So you only agree with MOST of what I said eh?

TDM

The education system is really messed up, I teach in a public school, and teach part time at the University here. Its incredible the lack of skill students have to learn, and think critically. They can memorize things, but after the class is done, they’re hard pressed to remember what they memorized, so its only been put into short term, and then when asked to manipulate the information in a critical way, they are often dumbfounded. The students in my college class want their hands held and every detail explained to them rather than making leaps of intuitive logic on their own. They’re almost afraid to think. Its crazy, I work hard through the semester to deliberately be vague in my “requirements” so they are forced to work for what they feel is quality, rather than my idea of it. It keeps me more interested and keeps their work from resembling everyone elses’ in the class.

The other thing I teach a lot of to my students at the school and the college is how to work with people. The skill of working with others is an invaluable one that many students come out of school not having. To me its more important than any academic subject, I work with people far more than I ever work with Math, English, etc. The academics are important, but working with people I think is far more important, and very neglected in the school systems.

Here we have high stakes testing, where the schools are literally closed if the kids do not perform to a certain standard. So because of that, the schools spend much of their time focusing on getting those kids to the standard set by the test. Essentially training to take a test all year. Its all rote information, very, very little critical thinking. Its sad, creativity and social skills are a dying art form.

~Mickey

I share your fascination for philosophy, so that will be my subject aswell. I have studied this before, and do a little “philosophical” thinking myself once in a while. Espessially on questions like “who you are, where you come from and what your place in the universe is”. I’m curious about your thoughts on this. Can I request a post on that subject? About death:
Not sure I follow you on preparing for death when learning something. Maybe I’ll understand it better when you write this post I’ve requested.

On point one (find a problem in your life) I have a suggestion:

I find that my work gets much more exciting if I think of a task as learning something new (in addition to contributing with my own knowledge of course). Makes the time fly and the work fun!

Thanks again for a great post. Love the part about your going to Tibet!

Miss Attica

I think anyone should know, for example, the biology featured in this website http://www.biology-questions-and-answers.com , even if you graduated in arts or humanities. Some basic knowledge is common to our cultural inheritance and we cannot put it apart from us.

At least, now I am informed about my body (less about my money).