[Manic!]

Originally Posted by birddog3k

What about this:

Say I open a school for engineers. I have an entrance exam that takes in a certain number 10 year olds every year, maybe the kids who are naturally good at math. I teach them the necessary skills to become good engineers and don't teach them unnecessary things. What's unnecessary? History. Social studies. Those 2 subjects in particular should not be taught by public institutions because there is a conflict of interest there. Maybe my school is partnered with an engineering company and at the age of 16, you can get a job straight out of school. You;ll have all the necessary skills to be successful at that job because that's what you're taught. Maybe the education is continuously updated as technology improves.

Maybe I'll open a school for the trades and start teaching kids who are 10 years old how to build an entire house. Maybe it'll be a 7 year path and among the things you learn is how to write business emails rather than learn Shakespeare. There's no reason a kid who might be interested in the trades has to sit and read Shakespeare. It's a waste of time.

Compare this to our current system. Everyone learns the same exact thing from Kindergarten to Grade 12, with some exceptions of course. We all sit in a desk and watch the teacher speak and relay the same information. Our different strengths and weaknesses and interests don't matter. The purpose of today's public schools is to be obedient. Listen to what the teacher is teaching and get that diploma.

We live in a time where we have the internet. If we change the way schools are done, we have a way to radically change society for the better. I know intelligent people who dropped out because they wanted to work or because it was boring. There's no reason for a student who's interested in playing with legos and building things to be forced to take ADD medication because he can't sit still and watch the teacher talk about Canadian history.

You really think a 10-year-old really knows what he wants to do with his/her life. My nephew wanted to play in the NHL. Should she have taken him out of school so he could focus 24/7 on hockey?