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"... walked the half mile to the San Mateo County fairgrounds to join thousands of others where I discovered that my son was probably adopted" Nope, you were p
by Jun8 14y ago
"... walked the half mile to the San Mateo County fairgrounds to join thousands of others where I discovered that my son was probably adopted"
Nope, you were probably like that when you were a kid. Unfortunately, the "look, but don't touch" mentality has been thought relentlessly to children for the past N years. In some cultures kids, after a certain age, say, 10, are supposed to be totally focused on studying so that they get to a good school, so none of that tinkering stuff. Unless, of course you wanted to belong with the grimy, poor souls who had to work with their hands, e.g. the young boys who were taken out of school and given as an apprentice (my mom made an argument similar to this when I was studying for the middle school entrance exams, when I was 11.)
- guard-of-terra 14y agoI would take studying in quotes: "studying" Because they do not actually earn any useful or marketable skills during those almost ten years. My wife told me this is called academism.
- excuse-me 14y agoSome do. The smart ones learn to read and then sit at the side of the class reading - ignoring the "education" that is going on around them.
- guard-of-terra 14y agoThis is in class; but there is a huge pressure on them to "study" after class, spending all time on it. They because myopic, weaker from vitamin D deficiency and still do not learn anything (adult would consider) useful.
- protomyth 14y agoI still don't understand how the typical adult can talk about work / life balance with a straight face with what we do to children.
- guard-of-terra 14y agoMany adults do long hours of rather unproductive work so it's the natural state of life for them.
- clarky07 14y agoThere may be some pressure for this, but in most high schools in America it simply isn't needed. You can get A's and B's mostly by showing up if you are reasonably intelligent. Even getting all A's wasn't that difficult.
- guard-of-terra 14y agoFirst, USA is by large not the most "studying" culture. Second, the goal is not so much A's and B's in school as entering the high education.
- clarky07 14y agobut getting into college isn't hard either. Unless you are shooting for Harvard it's just not. They are businesses that like to make money. They want to take your money.
- guard-of-terra 14y agoToo many people aiming for Harvard leads to: - Students trying to jump over their own heads - They not getting in anyway and feeling like losers for the rest of their lives - Actual Havard alumnis feeling wrongfully entitled Bad, bad, bad, but that's where society aims.
- jackwest 14y agoI am inspired to return more of the wonder of learning to my science classes. Coincidentally for me, this is happening with blended learning. More time is liberated for experiments and student operated demonstrations when I let Sal Khan do some of the teaching for me.