Malik Greatly Disapproves. Again.

[loyalrebel]

[It's been a while since Malik's spoken up on the network but this is something drastic to him and it needs addressing.]

It has been recently brought to my attention that the education system of modern times is sorely lacking in a number of regards.

I was told that beyond the basics of reading and mathematics anything else was not important and was not even taught, and this desperately needs to be rectified.

We may be learning magic and other such things from our overlays, but there are areas that are horrifically left by the wayside in this arms race we have entered in to.

I may not know much about history as it is from most of your perspectives but there has to be educators among us or at least those who will be willing to step up and help the children among us not return home uneducated louts who respond to the idea of mathematics or reading with "why should I care?" or "it is too difficult".

[He's not sorry Phillip. This is probably your fault kid.]

Comments

[claudiometer]

It's all well and good to propose this, but how do you plan on making them care? An education's only as good as your ability to make the students give a shit.

[loyalrebel]

If they do not want to learn then they will not be forced to.

I will not apologize for being incredibly disappointed in humanity. Sticky notes, fountain pens and pizza seem to so far be the only good things I have encountered from the future.

[darkhourdear]

[.......goddamnit this is his fault, isn't it. Have a mental sigh, and an older version of the kid who started this.]

Ok, that was a slight exaggeration on my part- they do teach other stuff, it's just math and reading that's stressed. A lot. ...A whole lot. [like school districts shut down if they dare focus on other shit more a lot]

Also I didn't say either of those things. [the... first was kind of implied but.] I don't mind learning stuff, it's just. Not gonna pick up a math book when I'm bored or anything.

[loyalrebel]

Mathematics and language are the fundamentals of humanity, without math we cannot understand the world around us.

I am reading the English dictionary because I am bored and it is a language I am poor with, why not learn mathematics?

[professorwolf]

Part of the problem is funding and higher-level or less strictly-educational programs being cut in an attempt to keep costs down, and part of the problem is an attempt to standardize what everyone in the country learns so things wind up being taught to the country-wide test, but I don't think it's as bad as all that. I teach biology and health, and my school also had a chemistry teacher, and history and government are also required courses.

[loyalrebel]

Why would you..? Tests do not... what? The only test should be the practical application of your knowledge in the wider world.

[thornsofmalkav]

So are you proposing Liminal School or something?

[She takes a moment to digest this.]

Okay, but I am calling dibs right now on teaching literature. Please, I beg you, let my goddamn B.A. in English be actually useful for something.

[loyalrebel]

Something, yes.

Just... I am not sure I ever want to see the future as myself at this point.

[senpaidol]

Hey, a lot of us are from Japan, and we've got the best public education system in the world!

I mean I haven't actually used it much, but, y'know, statistically.

[truerevelation]

...Did you get the timeline where most of the Yasogami teachers gave a shit?

[haveabiscuit]

The children here aren't being educated? That won't do at all.

[She's new and hasn't had time to discover the true extent of that oversight]

I was deputy headmistress of a school at home.

[Probably going to be headmistress now, but there's hardly been a chance to formalize that]

[thornsofmalkav]

Oh good. You can be our school principal if this happens.

[aimedhigh]

In my experience that's how most young men and ladies respond to mathematics and reading. But your point is a good one, without education I would hardly have gotten to be a clerk, let alone to the colonies.

[loyalrebel]

Or write a nation in to existence.

[so he might be rather impressed by that okay.]

[dawnoftruth]

What do they do with the young people here then? Leave them to themselves? That is no way to manage anything, or build a basis for what is to come. How else are we to progress, to become great, without being put forth on that path? That sounds absolutely insane.

I was part of a...literacy society, for children, at home. Not so directly involved as some of those I worked with, but I do know its importance. Perhaps I could offer some aid myself.

[loyalrebel]

Precisely, without a solid foundation you cannot build larger.

I am a cartographer myself, and did some work during the war with translating and information gathering.

[leftbehindagain]

...Well, it's unlikely anyone here could be a worse teacher than the ones we got at home. I mean, we're already learning more than we ever did there.

Don't suppose we still have anyone who specialises in chemistry, do we? [He would have asked Helena - should have well before now - but... well.]

[loyalrebel]

I know about making ink and the basics of simpler medicines. I am sure we could find some books in a world that has more involved specifics however, and i have dictionaries that may help with some of the terminology.

[awitchdidit]

Even as of about 1986, most of the really interesting subjects had to be self-taught. My apprentice, for example, is an autodidactic little genius when it comes to mysticism and theology, but did poorly with the structure of schools in her time.

I'm more of a dabbler, but if you need any help when it comes to reading or literature, I'm positive I can make such subjects entertaining even to the more jaded teenagers here.

[thornsofmalkav]

I'd be good with you helping me out on the literary front. I mean, I want to do it and justify my thus-far useless degree, but I don't mind collaborating. We work well together, anyway.

[failgoyle]

I didn't quite manage to finish college, but I could help people with computer science or calculus or something.

[loyalrebel]

Computer science? You know how to communicate with the Programs?

[set_your_watches_for_fun]

History lessons might not go amiss, though there is the small problem that many people are from different realities and timelines. So I suppose that's right out.

[loyalrebel]

We seem to be sent to places similar to what at least someone is familiar with often enough that it would still be useful.

Being able to blend in as ourselves is rather beneficial.

[howexciting]

Before Shuu disappeared... again... he left all the modern biology texts from the Heartbeat Academy. I will have them readily available in the library, if anyone so chooses to read them. They are quite fascinating.

[loyalrebel]

I can move my copy of an encyclopedia and dictionary I picked up in New York there as well, if you do not mind such additions.

[rustyhonesty]

This is probably not the best timing to say our world technically didn't have a school... if you don't count the military one?

[ringslinging]

Whether it counts probably depends on how much they were teaching you. Some military schools are pretty thorough, some not so much.

[final_summoner]

What other things would you want people to learn? History and geography...don't really apply here, do they? And other than that, everyone has their own jobs to learn...

[neverfeltthatway]

It does seem a bit of a problem. Even science is relative, between the worlds we're visiting.

[flumine]

"Modern" is a relative term. There are outliers on both ends of the temporal bell curve.

...We learn more than that in the Core.

[loyalrebel]

Would you rather I had used the phrase "ridiculous future people"?

It seemed rude.

[ringslinging]

If we don't have anyone with better qualifications, I might be able to do something with math or physics, but I've got zero experience teaching.

[ He's not sure if he'd be that good at it, but. He likes kids? Kids are cool. He can give it a shot if nobody better steps up to the plate. ]

[loyalrebel]

I do not think that experience is as necessary as a willingness to answer questions and ability explain things in a way that makes sense.

[detectivewonder]

I could teach biology and chemistry. At least, I'm informed enough to qualify. I don't really think I'd make a good teacher, though.

[loyalrebel]

Why not? Anyone can teach.

[canbebrave]

I do not mean to speak out of turn or offend, Ser Malik- but I do not believe they will retain such information upon leaving this place

You are correct, though- it would be good to offer the children here with tutors. [Obviously she's not including herself here.] I would offer my skill sets, but my education seems to be very undervalued here.

[neverfeltthatway]

Not if they go home, perhaps. But there are many skills that could be taught that they would benefit from knowing here. They're not the only ones - I know there's a lot that I still have to learn.

And with the Trumps, I wouldn't count on the experience of a few being indicative of a larger pattern. We've only ever had a few people go home and come back - so that might not always be what happens.

[backwordscompatible]

...you're seriously trying to get us all to starting to going school?

Haven't we suffered enough already?

[She's only partially joking.]

[neverfeltthatway]

...You don't want to learn?

[Sorry, Zatanna, but this is a kid who never really had the chance to go to school...]

[bite_the_hand]

A world doesn't need to be very "modern" for its education system to suck.

[Eren sounds extremely bitter about that. His world has basically screwed him over in terms of both technology and general education.]

In training to be soldiers they taught us to read and write decently enough, and what math we'd need to do our jobs. What other things did you have in mind? I've learned a little science from a book Armin has and Thorne taught me about evolution. I wouldn't mind learning more about that kind of stuff. ...As long as these classes won't just be for kids, anyway.

[touchy_feeleo]

[Mikleo's slowly getting the hang of telepathic communication (when it's not towards Sorey and the others due to other required things). He really doubt's that people will be able to see him (or he's still going by), but maybe telepathy will get his message through.]

That's not a bad idea. I don't know how things work here, but it would be a shame to see education left by the wayside. I would offer my assistance, but I doubt the ruins and history of my home will help anyone here.

[loyalrebel]

[The answer is no different from the others, mental conversations are par for the course here after all.]

You never know, we may be sent somewhere similar to your home and knowing enough to pass as a native can be invaluable.