Wednesday, January 6, 2010 7:10:23 PM
slayer50515, it's very clear that you`re still in HS and probably pissed that you have to take chemistry, right?
What America is doing right is precisely what you say it`s doing wrong. Schools teach you multiple disciplines so you`re exposed to many different subjects and ways of thinking.
Honestly, the problem is the anti-intellectualism that`s pervasive in Western culture (mostly America). The idea that "I`ll learn only what I need to know and nothing more."
Nobody says you have to love chemistry or literature or whatever but remember that the smartest people in this world are able to think multi-dimensionally. They welcome the opportunity to see the world in a new way. Life can be much more interesting and even exciting when you understand all the layers of complexity.
Unless your idea of exciting is April 15th -- in which case, I`m very sorry.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 12:59:02 AM
"If the person trying to expand your knowledge isn't even interested enough in learning about something himself/herself, typically kids aren`t going to be interested. It really is quite unfortunate." Welcome to American schooling. Are there any other countries out there that require someone who plans to be an accountant to learn about valence electrons? I`m fairly certain they will use that information only a handful of times in their life.
Monday, January 4, 2010 9:35:03 PM
StarDagger, it could be the teachers' fault. When I read 1984 in high school, my teacher taught us about the book by reading CliffsNotes. Not only did she use CliffsNotes, they were wrong. If the person trying to expand your knowledge isn`t even interested enough in learning about something himself/herself, typically kids aren`t going to be interested. It really is quite unfortunate.