Are our schools teaching kids the right stuff?

Today I awoke with the aches and pains that seem to greet me every day in my advancing years.
I complained to myself as I dragged my body out of bed, that nobody told me this would happen to my body as I got older.
Thinking about it for a while I decided that my schooling was a little lacking in the preparing for life department.

I spent years learning Math's, English, History, Science, Biology etc, but never did anyone educate me about what to expect as I grew older.
I’ve heard many British folk put emphasis on how important it is learning the “three ‘R’s. “What?” I ask “are they?”
Reading Writing and Arithmetic is the reply.
I laugh. “That’s one R a W and an A.” I say. “go back to school.” I say.
Their education obviously lacking in the spelling department.
How about teaching people something they can really find useful in life? Not algebra!
If by pure fluke everyone studied hard at school and passed every subject got diploma’s and degrees, who would clean the toilets? Who would empty the trash? Who would do the real work?
Yes we know nature has rationed out the brains in reality.
So why is so much of our education a complete waste of time? Why are we taught so much info we will never use in life?

If we knew at a young age a little of what would happen to our bodies as we grow up, the aches, the pains, the wrinkles, the sagging parts that migrate south.
If we were taught more about relationships more about what we need in life financially and how to budget. With that sort of education maybe we would grow up a little more responsibly. Life would be less of a shock when our bodies fail us later on in life. Perhaps we would have been more motivated to look after ourselves a bit better in our youth knowing what to expect a little later on in life.

What do you think?

Hi dmondeo

Well I think we learn best about life when were old by hanging out with grandparents and being in a community where being of age is respected. I also think it’s not only schools that teach our kids. In fact, it’s not even at school where they learn most because kids learn from family, peers, travel, reading, media and so on. If the kid is lucky enough to be apart of such things then they benefit from these other sources of education and in my opinion they are the more valuable provider of education.

Good posts.

I agree. Kids need to learn these things, and learning from family is a good thing. However, sometimes kids will go the opposite direction for reasons unknown, and put themselves in dangerous and unhealthy situations.

Carol

David, in the US, there are elective courses students can choose to take that cover "life skills." The only problem is that there are so many academic courses that must be taken, especially for students who are "college bound," that these electives don't get much priority.

Ann

dmondeo wrote:

Yes we know nature has rationed out the brains in reality.

What do you think?

I think that anyone who said that here would be shouted down or fired. Current pedagogical delusion here states that anyone can be anything if enough money is thrown at teaching them. This is manifested in the "No Child Left Behind" mandate. Ask an American schoolteacher to tell you about it.

LC wrote:

dmondeo wrote:

Yes we know nature has rationed out the brains in reality.

What do you think?

I think that anyone who said that here would be shouted down or fired. Current pedagogical delusion here states that anyone can be anything if enough money is thrown at teaching them. This is manifested in the "No Child Left Behind" mandate. Ask an American schoolteacher to tell you about it.

But please don't; it would take a book.

Take a book? Hmm.

Ann

LC wrote:

dmondeo wrote:

Yes we know nature has rationed out the brains in reality.

What do you think?

I think that anyone who said that here would be shouted down or fired. Current pedagogical delusion here states that anyone can be anything if enough money is thrown at teaching them. This is manifested in the "No Child Left Behind" mandate. Ask an American schoolteacher to tell you about it.

I disagree that money is the answer. I have talked to teachers about "No Child Left Behind" and have yet to find someone who agreed with it. I think schools need to be clean and cared for, with adequate space, but some go way beyond with many luxuries not especially necessary to learning. Not that these aren't important. Our schools are excellent in our small Wisconsin town. We have a fantastic theater for school and community, and other music and athletic facilities are excellent as well. We have three very small country grade schools where the students come to town for middle and high school. As a school social worker back in the 1980s, I tried to help kids with life skills, even teaching in classrooms on occasion. These schools also are not adverse to trying new things.

My granddaughter is visually impaired and had some difficulties in college. She has returned home, and the school set up a volunteer program where she could help in her mother's classroom in a country school, tutoring kids in math, where she is definitely an asset.

Ann,

I did write a book on the subject, "Helping Skills for Teenagers." A good publisher had accepted it but then did not publish it, and that was before I knew about contracts.

So I self-published it and sold quite a few. I also did training sessions on helping skills throughout the state with groups of kids who wanted to help others. Then the program became not acceptable as there were those who felt these programs put too much responsibility on kids. I disagreed because kids were helping each other anyway and the program gave them some skills to do so, especially how to listen and refer kids to help.

We took my self-published books, along with other helping books, to conferences and had a table to sell them. I did not wear a name tag or tell anyone I was the author, which gave me some good ideas of what people thought of my books.

Carol

Carol,

If I wrote a book, it would be about the difficulties teaching young people today, with the expectations placed upon the schools.

It isn't about the amount of money, to my mind, so much as how and where the money is spent. The cost of technology is quite high, and the arts programs are struggling to keep going. WE need to be able to support the arts in school to keep the curriculum from being dangerously one-sided.

There is money for schools from the private sector in the form of grants. I was on the grant-writing team for our school. We were able to get a grant that put 5 computers in every classroom - our max class load was 15 - and another for the software that helped us set up a credit recovery program for our students - mostly former dropouts.

"No Child Left Behind" was pretty much a joke to us. I'm very glad President Obama is planning to reform it.

Ann

David,

I am glad no one taught me how horrible old age is. There's an old saying, " don't waste time teaching what will automatically be learned."

No one seems to think the golden years are very gilded.

Fortunately it sneaks up on us. One day we are young and conquering the world--looking down on those good for nothing old folks.

The next morning we wake up and have turned into one of them.

AW PHOOEY!

Be proud, Alice. You are on your way to becoming a crone - a magical wise woman. Just ask Betty.

Ann

No wise person would get the way I have gotten.


The worst part of it all is I don't even know how I did it.

"Too much healthy living will get you everytime,"

Everyone needs a vice--mine will be not taking my statin.

David,
I'm still struggling with Reading, Riting & Rithmetic.
Then there's Reduce, Reuse and Recycle that comes with age.

As for growing up, some never do. Children get their early impressions about life from their environment and that varies widely. Schools are very important and help break the cycle of ignorance. Not everyone is teachable or accept what is taught. Remember that religion still plays a dominant role.

Nice responses everyone thank you.

In the UK our Schools just seem to be only interested in exam results
that help massage the figures and attract the right sort of student.
Seems they only want the brainy ones so they can up the pass rates even
more.

The government is just as guilty in this sort of 'published figures
mania'.

There is so much pressure on our kids to succeed academically all at a time of life when the distractions hit big time as they enter puberty.
Raging hormones cause their concentration to drift as their bodies change. Some kids can cope with it others crumble under the pressure of it and flunk their exams.
Is it really their fault? No.

Hormones are powerful things they can cause accidents in cars when
drivers get distracted by that drop dead gorgeous person on the side
walk and crash into the car in front.

The ones that flunk perhaps go on to succeed later on in life in the many further education courses available.
But for many it's too late. They either are too occupied with enjoying life and having lost all willingness to learn just persue mundane jobs if only to survive.
For me it was later in life after I had been married that I went to evening classes to catch up on what I had missed at school and finally succeeding and gaining a diploma in computing and electronics.

It seems to me that with each generation along comes an education minister who tries to change the system for the better but they always seem to miss something and get it wrong.

So we still get the same old problems with unwanted teenage pregnancies, rebellion and crime etc.

Abe,
In past history religion was behind mainstream education with schools founded
by the established church.
But in those days sex was taboo and people were taught to supress their
urges and feelings. Lack of understanding about the human body was the
basis of much of it with religion reinforcing the taboo culture.

Perhaps it is an impossible task changing the established system.
I don't know maybe things will never change after all we've all survived ok right?

Education begins when one applies what has been learned from books. For those without book learning, education is by doing.

Getting off the pot and doing something needs to be stressed.
Thinking about it won't get it done. You can't write a book by thinking about it. Although new technology may find a way to transfer thoughts to paper, it still needs to be acted upon.

Abe F. March wrote:

Getting off the pot and doing something needs to be stressed.

Brilliant response Abe I loved that. I agree.

There is a lot of sound research about learning that is ignored all the time in favor of the current politically popular theories. Those who study the brain know that each individual learns in unique ways while processing information uniquely. Subject matter of high interest peaks learning. Therefore, small affinity groups with high interest provided resources that meet their learning style and capacity for processing will learn most efficiently. Like Pavlov's dog, learning reacts to stimuli. Positive rewards with immediate gratification enhance learning. Actually, the subject matter is moot because its value varies from one culture to another.

A student who learns to read, compute and use technology has all the tools necessary to gain the book knowledge necessary to pursue subject content. From that point, guidance is all that is necessary.

As for life skills, the mind is only ready to grasp the importance of the future at key junctures. Those points are rarely found in K-12 or even college in many cases. Somewhere around 40, the ability to grasp past mistakes in future planning hits with a whack. While it's a bit too late, earlier warnings would not have sunk in while serving the immediate gratifications were in process.

The time horizon is very short for K-12 students and for adults with little education. Education stretches the time horizon, but with great difficulty and against walls in the K-12 system. It is the time horizon in which a person operates that helps them plan for today, tomorrow or the distant future. Those with a short time horizon are more interested in immediate gratification than long-term benefits of knowledge.

dmondeo wrote:

Some kids can cope with it others crumble under the pressure of it and flunk their exams.
Is it really their fault? No.

Whose fault is it, then? Yours? Mine?

"Not my fault" teens grow up into "not my fault" adults. We're seeing the results of that in spades.

LC wrote:

dmondeo wrote:

Some kids can cope with it others crumble under the pressure of it and flunk their exams.
Is it really their fault? No.

Whose fault is it, then? Yours? Mine?

"Not my fault" teens grow up into "not my fault" adults. We're seeing the results of that in spades.

Of course it's not your fault LC.
Spades LC?
Do I detect a little racism here?

dkchristi wrote:

As for life skills, the mind is only ready to grasp the importance of the future at key junctures. Those points are rarely found in K-12 or even college in many cases. Somewhere around 40, the ability to grasp past mistakes in future planning hits with a whack. While it's a bit too late, earlier warnings would not have sunk in while serving the immediate gratifications were in process.

Good point DK.

Quote :

Of course it's not your fault LC.

Ok, so it's your fault. I thought as much.

"Face Bovered?"

Does deciding who is at fault do anything to help solve the problem? Wouldn't it be better to just take the situation where it is? Everybody is at fault and nobody is at fault. How does arguing ever help to fix anything?

Ann

Any person or school administration that will claim responsibility for the successes they have, must also take responsibility for the failures.
Who's to blame? Everyone and no one as Ann stated. It is collective action or inaction that makes a difference, but it starts with us.