USA - dumb teens expose abysmal education system

[Dachs]

If you ask someone in England about the civil war, most of the time they'll think you're talking about the American Civil War, unaware that England had one.

Hell, they had three.

 

[Leoreth]

I find the notion that this is an American phenomenon offensive. Heck, I had a political science teacher who gave us the task of filling in country names into a blank map of Europe. When we were comparing the results, she pointed to the location of every country on a projection of the blank map. And she pointed to Russia when we said Turkey.

I should also note that she used almost every lesson to indoctrinate us why the accession of Turkey to the EU would be the best thing ever.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I wonder if the Gauls used to pass around "Dumb Roman" animal skin documents back in the day when they were the jealous ones and Rome was the world power.

Only in this kind of thread you get away with those kind of remarks.

I can do this with teenagers from anywhere.

Me too

 

[Arakhor]

If you ask someone in England about the civil war, most of the time they'll think you're talking about the American Civil War, unaware that England had one.

I didn't believe that, so I tried it on my work colleague just now. He scored in both categories, thinking that I was talking about the US Civil War (why??) and at least heard of the English Civil War.

 

[NedimNapoleon]

The problem with most American and now even "foreign" youth is that they are extremly uninterested in anything outside their little world. They think Geography, History and other Sciences are stupid. Most of them dont even watch the news, at all! (When watching the news you at least hear names of Countries and about your internal politics). They'd rather be off watching Jersey Shore or some stupid tv show than watching something you can learn from.

 

[muhtesem insan]

If you ask someone in England about the civil war, most of the time they'll think you're talking about the American Civil War, unaware that England had one.

Do you refer it "Civil War"?

 

[Dachs]

I didn't believe that, so I tried it on my work colleague just now. He scored in both categories, thinking that I was talking about the US Civil War (why??) and at least heard of the English Civil War.

Incidentally, "English Civil War" is a poor name. All of the Civil Wars touched the kingdoms of the Stuart/Oranje personal union more or less equally. One might be forgiven for wondering why Covenanters were involved in an English civil war - indeed had been fighting in it before most of the English were! - or why the most important fighting of the Third "English" Civil War happened in Ireland. "British Civil Wars" is a term that has become considerably more popular to describe them in the last several decades, and to my mind it is the better one.

 

[Andvare]

If you ask someone in England about the civil war, most of the time they'll think you're talking about the American Civil War, unaware that England had one.

One?

 

[Arakhor]

Well, British history tuition is decidedly spotty (we do have 200 years to cover, after all) and I was only ever taught about the Wars of the Roses and the English Civil War. I learnt about the Anarchy mostly from reading Brother Cadfael.

 

[Dachs]

One?

Johnny-come-lately.

 

[Silurian]

At college, I made a stained glass mosaic illustrating the scene from the story of Taliesin where the greyhound is chasing the rabbit across the Welsh countryside. It featured a sprig of heather in the foreground and a small purple mountain in the background.

We even sing about purple headed mountains - go to 0.54

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rc...vMmQDQ&usg=AFQjCNEBbpYwZ-KXEIgm_xwJwbwu5OZkOg

 

[Arakhor]

So we do! I'd forgotten that (I don't attend an Anglican church).

 

[warpus]

The problem with most American and now even "foreign" youth is that they are extremly uninterested in anything outside their little world. They think Geography, History and other Sciences are stupid. Most of them dont even watch the news, at all! (When watching the news you at least hear names of Countries and about your internal politics). They'd rather be off watching Jersey Shore or some stupid tv show than watching something you can learn from.

That, and from what I've been told American teens are taught blatantly incorrect things in school, such as "Columbus discovered that the Earth is round, back then everyone thought that the Earth was flat"

You'll find dumb teens all over the planet though, except maybe China.

 

[Dachs]

We even sing about purple headed mountains - go to 0.54

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rc...vMmQDQ&usg=AFQjCNEBbpYwZ-KXEIgm_xwJwbwu5OZkOg

We do, too. I initially thought that cardgame and his ilk were making a joke about that.

 

[Arwon]

There's not a single poster in this thread that doesn't look like an idiot to someone else on a daily basis.

I dunno, I'm pretty great.

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

I dunno, I'm pretty great.

Maybe so but even then , li'l ol' me can get you for the AFL thing

 

[Bestbank Tiger]

Incidentally, "English Civil War" is a poor name. All of the Civil Wars touched the kingdoms of the Stuart/Oranje personal union more or less equally. One might be forgiven for wondering why Covenanters were involved in an English civil war - indeed had been fighting in it before most of the English were! - or why the most important fighting of the Third "English" Civil War happened in Ireland. "British Civil Wars" is a term that has become considerably more popular to describe them in the last several decades, and to my mind it is the better one.

Interesting. Especially since the war between the Cavaliers and Puritans was more a civil war than our War Between the States. In England, it was two factions fighting for control of the same central government whereas ours was an attempted secession.

 

[warpus]

This actually just came up on reddit, it's somewhat related

U.S. state science standards are mediocre to awful

The video was all history and geography questions, so this is a bit different.. but still.. isn't looking good

 

[Traitorfish]

Incidentally, "English Civil War" is a poor name. All of the Civil Wars touched the kingdoms of the Stuart/Oranje personal union more or less equally. One might be forgiven for wondering why Covenanters were involved in an English civil war - indeed had been fighting in it before most of the English were! - or why the most important fighting of the Third "English" Civil War happened in Ireland. "British Civil Wars" is a term that has become considerably more popular to describe them in the last several decades, and to my mind it is the better one.

"Wars of the Three Kingdoms" seems to be the more common alternative over here, I'm guessing because "British" is still a pretty contentious term. Opinions on that one?

 

[kramerfan86]

I dont think the education system is abysmal, I remember in school they gave us all this information. The problem is many students just dont give a crap, dont try, and dont pay attention. So you can lead them to the information, but if they dont care they arent going to know it when asked.