As a homeschooling parent, I have seen more than my fair share of things you must learn, but will never use in your lifetime. Today’s history lesson included the Pythagorean Theorem. Yes, you read that right – it was in history, not math! In all my years, I have never used it. I’m sure my late ex did though, as did his father and grandfather, since they were carpenters, and house builders. It’s too late for me to ask any of them.
Also a part of today’s history lesson was an advice column by Aristotle. I can’t wait until the teacher reads that! Yesterday was Socrates, who answered everything with a question, so you can only guess how that assignment went. Here’s today’s advice column:
Dear Aristotle,
I hate school. It’s mostly all because of one class, history. I thought it was just history like it should be, but it’s not. I think this class is stupid and would like to learn about history instead of math, arts and crafts and other stupid things. What should I do?
Signed
I hate my schoolDear I hate my school,
Try starting your day with the class you like the least and get it out of the way. Sorry there’s nothing I can do about the class as these things are out of my control and I have no clue about any of it.
Signed
Aristotle
I think it’s much better than my kid answering a question with asking why she has to create a question for something she doesn’t have a question about. It also could have been a lot worse than it was… and I am kind of jealous. I would’ve gotten the shit beaten out of me for doing work like that. I encourage it now. As long as my child is learning, I believe she has the right to question the stupidity of things she finds stupid. Why should I stifle her? I am tired of correcting the mistakes of these online teachers, let alone repeatedly having to deal with their holier than though snotty attitudes. If they did their job right in the first place, let alone checked their work, what they post, etc., I, or my daughter, would not be emailing to ask them questions as often as we have to (as is the case with the bitchy science teacher).
Now let’s just hope that this teacher finally shows up for class this week! Last week she was a no show with a substitute teacher armed with the wrong lessons – American history instead of ancient Greece. Two weeks ago class was cancelled. She ended up recording the class at her regular time and with 2 students who showed up anyhow. It was rather insulting to those who had questions, and are having issues with the class – which is the majority of the class. Only 1 kid said she liked the class – and she’s a part time student who can’t spell to save her life (makes me proud of my daughter and how her spelling has improved!).
If I thought my kid had problems getting the work done, there are kids taking 4 hours a lesson. That is why I now help the kid with this one class. I set up forms for her so she doesn’t have to write, scan, and submit. Now it can be typed and dumped in the daily dropbox. If need be, I take notes for this notebook she’s supposed to be keeping, which has now become a folder on the craptop. It’s cut history down to 120 minutes or less – usually 90 minutes, or damn close to it. Today was a first – 30 minutes. Why? Because my child did not cut rope, measure it, tie knots into it, create a triangle, give its measurements, and take a picture to submit of it. Yes, you read that right too – that was just one part of about 4 things that were to be done today besides watch the recording and complete the assignments in it. Instead my child did and submitted the other part of the assignment – measure 4 things with right angles, give its measurements and the hypotenuse. Now history has confused my child with the mere mention of square roots… this at a time when she is first starting simple algebraic equations and grasping it no less.
Yup, I’m loving history too… things I never learned about and would like to learn about… but we are learning everything but…
Now let’s see how much of this you retained and used in your lifetime. I will preface this by stating that I can still play hot cross buns on a recorder, so just how useless is that?
49 Things You Learned In School That Are Now Completely Useless
http://www.buzzfeed.com/fellowfeed/49-things-you-learned-in-school-that-are-now-compl-77kb
Educating Mudder 