Strange things teachers teach.

[Daphnes]

I before E, except after C, or when sounding like A as in neighbor and weigh. Along with other exceptions like their, weird, species, height, and possibly other words.

Ok, that's too many exceptions. Why teach something that has that many exceptions to the rule?

What other things teachers teach make you think "why bother?"?

[Aex]

My eighth grade sex ed teacher spent an odd amount of time emphasizing the importance of the clitoris. He must've spent like ten minutes simply arguing with me on the subject.

"It is one of the most important parts in any sexual encounter."

"Why? What does it do?"

"Well... it doesn't do anything, really."

"Then what's it there for?"

"It gives women pleasure."

"So do men. I'll say again, why's it so important?"

And he couldn't say anything more without injecting far too much of his very obvious opinion. So I won that argument, as I always do with my teachers.

[mmmmm_PIE]

My high-school french teacher, one of the most excellent people on the planet, can be easily distracted in class into talking about everything from the operating mechanism of a U2 Bomber, to the political causation of 911 (and why it was mostly Clinton's fault), to the personal security available in small European apartment buildings.

He begins every second sentence with "Kay; here's the thing..." and completely unnerves 75% of the school's population. He beleives the federal government pressured his last boss into firing him after he wrote a harch critisms of brian mulroney (Canadian PM during the early 90s).

[CurryMonster]

My former English teacher - the head of the department, no less - once spent half an hour explaining to us why English is the single most pointless subject we will ever study.

[Rem]

my physics spent a class explaining to us how to throw a pencil through a wall... Same teacher who likes to make exams where the answer is "Impossible" smartest teacher ever this guy though

[felix]

some of the algebra and math we have to do. honestly. why bother? we most likely will not be using it for the rest of our lives, and if we want a career that requires that kind of math skill, then let each student pursue it on their own. i honestly think anything past algebra I at most is useless.

i can not think of anything else besides the 'i before e, except after c' rule. how pointless is that? but really it does make a little bit of since. my first grade teacher promised anyone who could find an exception to the rule a candy bar. no one could. i guess the words not under that rule are generally not in a first and second grader's writing vocabulary.

[Polloman300]

Algebra and Trigonometry! I hate those! They're just making my life worst. I know I'm not going to need those!

[Rem]

Originally Posted by Polloman300

Algebra and Trigonometry! I hate those! They're just making my life worst. I know I'm not going to need those!

the basics are pretty cool I find and yes you will be using them even though you don't know it yet. Especially Trigo

[CourageWielder]

Originally Posted by Polloman300

Algebra and Trigonometry! I hate those! They're just making my life worst. I know I'm not going to need those!

I was learning algebra in fifth grade. It was really easy actually. The strangest thing my science teacher taught us was solubility. We all got the impression that the woman was a loon that one day.

[Skull Kid]

I once had an American history teacher who lectured us more on social issues than actually teaching us history. >>;

[Homarid]

Originally Posted by Skull Kid

I once had an American history teacher who lectured us more on social issues than actually teaching us history. >>;

Lmao, this actually reminded me of the teacher of a political science class I took once. He was a fairly prominent, super-liberal investigative journalist and he spent most of our class time ranting about the Bush administration. This was during the 2004 presidential elections, and after the results came in he was convinced of a Republican conspiracy where some of Ohio's voting machines had been rigged, etc. For the rest of the quarter he spent more time discussing his research into the matter and looking for evidence, and sometimes being interviewed on radio talk shows (one day our class was cancelled due to this).

It was all entertaining to watch, but I learned almost nothing about political science. In the end I believe I got a B, which was a pleasant surprise as I can't really recall doing any work for it. Uh...wow?

[Big Bro Davidia]

The higher you go in mathematics, the better your brain develops. It really brings you to a higher level in everything else you do. Whether or not you use it in your job is almost a moot point, seeing as studying mathematics more and more changes the way you look at the world and perceive things (for the better).

And Aex, do you go to an all boys' school or something?? In any case, I could tell you why it's so important pretty quickly :0P But I won't.

[Polloman300]

X + Y = pie! Is not gonna help me in life!

[Daphnes]

Originally Posted by Homarid

Lmao, this actually reminded me of the teacher of a political science class I took once. He was a fairly prominent, super-liberal investigative journalist and he spent most of our class time ranting about the Bush administration. This was during the 2004 presidential elections, and after the results came in he was convinced of a Republican conspiracy where some of Ohio's voting machines had been rigged, etc. For the rest of the quarter he spent more time discussing his research into the matter and looking for evidence, and sometimes being interviewed on radio talk shows (one day our class was cancelled due to this).

It was all entertaining to watch, but I learned almost nothing about political science. In the end I believe I got a B, which was a pleasant surprise as I can't really recall doing any work for it. Uh...wow?

My fifth grade teacher took us on a lot of field trips, which was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, we didn't learn a whole lot about studies in that class and suffered during sixth grade. At least, my sister and I did.

I think some teachers get into the business, but don't get assigned the class they really want. So they teach what they want to teach, even if it doesn't go along with what they're supposed to teach.

As for Bush, there are two reasons why I don't think he's as unpopular as most people think: he did get reelected, and I doubt rigging systems would help if only 36% of people actually like him. Also, his wife has stated that they felt welcomed in the areas that they actually went to.

[Okami Wolfen]

I learned from one teacher that you can tell if you are drinking anough water by the color of your pee.

If it is mostly clear, you are drinking enough. If it is really, really yellow, then you should drink some water.

[Big Bro Davidia]

I always learned that meant you had held it in too long, Wolfen--seeing as your body reabsorbs the water :0P But yeah, guess it works both ways. (Mommy taught me dat!)

Pollo: y por esa razon, no eres el BBD ;0)

Daphnes: very insightful, and true (the "teach what they want, anyway" syndrome)

[Sugar]

Originally Posted by Aex

"Then what's it there for?"

"It gives women pleasure."

"So do men. I'll say again, why's it so important?"

It makes it a lot easier for men to give women pleasure.

anyway.

Originally Posted by Polloman300

X + Y = pie! Is not gonna help me in life!

As BBD so wisely put it, even if you don't use these specific types of math in your future career, higher levels of mathematics open your mind to more logical ways of thinking. In addition, higher levels of math strengthen your skills with lower levels, since math is basically a number of skills built on top of one another. Even if you don't use the more complex types of math in life, you will use the simpler kinds, even if it's just at the grocery store.

[Malachi Constant]

my english teacher taught me about his LSD trips, last year.

...weird...

[Aex]

Originally Posted by CourageWielder

I was learning algebra in fifth grade. It was really easy actually. The strangest thing my science teacher taught us was solubility. We all got the impression that the woman was a loon that one day.

Things dissolve in other things. How's that strange?

Originally Posted by Big Bro Davidia

And Aex, do you go to an all boys' school or something?? In any case, I could tell you why it's so important pretty quickly :0P But I won't.

No, I don't. I understood why he said it was so important, but we were supposed to be learning about sexual reproduction, not sexual gratification.

Originally Posted by Sugar

It makes it a lot easier for men to give women pleasure.

Yeah, but that wasn't what he was supposed to be talking about. And since I knew he couldn't outright say that, I figured I'd hassle him some.

[Sugar]

Originally Posted by Aex

Yeah, but that wasn't what he was supposed to be talking about. And since I knew he couldn't outright say that, I figured I'd hassle him some.

oh.

You... you... rabble-rouser! >_>

<_<

[Homarid]

Originally Posted by Daphnes

My fifth grade teacher took us on a lot of field trips, which was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, we didn't learn a whole lot about studies in that class and suffered during sixth grade. At least, my sister and I did.

I think some teachers get into the business, but don't get assigned the class they really want. So they teach what they want to teach, even if it doesn't go along with what they're supposed to teach.

Very true. My example was an extreme one (he didn't even teach at all), but it happens a lot. Then I've also had teachers who openly admitted to disliking the subject they were assigned to teach us. That was always an awkward moment.

Your first paragraph illustrates another flaw that pops up sometimes. A teacher might believe that students learn best when they're enjoying themselves, then focus so much on providing a fun experience that they forget to pass on actual knowledge along the way. I've had that happen too, and in supposedly "advanced" courses, no less! But I can't hold it against them; in the end teachers are just people too, and most do try their best.

Getting back to the subject, I've never seen much of a point to classic literature and the like. Sure, I guess it teaches us about the human condition or whatever, but can't history be tailored to do that just as well?

[BigGoronSword]

*Moved to the Temple of Knowledge*

-BGS

[Loffle Monster.]

My Social Studies teacher once explained how pointless history was and how we'd never use it.

However Social Studies is my favorite subject. Simple and intresting.