Mar 11 2013: I agree with you that schooling should be more individualized, but many areas lack the manpower and funds to create such a system.
It can definitely become frustrating as you go through more and more schooling to have subjects you consistently struggle with (I completely understand). However, the very same subjects you struggle with may be ones others excel at. And the subjects you excel at may be ones that the same other person struggles with. But, it is essential that students are exposed to all these subjects so they can find what they are and aren't interested in/good at. It's the only way to address the potential interests of the masses, since it is hard to create super individualized education. Additionally, it is good to have background on numerous topics (even if you might not like them), as a lot of stuff does end up being interconnected.
Although it can be annoying to go through schooling & struggle and not do as well in some classes, just remember that ultimately, it's not your GPA that predicts your ability to succeed in life. If you are motivated and hardworking when it comes to what you want to do career wise, a slight dip in grades in certain subjects will be trivial when it comes to your future.
Mar 11 2013: Saying school is a "terrible place" may be a little extreme.
I agree with you that children should have more choice in what they get to learn, but the idea that K-12 schooling as a whole is terrible is definitely untrue.
The point of "forcing" kids to learn certain subjects when they are in middle and high school is for them to find their passions. How is one supposed to choose what they want to learn if they haven't been exposed to anything to choose from? There are some that realize they wish to go into the arts or science very young and they can choose specialized schools for that, but for the rest of the general population, "forced subjects" are needed.
It is a shame however that grades are so important for one to get into college or seem intelligent, because the point really should be to learn rather than get a certain mark or appear well versed in everything. This is a factor I also have big problem with.
As far as the social aspects of schooling making schooling terrible, bullies exist no matter where you go. They move from school hallways to high rise buildings, laboratories, etc. I'm not saying it is okay at all for children to experience bullying in schooling, but I'm simply saying that it shouldn't be the sole reason why kids shouldn't be forced to go to school since they will unfortunately experience it nearly everywhere no matter what they do.
Mar 9 2013: "Gifted" and "creative" are very vague terms. The appearance of a person as gifted or creative depends on what those perceiving them value. If a person values athletic ability, they will see athletes as gifted. If a person values art or music, they will see artists and musicians as the gifted ones. And so on & so forth. This goes to say that nearly everyone is "gifted in their own way."
The challenges "gifted" & "creative" people face is that not everyone can see how they are gifted, since each individual perceives a different niche of people/professions as the truly gifted or creative ones. This is a problem because it causes us to deride certain types of creativity and gifted abilities that could provide real value or richness to our lives and to society.
Mar 9 2013: I don't think the goal of Facebook is to represent your whole personality. At least personally, I think the purpose of Facebook, like you said, is to stay connected with people, share photos, etc.
I think it is human nature to alter how we portray ourselves to other people, whether that's online or in person. I think the extent of this alteration is relatively the same regardless of whether or not Facebook or technology is involved.
So ultimately, I think that changing yourself to others is not a product of technology, but of human nature. Also, I don't think anyone truly changes themselves, but rather alters their persona depending on who they're around or if they're on Facebook or using some other social media. At the end of the day, we are who we are.
Mar 9 2013: I have seen people who smoke marijuana and still manage to do well in multiple facets of their life.
That being said, I have also seen individuals who smoke marijuana and completely lose control of their lives. They aren't able to hold down jobs, acquire criminal records, get introduced to other drugs, etc. Some may argue that this is due to the nature of the individual, and not the actual drug. While this may be partially true, I definitely think that the current availability of marijuana is what makes this sort of deterioration possible.
If we take the current availability of marijuana in areas where it is illegal and amp it up by legalizing it, I can only imagine that the number of individuals suffering from the negative effects of marijuana will increase. For every person that can maintain a decent life while smoking marijuana, there will be a handful of people who cannot. And it is because of these people that will suffer from the bad aspects of marijuana, that I think it is the government's responsibility to try and minimize these negative effects as much as possible - by keeping marijuana illegal. But then we have to ask...does this reasoning apply to alcohol or cigarettes? Why would or why wouldn't it?
As far as the economic aspect of this ordeal - governments have found ways to revive the economy without legalizing drugs. There must be another productive way to balance budgets and repay debts besides legalizing & taxing marijuana.
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A comment on Conversation: Instead of testing student's comprehension on material, teachers use the standard grading system to justify a student's future.
It can definitely become frustrating as you go through more and more schooling to have subjects you consistently struggle with (I completely understand). However, the very same subjects you struggle with may be ones others excel at. And the subjects you excel at may be ones that the same other person struggles with. But, it is essential that students are exposed to all these subjects so they can find what they are and aren't interested in/good at. It's the only way to address the potential interests of the masses, since it is hard to create super individualized education. Additionally, it is good to have background on numerous topics (even if you might not like them), as a lot of stuff does end up being interconnected.
Although it can be annoying to go through schooling & struggle and not do as well in some classes, just remember that ultimately, it's not your GPA that predicts your ability to succeed in life. If you are motivated and hardworking when it comes to what you want to do career wise, a slight dip in grades in certain subjects will be trivial when it comes to your future.
A comment on Conversation: Schools are terrible places for children.
I agree with you that children should have more choice in what they get to learn, but the idea that K-12 schooling as a whole is terrible is definitely untrue.
The point of "forcing" kids to learn certain subjects when they are in middle and high school is for them to find their passions. How is one supposed to choose what they want to learn if they haven't been exposed to anything to choose from? There are some that realize they wish to go into the arts or science very young and they can choose specialized schools for that, but for the rest of the general population, "forced subjects" are needed.
It is a shame however that grades are so important for one to get into college or seem intelligent, because the point really should be to learn rather than get a certain mark or appear well versed in everything. This is a factor I also have big problem with.
As far as the social aspects of schooling making schooling terrible, bullies exist no matter where you go. They move from school hallways to high rise buildings, laboratories, etc. I'm not saying it is okay at all for children to experience bullying in schooling, but I'm simply saying that it shouldn't be the sole reason why kids shouldn't be forced to go to school since they will unfortunately experience it nearly everywhere no matter what they do.
A comment on Conversation: What are the challenges that gifted and creative individuals face at present?
The challenges "gifted" & "creative" people face is that not everyone can see how they are gifted, since each individual perceives a different niche of people/professions as the truly gifted or creative ones. This is a problem because it causes us to deride certain types of creativity and gifted abilities that could provide real value or richness to our lives and to society.
A comment on Conversation: Is technology creating a superficial reality?
I think it is human nature to alter how we portray ourselves to other people, whether that's online or in person. I think the extent of this alteration is relatively the same regardless of whether or not Facebook or technology is involved.
So ultimately, I think that changing yourself to others is not a product of technology, but of human nature. Also, I don't think anyone truly changes themselves, but rather alters their persona depending on who they're around or if they're on Facebook or using some other social media. At the end of the day, we are who we are.
A comment on Conversation: What changes do you think will result from the legalisation of Marijuana.
That being said, I have also seen individuals who smoke marijuana and completely lose control of their lives. They aren't able to hold down jobs, acquire criminal records, get introduced to other drugs, etc. Some may argue that this is due to the nature of the individual, and not the actual drug. While this may be partially true, I definitely think that the current availability of marijuana is what makes this sort of deterioration possible.
If we take the current availability of marijuana in areas where it is illegal and amp it up by legalizing it, I can only imagine that the number of individuals suffering from the negative effects of marijuana will increase. For every person that can maintain a decent life while smoking marijuana, there will be a handful of people who cannot. And it is because of these people that will suffer from the bad aspects of marijuana, that I think it is the government's responsibility to try and minimize these negative effects as much as possible - by keeping marijuana illegal. But then we have to ask...does this reasoning apply to alcohol or cigarettes? Why would or why wouldn't it?
As far as the economic aspect of this ordeal - governments have found ways to revive the economy without legalizing drugs. There must be another productive way to balance budgets and repay debts besides legalizing & taxing marijuana.