Price and value

I have always been happy with the basics which are taught in our schools. I attended night classes up until age 57. It is much easier than researching your own areas of interest. But I still don't see evidence that my grand-kids are being taught to think critically. If they were, they would be much more likely to register to vote.

I completely agree with this and I've gotta say, very interesting conversation. I hear next to nothing about Australian politics in the US these days. Nice to know you guys are still out there ;)
 
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I completely agree with this and I've gotta say, very interesting conversation. I hear next to nothing about Australian politics in the US these days. Nice to know you guys are still out there ;)
In NZ, we hear A LOT about Aussie and US politics. I can only tolerate that as I am both a Yank and a Kiwi. :p
 
they would be much more likely to register to vote.
Al,
I fully agree that all who are able should vote - our parents and grandparents fought hard for the right for all to vote and for each vote to have equal weight; one person, one vote. I can also see the counter point and it is something you have commented upon frequently, Politicians do not always work in the interests of the electorate and it is true that the majority of parliaments and representatives do not reflect society as a whole - they are usually older folk!
This is why young people don’t vote, and it is common around the world, they do not believe that politicians represent them or their views/interests - take the focus on climate change by extinction rebellion as one example.
When younger people are elected to office it is usually with a chorus of calls indicating their lack of experience, of real world issues and of life skills - usually only gained by living longer not by being more intelligent!
Politicians are not representatives FOR the people, they are representatives OF the people, take a look at your parliament (or mine) and it is clear that our current raft of politicians are representative of a smaller section of the people - hence the disconnect with younger voters and the reasons why they don’t come out to vote.
 
Re; "When I was in secondary school in year 12, there was subject English Expression - Clear Thinking, which should have been taught from about year 9 right through to year 12. It is probably still only taught in year 12."

You forget that some kids have only just learned to tie their own shoelaces at that age!
 
That’s what Velcro is for!
Useful at both ends of the age spectrum - for when younglings don’t know how and for when arthritic fingers can’t manipulate the “bunny ears”
 
Youngsters are our future and we should treat them accordingly, not with contempt. I spent my last twenty years in heavy construction attempting to finish what the trade schools had begun. Most wound up there after dropping high school because they weren't up to snuff in their instructors eyes and ignored therefore losing interest and direction. You put a bit of effort, time & 'splainin' y into things, demonstrate proper safe methods, have patience & deliver deserved praise & reward, and they soon make reliable quality journeymen....Give them some respect for they are us and for the most part as we were. I see myself in most...I wasn't worth a toasty fart before 20.

There are some that would question still.
 
Not so hasty Joe, read earlier in the thread.... does not mean we can’t have a smile occasionally - they also smile at us at times, does not mean they don’t respect us.
John
 
Back in early 80’s I put a new first yr university student with our meter guy , driving by town square at noon hour one nice day , this guy is wading in our fountain pool with his hard hat painted to look like a lady bug .... could not help but laugh! .... last I heard he had shipped to Australia to play pro fast ball ... he was a good employee who kept everyone in stitches ....
 
I spent a lot of time out of sight making my best attempt to hold back laughter sometimes, but the point is that they still tried. Some just got going more quickly than others as with everything....I'm no fan of common core in schools either...….Damn! What was this about anyway? I forgot....Cranking up and taking the old gal for a hot ride...Later.
 
Al,
I fully agree that all who are able should vote - our parents and grandparents fought hard for the right for all to vote and for each vote to have equal weight; one person, one vote. I can also see the counter point and it is something you have commented upon frequently, Politicians do not always work in the interests of the electorate and it is true that the majority of parliaments and representatives do not reflect society as a whole - they are usually older folk!
This is why young people don’t vote, and it is common around the world, they do not believe that politicians represent them or their views/interests - take the focus on climate change by extinction rebellion as one example.
When younger people are elected to office it is usually with a chorus of calls indicating their lack of experience, of real world issues and of life skills - usually only gained by living longer not by being more intelligent!
Politicians are not representatives FOR the people, they are representatives OF the people, take a look at your parliament (or mine) and it is clear that our current raft of politicians are representative of a smaller section of the people - hence the disconnect with younger voters and the reasons why they don’t come out to vote.


I don't know how intelligent I am, but the last time I had an IQ test it was 134. The test was conducted in a class at night school when I was in my mid-twenties. There was a 16 year-old kid there whose IQ was 168. You can improve your IQ with education and experience. It is not a fixed attribute. Young people are probably subjected to too much control, so their vision is limited. It takes an education and experience to help you think outside the box. Refusing to vote is idiocy. It is a denial of the facts about power in a democracy. I have two step-daughters who are way beyond being kids - neither of them are registered to vote. They believe they are bucking the system, but belief is a very strange fish. In Australia, voting is compulsory, but not registering to vote carries no penalty.
 
Youngsters are our future and we should treat them accordingly, not with contempt. I spent my last twenty years in heavy construction attempting to finish what the trade schools had begun. Most wound up there after dropping high school because they weren't up to snuff in their instructors eyes and ignored therefore losing interest and direction. You put a bit of effort, time & 'splainin' y into things, demonstrate proper safe methods, have patience & deliver deserved praise & reward, and they soon make reliable quality journeymen....Give them some respect for they are us and for the most part as we were. I see myself in most...I wasn't worth a toasty fart before 20.

There are some that would question still.


I always have trouble learning about things in which I have absolutely no interest. But if I have a reason to learn about something, I always find it easy. After I left secondary school, all of my studies were part time and usually directed at improving my capabilities at work. I never studied to make myself look better or get more money. I am both tertiary qualified and post-graduate-qualified in scientific areas.
When I was a kid, I had no interest in history or philosophy. These days most of what I read is about those two things, or are biographies. I also read motorcycle magazines which have technical content.
 
Getting back to the title the thread..... and one for Acotrel.

A child of the Dales


From the classroom window rolled the great expanse of the Dale.
The sad child in the corner stared out like a rabbit in a trap.
‘He has special needs,’ explained the teacher, in a hushed, maternal voice.
‘Real problems with his reading, and his number work is weak.
Spelling non-existent, writing poor. He rarely speaks.
He’s one of the less able in the school.’


The lad could not describe the beauty that surrounded him,
The soft green dale and craggy hills.
He could not spell the names
Of those mysterious places which he knew so well.
But he could tickle a trout, ride a horse,
Repair a fence and dig a dyke,
Drive a tractor, plough a field,
Milk a cow and lamb a ewe,
Name a bird by a faded feather,
Smell the seasons and predict the weather.
Yes, that less able child could do all those things.

Gervase Phinn 1998
 
A few years back, I had a job leading 12 work-for-the-dole people doing labouring work. They were all country-kids. They were totally different from the people I worked with in the city. If they has a complaint, they would mention it and keep working. They never chucked their tools down and jacked-up.
 
My first day of school was a wash out , being born in later August meant I was starting one year earlier than most ,up to that point I had only had rubber boots on my feet , the summer before school started , pressure started on me to learn to tie my shoes so I could go to school .... well I decided I liked riding my bike with my boots on more .... first day of primary they got me kicking and screaming into the building and thought I had settled .... first chance I got , out the door , home somehow 2 miles, got boots on and went for a ride ... my Dad was called , I was found , punished and back to school next day .... people call me contrary Craig have no clue why ,still march to my own tune , seems I’m the only one hears it most times ....
 
My brother disgusted my mother by telling her he had never read a book in his life. He is an excellent boiler-maker. And he can read the maintenance books for the lovely bikes he builds. When he was a kid he was extremely hyperactive. I've almost come to blows with him over jetting race bikes. But these days he does it extremely well.

 
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