In which a lesson in the history of your own country is needed...

[marasbaras]

At least she was nice.

[smileyeagle1021]

first, OT, being a big history fan myself I just can't comprehend how people can NOT know these things... my TV only leaves the history channel for 1 of 4 reasons, to watch Discovery channel instead, watch the Daily Show On comedy central, to watch CSI and to watch Law and Order (ok, 5 reasons, also to watch movies). I also love the things that most people wouldn't even think of asking, like documentaries on what medications the fuhrer was on during WW2 and how that may have affected his decisions... fascinating stuff...
anyway, back on topic, my favorite stupid question related to history was "are there any historic cites in Salt Lake City?"
umm, no, Temple Square was built yesterday, same with the Cathederil (sp) of the Madeline, the Olympics never happened, and no important people in religion or politics has ever lived here... morons...

[thehippie777]

It sickens me that legal Immigrants have to know this in order to become citizens, but the natural-born citizens don't know any of this.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Common knowledge is now seen as intelligence.

Also,

Common courtesy is high manners, and
Common sense is wisdom.

And most ironically of all, none of these things are particularly common.

[Samaliel]

Not any more, alas.

[depechemodefan]

Ok, not a customer question, but my father was in WWII, and being that he was dead when I was curious about what ships he served on, I went to the Social Sciences dept and asked one of my co-workers where I can find out what ships my father served on in WWII. He asked me if my dad died in WWII. a) I asked this question in 2000 something. b) I'm in my 30's in 2000's.

I do hate when parents call the library and ask us to answer there kids' homework questions. Typicial:

Dad: Hi, my son needs to know the state bird, the state flower, the state....
Me: There are encyclopedias in the library that will answer those questions...
Dad: Yeah, but we can't go to the library, I get off work and don't have time to go.
Me: School has encyclopedias.
Dad: yeah, but (whatever lame excuse the kid can't look up this stuff at school)
Me: *gives answers, wishing I had the balls to give the wrong answers

Also, there's the excuse of "he left his book at school." I do say, "well, he an either go to the library or remember next time to bring his book home.

[Geek King]

No Kid Left Behind = No Education Beyond the Lowest Point

I hate to say it, but that problem existed long before No Child Left Behind. I was a holy terror in school because I learned things on the first try 99% of the time (Damn you Spanish I!), and got bored during all the re-teachings. Thank goodness they started experimenting with advanced classes in High School when I went through.

[Samaliel]

I think I've already read something about parents calling libraries because their kid can't care to do their homework themselves, somewhere on this forum.

[depechemodefan]

I think I've already read something about parents calling libraries because their kid can't care to do their homework themselves, somewhere on this forum.

More likely it was me posting that. Though I won't be surprised that others posted the same thing.

Oh, and I do remember trying to tell a co-worker (granted, someone with just a H.S. diploma, no college) that Cleopatra* was actually Greek, and I was trying to explain Ptolemy and Alexander the Great and Egypt and I get a look from her like I was retarded. I don't think the movie Alexander covered that, did it?

Ok, Cleopatra VII, but like this co-worker knew there were other Cleopatras.

[AdminAssistant]

I taught a small section of an Intro. to Theatre class here...at college, a 4-year institution. One of the assignments was to go see two plays over the course of the semester and then write a 1-2 page review. Nothing fancy, just "I saw this play and this is what I thought about it." I suggested that it would probably be easiest to write it in the form of a 3 point, 5 paragraph essay. For example, Introduction, Paragraph on Costumes, Paragraph on Sets, Paragraph on Acting, Conclusion. Apparently, all of the students managed to get out of taking College English, because they had no clue about these things like paragraphs and thesis statements.

And when I started grading the papers - oh dear Betty. Terrible grammer, spelling, elementary level sentences ("The play was good. I liked the sets. The sets were pretty.") And what was sad, was the most beautifully written essay was written by this student from Cameroon, to whom English was a 3rd language (after native tribal dialect and French).

These were also the students who threw hissy fits because I made them read Macbeth, the shortest play in Shakespeare's canon. (Or the ones who asked "Shakespeare, who?") At one point I said, "If you don't stop the whining I'm going to make you read Hamlet! I'd rather teach it anyway." (Hamlet is the longest and most complex play) Yeah, I had them read two plays: Oedipus Rex and Macbeth. You would've thought I were demanding 20 page term papers by the way they reacted. You're in college now! Put on your big girl panties and your grown-up BMV's and do the damn work! I had to sit through boring-ass physics, you have to sit through theatre class, and that's the end of the discussion.

(The one good thing about teaching college classes - the POWER. )

[Pixagi]

...Knowing how shitastic the NYC school system is, and having had all this stuff covered very carefully in High School, with preliminary coverage in elementary and intermediate school, this is very, very scary.

Of course, I should probably also point out that I learned more from the school that had low test scores then the school that had high test scores.

[olstar18]

I can't figure out this fixation on doping kids. If they figit drug em. If they fall asleep drug em. If they don't get along well with others drug em. They even tried to get me on ridalin when I was in grade school and the only problems I had were a much better than normal memory and forgetting that I was supposed to do something while I was reading a book.
Thought it was still on the first page so this response probably wont make sense unless you manage to skip from page 1 to here.

[Boozy]

This thread is about:

Stupid customers asking us stupid questions.

This thread is NOT about:

Public school curriculum and how we feel about it.
ADD/ADHD medication and how we feel about it.
Any other Fratching-type subject you can name.

Quoted for emphasis.