Quick Takes: 1 Million Online Common Applications, Protest at Michigan Museum, Chinese Warnings Worry Canadian Educators

What goes round comes round

The situation in Canada—I watched this happen many times. It is still happening in Japan where Japanese students are scammed by the conversation schools and the Japanese language schools for non-Japanese from Asia front for cheap illegal labour pools. What they do to the teachers is much the same story. There was a major overhaul of the laws in New Zealand after some bad experiences both happening to the students and caused by the students but rather than improve the education for the incoming students, the public institutions have simply accelerated their marketing—do this course and get into our university. Like Canada, Chinese government personnel got into the act and painted everyone with the same dirty brush before the NZ government got off its backside and acted. The schools in Korea include their share of bad apples but the Korean government is really under no pressure to improve them — for teachers or students. The story in Canada is hardly unique.

Thomas Simmons, Dr., at 10:31 am EST on February 20, 2007

Thank goodness we have a group of people that are so concerned for my sensibilities and protect me from historical inaccuracies! Perhaps they could be persuaded to protect me from historically incaccurate movies or radio broadcasts? Last time I checked in to real life, it was up to each of us to decide what we would view or not view, not a vigilante group of self appointed cultural guardians.

Free to choose, at 12:31 pm EST on February 22, 2007