sums)

I remember Mum complaining about them not correcting my spelling, and the teachers saying it was no longer policy, as they didn't like to discourage the children!

I loved it, I drew and read books all day. I remember making a torture chamber out of lego after we visited the Tower of London

My old schools are still there, although 2 of them (one in Missouri and one in Montana) have been turned into community centers of sorts.

My elementary schools are now a library (k-1) and the town offices (2-6). When I started 2nd grade I went to school in a one-room schoolhouse which had been divided into two rooms by a rather cheapish wall (which wasn't there until I started 3rd grade). It certainly is an experience to have class with the different age ranges, but all in total I don't believe we ever had more than 26 children in all of the grades. But that's what it was like in a small town.

Hi Tamberlaine.

My elementary/jr.high burned. My high school was torn down.

Hi all, thanks for the warm welcome.
Seems I walked in for a stroll down memory lane. Couldn't tell you much about where or how my old schools are doing as I tend to not return to old neighborhoods too often.

Seems you were a victim of the "self-esteem" era of education toccata. The everyone gets first place ribbons kinda stuff. Can't say that I am a big fan of that.

Of course the current rage in education in Florida is testing. Schools get all worked up over the tests and forget to teach the rest of the lesson plans.

And Red, your dead on with the money spending. Palm Beach County school board spent millions building a new HQ while the classrooms are neglected. And let's not forget the fact that Palm Beach County teachers are among the lowest paid, living in one of the most expensive parts of the country.

"No child left behind..."

I have a good friend who is currently finishing up her last year in college while preparing to become a teacher. She tells me that the "No child left behind" policies are ruining what little good is left in the education experiance in the US. I can't really say one way or another as I know nothing about the policy.

I went to five elementary schools, one has moved to a new building and the rest are still the same. My junior high building is still standing (much tto my displeasure) and my highschool underwent a massive retrofit to make it safer in the event of an earthquake. All of these schools are in Salt Lake valley. Interestingly enough, the first college campus I attended is no longer a campus.

*reading backlog*

All schools I attended still stand, which, at my age, I find hard to believe.

As I have aruged with Ben for far too long. (about an hour in a pub whilst boring the rest of the table).

I think that compulsary education is basically pointless, it just teachs people to mindlessly get a job and pay taxes. I really think that once that you can read and write, and do basic arthmatic, type and use a computer.

You can always ago back to education later in life. Or at least you will be able to once I've grabbed power in a socliast revloution *hands round informative pamplet entitled "Education, a Capitalist Brainwashing System,"

For some reason no one ever takes me seriously on political matters.

A write up of MRs pub.

http://www2.myoc.com/entertainment/amusements/maryjo/uci.shtml

Courtesy

Is that MR's picture on the logo at the top?

Toc

I suffered some of the "policy" you did at the second junior school I went too, It was a disaster and to be honest my writing and spelling have never recovered.

[BB]

Nah, that's the Duchess of Windsor.

Tamberlaine, I worked in the Florida school system for 10 years. Every penny spent on testing comes out of the budgets for books and materials. And teacher's salaries. Don't get me started...