College Degrees...

[scooterbug44]

SJ, those pros were able to do so well BECAUSE of their specialized training and experience - they took classes and learned from instructors for years to reach that point - same as with any skilled profession.

I definitely think college educations/degrees and what you get out of them vary a great deal based upon the individual, the major/degree and the school.

 

[ShallowsNole]

And nobody can argue that the ability to communicate effectively, which IS one of the things I got out of all those trips back and forth to Niceville, DeFuniak, Tallahassee and Fort Walton Beach, is necessary. I am just tired of people who I have known for years being judged based on college vs. work.

I have also made the mental note that we should stay away from pinatas. Never in my life have I seen so much ado about nothing. I will, however, continue to eat fried gator tail for Thanksgiving. ;-)

This is my last post in this particular forum until after the election. I have done all I can do, said all I can say, and I am tired. At least the sheriff's office will be going in a good direction, no matter what happens. I'll be in the lounge. :leaving:

 

[Smiling JOe]

SJ, those pros were able to do so well BECAUSE of their specialized training and experience - they took classes and learned from instructors for years to reach that point - same as with any skilled profession.

I definitely think college educations/degrees and what you get out of them vary a great deal based upon the individual, the major/degree and the school.

My point is that they received absolutely no specialized training in how to dance the JitterBug. They learned it on their own in a week, and were able to teach it to another person in the same week. It seems that they learned HOW to dance in their instruction, not WHAT to dance.

 

[Smiling JOe]

ShallowsNole, if you think it is about pinatas, you are missing the point. You mention communication. What do you think it communicates when a person running for any leadership position in our gov't, decides to take a stick and symbolically beat another person, a black person at that? It wasn't too long ago when black men were hung from tree limbs and beaten to death. It has nothing to do with pinatas. It has to do with what that person communicates to others.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Let me add one thing to clarify my point, above. I highly doubt that Mr Nelson was thinking of his actions with the donkey pinata as being hateful toward Sen Obama. However, I think it is important for people running for public office to be aware of the public perception, as well as being respectful to other elected officials. I also think it is important for each of us to be aware of what we are teaching others by their observation of our actions. This goes well-beyond life in politics. I am certainly one for having fun, and whacking a pinata with a stick in order to get some candy seems harmless enough, unless you are blindfolded. I have seen many innocent bystanders rushing to collect the candy, only to have the blind-folded whacker not know, and continue to swing hard. ouch.

 

[rapunzel]

When making hiring decisions, I always went with an old HR rule. Three years of experience in a directly related job is equal to one year of college in a related field of study. I view 25 years as a college degree plus 13 years experience. That seems about right to me, and enough to qualify Fuzz for Sheriff a couple of times over.

As far as school board, I think that is a bit different. Every teacher in the school system is required to have a bachelor's degree and certification. The very idea that education credentials aren't as important for the board as they are for the teachers is perplexing to me, and no one can learn the science of teaching and educating through on the job training. It's a horse of a different color entirely.

 

[InletBchDweller]

When making hiring decisions, I always went with an old HR rule. Three years of experience in a directly related job is equal to one year of college in a related field of study. I view 25 years as a college degree plus 13 years experience. That seems about right to me, and enough to qualify Fuzz for Sheriff a couple of times over.

As far as school board, I think that is a bit different. Every teacher in the school system is required to have a bachelor's degree and certification. The very idea that education credentials aren't as important for the board as they are for the teachers is perplexing to me, and no one can learn the science of teaching and educating through on the job training. It's a horse of a different color entirely.

It may be different for some people but I learned more from my "on the job (in the classroom) training" than I ever learned in college. By the time I graduated and took a teaching position new techniques were already in place; what I learned in college was "old school" . As I believe Scooterbug? said, it all has to do with what the degree is for and what career you have.

 

[rapunzel]

It may be different for some people but I learned more from my "on the job (in the classroom) training" than I ever learned in college. By the time I graduated and took a teaching position new techniques were already in place; what I learned in college was "old school" . As I believe Scooterbug? said, it all has to do with what the degree is for and what career you have.

Yes, but you couldn't have gotten the experience in the field without the degree, that was my only point. No matter how naturally good you are with young people, you can't get a job teaching straight out of high school and learn the trade on the job.

This thread has me thinking about a woman I worked with in contracting for a health insurance company -- we were both 29 and were both Senior Network Managers. She had a BA, JD, and Masters in Healthcare Administration. I had a BA and five years experience. We were the only women doing this job in the Southern region, so we were patronized a bit. I don't remember how it started, but we somehow ended up working as a team. She was great with legal language and negotiating changes to standard contracts, I was better at explaining to physicians and hospitals how reimbursement models would work for them, training them on the administrative aspects of joining the network, and negotiating fee schedules. Together, we were really good at our job.

With that in mind, I'd be interested to know the backgrounds of the other School Board members. I know Mark Davis is an attorney and a long standing member of the board.

 

[Jdarg]

My biggest concern is the partisan politics that has become part of this race. College degrees (or lack) and pinatas and experience to me are satellite issues revolving around the bigger picture that is worrying me.

Robert Nelson was the head of the Walton County GOP. When I first started talking to Robert, I thought he could "separate" from his political life when he chose to run for school board- a place where politics has no life, period. IMO, the best thing he could have done was discuss only school board -type issues, instead of keeping himself firmly entrenched in the local Republican party campaign.

I have never heard Mrs. Wilkerson discuss Democrat issues in public - I am sure they are important to her, but being a Democrat does not define who she is. Every conversation I have had with Mildred has been education-related. Robert is totally defined by being a Republican. His postings on SoWal have made that very clear.

If he wins this election, I will move on and work with him and the rest of the board for the good of our schools, and hope that he really can separate himself from party politics and do the same.