#4
14th Oct 2018 at 2:58 PM
Last edited by simmer22 : 14th Oct 2018 at
3:19 PM.
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Quote: Originally posted by pikeman101
Realistically, an engineer doesn't need high literacy, a lawyer doesn't need calculus, a construction worker doesn't need phys. ed., and a firefighter doesn't need geography. If a student has no interest in a field, it will be useless to their eventual career, so there's no point in trying to force anything more than a basic understanding of the subject into them.
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An engineer may not need to learn about Shakespeare or that sort, but if they can't read properly I'd rather not have them do any engineer work, of fear for mistakes being done. Being able to read a 100-200 page book without stumbling too much, a user manual, web pages, instructions, etc. is quite important. Learning their own language, English, and maybe the basics of other much used languages in their own country if there are any (Spanish, or similar) should also be a priority. Reading out loud is also a skill that's much overlooked.
A lawyer should know maths. How much math? Calculus? Not sure, but depending on their area of work I'd say they need to know enough to manage in their work. Algebra (the simpler kind) is quite useful. Basic maths (+/-/division/multiplication/%, unit conversion and simple algebra is something everyone should know when they're done with school, because otherwise they'll struggle in everyday tasks.
A firefighter may not need world geography, but if he didn't know his way around the town where he works, I'd be scared. It's also nice to know some basic geography when you're out travelling, or just generally know where countries and even continents are (I've seen videos of Americans who when asked seem to believe Europe is a country...)
Phys.ed is meant to help students be active, and learn different ways to be active. In today's socieety theres a lot of butt-sitting, and a lot of kids prefer clicking away on their smartphones than moving around. A constructive worker usually does quite a lot of physical work, with heavy lifting and such. Whether they need to know how to play basketball is one thing, but maybe kids should learn from early on how to lift and move heavy things safely (very useful in a lot of different jobs, even at home) so there's less body damage, pains and aches from bad lifting going around.
I do agree with the list, though. Kids these days should learn more life skills. Basic cooking, cleaning, how to pay taxes, how a washing machine and dishwasher works, practical work skills, simple fixes around the house, first aid, etc. Maybe they don't need to learn everything at school, but they should know these things before they move out. For a while I lived in a shared house with a couple of boys where one couldn't cook anything more advanced than heating a frozen pizza when he moved in, an the other one could've nearly ruined the washing machine because he put the powder in the wrong slot. A girl I shared an apartment with for a while put so much clothes into the machine you could barely get them out again, in all kinds of colors, didn't even empty pockets so the lint box got so full it stopped the machine every so often. Poor washing machine...
One of the most important things kids should learn is critical thinking. KIds these days have a tendency to go with the flow, and that often leads to bad situations. I watched a Youtube video recently of a case in the US (I think) where two teenage girls had almost stabbed a third girl to death because they thought Slenderman would show up. That's about as far from critical thinking as you can come. Young people nowadays also seem to have more issues with economy, probably due to bad math skills and lack of skill with critical thinking, planning and prioritizing. Many also get everything they point to from their parents, instead of learning to save up money, something that'll come back and bite them later.