[ShepherdsDog]

A stupid populace is easier to rule. They don't know what the important questions are, so they can't be asked about those who are running the show. Bread and circuses for the masses was effective seventeen hundred years ago, just as it is today.

[CanadianJeff]

I've hired a lot of these kids out of high school and I can at least say that I've never had any issues with these kids picking up on anything I've taught them in a reasonable time.

Yes that includes the math, time sheets, spreadsheets and task reports. I think this is more a problem with provincial schools and not a Canada wide problem as some would have you believe.

If you want my honest opinion I think a mixing of private and public schools would be best.

Have private schools with standardized public testing. Every child is given the same exam at the mid and end of each school year to show how they hold up to the expected standard for that grade. This will allow government and parents to assess how each school and student is doing in an honest and easy manner.

However one common thing that so many people miss with the public school argument is that public schools can often be very selective in what they DON"T teach as much as what they do teach. Abstinence only education for example versus actual information on sex and contraception to allow kids to make their own choices!

edit: Why may I also ask do we never want to teach kids about the basics of philosophy and logical reasoning in schools! You would think it may be a lot more useful for most of them then graphing a parabola or learning the structure of poetry.

[ShepherdsDog]

In junior high we did proving, which is a form of logic. If line AB is equal to line CD and angle E is equal to angle F. When my eldest son was going to school here in Taiwan, they were introducing topics in Grade 6 maths that weren't introduced until Grade 9 in Saskatchewan. My niece who goes to school in Calgary, was asking me how to reduce 3/12...she's in grade 9....mind you she's blond too......hell, let's be honest. She's stupid, but she comes by it naturally, as she has two retards for parents. I think the Canada Securities course should be offered in Grade 12. Kids can be taught at an early age how to handle their money and investments.

[herbie]

Helped a 13 year old with her homework. They MUST use a calculator. Understand what the surface area of a tin can is when for the round ends pi is just a button, and you have to do 6"x7" on a calculator for the rest....
Plus what really pissed me off is WTF are inches and miles doing in a Grade 8 math textbook. Their literally shitting into my grandkids skulls.

[cougar]

Unsound Unsound:

My wife had Mr. Dorval as a teacher. To the best of my recollection he is the only teacher I've ever heard her say anything good about...

I have no doubts this guy is a great teacher and has a head on his shoulders.

Unfortunately most CEO's (unintelligent ones) go ballistic when someone doesn't follow their stupid orders.

[Strutz]

herbie herbie:

People just noticed? I've had years of high school grads who can't make change, read a round clock or add up their time-sheets working at my store.
They were hired because the other applicants were even worse.

I hear ya on this one. In my currrent job I've dealt with paperwork from people not too far out of high school that have trouble calculating and recording their time in quarter hours on timesheets, clearly printing their own names and dates and performing simple math (adding 2 dollar figures together). It blows my mind sometimes.

I remember when I was in elementary school that some kids actually failed a grade and had to do it again. Apparently that does not happen anymore.

And to those who went to school AND finished before the age of the internet and/or whenever it was the education system went to hell... Remember when we had to do essays and reports the "hard way"? Gather books from the library, make notes, write draft, then write out (MANUALLY) the final essay/report?

[CanadianJeff]

hell I know a few kids who failed a grade and had to be held back in my day and now some of them are fairly smart people because that gave them a call to action. The importance of truth should never be withheld simply out of pity.

[Newfy]

My Step-Brother was very, let's say "troubled" when we were younger. He had to repeat grade 8 and then went on to high school, which he didn't do too well in either. This was in Ontario. I was in grade 11 and he was in grade 10 when we moved to Northern Ireland. Now, I don't know how many of you are familiar with the education system in Northern Ireland but I would say it is up there with the best. Instead of going into a high school over here my brother instead went to a technical college and trained to be a chef. He is now a head chef/manager. I wouldn't like to think what might of happened to him if we were still in Canada(as much as I love it).

[Newfy]

And just as a comparison, I was doing fairly well at high school in Canada until we moved. My dad got me accepted into one of the top grammar schools in this country, I had to be put back 2 years however. I managed a year and a half before I couldn't handle it any more and left with no qualifications. I was 18 at this point and would of had another 3 years to do if I wanted to go to uni. I joined the army instead and haven't looked back. Got more quals serving anyway.

There are so many more options here than there were where we lived in Ontario.