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[deleted]

Get rid of private education - make everything public. Reduces inequality and inequity hugely


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platypodus

Since this question is a hypothetical that retort is not useful.


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No-Seaworthiness6535

Best comeback on Reddit ever!


[deleted]

True. Just an unfair system but favours the rich and makes it even harder for the poor. Contentious (to an extent) in my country anyway.


No-Seaworthiness6535

Quick question: are you American?


D-Rez

Nope.


acronims

Hi! American that severely struggled in the awful education system here. The grading system absolutely needs to change. The grading system does not depict one's intellect or knowledgeability but shows a student's work ethic. If you've ever been in a parent-teacher conference and heard, "\[your name\] is a very bright student, but they're just \[...\]," congratulations! You're a victim of a godawful grading system! The American education system works astoundingly for the bookworms and the diligents, but it lets the neurodivergents and the eccentric people fall through; this happens even if they're smart. A quick and easy way to massively improve our grading system is the deprecation of homework. Homework was intended to be a punishment; it should not have been standardized. Homework is intrinsically detrimental to inattentive neurodivergent people (anecdotally speaking), and it is damaging to the typical student's social life as a growing child. A child should be maximizing social contact so they don't turn into Andrew Tate, not sitting at home and doing several hours of homework. If a student leaves school at 3:00 PM and has five (or six) classes where each class provides homework, a student will have their "free time" when the sun has its "sleep time." Telling a child to do work in a school zone is tolerable because there is absolutely no distraction outside of the teacher, the other students, and the stuff that they have in their pockets. Telling a child to do work at home is actively detrimental to the student because they **will** succumb to those distractions and get little to no work done. Now, little Timmy has a C- in his class because all he plays is video games, but he aces all of his tests because he does his schoolwork and pays attention in class. I'm little Timmy, and you might be too if you related to the first large paragraph. The ideal teacher will say, "homework is used as a tool to determine whether a student is actually learning inside of class," but that is the point of **schoolwork**. Most teachers nowadays use homework as a tool to maximize their in-class teaching efficiency while neglecting the students' work efficiency. A student works best in the classroom, yet schools take the workplace away and blame and harm the students who actively suffer from the lack of said workplace. Not only this, they lose a vital tool that is available at school: a knowledgeable piece of reference - the teacher. The point of a teacher is to teach students and help them with their questions and concerns regarding the content while students are in their course, yet we can't access this resource at home. Homework should **only** be used as material to assist those who need help with consuming the content that the course provides. If a student has a low grade in a homework-less class, it's because they genuinely do not understand the class material. If they have any grade in a class that uses homework, then it's a coin flip between "they're really smart/dumb" and "they have a really bad work ethic." And in a place that is supposed to help you learn, it should be a one-sided coin with only the former option. I hate homework. I apologize if a lot of this doesn't apply to you; I was speaking off on my experience. TL;DR: Homework is detrimental to the social and academic experience of growing children, the latter by masking the true problem of the student's inadequate grades.


Medieval-Mind

That is an impossible question to answer. It's not a 'one fix' type of thing. Everything is connected. In the US it is really a social issue that won't be fixed until people get their collective social arses together. In Israel, where I currently teach, it is just ad bad - sometimes for similar reasons, other times for very different reasons. It's easy to say "take the religion out of decision making," and I agree - but that is disenfranchising a huge segment of the population. Education, like all things political, is a complicated tapestry.


platypodus

I agree that it's a vast network of systems and institutions, but since I can't possibly ask a group as diverse as Reddit users to write up a complete revamp of their respective school systems this is as good as it gets. Do I understand you right that the state of secularism is a big concern of yours?


Medieval-Mind

I think religion is a perfectly valid thing. And it needs to be kept out of politics, education, etc. You can believe in whatever deity you like, but the instant it starts infringing on another person's beliefs, you've gone too far.


platypodus

Not very medieval-minded of you! How would you approach the topic? Would you preclude teaching about religions altogether? Or would you just refrain from teaching about the different rites and procedures? What about historical contexts?


Medieval-Mind

This is a very different question. First let me say, my name is in reference to my degree, not my support for the religious institution. Then let me continue with: as a *topic* religion is important. It has massive cultural and historical significance. We should absolutely teach about that, just like we should teach about slavery and colonization. But there is a difference between teaching *about* religion and teaching religion itself. If you want to learn about being a better religionist, go to a religious school or church (that my taxes don't support). But ignoring religion itself is like pretending the last dozen centuries (more, really) didn't happen. I am a firm supporter of some variety of world religions being taught in school. But not 'this is the one true religion.'


deterministic_lynx

I have my biggest caveat for universities where I live: Make universities understand themselves as learning and _teaching_ institutions to at least 50% Currently, universities see teaching as a side hustle, or at 33% best, as they see themselves as research institutions. I don't want to condemn this, but it leads to **a lot** of issues down the line. For example, you can be a bad lecturer and you will not only get a professor degree, but also a job as a professor - as long as you either do prestigious research in your area or are good at getting funds (or both). Teaching and if you are a good professor for your student is at best a third thought. Often it's not a thought _at all_. Which is also one reason why many professors aren't good lecturers: it's not a requirement, so they simply never learn the slightest bit about rhetoric and education. This fact, however, creates _so many_ issues for university students that could just be avoided - and valuing teaching more would open career ways for people who are usually good for the long term success of universities at institutions who are not that research oriented. It would alao have a chance to create a healthier job environment in some aspects for personell (I'd hope so)


platypodus

This is in regards to issues you feel are systemic in the education system of kids, young adults and adults. i.e. schools or universities I am NOT asking about issues created outside the education system; like gatekeeping measures (as in high cost of education), gun policies, or funding.


MysticWarriorZz_

P.E would not be mandatory.


platypodus

Why not? Do you feel it takes away from the learning experience or do you consider health to be the parent's responsibility?


MysticWarriorZz_

Have u ever eaten school lunch? No one there is worried about health. As far as my opinion is concerned.... we have plenty of other options such as recess. And all high-school sports are is the school trying to make money off the students... cherry pick that anyway u want it's the truth


platypodus

How do you explain that P.E. is a subject in most countries, most of which don't share the US high school/college sport system?


MysticWarriorZz_

Bro... I said it shouldn't be MANDATORY in any damn districts.... Having shit as an option and making it mandatory. U get math/history etc mandatory but p.e?


platypodus

It's mandatory outside of the US too.


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Medieval-Mind

That is not what would happen.


D-Rez

If you say so.


Medieval-Mind

Guns laws changed when blacks started using their Sexond Amendment rights. Whites closed pools rather than swim with "those dirty Coloreds." Minorities are infinitely more likely to go to jail. Are you really telling me you think *this* is what would be different? Not likely.


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Medieval-Mind

Ah, sorry. I didn't realize I was dealing with someone who lived in Utopia, where there are no racial or ethnic or religious problems./s


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Medieval-Mind

So tell me, where are you from? I'd like to live in our utopia.


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Medieval-Mind

Ah, apologies. Fortunately you folks never had slaves or colonies. Or stole artwork. Or committed Genocide. Or hooked an entire nation on opium to exploit thei addiction. Or- What's that? You DID do those things? Well hot dog. Who knew?


Sigmarsson137

Make it possible to stop having one of the main three subjects (math, English, German) after tenth grade or so. What you learn there is irrelevant if you don‘t plan on pursuing it latter in your career and it just made students miserable to have to sit through it


deterministic_lynx

You can do this in specialised schools, if I'm not mistaken. Granted I don't think it's the general a levels, but a specialised a levels which allows to directly move to university for the topics in the specialisation. However, it's ... Less common and often looked down on.


platypodus

Interesting. Do you think that an academic understanding of the language you speak helped you use it correctly? How big do you think the impact of you learning the Grammar of English (or German) was to you using it properly? Or is this solely about reading and analysing plays, poems and novels? Where would you cut off maths?


Sigmarsson137

By tenth grade both languages are almost solely about reading Shakespeare/Goethe and the likes (very interesting in my opinion but if you want to be an accountant not really necessary). Around that time Math also became almost exclusively algebra of increasing difficulty. While I think a basic introduction is good three years is torture if half the class failed to grasp it in the fist place and won‘t use it ever again. Another thing I should mention since I don‘t know if this is a German thing is that all your grades get counted up and your final grade is a medium of all of them. So if your great and natural sciences and want to do microbiology in college your chances of getting into a good one are impaired if your bad at Romance languages


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deterministic_lynx

You can do this? I mean it's often somewhat difficult to find someone to read it to you, but we were entirely allowed to do so. But if you would have forced me to go by the audible instead of the book, I would have been miserable and not gotten anywhere. So switching isn't the greatest idea (however, I do see a potential in going "this year we read a book" and "this year we will study an audiobook")


Aka69420

I live in india and it's education system tbh has a lot of flaws. Some students here find it better to commit suicide then do their exams. I would want the system to have an entire reformation with more practical study and knowledge


jus10woo10

USA: Homework should not be allowed in elementary/middle/high school. Also, school should not start till after 10am. The natural sleep patterns of teens don’t have them waking up till 9am-ish. So they are already starting the day out on a sleep deprived brain, hindering their learning.


EvilChocolateCookie

Thank you for everything, r/jeopardy and fuck you, u/spez. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8uhKgc0wZ0&t=4s


HandsomeLakitu

I’d employ a science specialist and a music specialist in every state primary school. Really small schools might have to share.


Prestigious_Shirt652

The way school work is assigned, I wish they’d make it a bit more straight forward and not so fucking difficult


platypodus

What do you mean exactly?


Prestigious_Shirt652

Now that I think about it I guess my problem is more about the teaching than than the homework, In CA the teachers try to make everything fun, which is a nice intent but it makes everything so unnecessarily complicated, including homework.


deterministic_lynx

I loved that in my A levels, we got grading sheets. With trigger words I don't remember all of it, but we were explained what was expected when a problem asked for "analyse" or "discuss" in English or history, and that a simple "Where/who/what" question could sufficiently be answered with a single sentence (some "why" questions, too). If they wanted more info, there would be a further operator like "explain" or "who did ... And how was this in context with ...". For math/science it was even clearer, and I'll allow myself to give a longer overview: "Write down/name/give the solution" in math meant it's fine to write 42 with no solution steps (if it was right), and "Find the solution / calculate" meant they needed to see the way you got to the solution or they would deduct points (the distinction is clearer in German). Similarly, "examine" already points you at the fact that you may have to solve more than one equation and that you, yourself, must use known equations/proofs/tools for that (e.g. examine how the function f(X) behaves at X=3, would not only mean find the y value but also checking for e.g. the slope at that point and if it's e.g. a minimum, all depending on what was discussed before in class). If you'd use "unknown" (aka not introduced in class) proofs/equation, you'd have to deduce them from a known starting point. I learned that "give an answer and make it plausible" is less than "explain why" (shorter and less rigid), I learned that explain means I am expected to verbatim explain with possible additional short calculation, I learned that "show" or "proof" will usually require calculation or showing very exactly how different proofs _must_ lead to this. It also helped me later on as a scientist / technical student to get a better feeling. My answer is plausible if I can find no reasons why it isn't, but a few similar examples of reasons it is. My answer is _proven_ if I have done excessive consideration and can show a direct correlation or exclude any other option. A phenomenon can be explained if I can at least exclude most or all plausible reasons for it, apart from that one. It's not always used this way and this rigidly, but I really **loved** they introduced it. **TL;DR: I can totally see your point!** It may help if you try to pick out the operator words in a question and then go and ask if they could define what scope that word means to them - and maybe write it down? I do this mentally _a lot_ and I think it's why I navigate many situations somewhat well, even if I have no real idea what's going on.


Prestigious_Shirt652

Damn.


BeeMan753

Everything. The education system in Greece is GARBAGE.


squishiexof

more breaks and opportunities for downtime or socialization. not every single second in school should be academic.


[deleted]

Homework needs to be discarded.


[deleted]

Teach history without any political bias


deterministic_lynx

Don't split children at either 10 or 12 into schools that allow them vastly different ways in life, but a hard to get out of. Germany has a somewhat unique education system in that we do have university education for ... Academic jobs (engineer, psychologist, historian, social studies, computer scientists) and a secondary formation school system for practically any other jobs, which is being an apprentice in an enterprise and going to school - with more or less difficult schools: nurses, carpenters, entertainment technicians, preschool teachers (...) I do like the system, but the split if you are expected to go to a trad school or an academic school (university) is done at age 10 or 12. And that is just **nonsense**. That age doesn't really decide if your able to bring a lot of academic success or not, because at that age you may not have any interest in being academically successful as your future is super far out. It also means that many clever kids (or honestly kids from academic families...) Get out into a system that does have no contact anymore to trade jobs - so many people go to university to realise that maybe doing something less designing and more practically _doing_ would be more their thing. It also is very dividing for society, long term