Dumb As A Rock: You Will Be Absolutely Amazed At The Things That U.S. High School Students Do Not Kn

reply to post by Garfee


Actually, no. Where each muscle is and what it does is not collective knowledge I just learned outside of my classes. Neither did I learn the different modalities or how to work on other people until I was in that institution.

I'm curious, which country has students that retain every bit of information they're given?

Since I only ever see articles talking about how U.S. High School students can't tie their own shoes because they were too busy trying to learn how to use a fork, I'm going to assume the rest of the world's 16 year olds are pinnacles of evolutionary genius.

Is this correct?

I went to public and US DoDD (Department of Defense) schools from 1985 - 1999. Then attended a state college from 1999 - 2003 and received a Bachelors. I totally agree with the people saying that public school education is jaded and has an agenda to produce a bunch of drones and automatons to do their bidding. Especially the social studies, and history portions. The publishers do not hide their agendas at all.

I remember being taught such drivel such as the following:

Christopher Columbus discovered America: How could he have discovered a place that people already inhabited??!?!?!

People thought the world was flat: No only certain people from a certain part of the world thought that. Not people as a whole!!!

George Washington never told a lie: That's a lie in itself!!!

The "World History" books had at least ninety percent of the chapters devoted to Europe and maybe five percent on Asia, three percent on Africa, and two percent on South America. Should have just have just kept it real and called it World History as it pertains to Europe.

Spent an entire year learning about Feudal Europe and the Middle Ages. Having to prance around as knights in our homemade armor as they romanticized such a period as if it were so great. Had to make popsicle castles and do all of the mi'lord and mi'lady crap and act "chivalrous".

So yes. I'm not surprised that most of them are dumb as a rock. That's exactly what the system needs. More unthinking cogs to do their bidding.

Chase that "American Dream", (debt), get that College Education right now don't save we'll give you loans (debt), after you graduate you have to reward yourself by getting a nice corporate job and get a fancy car because you've made it (debt). Sign a nice 30 year mortgage where 95% of your monthly payment goes to interest (more debt). Get married and buy your wife/or expect a huge diamond engagement ring (De Beers) and have kids (future drones)... Consume, consume, consume, if you can't afford it so what? Get a credit card spend spend spend, buy buy buy! Now now now!

That about sums it up...

That's what the US public educational system is designed to produce.

reply to post by majesticgent


Am I missing something?

You just said that YOU went to public school, and yet, you are not the drone you imply they are creating down there at Middle America High.

You cannot 'give' someone an education. They have to take it.

All I can do as a teacher is offer it to them.

If we were to give up on facts and subjects in our schools, and give a platform for the exercise of being curious, we would find that the students will learn exponentially more and better than they currently do.

As an Art teacher, I have the capacity and leeway to let them search for their own projects.

The things they come up with are impressive, and often far beyond what I would have assigned as one classwide project.

They are absolutely thirsty for knowledge, but it has to be at their own pace, in their own interest arc, and with a knowledgable guide. Even if teachers were only there to aid the students research, there would be a marked dfference in attendance and disciplinary action.

Do not desspair, gears are turning and things are underway that will change education in positive ways.

reply to post by jimnuggits


Yes I said that. I started the awakening when I was twenty four after doing some reading and researching on my own, and I am seeing things for what they are more and more day by day, but even then I always felt something was not right.

I laud your efforts and I hear what you're saying about creating thinkers instead of drones. There will always be outliers to any system, but the crux of it is to create group think citizens to do the banks bidding.

I've noticed that every time I've tried to get people to think 90% of them think I am some crazy conspiracy nutter, 9% of them give it a second thought and 1% actually wake up themselves.

ETA: Most schools systems are cutting funding for art programs such as yours. I wonder why?

When I went to high school way back when - we had many students who were dumb as a rock; and you had some geniuses. No different today. I was class of '69 (ha ha). Overall in America, teachers work hard and are unappreciated. If you strip out history classes, which were and are bunk, public education in America is quite good. To motivate students to stay in school, we need to have decent paying jobs for graduates. That is the real failure. Lack of decent jobs.

Originally posted by Basilis
I'm curious, which country has students that retain every bit of information they're given?

Since I only ever see articles talking about how U.S. High School students can't tie their own shoes because they were too busy trying to learn how to use a fork, I'm going to assume the rest of the world's 16 year olds are pinnacles of evolutionary genius.

Is this correct?

Basically we, on the interent, only read stories about the U.S. I think the rest of the world figures 'if we keep quiet no one will notice'.

reply to post by k1k1to


Not to mention these surveys pick and choose the worst of the bunch, just like the idiots they like to show on talk shows. They don't show the people who answered instantly.
Not to mention, they picked some of the worst states for education to begin with.

When I was in kindergarten we had nap time and colored pictures. Now my son knows how to read, write,and they are starting math. They do science, media, and history.

I have no concerns.

According to American law "legally impaired" (previously known as legally retarded) is an IQ of 70 or less.
The genius range is an IQ of 140 and above.
America's average IQ is 92.
70 or 140 .... which is 92 a lot closer to?

I'm still not sure how I feel about the lie Americans continue to force feed their youth.
For example, one of the biggest lies taught to children is that English is only read from left to right, and there are no exceptions from kindergarten until the end of high school. And the lie that all English is only from left to right is ... well it just isn't true.

Communication is not a one way street.

reply to post by joyride0187


who cares its not important anyways we cant all be geniuses now can we