In which a lesson in the history of your own country is needed...

[Gabrielle Proctor]

Not so much sucky, as you will see.

An incredibly tanned, bleach blonde woman pulled up in a mercedes convertible. She came in and proceeded to browse.

She asked swordsman some questions about the rock tumblers. Including this gem, "Can the same rocks be used in the different tumblers?" I guess that's not so bad, but seriously, they're all rocks.

She picked out a tumbler and some grit packs and proceeded to do more shopping. She asked me if I knew anything about history. I told her I knew a bit and she asked me, "What was a war involving the thirteen colonies? Like, I see you have soem civil war stuff here..."

I was all ..."Um, we have stuff for the revolutionary war...by the time the civil war rolled around the colonies were ratified by the union and turned into states. But the only other war I can think of off the top of my head that involved the colonies is the french and indian wars which happened shortly before the revolutionary war."

Her response? "Wow, you're smart!"

[Apathy]

Common knowledge is now seen as intelligence.

Also,

Common courtesy is high manners, and
Common sense is wisdom.

[olstar18]

You gotta remember the state of the school system. Realizing that the united states used to be owned by the british spanish french and indians could very easily qualify you as a genius.

[1756GR2]

We see it all the time in living history military reenactment. Asking our French & Indian War (1756) unit whether the original unit was at the American Civil War battle at Gettysburg (only over a hundred years apart), why we'd want to portray the British (um, we were British at the time).

Schools don't have much time to cover enough material to explain the complexities of conflict or how it affects what and who we were then and are today. Many come away with the impression that remarkable, historic events are isolated incidents that suddenly erupted, without understanding that there were a series of factors leading up to it and changes that followed it.

Oh, dang. I'm ranting. But truly, I can't blame the schools entirely. Not enough time or resources available to them. Assuming the student has an interest to begin with. I suspect that lady had a bad case of tunnel vision when it comes to the Big Picture.

[Bradester]

Thinking gives you wrinkles!

[unclejampuff]

If there isn't a movie about it, it's not worth knowing.

oh wait....

[protege]

But truly, I can't blame the schools entirely. Not enough time or resources available to them. Assuming the student has an interest to begin with.

Quite a bit of it also has to do with our attention spans. Too many people want things in half-hour chunks (thank you TV!) in which all problems get solved. Anything else tends to bore the hell out of them. That's why complex events such as WWII and Vietnam get seriously condensed. Most teachers just hit the main events, and skim over the rest. Also, many people don't want to read anything. This just doesn't apply to store signs. They're rather see a movie, and let it "connect the dots" for them...rather than learning and forming their own opinions about things.

[rvdammit]

No Kid Left Behind = No Education Beyond the Lowest Point

[jerkface11]

Schools are too busy teaching kids how our evil capitalistic society is causing polar bears to go extinct to bother with things like American History or basic economics.

[AdminAssistant]

No Kid Left Behind = No Education Beyond the Lowest Point

Perfectly said. We're teaching to the lowest common denominator instead of the highest. Kids who get bored in class and fidget are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD and given drugs to be "normal". If I were a kid right now, I would be on insane amounts of Ridalin, because I never paid attention in class - so bored.

Teachers can't discipline kids, parents won't discipline kids....It's sad.

It makes me afraid to have kids unless I can send them to private school - because the public school system is so screwy.

*sigh*

[depechemodefan]

Here in Texas kids have to pass some test to show they at least know how to read and write and do math (or something really basic, I never had to take it when I was is school) and it seems that most of the school day is preparation for this test that kids take in certain grades (1st, 4th, 6th 8th? and then every year in H.S. if the kid does't pass it the first time they take it). People complain about this prep. since kids have classes cut to take prep.

I hate how they make us relearn the same stuff over and over. Like we took World History in 8th grade, then again in 11th. I didn't feel challenged. I do remember a teacher in school was telling us about Henry the VIII. She didn't know about Henry's son Edward or daughter Mary. Oh, and one sad day she told us as a joke, "Oh, it's a good thing Columbus wasn't looking for Turkey, or else we the indians would be known as Turkies!" Of course, I'm thinking "Um, are people from Turkey known as Turkies? Uh, no, they're not."

Same teacher who was upset she was pulled over for speeding because she had a leaf on her windshield and she drove faster to make it fly off.

My mom was a school teacher in South America (she grew up in a certain country there) and she deplores the education here. She subbed at schools and thougth the teachers didn't know how to teach. I guess it depends on the school or the teachers she was around.

[Boozy]

This thread is about:

Stupid customers asking us stupid questions.

This thread is NOT about:

Public school curriculum and how we feel about it.
ADD/ADHD medication and how we feel about it.
Any other Fratching-type subject you can name.

Okey doke? Carry on.

[Rapscallion]

Boozy? You beat me to it!

Rapscallion

[tropicsgoddess]

That's just sad.

[Bliss]

That's just sad.

Well don't worry, with Raps' age and merry girth it's to be expected younger mods will beat him to stuff.... that's what you're talking about, right?