Low IQ connection

I found this post interesting, although the lack of citation means that it’s potentially meaningless. But the graphic somehow explains a lot:

What I really identified with, though, is not the fancy chart that shows how red states tend to have lower IQs, but some of the comments posted by other readers. The fact that the majority of the statistical range shows an average spread of only 20 points is disappointing too. But, back to those comments… this one strikes way too close to home:

I have an 11 year old daughter who we have had in a little private school for the past 3 years. this year, we decided to put her in a public school to save money. She has been there a week, and we are pulling her out and putting her back in the private school. Why?

Because she has been bringing home the math papers they have been working on, and I for one was motherfucking shocked. She’s in the 5th grade.

Anyways, friday’s math hour was spent with the whole class working on a 10 question worksheet. My girl tells me that most of the class was having trouble with it. Here are some of the ‘problems’ my FIFTH GRADER had to work out (if no one believes me, i will scan it and post it):

1. The first problem was some ‘review’ equations : 3+8=? 4/1=? there were a couple of other equally 1st grade equations

2. What is the number that comes after 99? (I shit you not this was a question)

3. There was a fraction question with a rectangle that had 1/2 shaded, then below it, the rectangle was divided into fourths, with the same 1/2 of the rectangle shaded, to show how 2/4 simplifies to 1/2

There were several others, but you get the gist. I cannot beleive some of the kids were having problems with it, or even that 5th graders would be asked shit like this.

Needless to say, Jordan has today off while we enroll her back in her regular school…

I’ve posted many times before about the horrible state of our educational system, and I’m sure to do so again. It gets worse every year. Get out there and do something to put an end to the so-called “no child left behind” (should have been named “least common denominator”).

And, in the meantime, my own kids will stay in their charter school, attend after school programs such as Soccer, Lacrosse, and Kumon (an advanced math program that more-or-less seems to be on a par with what I remember doing when I was in 4th and 5th grade), and get as much home schooling as possible. It’s such a shame though — once upon a time, the U.S. turned out 1 in 2 of the world’s best engineers. Today, we turn out 1 in 98, if I remember the statistics correctly.