I was going through instructables.com, one of my favorite places to peruse, and noticed this article.

Brennn10 Wins Digital Open

This guy won a competition for most innovative pocket sized contraption on instructables, then went on to win the Digital Open. This was for kids 17 and under. The first sentence I heard him say is "I took a class on the introduciton to electronics.." and I thought to myself..."education has failed us." I say this because where I grew up we had nothing like that to take in 9th grade let alone high school at all. Here in Texas we are operating under this no child left behind clause, which sound well and all, but has nothing to do with real world knowledge. What it means is that all kids should pass standardized tests or TEKS here in Texas.
But what is lacking in the boonie schools are electives. If you go to Highland Park, or something similar, you will no doubt have access to many more classes than if you went to a 3A or lower school out in east or west Texas. There is a law someone that states that all schools should get equal treatment, and children should get equal opportunities to learn. Here is a brief list of classes I was not able to take at my school.
Auto repair
AutoCAD or any type of Drafting
Electronics(other than basic home electricity)
Soccer
Softball (as a guy)
Volleyball(as a guy)
Lacrosse
Rugby
The list goes on...
I can tell you almost certainly, that while the worst school in Dallas may be very unsafe for children, it still had more class selection than the best 3A or lower school in East Texas. Where is all the money going? How is this not creating an endless downward spiral for kids who want to achieve in small towns?

Studying for the test of funtabulation

If you believe in tests as a "measurement of scholastic intelligence" good for you. Because I do not. I am studying for the TeXES exam which is basically an entrance exam for teaching subjects in a school setting. And I am finding that this test probably falls in the same category as a the TEKS test. I am studying for questions on this test rather than studying for knowledge retention. There is no way in hades that anyone can study everything that is needed to ace the Generalist 4-8 test. I believe that you just have to know enough about every little subject to pass. I guess thats what they are going for. A broad base of knowledge. And of course right now, I am typing this blog out instead of studying. My test is Tuesday. I feel like I know Social Studies, Science, Math, and Language well enough, but I need to brush up on a lot of knowledge.
I am for knowing your subject matter intimately, but nobody can know every little bit of knowledge about those 4 subjects all at once? Also my Espresso Machine needs to be de-scaled because daddy needs his caffeine!