I got my best education when I started FReeping. My high school years were terrible for a variety of reasons.
“I got my best education when I started FReeping.”
I agree. My writing skills were horrendous when I started here four years ago. Thanks to a lot of the books I bought due to recommendations on FR and thanks to all those FReepers who corrected me when I needed it I’d like to think my writing skills have improved.
At the very least, my THINKING skills have certainly improved!
I think the worst part of my high school was the more or less comprehensive incompetence of most of my teachers, with certain exceptions.
American “education” is too diffuse and poorly designed to serve much useful purpose. In Japan and Germany (at least as late as 1980) only about 5% of the population attend what we would recognize as a high school, the rest attend trade school and for most part are probably better off for it. The 5% who can even benefit by taking algebra are not slowed down by the 90% who are openly hostile and the 5% who struggle to keep up.
In America we have an inverted triage system where the greatest amount of resources and attention are concentrated where it is least likely to do any good. We lavish money and attention of the uneducable, and slight those who would actually benefit. This is largely because the uneducable are concentrated in politically favored ethnic groups.