General Education Thread

Did the masters thing via Singapore. Hopefully I can do NATSEC work ASAP.

This seems like the best place to ask, since this is not about any one country.

I saw this posted on a discord server I read: https://twitter.com/todayyearsoldig/status/1685773281172090880

It's a video showing a simple way to calcute 90% of 80, 20% of 70, and 60% of 40. When I pointed out that this is something basic, three different people said they had not been taught this method.

I'm curious: How many of you were taught this simple method?

No

Not as a special thing independent from place value or converting percentages to decimals/fractions, and without those I don't think it's actually very helpful.

I have a theory that people who have trouble learning foreign languages might have an easier time learning sign language, because it's not memorizing words that you have to see and repeat but gestures that can have muscle memory.

A while ago I passed my Masters degree for English (sorta - it's a long story), and last week I went to my university's graduation ceremony. Due to, uh, circumstances I didn't get to wear graduation gown and cap for my BA but it felt good wearing for my MA, which even came with a differently colored sash, or whatever it's called).

I gotta admit: uncomfortable texture and heat aside - the heat wave here is unbearable - attending the ceremony felt good and gave me a sense of achievement. I was already considering getting a Ph.D but the ceremony added fuel to the fire. XP

Of course, now I actually have a field I want to specialize in: American modernism literature (including late modernism), to be specific.

Is it ever going to stop being A Degree in Useless? Probably not.

Edited by dRoy on Aug 22nd 2023 at 10:47:26 PM

Congratulations on getting your Masters!

Congrats on graduating! One question, does majoring in literature make you better at writing fiction?

Ayyyy, thanks, both of you!

Ooh, that's actually a really good question.

The short answer is, most definitely yes. The long answer is, well, that's something that requires further contemplation from my part.

Edited by dRoy on Aug 23rd 2023 at 10:42:58 PM

It's the same as, say, studying Art History. You'll have a greater theoretical understanding of techniques and styles, but you'll still need to put in additional effort in order to actually master said techniques.

Random musing.

I just realized the perks of getting a Ph.D while also having a job as a professional writer, both of which involves studying tons of 20th century history and pop-culture.

...Basically, I get to be a full-time professional nerd.

https://www.voanews.com/a/chinese-interest-grows-for-us-study-tours-/7277497.html

VOA News report that despite tensions between China and the US, more Chinese nationals are willing to fork more money to send their kids to study in secondary and later post-secondary institutions to have a better education.

As a teacher myself, might as well join this forum.

Got a Master of Arts in Teaching and am currently a science teacher at a junior high private school. Looking for advice to improve behavior management without being too mean spirited or harsh.

Have 9 seventh graders for context.

Afraid I can't help here.

Anyhow, here in Switzerland they are (again) campaigning to discourage parents from bringing their children to school by car. Just a few days ago, I heard a teacher complaining that this creates children that are public transportation illiterate.

Seems a little over the top. You'd expect the same complaints about children that go to school by bike or on foot.

Weird that it’s coming from the teachers, over here such campaigns normally come from local residents sick of the traffic or parents who already bring their kids by foot and are afraid of someone driving into their child (which has happened and with car size growth has more major consequences than it used to).

" Looking for advice to improve behavior management without being too mean spirited or harsh."

Depends on what behavior you are trying to manage. Can you be more specific?

By similar logic, kids should not use any transportation at all, or else they will grow weak and incapable of walking long distances.

Edited by jawal on Sep 29th 2023 at 6:42:32 PM

How is that logic similar?

Well, that teacher seems to think that kids should not be allowed the comfort and safety of their parents cars, because it will create a generation that is not familiar with public transport.

By a similar kind of logic, someone could also argue that kids should not be allowed to ride in taxis, metros and buses, because it will create a weak generation that is incapable of walking long distances.

It's Switzerland though, the country has an extremely robust and effective public transit system. If the logic stops at "we have a great system and children should learn how to use it young if they live far away enough that it's necessary, driving them is doing them a disservice" it's pretty reasonable, if poorly worded.

Some schools in Switzerland also have weird hours that really don't line up with work hours, so it gives the parents a bit more freedom to be able to work full days.

Edited by Zendervai on Sep 29th 2023 at 2:17:43 PM

The difference in comfort and safety between public and private transit is significantly smaller than the difference between private transit and walking. Is there something sadistic about wanting children to be comfortable with public services that will eventually support their full autonomy?

Edited by Noaqiyeum on Sep 29th 2023 at 7:24:19 PM

maybe for an American

(I know Jawal is probably not American)

I did not say it was sadistic to want children to use public transportation.

And the example I gave was not a stretch, people have been lamenting human dependence on cars, instead of walking since the early 20th century.

It is an argument similar to "cinema kills imagination, and replace books with nothing but empty spectacle"

Except the cultural context basically just boils down to "everyone in Switzerland uses public transit on a regular basis and you should teach kids how to use it young."