I do think that there should be a mix of learning opportunity as some students do better with different types of instruction.
Some can read the textbook and just get it. Some need to talk about the subject.
Some need to ask a lot of questions.
There are so many factors that are at play. Structure is good it gives clear expectations. Students typically strive to meet clear objectives. If there is no clear objective they often struggle to achieve much.
A child’s home life plays largely into their ability to learn. Sleep and nutrition. Stress levels.
You can see it in a student if a family member is ill or if they have some sort of stress or struggles at home. They don’t perform at the level they would otherwise.
For some students grasping basic mathematics for is difficult. They can memorize the steps of solving certain problems but there is a disconnect between what they are doing and how it can be applied to other problems. These students can be sometimes helped with kinaesthetic learning. Suddenly when you are manipulating real things it makes sense.
I would say too much focus is put on teachers in a way as parents have nearly the same amount of input into a child’s learning process.
Do they respect and listen to the teacher. Are they showing up to school ready to learn and listen.
Teachers are not parents. They do sometimes fill that role or try to fill the void left by parents but this is not something teachers can realistically do for all of their students and stay mentally well.
I used to quote jobs when I worked for a different solar outfit. This was in a completely different part of my country and is a completely different market. I did the pricing myself yes.
Well open source AutoSteer exists it has a lot of features like rate control built in to it. The system is called AgOpenGPS it’s very popular for retrofitting older equipment with modern technology.
I don’t teach in a public school but we use tech to a very limited extent in my k-9 school grades 7-9 will be taking a computer skills course next year. We currently teach touch typing to grades 8 and 9. Everything else is pencil and paper. I think present day children are exposed to tech in non productive way ie mobile devices.
The number of kids who don’t know how to operate a mouse and keyboard is wild. Things like double clicking are quite difficult for some. It’s quite interesting honestly.
I use LLMs for compilation of information sometimes. I’m a teacher and I sometimes use it to hack together a quick worksheet for my students. I see they need some practice with a certain concept and I get the LLM to generate a LaTeX doc which I compile to pdf. I find it can be particularly useful at document creation but it is horrible at writing anything that’s in sentence form. It stinks and is not great at conveying my voice.
I will sometimes write a lesson and have an LLM generate a quiz and give me feedback on my content search for mistakes or unclear content.
I have also used it to help me structure a document. I give it requirements it makes a general outline that I then just fill in with my own words.
I’m still not sure how to approach my students’ uses of an LLM. I am loath to make a hard and fast rule of no LLMs because that’s ridiculous. I want to encourage appropriate use. I don’t know what is appropriate use in the context of a student.
An LLM can be a great learning tool but it also can be a crutch.
Blue collar guy here who started working construction at 13 years of age. I concur that many white collar people won’t have an easy time adjusting to blue collar jobs. Some people do switch and thrive. Many however don’t have the mental fortitude to push through the misery of a non stimulating brain numbing endless job that could kill somebody if you stop paying attention.
There are also a lot of geniuses who might barely know how to read but can do incredible work and figure out some really difficult problems.
I consider myself blue collar even though I am a school teacher currently. It’s in my blood. I don’t especially like the work but I can do it and I am skilled at it.
My advice to anyone moving in to the blue collar world is to be respectful. If you are educated Don’t ever let on that your education makes you superior somehow. You will make a lot of enemies by being that person.
You will likely run in to people who really are quite unintelligent just be considerate and don’t get into debates with them. A lot of people come from poverty or really tough backgrounds and many are quite sensitive about it so don’t make a big deal about it.
On the other side there are many people who are quite intelligent and have the skills and knowledge of engineers even though they do not have any formal training or education.
IF you're reading Hacker News, you're probably not one of those people. You're probably someone for whom a university education, and working in software, are actually good fits.
I’ve been alone since about 20. I am 26 now and have been renting a room from someone who is in a similar state as myself. We mostly do our own thing but it’s nice to have others around. Something I learned was necessary when living alone was to have connections with people. I am religious and belong to a church the social connection there was critical to my survival as an individual. I had friends who were in multiple stages of life. I would try to spend time with others multiple times a week.
On Thursday’s I would spend time with my friend who’s in his 60s. I might help him fix some shelves or his furnace or whatever in exchange for a meal with him and his wife. We would play a few rounds of pickle ball or go for a bike ride in the evening and then we would sit around and talk.
I had a few other friendships like this. One family where I would spend a lot of time. The children where in their teens and I was friends with them and the parents they treated me as a bit of a son. It was good. I have since moved to a different community and have a very social job now so it’s not as crucial that I make such deliberate efforts to spend time with others.
So my advice is this make deliberate effort to spend time with people. Find people to spend time with involve yourself in their lives. Humans are social we all need some interaction and you can be an asset to others while helping yourself.
Too much time alone will absolutely destroy your mental state. Well it did mine. I have my friends to thank for taking care of me.
I should note many people rely on family for this sort of stuff. I don’t have family close geographically.
Having spent several years unexpectedly alone after a big breakup in my mid twenties, I'd also highly recommend getting involved in a church, even if it's just to serve others in some practical way organized by the church. Most churches have plenty of need in "care" ministries like bringing meals (and conversation) to people who are homebound, or in the hospital. One cool thing our church does is organize volunteers to help with teaching English as a second language to refugees living in our community.
Do enough of these kinds of things and not only will you connect with those you serve, but also with those serving others out of love. These are good people to be connected to, especially since you'll become more like them over time.
Absolutely. I have one friend who also goes out and does stuff on his own. Not things organized by the church we attend. He volunteers at a soup kitchen every Sunday. Honestly there are so many things you can do to help others. I find this is the best way to get out of the self pity loneliness loop. Help others and make yourself a benefit to society. It gives us purpose and you gain more than you give typically.
Some can read the textbook and just get it. Some need to talk about the subject.
Some need to ask a lot of questions.
There are so many factors that are at play. Structure is good it gives clear expectations. Students typically strive to meet clear objectives. If there is no clear objective they often struggle to achieve much.
A child’s home life plays largely into their ability to learn. Sleep and nutrition. Stress levels.
You can see it in a student if a family member is ill or if they have some sort of stress or struggles at home. They don’t perform at the level they would otherwise.
For some students grasping basic mathematics for is difficult. They can memorize the steps of solving certain problems but there is a disconnect between what they are doing and how it can be applied to other problems. These students can be sometimes helped with kinaesthetic learning. Suddenly when you are manipulating real things it makes sense.
I would say too much focus is put on teachers in a way as parents have nearly the same amount of input into a child’s learning process.
Do they respect and listen to the teacher. Are they showing up to school ready to learn and listen.
Teachers are not parents. They do sometimes fill that role or try to fill the void left by parents but this is not something teachers can realistically do for all of their students and stay mentally well.
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