Stuff you wish they taught in school

[PlutonianEmpire]

I wish schools taught how to NOT be a god damn prude.

 

[nonconformist]

Why would I care about the american constitution in what "I wish was taught in school", as I have already said I am australian, I don't care in teh slightest if its unconstitutional in America or Saudi Arabia.

As to it discouraging people from faith, actually all the statistics show that places where faith is taught properly (classical catholic education for example) have a higher retention rate, and rate of people entering the faith. Even the average Catholic school (which has terrible catechesis) still has a higher retention rate of Catholics than a run of the mill public school.

All of us in the UK have to be indoctrinated religiously until the age of 11, and we have a minimal number of people who are religious.

 

[bombshoo]

I was thinking about my school's anti-drug program today. What I wish they told instead of what they did:

When you finally get offered drugs, it won't be by your friend's older brother's shady friend who you happened to run into at the playground. It will probably be by your own friends. Some of which you might have known for a very long time. Breaking up long-term friendships over drugs isn't often going to happen, nor am I sure that it should.

There are really two kinds of peer-pressure. The kind where you people actively coax you into taking part in something, and the more passive sort that genuinely takes place over a longer period of time. When it comes to drugs, the latter is far more likely to get you than the former.

When you are "offered" drugs for the first time, it is totally possible you won't be asked if you even want them. You'll just be given the product and expected to take part.

I don't know if anti-drug programs have improved since I was in school, but the way they taught us seems very far from the real life scenarios.

 

[MantaRevan]

I see nothing anti-american with it, not to mention if it was percieved that way by americans I couldn;t care less since I am Australian (incidentally religious teaching occurs in state schools in Australia).

As to why, well that should be obvious. Because a) its simplt not taught properly to Catholic kids in the west and b) because all those non-catholics listening in would learn something important, (and perhaps get a nudge in the right direction so to speak )

I think that statement sounds as if it came from a catholic. No offense to you, but that might be viewed as irrelevant or biased.

 

[MantaRevan]

Another thing. I wish the schools would do less fearmongering about the Internet. The way they made it sound is that if you go on some social network site a rapist will pop out of your monitor. I hate social networks but for other reasons.

Fair enough. I agree. It's way over emphasized. But kids seem to do it anyway, so they appear to be wasting their breath.

 

[MantaRevan]

Why would I care about the american constitution in what "I wish was taught in school", as I have already said I am australian, I don't care in teh slightest if its unconstitutional in America or Saudi Arabia.

As to it discouraging people from faith, actually all the statistics show that places where faith is taught properly (classical catholic education for example) have a higher retention rate, and rate of people entering the faith. Even the average Catholic school (which has terrible catechesis) still has a higher retention rate of Catholics than a run of the mill public school.

That's called religious indoctrination. And aside from that, of course! Catholic parents that want their kids to be catholic send their kids to catholic school.

 

[cardgame]

Pro Tip: there exists a multiquote function just to the right of the quote button. There is also an edit button. Strive to avoid double or triple posts, 'tis frowned upon in this establishment

I wish my school would teach evolution.

 

[Jehoshua]

That's called religious indoctrination. And aside from that, of course! Catholic parents that want their kids to be catholic send their kids to catholic school.

I have no problem with religious indoctrination , it hardly prevents a person from subsequently rejecting the doctrine they are being taught,

 

[MantaRevan]

Pro Tip: there exists a multiquote function just to the right of the quote button. There is also an edit button. Strive to avoid double or triple posts, 'tis frowned upon in this establishment

I wish my school would teach evolution.

It doesn't? Do you live in the south?

 

[MantaRevan]

I have no problem with religious indoctrination , it hardly prevents a person from subsequently rejecting the doctrine they are being taught,

Not really..... Well, not if they aren't intelligent enough. The more intellectual can, but I would hardly say that the weak minded can disregard what they have been taught as fact from a young impressionable age.

 

[Jehoshua]

Ergo, people are stupid generally and the vast majority are not taught to use their faculties. Education in the west is more about the attainment of facts, and utilitarian knowledge over actual intellectual development (as was the goal in classical education systems, such as that until recently utilised by the Church)

 

[MantaRevan]

......the attainment of facts, and utilitarian knowledge....

How could somebody possibly be opposed to this?

And also, I would much rather be born stupid, but develop into a rational, well learned fellow, than to be born intelligent and be too arrogant to learn a thing.

 

[Jehoshua]

facts, and the knowledge of how to live and work in the world is important no one denies that. But it is equally important that the individuals intellect is cultivated in education, so that they become a "thinking person".

When fact, and utilitarian purpose become the sole focus of education at the expense of intellectual development and almost anything else I think there is a problem. Most especially I find that when facts and figures become the sole focus the intellect becomed dulled, and the person becomes a simple receptacle of facts instead being able to actually engage with the world intellectually or actually inquire into things.

 

[MantaRevan]

facts, and the knowledge of how to live and work in the world is important no one denies that. But it is equally important that the individuals intellect is cultivated in education, so that they become a "thinking person".

When fact, and utilitarian purpose become the sole focus of education at the expense of intellectual development and almost anything else I think there is a problem. Most especially I find that when facts and figures become the sole focus the intellect becomed dulled, and the person becomes a simple receptacle of facts instead being able to actually engage with the world intellectually or actually inquire into things.

Interesting, to say the least, but I doubt that you could get that out of religious dogma.

 

[Jehoshua]

Thing is Catholic teaching encourages people to think. Yes there are the absolutes (relativism is anathema) but the primary question is first to learn what the Church teaches (the fact), but then you are supposed to learn why it teaches as it does, taking the corpus of teaching as a whole. (the thinking)

Catholic thought holds that one always must have a reason for their faith, and that faith and reason are not contradictory and are indeed complimentary to each other. This combination, I think encourages the sort of educational paradigm I expressed in my previous post, and in addition avoids relativism and the sort of clinical, empty, unfulfilled and ultimately incomplete understanding of the world that a purely utilitarian, positivist education provides, ensuring that the person can more properly relate as a thinking person to the world instead of simply spouting information he has gathered without actual intellectual engagement.

 

[Ajidica]

Thing is Catholic teaching encourages people to think.

Tell that to my catholic theology professor who launched into a thirty minute tirade against critical thinking. I think I heard Aquinas revolving with increasing velocity.

 

[Jehoshua]

Thats why I wish for Catholic teaching to be taught properly.

 

[_random_]

Tell that to my catholic theology professor who launched into a thirty minute tirade against critical thinking. I think I heard Aquinas revolving with increasing velocity.

How does a guy like that wind up with a position at a fairly prestigious Catholic university named after Thomas Aquinas?

 

[Ajidica]

How does a guy like that wind up with a position at a fairly prestigious Catholic university named after Thomas Aquinas?

Not sure. He isn't that bad in just about everything else, but he has a real hot-button on the topic of critical thinking. He went into some strange stuff about how the logos of Christianity means it is the only possible and logical way to view the world and [insert rantings about moral relativity, a dig at agnostics, and so on].

 

[Narz]

Points 1-5 don´t belong to school. "Choosing a romantic partner" - wth?

Why not? All of them are more important than learning about historical wars or square roots.