I left school at 18, back in the late 1960s. In the 55 years since, I would wager they’ve stopped really important stuff; the evidence includes watching youngsters try to cross a road while staring at a phone, or filming themselves eating crisps.
I agree that today’s children can probably code a website, explain climate change, and navigate a tablet faster than I can locate my own hearing aids. But I’ve a growing feeling, at least from a British perspective, that something important has quietly slipped out of the classroom. The fundamental, basic bits and pieces.
Once upon a time, schools didn’t just teach maths and English, they taught you how to behave in society. You were encouraged to say “please” and “thank you” without irony; hold a door open for someone without expecting a medal; apologise properly, rather than going on the defensive, and most importantly, to disagree with turning it into a full-blown war. Now, half the country behaves as if “excuse me” is a sign of weakness and holding that door open is a political statement.
Also fading rapidly is the ability to write clearly – you know, spelling, punctuation, grammar. Autocorrect it not the answer. All that does is clear up some mess, because you can’t autocorrect a befuddled and bewildered mind.
Perhaps the biggest thing schools have stopped teaching are the following totally crazy ideas. You won’t always win, you bloody well won’t always be right, and you most certainly won’t always be the main character. Us oldies used to learn resilience by losing a race, failing a test, being told “no”. We weren’t rewarded for breathing.
Yes, our British schools still teach history, but it often feels fragmented, and safe fragments at that. We used to teach the uncomfortable bits too; empire, class, war, industrial hardship and political conflict. Without that context, how can kids understand the forces that shaped us?
I leave you with another question. Why do so many youngsters today know about trigonometry, or what the capital of Sudan is, but haven’t a clue how to budget, how taxes work, what a pension is, how debt interest actually works, or even how to make a cup of tea without asking Google?
What have schools stopped teaching?
Back in the USSR guys, when I entered my middle school, we had two English lessons per week. Back in the day, nobody knew any practical idea as the Soviet Union was a self-isolated entity, not like today’s Russia that desperately wants to restore ties with the outside world. I see by radio DJs’ remarks, what parents cautiously say in their school chats, etc.
Yet, Vyacheslav Volodin, the Duma speaker, and a true mother fucker, said recently that in Russia pupils should study Chinese instead of English.
Can you imagine the degree of degradation in Russia’s state agencies?
Recently, it was announced that Russian schools switch from three to two English lessons a week.
Well, my elder daughter, Lisa, told me that they still have three lessons. It is, in my opinion, an absolute minimum. I would have made it five a week.
So, we are at a very interesting point. Not all schools, seemingly, follow the guidelines.
Probably, the Russian Education Agency or whatever it is called, understand the problem and don’t order to decrease the number of English lessons.
We will see. I live in a very interesting epoch in Russia; we will either bust, or make steps to get back to life.
Dark Ages vs Progress. What can be more interesting? Never knew it could happen here.
What have schools stopped teaching?
Oh Please! Don’t even get me started. In America this is a standard game. First, your group decides they want a certain outcome. In this case maybe it’s that we want private Christian schools to get serious Federal funding.
- Step One: Hollow out public schools. Quietly withhold money, cut budgets, lower standards, and ensure buildings and equipment go obsolete.
- Step Two: Make a HUGE scene talking about how bad Public Schools are. Highlight their failures and demean teachers.
- Step Three: Wait a year, then appear as the bright, shining savior who can fix this mess. In this case, push vouchers that parents can use so their children don’t have to attend the very schools you destroyed. You are the HERO who solved the problem. As an aside, don’t mention how you made the mess to start with.
This isn’t a technique limited to schools; it’s used all across American society to funnel public funds to billionaire bank accounts. Of course, teachers do the very best they can and will even buy school supplies out of their own pockets to try and help.
The other area of education that makes me want to scream is the American university system. Sure, if daddy is a millionaire and you want a Liberal Arts or STEM degree, these schools can hook you up. World class. But what if your daddy ain’t named Donald or Elon? You, Sir, are so screwed and your life’s path is set in stone.
It’s not that way in Germany. Their higher education system is made to serve the people, not just the one percent. Has it never occurred to anyone in the US university system that some people may enjoy working with their hands? A CNC lathe is a serious, computer-controlled machine and the master machinist who runs it deserves a high salary. Do you know how to work on jet engines?… you deserve every penny you get. Unless, of course, you speak with my (American) accent.
There is no apprentice program for high-skill, high-pay jobs in America. BUT!!! We have many lovely jobs for $7.25. Think about this; many Americans don’t want Spanish speakers in the country now because they will take away jobs. Immigrants need to be thrown in jail and sent home without trial. What does that mean? While unsaid, it means a large segment of the American work force believes they cannot compete for good jobs. And they are right.