Now that's a tough one. I'd have a pretty hard time designing a system that could *prevent* a capable human from learning addition and subtraction while still spending six or so hours a day, nine months out of the year, for several years, holed up in those classrooms.
It's always seemed to me that education isn't something that is done "to" you. Pretty sure there has to be some active effort on the part of the student. And, percentage-wise the knowledge that I have that came from a school is minute. Either you're curious enough to learn stuff or you ain't.
Rote learning isn't much fun, and most won't do it without practically having a gun to their head (or be self motivated). I can't be convinced that there's another way (besides rote). I recall noticing that the 4th-6th grade grammar books all looked almost identical, and I'm *certain* that they all had that same table of subjective and objective pronouns and where each should be used. Seriously boring stuff that we were *all* subjected to repeatedly. If you didn't learn it - and it seems to me that an amazingly large percentage of Americans didn't - I can't see how you put that on "the system" - unless you count the inability to enforce discipline or otherwise demand compliance.
Seems to me that "good schools" and "good teachers" equate to having the luxury of having "good students". Big nature over nurture guy here. . .
I shop little enough that I kind of get a kick out of the "self check-out" thing - *especially* now that I can nearly always use that little beeping gun - and especially now that I no longer seem to have to pause for that couple of seconds before consecutively beeping multiple, identical items. I *am* easily entertained. BTW, it's been over 50 years now since I was one of the fastest bagboys in the country. These little plastic bags are *so* tricky, though!
As to the patting down to get out the door, the apparent questioning of my integrity most definitely does still irk me, but weighed against waiting in lines, I've resigned myself to it being the lesser of two evils. Plus, it gives me a chance to test my skills at getting a giggle out of the "patter-downer". Seldom fail. :-)
Have never been a fan of paying folks to dig holes and then fill them back up, but I also don't understand how civilization works, even as well as it does - nor how we've gotten this far without much bigger problems manifesting over the use of nuclear weapons.
Last I heard, neither New Jersey nor Oregon would allow self-pumping of gasoline. Bad info? I'll de derned. Timely.
New Jersey is the last state in America where drivers can't pump gas | CNN Business.
