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The forced cadence of certain topics actually does have a part to play. Imagine if you could have skipped all those English classes back then. Guess what? Yo

The forced cadence of certain topics actually does have a part to play. Imagine if you could have skipped all those English classes back then. Guess what? You would be learning it all right now! Just like you're _re_learning it right now. Why? Because you now have intrinsic motivation to learn it. Having entirely skipped it, you might even have realized a lot sooner the actual need instead of limping along with whatever informational crutches you managed to walk away with. The fact that we leave little room to teach the need of a subject, and force feed it in a prescribed manner rather than allowing exploration, is all commingled together into the failure mode being discussed. Allowing children to pick what they want to explore and modeling the education after exploration is part of the baseline for Montessori education. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montessori_education https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montessori_education

jariel 6y ago
So I agree about the 'cadence' bit. But this: " Imagine if you could have skipped all those English classes back then. Guess what? You would be learning it all right now!" No, no way. It's a total misunderstanding of education to contemplate this. Education is not 'some facts and things you learn that you may use later'. Education at HS level is much more fundamental than that, particularly English. It's about communicating, developing ideas, writing. Not only is it essential, it takes quite a lot of time and effort, and it's hard to just 'pick up'. I have an Angel investor friend who just set up his own basic website (simple is fine) and wrote his own little intro copy. It's atrocious. Basically, in four sentences in writing, he reveals his own lack of education to anyone who cares to read. I mean - it's not 'that that bad' - but it really is sub professional and embarrassing. He's otherwise very smart, very educated, but it turns out he can't string together a few tightly coherent sentences to make a point. There's no 'going back'. Both of should have paid more attention in school. I do agree with he cadence, I think that school days should be shorter, and there should be more music and sports, shop class and longer term projects.
- jdmichal 6y ago
  I agree with you. I did intend for that as a thought experiment, but I didn't make that clear. However, the part about teaching the need before the material and leaving time for exploration I'm very serious about. I think it's the biggest change we could make to the system without completely breaking the current structure of it.

jariel 6y ago

So I agree about the 'cadence' bit. But this: " Imagine if you could have skipped all those English classes back then. Guess what? You would be learning it all right now!" No, no way. It's a total misunderstanding of education to contemplate this. Education is not 'some facts and things you learn that you may use later'. Education at HS level is much more fundamental than that, particularly English. It's about communicating, developing ideas, writing. Not only is it essential, it takes quite a lot of time and effort, and it's hard to just 'pick up'. I have an Angel investor friend who just set up his own basic website (simple is fine) and wrote his own little intro copy. It's atrocious. Basically, in four sentences in writing, he reveals his own lack of education to anyone who cares to read. I mean - it's not 'that that bad' - but it really is sub professional and embarrassing. He's otherwise very smart, very educated, but it turns out he can't string together a few tightly coherent sentences to make a point. There's no 'going back'. Both of should have paid more attention in school. I do agree with he cadence, I think that school days should be shorter, and there should be more music and sports, shop class and longer term projects.

jdmichal 6y ago
I agree with you. I did intend for that as a thought experiment, but I didn't make that clear. However, the part about teaching the need before the material and leaving time for exploration I'm very serious about. I think it's the biggest change we could make to the system without completely breaking the current structure of it.