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The primary rule here is pretty simple: Treat others with the same respect you'd want for yourself. Here are some guidelines (see more):

It should be noted this is not a comprehensive list.

• Don't insult one another or the subjects of BDN stories. You may be ticked off at what someone did or said, but you can explain that without resorting to name-calling or obscenity. Remember that young people are on this site too.
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That's about it: Stick to writing about the stories; be civil; be kind; enlighten your neighbors. And we'll keep moderating posts to try to ensure everyone meets those standards.

• Anonymous

  The idea that kids get to make mistakes in order to learn seems logical enough; what Mr. Wagner fails to realize, apparently, is that his solution to the alleged education failure is also a matter of “trial and error”.  If he’s wrong, lots of Maine students might be harmed even more than they supposedly are now.

• Anonymous

  The idea that kids get to make mistakes in order to learn seems logical enough; what Mr. Wagner fails to realize, apparently, is that his solution to the alleged education failure is also a matter of “trial and error”.  If he’s wrong, lots of Maine students might be harmed even more than they supposedly are now.

• Anonymous

  The idea that kids get to make mistakes in order to learn seems logical enough; what Mr. Wagner fails to realize, apparently, is that his solution to the alleged education failure is also a matter of “trial and error”.  If he’s wrong, lots of Maine students might be harmed even more than they supposedly are now.

• Anonymous

  The idea that kids get to make mistakes in order to learn seems logical enough; what Mr. Wagner fails to realize, apparently, is that his solution to the alleged education failure is also a matter of “trial and error”.  If he’s wrong, lots of Maine students might be harmed even more than they supposedly are now.

• Anonymous

  Child-led education is the key.

• Anonymous

  Child-led education is the key.

• Anonymous

  Child-led education is the key.

• Centaurmyst

  My youngest son spent three years in a private school that fostered creativity and finding new and better ways to find solutions to problems.  This was for 5th, 6th and 7th grades.  When he returned to public school he became extremely frustrated with the way public education stifled and stagnated creativity and discouraged students from being innovative.   He stopped going at 16 years old, got his GED and taught himself the skills he needed to succeed independently.  At 18 years old he became an entrepreneur and is doing quite well for himself.

  Schools are not working today.  I graduated from a local college a little over a year ago and was appalled in my English Composition class that most of my classmates could not write a proper sentence and had atrocious spelling.  That is a pretty good indicator that the current system doesn’t work.  Of course, No Child Left Behind hasn’t helped because now teachers have to teach kids how to pass a test so they can get federal funding.  It’s ridiculous.

• Centaurmyst

  My youngest son spent three years in a private school that fostered creativity and finding new and better ways to find solutions to problems.  This was for 5th, 6th and 7th grades.  When he returned to public school he became extremely frustrated with the way public education stifled and stagnated creativity and discouraged students from being innovative.   He stopped going at 16 years old, got his GED and taught himself the skills he needed to succeed independently.  At 18 years old he became an entrepreneur and is doing quite well for himself.

  Schools are not working today.  I graduated from a local college a little over a year ago and was appalled in my English Composition class that most of my classmates could not write a proper sentence and had atrocious spelling.  That is a pretty good indicator that the current system doesn’t work.  Of course, No Child Left Behind hasn’t helped because now teachers have to teach kids how to pass a test so they can get federal funding.  It’s ridiculous.

• Centaurmyst

  My youngest son spent three years in a private school that fostered creativity and finding new and better ways to find solutions to problems.  This was for 5th, 6th and 7th grades.  When he returned to public school he became extremely frustrated with the way public education stifled and stagnated creativity and discouraged students from being innovative.   He stopped going at 16 years old, got his GED and taught himself the skills he needed to succeed independently.  At 18 years old he became an entrepreneur and is doing quite well for himself.

  Schools are not working today.  I graduated from a local college a little over a year ago and was appalled in my English Composition class that most of my classmates could not write a proper sentence and had atrocious spelling.  That is a pretty good indicator that the current system doesn’t work.  Of course, No Child Left Behind hasn’t helped because now teachers have to teach kids how to pass a test so they can get federal funding.  It’s ridiculous.

• Anonymous

  The United States is in the process of butchering its education system in favor of idiotic wars and forgiving the unspeakable corruption of Wall Street (see the Oscar-winning movie Inside Job to learn how Wall Street destroyed our economy in 2008 and got away with it).

  Ignorant citizens are attempting to dismantle education by cutting as much money out of learning as they can.  It’s a misguided ideology.  We should be putting money into learning and schools.  We should stop cutting benefits for teachers, slashing their pensions for instance.

  We do need a major overhaul.  It’s called eliminating greed, corruption, ignorant leadership, and cruelty. 

• Anonymous

  You make a valid point. However, what passes as education now is not working for  many. Some new approaches have  to be considered.

• Anonymous

  You make a valid point. However, what passes as education now is not working for  many. Some new approaches have  to be considered.

• Anonymous

  You make a valid point. However, what passes as education now is not working for  many. Some new approaches have  to be considered.

• Anonymous

  You make a valid point. However, what passes as education now is not working for  many. Some new approaches have  to be considered.

• Anonymous

  You make a valid point. However, what passes as education now is not working for  many. Some new approaches have  to be considered.

• Anonymous

  You make a valid point. However, what passes as education now is not working for  many. Some new approaches have  to be considered.

• Anonymous

  You make a valid point. However, what passes as education now is not working for  many. Some new approaches have  to be considered.

• Anonymous

  First, students must master basic skills. Using trial and error to master basic skills is a huge mistake. Some things need to be instantly recalled, as in basic math facts. Students also must learn the facts of history in order to apply that knowledge in other areas of thought. The problem has become that when students refuse to learn the basics, the educators bend over backwards to lighten the load. Then the students get through twelve or thirteen years of school unable to read, write, and compute. Show me one class in Japan in which students experiment and do research in order to do trigonometry. Show me one class in China in which students are not expected to memorize those things which we already know. Educators need to wake up—the reason kids are failing to learn is that they are not teaching anymore. Too many supervisors want the kids to take over the role of teacher.  Learn the basics first, master some knowledge of higher math, show good reading skills, prove your points in writing, then maybe students can muddle around and do whatever they want to do.

• Anonymous

  The problem stems from a misguided application of our resources.  Rather than actually fund the education of our students we are building fancy over-priced schools with 3 story glass facades, university class athletic fields, and performing art centers for 12 year olds.  All nice but none of this will help these students get an education and give them the tools they need to provide for themselves as adults.  Pay for top notch teachers, buy lab equipment and computers, focus on physics not football, and then these children will be ready for life.

• Anonymous

  I started as a classroom teacher almost 30 years ago and the external requirements on what had to happen in a classroom where already starting.  With each passing year, decade, and administration (national and state) more and more requirements have been placed on what goes on inside a classroom.  What people forget is that teachers are (and should be) enthusiastic advocates for our children’s education.  But this is seldom allowed anymore.  You cannot spend all of your time trying to meet ever constricting regulations AND meet the needs of growing children.  Legislation over the past 3 decades has focused on trying to prevent some schools from failing, but in so doing has resulted in most schools failing more.  We change the testing criteria to make it seem like we are progressing, but against every international comparison we continue to lose ground.  How can we, as a nation, be successful if we fudge our own results to look good at the expense of letting the professionals we train do their job?

• Anonymous

  I started as a classroom teacher almost 30 years ago and the external requirements on what had to happen in a classroom where already starting.  With each passing year, decade, and administration (national and state) more and more requirements have been placed on what goes on inside a classroom.  What people forget is that teachers are (and should be) enthusiastic advocates for our children’s education.  But this is seldom allowed anymore.  You cannot spend all of your time trying to meet ever constricting regulations AND meet the needs of growing children.  Legislation over the past 3 decades has focused on trying to prevent some schools from failing, but in so doing has resulted in most schools failing more.  We change the testing criteria to make it seem like we are progressing, but against every international comparison we continue to lose ground.  How can we, as a nation, be successful if we fudge our own results to look good at the expense of letting the professionals we train do their job?

• Anonymous

  What works for one young person is not the same as for another. You don’t mention your other children, so I assume public schools worked for them.

  I have no problem with trying new things.  What bothers me is blaming public schools – which have to educate everyone and anyone who walks through their doors – for every ill.  Experts have been bemoaning the factory-style U.S. education system for decades; what Mr. Wagner said was nothing new.

  My point was that HIS solution hasn’t been proven either, so to assume that it’s the answer for all kids makes no sense. Moreover, Maine schools are still arranged – at both the state policy level and locally – in a basic top-down management, factory-style manner.  Until that changes so teachers are shown respect, treated as professionals and allowed to just-plain-teach, nothing much will.  [See Finland's experience]

  Finally, Commissioner Bowen’s big push is for charter schools; apparently what Mr. Wagner said fits into his agenda quite nicely.  What I don’t understand is why he isn’t working to change state-level policy around school funding and organization to permit small, rural schools the same opportunities for innovation he wants for charters.

• Anonymous

  What works for one young person is not the same as for another. You don’t mention your other children, so I assume public schools worked for them.

  I have no problem with trying new things.  What bothers me is blaming public schools – which have to educate everyone and anyone who walks through their doors – for every ill.  Experts have been bemoaning the factory-style U.S. education system for decades; what Mr. Wagner said was nothing new.

  My point was that HIS solution hasn’t been proven either, so to assume that it’s the answer for all kids makes no sense. Moreover, Maine schools are still arranged – at both the state policy level and locally – in a basic top-down management, factory-style manner.  Until that changes so teachers are shown respect, treated as professionals and allowed to just-plain-teach, nothing much will.  [See Finland's experience]

  Finally, Commissioner Bowen’s big push is for charter schools; apparently what Mr. Wagner said fits into his agenda quite nicely.  What I don’t understand is why he isn’t working to change state-level policy around school funding and organization to permit small, rural schools the same opportunities for innovation he wants for charters.

• Anonymous

  You got that one, right, Nancy!  Stephen Bowen introduced him — that’s all that needs to be said.  Okay everyone, jump on the charter school bandwagon … !!

• Anonymous

  You got that one, right, Nancy!  Stephen Bowen introduced him — that’s all that needs to be said.  Okay everyone, jump on the charter school bandwagon … !!

• Anonymous

  You got that one, right, Nancy!  Stephen Bowen introduced him — that’s all that needs to be said.  Okay everyone, jump on the charter school bandwagon … !!

• Anonymous

  You got that one, right, Nancy!  Stephen Bowen introduced him — that’s all that needs to be said.  Okay everyone, jump on the charter school bandwagon … !!

• Anonymous

  You got that one, right, Nancy!  Stephen Bowen introduced him — that’s all that needs to be said.  Okay everyone, jump on the charter school bandwagon … !!

• http://twitter.com/TheHumbleFarmer Robert Karl Skoglund

  This is a very scary news item. One gets the impression in reading it that the purpose of our schools is to prepare kids to work and not to live interesting, fulfilling and happy lives.
   
  We read that corporate America would have schools turn out units that can “keep and create jobs after graduation.”

  We further read that employers don’t care what you know as long as you can do something for them with what you know.

  One shudders to think that the curriculum in Maine schools would be tailored to the needs of the business community instead of the individual.
   
  In the business community’s ideal world, children would be raised in incubators where they could be conditioned by an endless recording that said “I’m very lucky to have a job here.”
   
  There might be more than a few people who read this article on education without understanding its implications, and this is sad.
   
  A real education is multifaceted and enables people to read between the lines.

  The humble Farmer