In article ,
toto wrote:
On 31 Mar 2005 14:35:44 -0500, (Herman
Rubin) wrote:

Unless we can make it very expensive for teachers and
administrators to ever hold a child back because of age,
and make "No child left behind" to mean "no child left
behind what that child can accomplish", there is no
hope for the public schools. The differences in mental
abilities dwarfs those in physical abilities.

I want you to pay damages to all those graduate students who
failed to learn anything in your classes, Herman.

Converted to the public school model, you would have teachers
pay damages to those whose mental abilities were not up to
being able to learn, or who for some other reason, did not
learn. A teacher can only supply the opportunity and SOME
help, not guarantee learning, as you are hinting.

I was criticizing the teachers who put obstacles in the
path of learning, not those who did not succeed with all.
I always expect the background with little review, and
will not use anything not supposed for the course without
careful explanation. And I will not leave anything out
because of "lack of time".

As for holding a student back, I have never done that.
Nor have I not allowed a student to take a course because
of not having the formal prerequisites, although I have
advised students, after careful discussion, that I thought
they were not sufficiently advanced for the course. Read
what I was saying.
--
This address is for information only. I do not claim that these views
are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University.
Herman Rubin, Department of Statistics, Purdue University
Phone: (765)494-6054 FAX: (765)494-0558