Comments by "Christian Baune" (@programaths) on "CNBC" channel.

  1. Standardized tests are a good thing. Notice how Belgium is above USA ? That's partially because we use a mixture of teacher assessment and standardized assessment. So teacher can adapt the curriculum and test on what they taught, but they also have to ensure the basic material is covered too, as at the end of the second, the assessment is standardized. That means that not everyone learn the exact same things, but everyone has the same foundations. When I recruited, I also used what we call a "protocol". Each question is rewritten and each stimuli/guidance is also scripted. So each candidate will have the same guidance, if required. Even type of wrong answers and associated questions. It is done that way because the interviewer can have its own biases and memory is a bristle thing. Then the result is summarized as a unique number that can be used to order candidates regardless of gender, religion etc. And yes, there are candidates that were hyper stressed and there is room to handle that. That may sound weird, but in the end, you want someone who is capable. At least, capable of the bare minimum. Someone who can actually learn and imagine solutions to novel problems. And quite important too, understand said problem. It's even why there are wordy math problems in the curriculum where the solution is in the text! We also introduced a "formative" testing. Which are mock tests. So students get also used to the pressure and get a first view on their knowledge and can remediate with help of the teacher. If you pass all mock tests, the real test is just a formality. And on top of that, we have "exercisation". Which is where student are left alone to solve a set of problems with few curve balls and the teacher is only there to give explanations and do differentiation.
    1
  2. Except in studies that shows that women are automatically over evaluated because they are seen as more important for the survival of the species. (Hence sentences like "Women and children first") When normalizing salaries (earning per hour worked for the same activity), then women earn way more. Also, men working in care-tacking have difficulties that women don't have, mainly that people have more trust in women. Even in recruiting it's an issue to be a men. I was instructed to not interview women alone, because it was a risk for the company. Now, when using days and conflating all occupation the gap reverse. Indeed, women usually don't do 50h weeks and don't do jobs that destroy their body like varying heavy load, plumbing, working in furnaces, masonry, collecting garages, security/bouncer, car mechanics ... We should really value those jobs more, because people are literally destroying their own body for us. A good solution would be to force everyone to assume two roles, one in social work and one in physically damaging activities. The week could also be decreased to a 8h per day week, but for everyone! That would certainly make things more equal. Then yearly, each individual would be evaluated on his productivity and would have to work prorata to catch up. That way, the fast workers are not disadvantaged. Otherwise, it's slavery and we don't want it.
    1
  3.  @darkushippotoxotai9536  For taxes, what is done in Belgium is almost good. If you are too poor, you shouldn't be taxed. For everyone else, you remove the "poverty threshold" and tax the remaining at 20%. If you're super rich, you still pay your 20%. In fact, with that system, the rich would pay something like 20.01% so they wouldn't even bat an eye at this. The really poor would pay 0%. In Belgium, that's not that idea, because we have "steps" so the base %age increase up to 50%. Then we have 21% tax on spending and 24% for solidarity help. In my case, my base tax is 30% to which you add the 245% (so rounded to 50%) then the 21% on anything you buy. Overall, it's 71%. A bit less since a part of my salary is removed before applying those taxes, but still a lot and considered socialist for Americans (because IT IS). Still do better than France as rich comes here ^^
    1