What are some of the things that you think everyone should know, that you think schools are either not teaching at all or are teaching but you wish everyone was required to learn about? For me, the biggest thing that I was glad to learn about on my own but was never part of the required classes I took in school was just a simple civics class - about how the modern government works and how to be a citizen. I feel like our country would run so much better if everyone was taught how to vote and why it's important, and what are all these institutions even doing that people are voting for. (I live in, and am talking about the US, but honestly this kind of class would benefit lots of people in many democratic countries)
Schools in Northern Ireland need to teach more about the Troubles that happened here. Just because it's recent history doesn't mean that it shouldn't be taught. If kids here aren't taught about just how awful things were here during the Troubles, there's a good chance that they'll try to throw their lot in with dissident groups who want the Troubles to carry on.
Things that are actually relevant. Seriously, my 6th grade's history class was just Minnesota's stupid history.
We already have something like that in England which is mandatory. It's called Citizenship. We also have A thing called PSHEE. The main thing I wish was mandatory though would Replace maths after y8/9 and instead teach you the practical side of it.
I was going to say the same thing Keldeo. There were way too many instances where I could plainly see people struggling to learn, not because they couldn't or weren't intelligent enough, but because it was being gone about in the wrong way.
I'll third this. Most teachers refuse to go the extra mile to help struggling students. They stick to the curriculum and their schedule like glue and if you can't keep up, you get left behind. I had to take a couple summer classes because it took me longer to grasp math concepts than other kids and my teachers wouldn't slow down to let me catch up. I also think there is a serious lack of creativity present in schools. Everything is schedules, routine, standard tests and standard assignments, there is very little room for creativity and free thought. Why do you think there is such a lack of kids coming out of schools who are competent writers and artists? Most people think artistic ability is a rare talent, but the real reason so many adults can't draw for crap is because around age 10 is a critical time in artistic development where you begin to draw realism and proper perspective which is really difficult in itself - added together with the fact that at that age you acquire self-doubt and begin to be very critical of yourself (not to mention other kids can say really cruel things to each other) and you have a recipe for failure. Without proper instruction and guidance from a good teacher and experienced artist to help them through this critical stage, most kids can't overcome the hurdle and give up. That shouldn't be the case.
A larger focus on computers. Seriously, my computer classes in school just taught us how to type, how to make a spreadsheet, and how powerpoints work. I know nothing of the parts of a computer or how to build one. I don't know how to program anything, and computer terminology comfuses me. All to my everlasting shame. >.<
I think what we need to learn (especially here in America) is about true history. History is twisted in a sense that it glorifies the dominant nation/race/etc. at that given time. Teach the kids about how the land from the native Americans were stolen, and that the people who lived there were inappropriately named "Pioneers" and "Settlers". Teach them the real statistics about slavery: That 9/10 Africans who traveled to the Americas died, out of pure neglect. Most importantly, kids should be taught about the unsung heroes of our modern time. Who the hell wants to read in a textbook about George Bush and his policy to hunt down the terrorists? (outright lies found right in my High School textbook). Teach them about people who actually made a difference, like Carl Sagan, Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, etc. I honestly believe American education is designed to make the public ignorant and unaware (actually, STUPID would be a better word). Yes, you can go to colleges and get the best education possible. Yes, you can educate yourself with endless sources of knowledge. But as for the majority, they're outright screwed.
So much this. Schools nowadays define you as a simple number or letter grade. Standardized tests are some of the most evil things to exist and are not the way we should be testing intelligence... I feel that as we "advance" people are becoming less intelligent. But more factors then just school structure can be blamed as well. Our lives in general are just so crazy. Always tasks to do, so many responsibilities. Not enough time. Yes the grindingly nauseating schedules schools impose can be annoying, but today there is really no other sane way to do it...there is hardly a time for kids to express free thought as you have said. Now in terms of the same frickin curriculum, that's a whole different story. Many teachers nowadays want their paycheck and don't give half the ****s they should for students who need the extra help stopping them from achieving their goals. There is so much more rant I could make but I'll end there.
Hear me out on this: Game Design. I say this because making a game has a little bit of everything in it and the one thing school doesn't teach is how to apply all their knowledge. Games require writers, programmers, artists or all kinds, musicians, etc. All of those skills can be applied to real jobs else where and to those who really dedicated to games, people can become game designers to make the games they want to make, while programmers can find work just about anywhere and writers and musicians can start building learning more trade uses for their skills. I'm not saying that game design is going to have answers for everyone, but I think a lot of people go into college without knowing what they are going to do once they're out. I think those that do, only have some vague idea of what their degree says they are. Worst of all, I think a lot of people find out what their passion is for in college, which is probably the absolute last minutes before entering the real world when they could have discovered their love and work towards building it much earlier.
The British government have already decided to change the curriculum so people will learn that soon. - - Auto Merge - - I holeheartly agree with this but I would go further by saying they should learn more about world history. As there is only a certain amount of stuff you can learn from 300 years of history. You should learn about Romans, 1066, the French revolution and stuff like that.
I think really think us Americans are taught the same thing over and over, only to sprinkle in a little more each time. Or I used to go to a crap school.
I personally feel the main thing at the moment the UK needs to focus on is 'citizenship'. Working in retail I get to see a wide range of people who come into the store, and the percentage of them who just don't know how to act and behave in a social/public situation is depressing. However, it isn't something a school can get across 100% to children in classes, the majority of it will come from home influences, i.e your parents. The thing I can't get my head around is that they do actually teach citizenship...in college. wat. Your're teaching it to 17/18 year olds? Now that is something to be depressed about, at that age if you're not acting like a normal functioning human in social situations then you're pretty much a lost cause. Then history would be the second thing I'd like to see more of in schools, I'll not get too into it because I'd write a crap-load and I can't be bothered with that on a keyboard which misses every 4th letter. All I'll say on this is that in high school a girl in my history class once said "wasn't World War 2 the thing with Hitler?" :I
This is a good point. A lot of the important social interactions are missed upon in schools. Now some people are just awkward, whatever. But so many people have social ineptitude over such simple things because they just were never educated on it, it is quite depressing. Even things like how to do well at a job interview + actual examples directly involving students would be pretty nice too.
I think the same should apply here in the Republic. I would love to have learned more about The Troubles in school. They are pretty heavy on the Easter Rising, so I don't think it would kill them to devote a small section of the Irish history teachings The Troubles. It was my favourite subject too, yet for some reason my school only offered History up until the Junior Cert.
The ability to read is an important skill. Actually, literacy and numeracy are the two most essential concepts a person must grasp in our developed societies. A close third is science. Teaching evolution is still being contested in some American schools, and pseudo-science is rampant in classrooms. I approve of this notion. I often wish I knew more about computers. That reminds me of a comment a girl made in my United States History course in high school. "The Revolutionary War? Wasn't that a hundred years ago?" No. No, it wasn't and every American should know as much.
As a result of lack of education on the subject, as well as simple blind bigotry, my classmates are always going on about how they're preparing for "The Twelfth", how they should have the right to march down catholic areas, singing anti catholic songs and how they think the UVF was an organisation of heroic men who stood up to the IRA. These people haven't a clue. I had the biggest loyalist in the school, who is a member of a loyalist flute band, ask me "Wasn't Bloody Sunday done by the UVF?". It's just appalling, the sheer amount of blind hatred and ignorance. Considering the volatile state of Northern Ireland at the moment, they really need to be educated. I can tell that many of them would fully support a call back to arms and more still would want to get actively involved. They need to be taught about why the conflict happened, why it ended and what each side believed in. For people who rant so much how they're supposedly "Having our culture stolen!" they have absolutely no idea of what their culture actually is. As one of the only Irish republicans in my school and even on my own street, I have to deal with the constant worry of these people finding out my beliefs and kicking my head in for simply not agreeing with them, when they barely know what I'm supposed to be agreeing with. This is a topic that all people in Ireland, north and south, desperately need to be taught. Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.
These people are just scum of the earth who lack any logic behind sectarian attacks other than "Hey, this guy doesn't think like us, lets get him!". I never even knew Catholic school children were terrorised when they walked to school by grown men until college this year when my lecturer from the North told us about it. Just one example from personal experience of the lack of information we get about The Troubles at second level. Then you have people here who hate England and the English, yet proudly don their Chelsea and Manchester United jerseys but wouldn't pass a blind bit of heed of teams on their own doorstep because the standard here isn't as good as it is over there.
