Every child in America entering school at the age of five is insane

lol

thats, uh, not what becker is saying

i was responding to your "a lot has changed" remark, not becker.

i also dont really have any fucking clue what "civic education" means

here's a hint: ask any kid why they're going to school, and chances are they'll respond "to get a better job." if this were actually the purpose of school, any private company could do it better; as i've said, the only defensible purpose of public schools is to give future citizens a strong, rounded education - in science, in the arts, in history, whatever - in order to allow them to participate in public life. once you start thinking "why should we be teaching calculus to future construction workers?" you've totally lost sight of what public schools are for.

calculus helps people become better citizens and participate in public life?

I know we've done this like three hundred times already, but the idea of public jr high and high schools teaching kids anything positive/productive about group dynamics and civilization and constructive socialization is hilarious to me.

every person between the ages of 14 and 20 should be given part-time jobs and allowed to spend the rest of their time smoking and having sex. then when you turn twenty you go to a five-year combination high school/college program and graduate with a degree.

OTM, and xpost also OTM

http://www.fys.uio.no/~hkippe/gifer/crazy_mouse.gif

and chances are they'll respond "to get a better job." if this were actually the purpose of school, any private company could do it better

is this actually true, though? don't a lot of jobs presuppose that you come prepared with things you learned in high school? i mean, "to get a better job" you could teach kids how to talk, how to present themselves, how to dress, some job skills, etc etc

there's a lot of stuff that goes into getting a job, but school works one part (basic cognitive skills) and i wonder whether a private company could do a better job of it.

I was SO BORED with the insane easiness and busywork in fourth grade that I would spend hours trying to pull out my remaining teeth for a reason to get out of class for 15 minutes.