Heartland

Inspired by a radio show I listened to yesterday in which they mentioned that kids are going to be taught Arabic & philosophy (or something similiar, can't remember exactly) in UK secondary schools in the near future. The show then asked listeners for their wish lists of subjects.

I thought it'd make a good topic...

For me, I wish I'd have been taught the following ;

Poker
Spanish
Golf

An A Level in formal logic and the scientific method certainly wouldn't go amiss. And it should be a requirement for humanities students if they want to be allowed to have discussions with the grown ups -_-;

Sorry, but far too many Geographers/Philosophers have told me that "Theory" means unproven...

oOo and can we abolish RS please? Nobody'd take an A Level in Organic Chemistry without the rest of the subject, so why should we treat Philosophy any differently?

Motz wrote:An A Level in formal logic and the scientific method certainly wouldn't go amiss. And it should be a requirement for humanities students if they want to be allowed to have discussions with the grown ups -_-;

Sorry, but far too many Geographers/Philosophers have told me that "Theory" means unproven...

Nice one. Indeed. "I have this theory that the Royal Family are really alien lizards" is not on the same level as "the theory of gravity"

As it happens, the school I went to did offer Spanish up to 'O' level (yes I'm that old) --- as well as Latin and German.

we didn't have spanish, but we did have russian, latin, french and german..

hmmm. a good one, that. half the things i wish we'd been taught are based on things that didn't exist at the time

1 - How to chat up Girls.

2 - Interview Skills.

3 - Woodwork..............no...........we had that.

english

"Respect".

8 hours a week at the least.

And failure for the exams means re-doing the year.

IZ.

Izzy HaveMercy wrote:"Respect"

I think they're calling it "citizenship" now...

I would have liked to have learnt Russian and Latin at school. I applied to take A level Philosophy but not enough people wanted to do it so I had to do something else that I wasn't really bothered about to make up the minimum of 3 A levels required....

Common Sense or Pimping would have been great!

When we finally have to start teaching a MFL in primary school, we're going to do Spanish I know Hola and cerveza and la cuenta, por favor.


Cruzando los dedos

Debaser wrote:When we finally have to start teaching a MFL in primary school....

Shouldn't that be MILF?

Debaser wrote:When we finally have to start teaching a MFL in primary school, we're going to do Spanish I know Hola and cerveza and la cuenta, por favor.


Cruzando los dedos

you can por favor but im only paying for one!
(coat time!)

boudicca wrote:
I think they're calling it "citizenship" now...

I read about that, aren't they calling it "Britishness" now? Although it's actually going to only be taught in England, which they hope will stop the natives getting miffed when they realise Gordon Brown will be making all the decisions for their country but hardly any for the country that elected him.

I'd have liked History, and I mean actual History, not the NUT's political and social bias wrapped up as it. Yes, I'm sure the formation of trade unions, the Labour party, Victorian philanthropists, the end of the British Raj and the second World War were very important things, but this country does have a thousand odd years of history before that..

Job application skills, filling in a C.V, interview skills, money management, anything relating to the actual real world could have been handy.

Izzy HaveMercy wrote:"Respect".

8 hours a week at the least.

And failure for the exams means re-doing the year.

Ha! A bit like your employer telling you "If you fail this compulsory stress test you'll be fired!"

DeWinter wrote:I'd have liked History, and I mean actual History, not the NUT's political and social bias wrapped up as it. Yes, I'm sure the formation of trade unions, the Labour party, Victorian philanthropists, the end of the British Raj and the second World War were very important things, but this country does have a thousand odd years of history before that..

Likewise.

All I learned about was Irish Monks in Round Towers. It was only after I left school that I actually realised that I loved the subject.

Geography. I mean in the proper sense of where countries are in the world, what their capitals are and things like that. Not f**king precipitation cycles and erosion and all that s**t.

smiscandlon wrote:Geography. I mean in the proper sense of where countries are in the world, what their capitals are and things like that. Not f**king precipitation cycles and erosion and all that s**t.

I seem to recall we've covered this before, Steven! More than once!

Where's f**king Poland - I ask you!

smiscandlon wrote:Geography. I mean in the proper sense of where countries are in the world, what their capitals are and things like that. Not f**king precipitation cycles and erosion and all that s**t.

Rightly said; my sister could not tell me if London was North or South of where we are, in Yorkshire.

I wouldn't have minded Home Economics, actually. I have finally learned how to make pasta without exploding anything, or creating food the texture and consistency of Shuttle Re-Entry Tiles.

My two choices would be:

1) Learning to cope with the never ending cycle of feeling that your expectations have been missed yet again, yet doing the same thing within a very short space of time and realising that the human condition is indeed the grand joke that many on the way out have deigned it to be.

2) The words to "Always look on the bright side of life", the perfect antidote to 1)

timsinister wrote:

smiscandlon wrote:Geography. I mean in the proper sense of where countries are in the world, what their capitals are and things like that. Not f**king precipitation cycles and erosion and all that s**t.

Rightly said; my sister could not tell me if London was North or South of where we are, in Yorkshire.

My point exactly. Last Thursday I had an argument with a work colleague about where Bangkok was (she was so adamant that it was in China that I even began to doubt myself).

Remember, Claire, that we weren't all educated in schools with a strong Jesuit ethos emphasising the practice of Roman Catholic religion both in the church and in the community.

"Myrtle green", indeed...

smiscandlon wrote:

timsinister wrote:

smiscandlon wrote:Geography. I mean in the proper sense of where countries are in the world, what their capitals are and things like that. Not f**king precipitation cycles and erosion and all that s**t.

Rightly said; my sister could not tell me if London was North or South of where we are, in Yorkshire.

My point exactly. Last Thursday I had an argument with a work colleague about where Bangkok was (she was so adamant that it was in China that I even began to doubt myself).

Remember, Claire, that we weren't all educated in schools with a strong Jesuit ethos emphasising the practice of Roman Catholic religion both in the church and in the community.

"Myrtle green", indeed...

So...you work with Tims sister and Tims sister is Jade Goody.

mh wrote:

Likewise.

All I learned about was Irish Monks in Round Towers. It was only after I left school that I actually realised that I loved the subject.

Indeed, I'm pretty sure everything I've ever learned about the history of my country and any other has been out of a book I've read over the past ten years since I left school. I can remember being taught nothing about Magna Carta, the 100 years war, the War of the Roses,the English Renaissance, the union with Scotland, or Ireland, the potato famine,the Civil War, the American Revolution, or the Napoleonic Wars. So basically everything of historical importance they've left out, even knowing which Kings or Queens we've had. The saddest thing is, it is such an interesting subject, you have to be a really dismal teacher not to get every male interested in tales of violence, murder, and warfare!
Thing is, you may remember a Daily Mail-esque rant a few years ago about children being more likely to be asked to write a short account of the wife of a Spanish sailor who has just sailed to invade England, than about Sir Francis Drake? I remember being asked to write exactly that. So for once the Mail wasn't rattling the cages of the blue-rinse brigade, it was entirely true.
Oh, and don't get me started on the bint of an Irishwoman who while teaching us about W.B Yeats said Jaques Du Molay was an Irish sympathiser murdered by the English, when he was the head of the Knights Templar, murdered by the King of France, and had probably never set foot in England..

I think most folks on here must have been off the day they taught:
Posting and image, quoting and linking on bulletin boards.

James Blast wrote:I think most folks on here must have been off the day they taught:
Posting and image, quoting and linking on bulletin boards.

Way before my time