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I think its not that it has to, its just more challenging and rewarding. I’ve read a lot about bulling and social problems in USA schools, but so almost none of

by seer 5y ago

I think its not that it has to, its just more challenging and rewarding. I’ve read a lot about bulling and social problems in USA schools, but so almost none of that myself i Eastern Europe. I think the subjects where so hard that it forced kids to cooperate, smart kids where considered a resource that potential bullies didn’t like to harm, as they would help them in the future. Additionally there was this sense of … maybe “esprit de corps” as we all were going through the same tough training. I think that those hard problems were actually very rewarding and I saw very little of the “teenage problems” that are so prominently displayed in American media.

petre 5y ago
> bulling and social problems in USA schools, but so almost none of that myself i Eastern Europe This has changed for the worse with capitalism and social inequality. We had some bullying back when I was a primary school student but it was physical bullying by higher graders towards younger students and it was mostly done outside the school. We had none of the psychological bullying that you see in the US and to a greater extent in Korea or Japan. We had roma and very poor students in our class. There was also almost no bullying during high school. The more odd kids were usually ignored and had friends of their own. > I think that those hard problems were actually very rewarding Well, maybe rewarding for some. I didn't like them and would rather go outside and play or ride my bike in the neighbourhood. Math for math's sake was never my thing. I only started to really like math in university when I saw its potential to solve real world problems.
- leto_ii 5y ago
  > This has changed for the worse with capitalism and social inequality. An interesting perspective which I feel might be the actual core of the problem. I grew up after the Revolution, so I can't make a before/after comparison, but (as I mentioned in a different comment) I see a tight connection between how aggressive other students were and how bad their family situation was. > Math for math's sake was never my thing. I only started to really like math in university when I saw its potential to solve real world problems. Perfectly legitimate. Pushing hard math early on can actually put you off the subject forever. Some of us started liking it in university, but a lot of capable students decide it's just not for them. With a different approach many might have ended up understanding and maybe even loving it.
- whimsicalism 5y ago
  Bullying is very hammed up in American media, but I think in reality very non obvious to people who weren't the target. I went to American public schools my whole life and never saw any evidence of bullying.
leto_ii 5y ago
> I’ve read a lot about bulling and social problems in USA schools, but so almost none of that myself i Eastern Europe. There was some bullying back when I was in school, but possibly less than in the US. However, I think this doesn't have much to do with the curriculum, but with social conditions. In my case I was bullied in secondary school (by kids in my class) even though school was tough and I was easily part of what you would consider "valuable resources". The result was that the bullies would copy their homework off of the kids that copied their homework from me and I still got into fights daily. In highschool bullying disappeared completely, but that's because I went to a selective school (the equivalent of a US magnet hs) where everybody was academically oriented and also came from more stable social environments. In less academically strong highschools there are a lot of nasty things taking place - students abusing eachother, teachers abusing students, students beating up teachers etc.

by seer 5y ago

petre 5y ago

> bulling and social problems in USA schools, but so almost none of that myself i Eastern Europe This has changed for the worse with capitalism and social inequality. We had some bullying back when I was a primary school student but it was physical bullying by higher graders towards younger students and it was mostly done outside the school. We had none of the psychological bullying that you see in the US and to a greater extent in Korea or Japan. We had roma and very poor students in our class. There was also almost no bullying during high school. The more odd kids were usually ignored and had friends of their own. > I think that those hard problems were actually very rewarding Well, maybe rewarding for some. I didn't like them and would rather go outside and play or ride my bike in the neighbourhood. Math for math's sake was never my thing. I only started to really like math in university when I saw its potential to solve real world problems.

leto_ii 5y ago
> This has changed for the worse with capitalism and social inequality. An interesting perspective which I feel might be the actual core of the problem. I grew up after the Revolution, so I can't make a before/after comparison, but (as I mentioned in a different comment) I see a tight connection between how aggressive other students were and how bad their family situation was. > Math for math's sake was never my thing. I only started to really like math in university when I saw its potential to solve real world problems. Perfectly legitimate. Pushing hard math early on can actually put you off the subject forever. Some of us started liking it in university, but a lot of capable students decide it's just not for them. With a different approach many might have ended up understanding and maybe even loving it.
whimsicalism 5y ago
Bullying is very hammed up in American media, but I think in reality very non obvious to people who weren't the target. I went to American public schools my whole life and never saw any evidence of bullying.

leto_ii 5y ago

> I’ve read a lot about bulling and social problems in USA schools, but so almost none of that myself i Eastern Europe. There was some bullying back when I was in school, but possibly less than in the US. However, I think this doesn't have much to do with the curriculum, but with social conditions. In my case I was bullied in secondary school (by kids in my class) even though school was tough and I was easily part of what you would consider "valuable resources". The result was that the bullies would copy their homework off of the kids that copied their homework from me and I still got into fights daily. In highschool bullying disappeared completely, but that's because I went to a selective school (the equivalent of a US magnet hs) where everybody was academically oriented and also came from more stable social environments. In less academically strong highschools there are a lot of nasty things taking place - students abusing eachother, teachers abusing students, students beating up teachers etc.