Community Chat

[betteb]

---

@Susan Louise wrote:

---

@betteb wrote:

@Susan Louise I reinvented myself a few times over my 30yr work history too, and everytime, it was because I could not find a suitable job in my chosen field. Employers would rather hire newbies at a low wage than hire experience at a higher cost.

---

@betteb Yep, talk about a bitter pill to swallow. My father's work history/resume was worth something back in the day...companies would pay for experience over newbies and they appreciated talent/skills.

Although I hate getting old, I'm glad I retired early and I'm out of the crazy workforce in 2006! Job security died as I knew it, companies push workers more and more...like trying to get blood out of a stone!

If I stretched out the hours I worked down to 40 hr weeks, I have already worked enough hours to cover me through the age of 72 and I'll be 56 in December.

---

****************************************************************************

I'll be 56 in October and I am in forced retirement (disability). I never worked more than 1 job at a time, but almost every job I worked had mandatory 10-15 hrs a week OT.

I have enough credits to retire, but I'm too young, so I have to do the disability. That will convert to regular SS at 62. 

[Burnsite]

In most states where I have lived, all students in regular (not specialized vo-tech) high schools now take the SATs, whether or not they are college bound.  A while ago, among the lowest scores were South Carolina's (I was living there at the time)--and the low score wasn't because the kids were not bright.  It was because every student in every school took them, whether or not they were showing promise for higher education.  All students were also required to take AP  exams also.  This caused the average score to be much lower than the average in surrounding states. 

That is why it may be a mistake to blame students for policies that politicians and bureaucrats enact.

When I was a teen (back in the Pliocene era),  my high school scheduled SAT tests only for the 40% of students who were expecting to go to college.

[Susan Louise]

---

@betteb wrote:

---

@Susan Louise wrote:

---

@betteb wrote:

@Susan Louise I reinvented myself a few times over my 30yr work history too, and everytime, it was because I could not find a suitable job in my chosen field. Employers would rather hire newbies at a low wage than hire experience at a higher cost.

---

@betteb Yep, talk about a bitter pill to swallow. My father's work history/resume was worth something back in the day...companies would pay for experience over newbies and they appreciated talent/skills.

Although I hate getting old, I'm glad I retired early and I'm out of the crazy workforce in 2006! Job security died as I knew it, companies push workers more and more...like trying to get blood out of a stone!

If I stretched out the hours I worked down to 40 hr weeks, I have already worked enough hours to cover me through the age of 72 and I'll be 56 in December.

---

****************************************************************************

I'll be 56 in October and I am in forced retirement (disability). I never worked more than 1 job at a time, but almost every job I worked had mandatory 10-15 hrs a week OT.

I have enough credits to retire, but I'm too young, so I have to do the disability. That will convert to regular SS at 62. 

---

@betteb  I can relate to some degree. In 2004 I had my lung cancer surgery. For nearly 2 yrs I tried to keep up the pace I used to do...just not the same. I'm grateful for a wonderful DH who told me to not bother working anymore and to just stay home. So now I am a certified homemaker for us...best job in the whole world

[betteb]

---

@Susan Louise wrote:

---

@betteb wrote:

---

@Susan Louise wrote:

---

@betteb wrote:

@Susan Louise I reinvented myself a few times over my 30yr work history too, and everytime, it was because I could not find a suitable job in my chosen field. Employers would rather hire newbies at a low wage than hire experience at a higher cost.

---

@betteb Yep, talk about a bitter pill to swallow. My father's work history/resume was worth something back in the day...companies would pay for experience over newbies and they appreciated talent/skills.

Although I hate getting old, I'm glad I retired early and I'm out of the crazy workforce in 2006! Job security died as I knew it, companies push workers more and more...like trying to get blood out of a stone!

If I stretched out the hours I worked down to 40 hr weeks, I have already worked enough hours to cover me through the age of 72 and I'll be 56 in December.

---

****************************************************************************

I'll be 56 in October and I am in forced retirement (disability). I never worked more than 1 job at a time, but almost every job I worked had mandatory 10-15 hrs a week OT.

I have enough credits to retire, but I'm too young, so I have to do the disability. That will convert to regular SS at 62. 

---

@betteb  I can relate to some degree. In 2004 I had my lung cancer surgery. For nearly 2 yrs I tried to keep up the pace I used to do...just not the same. I'm grateful for a wonderful DH who told me to not bother working anymore and to just stay home. So now I am a certified homemaker for us...best job in the whole world

---

********************************************************************

You are very lucky to have your DH, and don't disregard the value of the homemaker. I'm alone here and my house is terrible (by my standards) but I just can not keep up like I use to.

[Susan Louise]

---

@betteb wrote:

---

@Susan Louise wrote:

---

@betteb wrote:

---

@Susan Louise wrote:

---

@betteb wrote:

@Susan Louise I reinvented myself a few times over my 30yr work history too, and everytime, it was because I could not find a suitable job in my chosen field. Employers would rather hire newbies at a low wage than hire experience at a higher cost.

---

@betteb Yep, talk about a bitter pill to swallow. My father's work history/resume was worth something back in the day...companies would pay for experience over newbies and they appreciated talent/skills.

Although I hate getting old, I'm glad I retired early and I'm out of the crazy workforce in 2006! Job security died as I knew it, companies push workers more and more...like trying to get blood out of a stone!

If I stretched out the hours I worked down to 40 hr weeks, I have already worked enough hours to cover me through the age of 72 and I'll be 56 in December.

---

****************************************************************************

I'll be 56 in October and I am in forced retirement (disability). I never worked more than 1 job at a time, but almost every job I worked had mandatory 10-15 hrs a week OT.

I have enough credits to retire, but I'm too young, so I have to do the disability. That will convert to regular SS at 62. 

---

@betteb  I can relate to some degree. In 2004 I had my lung cancer surgery. For nearly 2 yrs I tried to keep up the pace I used to do...just not the same. I'm grateful for a wonderful DH who told me to not bother working anymore and to just stay home. So now I am a certified homemaker for us...best job in the whole world

---

********************************************************************

You are very lucky to have your DH, and don't disregard the value of the homemaker. I'm alone here and my house is terrible (by my standards) but I just can not keep up like I use to.

---

@betteb  Bless your heart...(((HUGS)))

[Vivian]

With all the teaching-for-the-tests going on, it seems that America's children aren't learning much. When I was in graduate school a million years ago, one of the books I read included a memorable line. "Learning is painful" The context of the statement was that no matter how creative or inventive educators are, learning is hard work. It takes effort and persistence. Somewhere along the way, we decided that if learning didn't come easily, it wasn't worth the trouble. Aiming for the lowest common denominator became the standard. And to deal with the fallout of that approach, legislators threw a test at it. That doesn't work. To make matters worse, in many states teachers are not even paid a livable wage. One has to have the most devoted ideals to enter the teaching profession...and stay there. In Finland, teachers are the highest paid of all the professions. They do put their money where their mouth is. We don't.

[esmeraldagooch]

Arne Duncan and Common core. The perfect storm.

[Say Nay]

---

@Lucky Charm wrote:

I heard on the (world?) news last night that more college students smoke pot than smoke cigarettes.

You'd think the high schoolers would be grappling to get to college.

(There's a reason they call it dope......)

---

College students? SAT is before college. 

[abbeythe 8th]

I spent most of my career teaching in a prestigious school system.  Guidance counselors encouraged almost all students to take SAT prep courses, and then the actual test.  For some reason schools like to boast 95% of our students take SATs.

Years ago, students took different paths in high school.  Only the better student chose college prep courses.  Other students chose vocational or general courses.

[ROMARY]

A hundred years ago (lol), I passed the SAT's with flying colors.  Without SAT study books/classes or college prep.  Plain public schools all the way through.    (Patting myself on the shoulder right now....)   Edited to say that I meant that I was told that my scores were very high re: that particular university.  I don't recall the number right now, but I recall being very happy and relieved at the time.