What are your kids NOT learning in school?

[Anonymous]

problem solving is useful for your career only after you've gotten the knowledge you need. I would never hire someone for a STEM position if they had problem solving instead of in depth knowledge (and I've been involved in hiring/firing for many years). My fear with the new race to the top initiatives is that the 'problem solving' will take away from the learning which already isn't intensive enough, especially for our best learners. (for ex. the algebra kids learn now before they take the HSA isn't the algebra of generations past, it's watered down so that data analysis can be put it...there's your problem solving aspect).

Hopefully, you're not actually in a position to hire anyone with your incredibly backwards way of thinking.

Content area knowledge is the easy knowledge to gain. The ability to problem solve easily and effectively is what separates a good worker from a great worker/leader. Ask anyone who has hired in technology in the last 15 years. A new hire doesn't need to understand everything about the system they are selling or supporting. They need to know how to translate the system for the client, and how to creatively organize the support structure to serve the client's needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

problem solving is useful for your career only after you've gotten the knowledge you need. I would never hire someone for a STEM position if they had problem solving instead of in depth knowledge (and I've been involved in hiring/firing for many years). My fear with the new race to the top initiatives is that the 'problem solving' will take away from the learning which already isn't intensive enough, especially for our best learners. (for ex. the algebra kids learn now before they take the HSA isn't the algebra of generations past, it's watered down so that data analysis can be put it...there's your problem solving aspect).

Hopefully, you're not actually in a position to hire anyone with your incredibly backwards way of thinking.

Content area knowledge is the easy knowledge to gain. The ability to problem solve easily and effectively is what separates a good worker from a great worker/leader. Ask anyone who has hired in technology in the last 15 years. A new hire doesn't need to understand everything about the system they are selling or supporting. They need to know how to translate the system for the client, and how to creatively organize the support structure to serve the client's needs.

I grant that you need to be able to think in a problem solving way, but many things cannot be solved without content knowledge. I wonder if we are not teaching deep enough content knowledge and thus getting people without a base in either camp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

problem solving is useful for your career only after you've gotten the knowledge you need. I would never hire someone for a STEM position if they had problem solving instead of in depth knowledge (and I've been involved in hiring/firing for many years). My fear with the new race to the top initiatives is that the 'problem solving' will take away from the learning which already isn't intensive enough, especially for our best learners. (for ex. the algebra kids learn now before they take the HSA isn't the algebra of generations past, it's watered down so that data analysis can be put it...there's your problem solving aspect).

Hopefully, you're not actually in a position to hire anyone with your incredibly backwards way of thinking.

Content area knowledge is the easy knowledge to gain. The ability to problem solve easily and effectively is what separates a good worker from a great worker/leader. Ask anyone who has hired in technology in the last 15 years. A new hire doesn't need to understand everything about the system they are selling or supporting. They need to know how to translate the system for the client, and how to creatively organize the support structure to serve the client's needs.

The schools can't teach manners, but too bad your parents neglected this too.

[Anonymous]

NP here. It's an anonymous message board, PP. You don't need to worry about her manners. They're fine. And she's right in her points.

[Anonymous]

Thank you, PP, for writing this! It gives me hope!
I am the PP you quoted!
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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very important question/thread.

Our kid is not there yet, but I have some hopes for changes regarding the future of education:
I agree with the people who mentioned critical thinking, problem solving, writing skills, analytical skills.

If most subjects were taught with a focus on that, you have the tools to learn any new content.
Aside from that, World history, international relations, geography, are subjects that need a curriculum overhaul IMHO.
I cringe when I read about memorization of capitals, or the current state of history teaching -in the history sequential thread-.
Who expects our children to be world citizens if they spend whole semesters -apparently repeatedly?!?- on the history of Maryland or Virginia?
World history and geography as an elective? 20th century history gets a few weeks coverage, once or late or both? Again just "the facts"? Geography as being able to point on a map and rattle of memorized capitals? Really?

That was my initial reaction when I found out my son was going to be studying VA history all year in 4th grade, but I was actually quite impressed by the breadth of the curriculum and how it draws in all kinds of information that I would not have expected. Using VA history as a "point of view," if you will, he learned about, among other topics, European colonialism/exploration, the slave trade (and its roots in African/European history), the social structure that made land ownership impossible and the religious strife in Europe that led to emigration to the New World, all kinds of economic lessons and how economies grew out of and communities were influenced by the natural geography of the land, all kinds of interesting things about Native Americans in Virginia that I certainly never knew, lessons about how our government works and its roots (in the context of the institution of the House of Burgesses as a self-governing body), lessons about the movement of peoples from rural to urban communities. He learned about the civil rights movement in the context of learning about desegregation of schools in Virginia, which led to lessons about Brown v. Board of Education, the role of the Supreme Court in protecting the minority from the tyranny of the majority, etc. Imagine how surprised I was when I one day mentioned something about the English in India and my nine year old lit up and said, "I know about that--Martin Luther King was influenced by Ghandi, who was this guy who led a nonviolent protest against the English so that the Indians could govern their own country." These are just a few of many examples. Having dug into the curriculum and seen how much has been wrapped into "Virginia history," I have to do a 180 from my original position.

[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

Do the people posting think school used to be better or worse than it is now? I'm one of those parents who always thinks there's room for improvement at any school, but I have to admit the schooling here is much better than what I went through as a child. Do you agree/disagree?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's the deal with Keyboarding:

It is very helpful but 15 minutes per day, 4-5 days per week for 6 weeks over the summer using Mavis Beacon or Type to Learn and your DC should be in great shape. I don't think I'd use up an entire elective for Keyboarding.

This is exactly what I did with my DD at age 9. She hated it at the time because she didn't see the value. Now as a Freshmen in HS, she definitely sees the benefit. I agree, no reason to use "school time" teaching this skill any longer. Too many free online programs.