Writer's Block: United Nations World Teachers Day
Climbs on soap box.
What many people (at least seem to) fail to realise is school is there to expose students to things that may interest them. Not just train them for a job. You can never hope to train an Albert Einstien, A Marie Curie-Subovska, no more can you hope to create a Behtoven a Shakespeare or a Rembrandt. The spark of genius requires both passion and tallent. But with out the chance exposure, (prefreably in a safe and nurtuing environment) these individuals would be crushed. Where would we be today if Einstine had stayed a patent clerk, If Curie had devoted herself (as so many women of the time did) to bringing up children. If Behtoven was young today I can almost guarentee that someone would be telling him "music is fine as a hobby but honestly do an MBA it's a much safer future".
What if Joseph Conrad had stayed in Gydnia and apprenticed to his father istead of taking ship and traveling the world?
What if Anis Nin had kept her diaries private?
What if Kafka's work had been burned as he desired?
What if Van Gogh, had entered the service of a hansiatic trader as a clerk and only painted conventional little views of cannals on his one day off a week.
What if Kandinsky had listened when someone said who will ever buy it?
The subject I wish I'd spent more time and effort on was languages. They are so much easier to learn when you are young.
Reading the above you'll probably think that I'm going to say the arts. And I belive they are vital.
Or
Languages and I belive those are vital as well. I think that the English speaking world should follow the example of most of Europe and refuse any higher qualification without a functional ability in at least one language not your mother toung.
Some of our advertising material here in Spain actually reads. Want a Job! That is how important it is.
Realistically it is IT or informatics as most of the world seems to call it. The world is only going to become more technologically complex and struggling with one of the basic tools that you need to do - well anything is going to make your life more difficult than it need be.
This still ignores all the other things you learn in school. How to work in a team. How to communicate your wants and needs in a way that gets you them as opposed to ignored or attacked. This is the really important stuff.
Climbs down and takes a deep breath.
What many people (at least seem to) fail to realise is school is there to expose students to things that may interest them. Not just train them for a job. You can never hope to train an Albert Einstien, A Marie Curie-Subovska, no more can you hope to create a Behtoven a Shakespeare or a Rembrandt. The spark of genius requires both passion and tallent. But with out the chance exposure, (prefreably in a safe and nurtuing environment) these individuals would be crushed. Where would we be today if Einstine had stayed a patent clerk, If Curie had devoted herself (as so many women of the time did) to bringing up children. If Behtoven was young today I can almost guarentee that someone would be telling him "music is fine as a hobby but honestly do an MBA it's a much safer future".
What if Joseph Conrad had stayed in Gydnia and apprenticed to his father istead of taking ship and traveling the world?
What if Anis Nin had kept her diaries private?
What if Kafka's work had been burned as he desired?
What if Van Gogh, had entered the service of a hansiatic trader as a clerk and only painted conventional little views of cannals on his one day off a week.
What if Kandinsky had listened when someone said who will ever buy it?
The subject I wish I'd spent more time and effort on was languages. They are so much easier to learn when you are young.
Reading the above you'll probably think that I'm going to say the arts. And I belive they are vital.
Or
Languages and I belive those are vital as well. I think that the English speaking world should follow the example of most of Europe and refuse any higher qualification without a functional ability in at least one language not your mother toung.
Some of our advertising material here in Spain actually reads. Want a Job! That is how important it is.
Realistically it is IT or informatics as most of the world seems to call it. The world is only going to become more technologically complex and struggling with one of the basic tools that you need to do - well anything is going to make your life more difficult than it need be.
This still ignores all the other things you learn in school. How to work in a team. How to communicate your wants and needs in a way that gets you them as opposed to ignored or attacked. This is the really important stuff.
Climbs down and takes a deep breath.