Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlatan
I agree. The key here is to teach a love (and skill) of learning.
While there are some lazy teachers, I find that they are not a prevalent as one might think. Most public school teachers are hamstrung by policy as much as by budget.
What's amazing to me is that policy makers can't seem to understand that education is the foundation of a nation's growth. If you aren't developing your brain power, you can't compete. You are squashing your nation's potential.
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Well said. I can still remember my first year of university, when a soc or psych prof was asked by a student what was on the mid-term exam. He replied, "Everything discussed in this room relevant to the course and all required reading."
Half the room or more almost revolved. What!! No practice tests? No study periods, no Q&A's during lecture time, no handouts with possible Q&A's?
Unbelievable. One girl was in tears. Several students threatened to go to the Dean because it was unfair they weren't being provided with the answers or at least a heavy implication thereof.
Me. I was calm and collected. Probably because before I went to university I lived on my own, worked for a couple of years, paid bills, found out what I wanted to study and decided that to succeed I needed an independant mind and body. Learned alot. At 21 I had learned how to think on my feet because I certainly didn't learn to think in high school. Also moving to Toronto and knowing no one and starting from scratch was a learning experience in itself, even if it was shithole Toranna. (Sorry Charlatan, can never get enough digs in - and I'm joking,..it isn't all bad,..
cough Maple Leafs)
And like you said, can you imagine if the initiative was there to promote free thinking and ideas from a young age. We all would get very old (older) very fast. Not a bad thing though