From: gmark@cbnewse.cb.att.com (gilbert.m.stewart)
Subject: Re: Student: Teach Thyself
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 17:05:50 GMT

In article <Bt6u16.6sK@world.std.com> rhs@world.std.com (Richard H Schwartz) writes:
>werme@alliant.com (Ric Werme) writes:
>
>>There are two skills schools should teach, but generally don't.  
>
>In school I learned the following maxim:  "All generalizations are 
>false.  Including this one."  You have started your essay with a 
>major generalization.  It deserves to be challenged.
>
>My contention is that public schools vary widely, as do teachers,
>as do private schools.  My memory of public high school is that

I believe that his statement "generally don't" is, ironically,
not intended to be a generalization of ALL schools, but MOST.

>>First
>>is the hard work of thinking.  Too many students get into the rut of
>>cramming for a test for the best grade and then forget everything they
>>learned until they cram for the final exam.  
>
>Schools do not teach this.  Parents who subject their children to reward
>or punishment based on their test grades and report cards do. 

I contend that too much time is spent on too-little-used skills.
I would place logic and reasoning at the top.  I would place a foreign
language somewhere near the bottom.  I considered it fun, but I have
used it for very little in my life.  And thinking seems to be very
useful, albeit unpopular.
>
>>The other skill is teaching
>>oneself.  The two skills are closely related, and some of the tricks
>>below help to acquire both. 
>
>I agree with you on this, but I contend that the ability to teach this
>is a rare skill.  I had one teacher who was brilliant.  In a subject that

Not to have "rare" confused with "not valuable to cultivate" or 
"not possible to cultivate".

>other teachers taught by rote memorization, Geometry, she taught to
>develop instincts for probOAlem solving and ways to turn those instincts
>into formal expressions of proofs.  But guess what?  When I got into
>higher math, I sure could have used some of that memorization:  I spent
>45 minutes solving a linear algebra problem by hand (a six by six matrix)
>which other students solved in 30 seconds by remembering a particular
>trig identity.  Oh well.
>
>I think that history, per se, was a very poorly taught subject through
>most of my schooling.  But I blame the horrible repetitiveness from 
>one year to the next, and the extraordinarily poor quality of the texts.

History is often taught as a flavorless list of facts.  Humans can
remember things better that they care about.  Probably why movies
are so popular.

>>I had Latin in French in that private school, and Spanish in public
>>school.  One of the reasons for studying a foreign language, according
>>to my administration, was that it helps to understand the structure of
>>English.  If that's the case, then you should study Esperanto. 
>
>It does very little, however, for your understanding of the evolution of
>language or the cultural implications of language.  Nor will it give you
>the opportunity to expand your literary horizons to the works of great non-
>English authors (outside of translation).  Nor will it help you find the 

If I forgot all the German or French I knew but maintained other
information, it would affect my life very little.  
>rest rooms in an airport in Mexico :-)
>
>>Esperanto was designed from scratch, drawing on many European languages
>>for word bases.  The result has no special cases and can be learned
>>about 25% faster than foreign languages.
>
>One of the important facets of language just may be those special cases.
>Our language has plenty of them.  
>
>
>I have two stories like this of my own, and many other cases where I 
>argued teachers to a draw.  I chalked it up as part of my education: learning
>how to make my case and then walk away maturely, knowing I was right, even
>when I couldn't win.  :-)
>

Actually, many (I would say most, judging by average test scores and
what I've been told) teachers would just consider you "too big for
you britches" and making trouble for them.  I wouldn't expect a 
teacher to leave the schoolroom saying, "That Schwartz boy -- he's
got spunk!"

>School administrations are inflexible for many reasons.  Equating that to

I can think of one.

GMS
From: Craig.Wagner@p2.f120.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Craig Wagner)
Sender: Uucp@blkcat.UUCP