So, how come I learned in school about complex mathematics I have never had a use for, but I did not learn how to wash my clothes?
How come I learned about kings living 500 years ago, but I did not learn how to manage my personal economy?
How come I learned thousands of disrelated facts, but I did not learn how to find the facts that I need, when I need them?
I confess, I am alarmed at the lack of `parenting` skills people have nowadays. They seem to think that once they have children, their responsibility is merely buying the right clothes,toys and electrical goods, and all other life guidance and lessons are somehow the responsibility of the schools.
ReplyDeleteThe early development years of a child are crucial in shaping how that child will be able to see and handle life experiences. This is the job of the parents.
A lot of parents nowadays do not give their children good guidance in these years, and then somehow expect the school to bale them out of a self-imposed mess with their unruly child. But by the time most kids get to school, a fair degree of damage is already done.
I think a lot of people can use schools as a way out of parenting responsibilities.
Call me a pervert, but I did love reading about history, and 500 year old kings!
It fired up my imagination! I could see other worlds, and other ways of doing things, it did, as Lee said, taught me how to think.
"Call me a pervert, but I did love reading about history, and 500 year old kings!"
ReplyDeleteYou pervert you.
Sure, all kinds of knowledge is great. But it would only have taken a week to teach me how to wash my clothes. And my life would have been easier.
I enjoyed that!
ReplyDelete:-) !!!
Well, that proves it then.
ReplyDeleteBecause you're an instrument of Society, a tool of the State, a subject of the Crown, an implement for the benefit of those who would presume to know how to shape and mold your destiny to their ends and to the ends of the society in which they live. You are a means to an end, to be made fit to serve the needs of others, to live for the sake of others, and to be a willing servant of others ...
ReplyDelete"Certainly at a very young age my parents made sure that I could cook a meal, iron a shirt and sew a button"
ReplyDeleteMine friggin didn't! I wish I'd had parents like that.
I think most don't.
"it does seem to me that for such an important part of life, raising a child, we as a society do leave a lot to chance in that respect."
I could not agree more. You have to have a licence for riding a scooter, but to raise a child?
Mine did too....
ReplyDeleteI agree with Wonko, parenting skills should be taught, I have met so many parents who have never even thought of buying a book for their wee ones, or even how to string a sentence that DOESN`T contain swear words....!!!!!
How to relate to other people, and that you can`t always get things by simply demanding, and that if money is tight, then you have to deal with that, rather than constantly spending money you don`t have on a credit card!
You know, the really tricky things in life.......!!!
Hey....axe skills...
Oh-o!!..Wonko has an axe......!!!
"How to relate to other people, and that you can`t always get things by simply demanding, and that if money is tight, then you have to deal with that, rather than constantly spending money you don`t have on a credit card!
ReplyDeleteYou know, the really tricky things in life.......!!!"
Yes, exactly.
Maybe it is because my parents had such problems that I can't see them learning how to do this, that I wish the school did it.
I have one too. When I had new carpet installed, I had two friends over to help move all the stuff out and in. And I decided suddenly to take out the big wooden gas fireplace. They looked at it speculatively, thinking "how".
ReplyDeleteI came out with a big hatchet for them. They asked why would I have such a thing in an apartment? I said "for sex games".
Be afraid...be very afraid...!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSorry...you have to imagine dramatic movie music to the words of
ReplyDeleteBe afraid....be very afraid.....!!!!!
Wooden gas fireplace?
ReplyDeleteAre you speaking of the Mantel?
Why would you want to take that out to install a carpet?
I suppose it is the mantel. The brits call it "the fire".
ReplyDeleteIt was ugly and took up space. It hadda go.
It's easy to say that one doesn't need this or that piece of knowledge. As an engineer, complex mathematics is vital to some of the work that I do, and clearly has no value to you. And yet, can we always guarantee what knowledge people will need, or perhaps to your point, won't need? It seems rather difficult to judge that for everyone, regardless of how long they live and change. Universities are typically pretty correct about what requirements one needs for a given major. Many schools also have requirements in fields outside of one's major in order to help a student become a well rounded person. Or not: I chose a school that let me put all my energy into courses I was interested in and helped my career. I would love to go back and study English and literature, when I have time. High schools (in the States) often have "tracks" such as college prep, general, etc. I think it's important that they teach many different subjects, science, mathematics, history, language, and culture. One has only to look at the controversy in the US about intelligent design to see that not teaching science can have a bad effect. Conversely, there are some things that one hopes (and so does sociey) that ones parents can teach. Morals and ethics comes to mind. Cooking, cleaning, budgeting, washing clothes, domestic things in general, could be taught by parents. To echo an earlier comment, many of these skills are taught in scouting, cub scouts & boy scouts. There is a limit as to how much we can expect the school system to teach in 6 hours/day 180 days per year.
ReplyDelete