6 ms·

Good riddance. If people want to learn those arts they can always go to the monetary with their sensei.

pcrh 5y ago
The writing on the message isn't cursive.
tempestn 5y ago
If we're honest, most of the actual content of the first 5-7 years or so of schooling is unimportant and ultimately forgotten, save for reading, writing, and basic arithmetic. Ideally some basic computer use too. But it's not like every moment spent on cursive writing in primary school would be a moment taken away from some critical, core subject. Aside from those few key building blocks, most of what you're doing in early school is learning socialization and 'how to learn'.
- vmception 5y ago
  I dont want to optimize a curriculum, I dont want them to bother with that. Glad to read other decision makers reached the same conclusion.
  - tempestn 5y ago
    Personally I'm glad I learned cursive in school, even though I'm terrible at it. Far more valuable than learning about the various species of local turtle, or 1000 other things we did in primary school that I've since forgotten.
    - wizzwizz4 5y ago
      Learning about a load of random stuff in primary school is incredibly important. How else do children find out what they're interested in?
      - tempestn 5y ago
        I'm not arguing that primary school shouldn't teach a bunch of random things, just that I think cursive is at least as useful to learn as most of them. Having it in the curriculum doesn't mean less time for foundational material for later years.
        iso1631 5y ago
        Cursive is of absolutely no use to 99.9% of people Writing short notes legibly is of course useful, reading is essential, typing is essential, learning how to research subjects (history, geography, biology etc) is useful
        tempestn 5y ago
        I don't write by hand much anymore, but I sure wrote a lot in university. I would think the same would be true for most students, which would account for more than 0.1% of people. Sure I could have printed my notes, but cursive was easier and faster. Could have typed them too (at least in most classes; some profs don't like it), but writing tends to result in better retention.
        iso1631 5y ago
        20 years ago people typed notes, let alone now, and the vast vast majority of those notes will not be written in "cursive", as most people drop that backwards skill as soon as they are allowed.
      - Zababa 5y ago
        I don't know anyone that find out what they were interested by learning random things in primary school. I don't think it is a common experience.
        wizzwizz4 5y ago
        My interest in computers didn't come from primary school; primary school didn't teach us very much about computers, except near the end in a one-off series of experimental lessons by a teacher who left not long afterwards. However, my interest in biology very much came from primary school; until then, I didn't know there was a field of study devoted to living things. (Sure, I could've found out later, but why should I have had to wait?)
- Lammy 5y ago
  Maybe forgotten in an active sense, but those years are critical for instilling the passive behaviors and expectations which help make us into productive human resources to serve the economy as adults. Things like learning not to talk until called upon, learning to ask before being allowed to use the restroom or for other bodily functions, learning to be identified by an ID number, learning to answer a daily roll-call, learning that our personal possessions will be confiscated at any time, learning to walk through security checkpoints and metal detectors, learning to expect the presence of a School Resource Officer whose job is to perceive students as a possible threat and protect the institution, learning we must dress a certain way, learning to buy our own school supplies necessary to complete our assigned work units, learning that being poor isn’t an acceptable excuse for not having supplies, learning that food won’t be provided for free even though we’re required to be be at school for eight hours straight, learning it is never acceptable to leave school grounds once we check in for the day until officially released at the end of the day, learning that disruptive individuals will be separated from their entire social circle and sent to a stricter alternative facility, learning that authority figures will discuss you with each other behind your back and may form prejudices based on gossip or on your familial relations, learning how it’s best to surpass our peers and that we can’t get the highest grade unless others fail, learning not to read ahead of our current place in the curriculum, learning never to read from unapproved sources, learning that truth is whatever the curriculum says is Officially True, learning how authority figures will punish or shame us for questioning the curriculum or beyond the curriculum because they are evaluated on how accurately we know it and thus must defend it to survive, learning how cooperation is cheating except for group projects where it is instead a thing to dread, learning to expect no privacy, learning to sit inside all day and only have free time once the sun sets, learning to be punished as a group for the actions of an individual, learning to tell on our peers for gold stars from authority, learning that a bell controls our daily schedule but individual authority figures can decide to keep us late anyway, learning to get up uncomfortably early and do a daily commute, learning to survive on less sleep than we need, learning we will be equally punished for tardiness as for absence, learning somebody else needs to write a note to acknowledge when we are sick before it’s believed, learning to be segregated based on sex, learning to be segregated based on seniority and that the oldest cohort will be regularly pushed out with no say in the matter, learning we must find a clique for social defense because loners are weird and deserve bullying, learning how punishments are decided by administrators who don’t know us individually, learning how rewards and punishments may be arbitrary depending on social status within the microcosm of the school, learning that we must also think about school in our free time and use that time to prepare for what’s due tomorrow, learning that “extra-curricular” work is basically a requirement if everyone else is doing it too, learning to walk in long silent alphabetically-sorted lines with our hands clasped behind our backs, etc. You know, important life skills. If you have a problem with any of that, you have Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Here’s some pills to turn your brain off so you might still have a chance to “‘earn’ a living” and pay off your original sin of being alive. All hail The Economy!

pcrh 5y ago

The writing on the message isn't cursive.

If we're honest, most of the actual content of the first 5-7 years or so of schooling is unimportant and ultimately forgotten, save for reading, writing, and basic arithmetic. Ideally some basic computer use too. But it's not like every moment spent on cursive writing in primary school would be a moment taken away from some critical, core subject. Aside from those few key building blocks, most of what you're doing in early school is learning socialization and 'how to learn'.

vmception 5y ago
I dont want to optimize a curriculum, I dont want them to bother with that. Glad to read other decision makers reached the same conclusion.
- tempestn 5y ago
  Personally I'm glad I learned cursive in school, even though I'm terrible at it. Far more valuable than learning about the various species of local turtle, or 1000 other things we did in primary school that I've since forgotten.
  - wizzwizz4 5y ago
    Learning about a load of random stuff in primary school is incredibly important. How else do children find out what they're interested in?
    - tempestn 5y ago
      I'm not arguing that primary school shouldn't teach a bunch of random things, just that I think cursive is at least as useful to learn as most of them. Having it in the curriculum doesn't mean less time for foundational material for later years.
      - iso1631 5y ago
        Cursive is of absolutely no use to 99.9% of people Writing short notes legibly is of course useful, reading is essential, typing is essential, learning how to research subjects (history, geography, biology etc) is useful
        tempestn 5y ago
        I don't write by hand much anymore, but I sure wrote a lot in university. I would think the same would be true for most students, which would account for more than 0.1% of people. Sure I could have printed my notes, but cursive was easier and faster. Could have typed them too (at least in most classes; some profs don't like it), but writing tends to result in better retention.
        iso1631 5y ago
        20 years ago people typed notes, let alone now, and the vast vast majority of those notes will not be written in "cursive", as most people drop that backwards skill as soon as they are allowed.
    - Zababa 5y ago
      I don't know anyone that find out what they were interested by learning random things in primary school. I don't think it is a common experience.
      - wizzwizz4 5y ago
        My interest in computers didn't come from primary school; primary school didn't teach us very much about computers, except near the end in a one-off series of experimental lessons by a teacher who left not long afterwards. However, my interest in biology very much came from primary school; until then, I didn't know there was a field of study devoted to living things. (Sure, I could've found out later, but why should I have had to wait?)
Lammy 5y ago
Maybe forgotten in an active sense, but those years are critical for instilling the passive behaviors and expectations which help make us into productive human resources to serve the economy as adults. Things like learning not to talk until called upon, learning to ask before being allowed to use the restroom or for other bodily functions, learning to be identified by an ID number, learning to answer a daily roll-call, learning that our personal possessions will be confiscated at any time, learning to walk through security checkpoints and metal detectors, learning to expect the presence of a School Resource Officer whose job is to perceive students as a possible threat and protect the institution, learning we must dress a certain way, learning to buy our own school supplies necessary to complete our assigned work units, learning that being poor isn’t an acceptable excuse for not having supplies, learning that food won’t be provided for free even though we’re required to be be at school for eight hours straight, learning it is never acceptable to leave school grounds once we check in for the day until officially released at the end of the day, learning that disruptive individuals will be separated from their entire social circle and sent to a stricter alternative facility, learning that authority figures will discuss you with each other behind your back and may form prejudices based on gossip or on your familial relations, learning how it’s best to surpass our peers and that we can’t get the highest grade unless others fail, learning not to read ahead of our current place in the curriculum, learning never to read from unapproved sources, learning that truth is whatever the curriculum says is Officially True, learning how authority figures will punish or shame us for questioning the curriculum or beyond the curriculum because they are evaluated on how accurately we know it and thus must defend it to survive, learning how cooperation is cheating except for group projects where it is instead a thing to dread, learning to expect no privacy, learning to sit inside all day and only have free time once the sun sets, learning to be punished as a group for the actions of an individual, learning to tell on our peers for gold stars from authority, learning that a bell controls our daily schedule but individual authority figures can decide to keep us late anyway, learning to get up uncomfortably early and do a daily commute, learning to survive on less sleep than we need, learning we will be equally punished for tardiness as for absence, learning somebody else needs to write a note to acknowledge when we are sick before it’s believed, learning to be segregated based on sex, learning to be segregated based on seniority and that the oldest cohort will be regularly pushed out with no say in the matter, learning we must find a clique for social defense because loners are weird and deserve bullying, learning how punishments are decided by administrators who don’t know us individually, learning how rewards and punishments may be arbitrary depending on social status within the microcosm of the school, learning that we must also think about school in our free time and use that time to prepare for what’s due tomorrow, learning that “extra-curricular” work is basically a requirement if everyone else is doing it too, learning to walk in long silent alphabetically-sorted lines with our hands clasped behind our backs, etc. You know, important life skills. If you have a problem with any of that, you have Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Here’s some pills to turn your brain off so you might still have a chance to “‘earn’ a living” and pay off your original sin of being alive. All hail The Economy!