Politics and religion.

[Edwina's Secretary]

I have been chuckling all day at the idea of schools being expected to teach the history of all the other countries in the world.

Let's see - there are slightly less than 200 countries in the world. Each with its own history.

Conservatively - if we devote 2 weeks to a month - oh...let's average it at three weeks - to a country. That is slightly less that 600 weeks or...about 11 and one half years.

So...in the U.S. school is 12 years (not counting college or university...or pre-school..) that leaves six months over the course of 12 years to cover reading, writing, arithmetic and everything else!

Assuming a 12 month school year. Which is not reality. Reality is more like 9 months a year.

It might help the job market - as a basic education would take a long, long time and keep people out of the job market...but is it really worth it?

Expecting Australia, the U.S., Canada, Latvia, Japan, Sweden, Zambia, Brazil or any other country to teach much beyond local, country, and global is...well...silly?

[wombat2u2004]

I have been chuckling all day

You don't say.
Last time I read something like that, it was in Ripley's Believe it or Not.

[Bonny]

I have been chuckling all day at the idea of schools being expected to teach the history of all the other countries in the world.

Let's see - there are slightly less than 200 countries in the world. Each with its own history.

Conservatively - if we devote 2 weeks to a month - oh...let's average it at three weeks - to a country. That is slightly less that 600 weeks or...about 11 and one half years.

So...in the U.S. school is 12 years (not counting college or university...or pre-school..) that leaves six months over the course of 12 years to cover reading, writing, arithmetic and everything else!

Assuming a 12 month school year. Which is not reality. Reality is more like 9 months a year.

It might help the job market - as a basic education would take a long, long time and keep people out of the job market...but is it really worth it?

Expecting Australia, the U.S., Canada, Latvia, Japan, Sweden, Zambia, Brazil or any other country to teach much beyond local, country, and global is...well...silly?

It would of been great to spend more time learning about the rest of the world & they touched a little on everything in World History. I guess it was suppose to light a spark so we would go out on our own to the nearest library & do our own digging.
I was saddened because we just touched just a little on the American Indian culture & then as an adult I learned why.