General What subjects are the biggest waste of kid's time in school, and what subjects should be taught but aren't?

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rmenergy

Posting Machine
Mar 27, 2021
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I’m a firm believer in a well rounded education. I think people, especially kids, should be exposed to as much as possible & that there should be minimum competency’s for a few core subjects like math, science, language & history. All are important.

Parents do need to shoulder the burden of responsibility for many “life” skills though, or be able to seek assistance if they are unable to provide themselves.

This year my wife and I pulled our son out of the private Catholic school he was attending & enrolled him in a hybrid homeschool charter program. He attends school two days a week & homeschools the rest. Core subjects are more advanced than his private school & we provide his “life” subjects of art, finance, cooking, sports, etc... These courses are all graded by monthly projects he completes for his home room teacher.

We’ve found that the amount of “busy” work that schools are providing was just ludicrous. My sons worst subject is still two grade levels above his current grade level & he has far more free time to play & learn than he did previously. He enjoys being accountable for his own work & the rewards & freedom that come with that accountability.

If you were to take a look back at what school was in the 16th & 17th centuries & the reasoning behind their methods, education was simply meant to expose developing minds to a wide breadth of knowledge & experience. The goal was to develop a well rounded person with the ability to think for themselves. In the end, that is our goal with educating our son. He will gravitate towards his strengths later on in life but should have the basic skills to succeed no matter where he is.

So what should schools drop? Any political fluff class & any political motives behind individual subjects. Present factual information & let the kids form their own opinion. Challenge them & play devils advocate every step of the way. Have them explain the reasoning behind their work(how they came to their conclusion) & drop the busy work. Less volume & higher quality should be the goal here.
 

Filthy

Iowa Wrestling Champion
Jun 28, 2016
27,507
29,834
I’m a firm believer in a well rounded education. I think people, especially kids, should be exposed to as much as possible & that there should be minimum competency’s for a few core subjects like math, science, language & history. All are important.

Parents do need to shoulder the burden of responsibility for many “life” skills though, or be able to seek assistance if they are unable to provide themselves.

This year my wife and I pulled our son out of the private Catholic school he was attending & enrolled him in a hybrid homeschool charter program. He attends school two days a week & homeschools the rest. Core subjects are more advanced than his private school & we provide his “life” subjects of art, finance, cooking, sports, etc... These courses are all graded by monthly projects he completes for his home room teacher.

We’ve found that the amount of “busy” work that schools are providing was just ludicrous. My sons worst subject is still two grade levels above his current grade level & he has far more free time to play & learn than he did previously. He enjoys being accountable for his own work & the rewards & freedom that come with that accountability.

If you were to take a look back at what school was in the 16th & 17th centuries & the reasoning behind their methods, education was simply meant to expose developing minds to a wide breadth of knowledge & experience. The goal was to develop a well rounded person with the ability to think for themselves. In the end, that is our goal with educating our son. He will gravitate towards his strengths later on in life but should have the basic skills to succeed no matter where he is.

So what should schools drop? Any political fluff class & any political motives behind individual subjects. Present factual information & let the kids form their own opinion. Challenge them & play devils advocate every step of the way. Have them explain the reasoning behind their work(how they came to their conclusion) & drop the busy work. Less volume & higher quality should be the goal here.
can you tell me your state and the program? that's basically what my wife and I are trying to achieve with our kids education, a hybrid charter/homeschool version. AZ has great charter schools (and we have an even greater-est one), but I want more flexibility to teach/coach my kids as we explore and discover.
 

ThatOneDude

Commander in @Chief, Dick Army
First 100
Jan 14, 2015
35,390
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I’m a firm believer in a well rounded education. I think people, especially kids, should be exposed to as much as possible & that there should be minimum competency’s for a few core subjects like math, science, language & history. All are important.

Parents do need to shoulder the burden of responsibility for many “life” skills though, or be able to seek assistance if they are unable to provide themselves.

This year my wife and I pulled our son out of the private Catholic school he was attending & enrolled him in a hybrid homeschool charter program. He attends school two days a week & homeschools the rest. Core subjects are more advanced than his private school & we provide his “life” subjects of art, finance, cooking, sports, etc... These courses are all graded by monthly projects he completes for his home room teacher.

We’ve found that the amount of “busy” work that schools are providing was just ludicrous. My sons worst subject is still two grade levels above his current grade level & he has far more free time to play & learn than he did previously. He enjoys being accountable for his own work & the rewards & freedom that come with that accountability.

If you were to take a look back at what school was in the 16th & 17th centuries & the reasoning behind their methods, education was simply meant to expose developing minds to a wide breadth of knowledge & experience. The goal was to develop a well rounded person with the ability to think for themselves. In the end, that is our goal with educating our son. He will gravitate towards his strengths later on in life but should have the basic skills to succeed no matter where he is.

So what should schools drop? Any political fluff class & any political motives behind individual subjects. Present factual information & let the kids form their own opinion. Challenge them & play devils advocate every step of the way. Have them explain the reasoning behind their work(how they came to their conclusion) & drop the busy work. Less volume & higher quality should be the goal here.
That's an interesting program. I had no idea this was a thing.
 

rmenergy

Posting Machine
Mar 27, 2021
857
1,158
can you tell me your state and the program? that's basically what my wife and I are trying to achieve with our kids education, a hybrid charter/homeschool version. AZ has great charter schools (and we have an even greater-est one), but I want more flexibility to teach/coach my kids as we explore and discover.
Also, if your child is gifted, I’d recommend:


If you have an IB school local to you they are great as well
 

rmenergy

Posting Machine
Mar 27, 2021
857
1,158
That's an interesting program. I had no idea this was a thing.
The charter still isn’t perfect. It’s leaps & bounds better than a public school but if I could have swung the private school I wanted to put him in I would have. My wife & I couldn’t come to an agreement regarding our lifestyle though as the cost of the preferred K-12 is, let’s just say, steep.
 

Filthy

Iowa Wrestling Champion
Jun 28, 2016
27,507
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The charter still isn’t perfect. It’s leaps & bounds better than a public school but if I could have swung the private school I wanted to put him in I would have. My wife & I couldn’t come to an agreement regarding our lifestyle though as the cost of the preferred K-12 is, let’s just say, steep.
i graduated from a High-End Private HS (when they were just a small religious academy), but now with my "alumni discount" my kids would be $28k/yr each for K-6.

I feel the same way about the value-prop of private schools - if you're an involved parent like my wife and I, it's just not worth it. One of my wife's friends graduated from the same HS as me, and she had parents who would bring a nanny to Disneyland. So for them, I can see how a private school where you can be hands-off is the way to go.

what's an IB school?
 

rmenergy

Posting Machine
Mar 27, 2021
857
1,158
The program will pick up starting in grades 6-8 but by HS the kids will have a serious schedule.

The Catholic school my son was at on the Central Coast was great & I would have kept him there. After moving up to the Sacramento area, the diocese is several steps behind & it was no longer worth it. There is a very good private K-12 here that I would have loved to send him too. Parents are very involved & the clubs build on the school’s mission of well rounded education & experience. Starting price point is similar to your old school & increases with grade level. We could swing it with major adjustments to our lifestyle as well as a reduction to my retirement planning. Decided on our current approach to stay on track, save money & help him more in college or possibly first home purchase (if he joins the military instead of college).

The IB schools above also receive preferential college entry as well as several units (UC system grants over 30 units with an IB diploma).
 

ShatsBassoon

Throwing bombs & banging moms
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Jan 14, 2015
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100% of kids who take an accounting class will know how to file a tax return.
There was no such program in a schools I've known of.
You disagree that it should be a mandatory course, at least towards the end of your secondary education?
 

ShatsBassoon

Throwing bombs & banging moms
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Jan 14, 2015
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They didn't offer it in B.C.? What kind of business classes did they offer?
Maybe they do now, but not 20+ years ago when I attended.
If they do I'm of the mind that personal finance/saving/taxation should be mandatory not an elective
 

BeardOfKnowledge

The Most Consistent Motherfucker You Know
Jul 22, 2015
60,547
56,268
Maybe they do now, but not 20+ years ago when I attended.
Wait, they didn't offer any business classes in B.C. at all?

If they do I'm of the mind that personal finance/saving/taxation should be mandatory not an elective
Personally, I don't agree. Let people make their own choices at least once they're in 10th grade or so.
 

ShatsBassoon

Throwing bombs & banging moms
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Wait, they didn't offer any business classes in B.C. at all?



Personally, I don't agree. Let people make their own choices at least once they're in 10th grade or so.
How do you feel about English literature, social studies (glorified history) or any other classes that are mandatory grade 10 and beyond?
 

BeardOfKnowledge

The Most Consistent Motherfucker You Know
Jul 22, 2015
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How do you feel about English literature, social studies (glorified history) or any other classes that are mandatory post secondary?
Didn't have those here, so I don't have an opinion of them.

This is what Ontario's requirements currently look like:

Compulsory credits
Students must earn the following 18 compulsory credits to get their Ontario Secondary School Diploma:

  • 4 credits in English (1 credit per grade)
  • 3 credits in mathematics (at least 1 credit in Grade 11 or 12)
  • 3 credits for group 1, 2 and 3 courses (1 credit in each group)
  • 2 credits in science
  • 1 credit in Canadian history (Grade 10)
  • 1 credit in Canadian geography (Grade 9)
  • 1 credit in the arts
  • 1 credit in health and physical education
  • 1 credit in French as a second language
  • 0.5 credit in career studies
  • 0.5 credit in civics
The other 12 credits are whatever you want to take. 30 credits total required to graduate.
 

Enock-O-Lypse Now!

Underneath Denver International Airport
Jun 19, 2016
11,743
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Critical thinking skills are SORELY needed. Particularly how to recognise propaganda and how to effectively check sourcing. Look at how many adults take their political worldview essentially exclusively from bullshit Facebook memes and Faux Noise lying bobbleheads.

I don't think cooking is antiquated either. I knew a LOT of early 20-somethings who basically lived on cheap takeout because they had no idea how to make a stir fry for dinner.

??
Check Sourcing? Like Snopes? ...lol...

Agree on teaching about Propaganda.

Start with Edward Bernays - cover Joseph Goebbles and how he implemented his works in Nazi Germany. The Smoking Campaign in America during the 60's-80's. Then really expose CNN -MSDNC - Fox News and how Google,Twitter, Youtube and Big Media shadow ban / censor / delete / manipulate content to warp the minds of their viewers.
 
M

member 1013

Guest
They were just talking on the radio about how they updated gr. 9 math to include personal finances, and before you did it in the college stream in grade 11 here in Ontario.

ShatsBassoon @ShatsBassoon
 
T

The Big Guy

Guest
Maths
English (or whatever language your country speaks)
Sports

Everything else should be optional. You want your kids to learn something else? Teach 'em.
This is the truth.


Theres alot of worthless subjects that are forced down peoples throats
 

Freeloading Rusty

Here comes Rover, sniffin’ at your ass
Jan 11, 2016
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Nov 21, 2015
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STEM should be the bulk of teaching. Specifically Artificial Intelligence.

AI is going to rule every major sector across the globe and those that own and
develop it will own the world
 

John Lee Pettimore

Further south than you
May 18, 2021
6,302
6,762
STEM should be the bulk of teaching. Specifically Artificial Intelligence.

AI is going to rule every major sector across the globe and those that own and
develop it will own the world
Should be more emphasised at this point, absolutely.

The brutal reality though, is that 90% of students at least are always going to be too thick for a career in AI or robotics. There's no shame in that, either.

??