What were you taught poorly at school?

[sasywtch]

I was in the college prep classes (guessing it's called gifted now?). I was surprised that I was not taught the research needed for college and how to do college type research papers. Not once did I do a paper where I had to list at the bottom where I got my information from.

 

[MamaMermaid]

Math. I still count on my fingers...

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

Nothing compared to how they taught my second daughter math

For me history I guess.

 

[ChrisFL]

Not about what I wasn't taught properly but wasn't taught but should be, like real world survival...finances, taxes, etc.

Also more about the scientific method and critical thinking skills because a LOT of people are lacking that in the US

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Also more about the scientific method and critical thinking skills because a LOT of people are lacking that in the US

I wasn't going to post on this thread, until you hit the nail on the head. Teaching people to think more independently and critically is seriously lacking - it was for me until I realized it in college.

 

[fla4fun]

I was in the college prep classes (guessing it's called gifted now?). I was surprised that I was not taught the research needed for college and how to do college type research papers. Not once did I do a paper where I had to list at the bottom where I got my information from.

Wow, this surprises me. I had to do that in middle school.

I would say math. I always had trouble with high school math, so it wasn’t being taught in a way that made sense to me.

 

[RUDisney]

I wasn't going to post on this thread, until you hit the nail on the head. Teaching people to think more independently and critically is seriously lacking - it was for me until I realized it in college.

This is the thing that I'm most grateful about in having received a "Jesuit" education.

I could have told one of my teachers that the sky was yellow and as long as I could argue logically why it is yellow, I'd have received full credit for it. No one was teaching us what to think, but how to think.

When I was receiving my bachelor's degree, I learned that all teachers are not like that. (Also a Jesuit University, but not all professors were of the same mindset.) I made the mistake of telling a teacher, during an oral final that I disagreed with his opinions. I got a C in that class. The course was a religion requirement, "The Theology of Love and Marriage." His class had nothing to do with love or marriage and everything to do with the Second Vatican Council Letter. To this day, my DH and I have never referred back to that document in our marriage. We'll be married for 29 years on Easter Sunday.

 

[RUDisney]

And I try my best as a history teacher to not repeat it. My next lesson includes Reagan & Desert Storm. We definitely make our way through the decades.

I've been curious about this for a while... as a history teacher, do you find it more difficult to compete with A&E and The History Channel in making history interesting in your class or do you find that it helps your students to be more interested in the subject matter?

I have always wanted to teach a European History course at the college level, as adjunct faculty. I have studied a lot of English, Russian and Italian history and I'm starting to learn more about France. Even if I never teach it, I find it absolutely fascinating.

 

[CGB]

No, not a competition. I believe anything that sparks an interest in kids regarding history is worthy, even video games. (I'm skeptical of pawn shop shows and ancient aliens, but that's just me.) I break up my lectures with short 2-4 minute videos (including from your mentioned sources) so kids can hear other perspectives or see actual footage about a topic. I also throw some movie recommendations with trailers into the mix for those who are interested. Kids can sense a teacher who is genuinely passionate about their subject area. It makes a huge difference in how some kids view the subject.

I get the European history interest. Although I love teaching American history, I'm fascinated with ancient civilizations. I'm really hoping Kathleen Martinez finds Cleopatra's tomb soon!

 

[ttintagel]

I went to five different elementary schools, spending no more than a year and a half at any one of them. The order in which things were taught was different enough to cause some gaps. I still don't know the difference between Fahrehheit and Celsius without looking it up, but I learned about Eli Whitney and his stupid cotton gin so many times that I could give a twenty-minute presentation on his life and work at a moment's notice.

 

[goofyernmost]

I used to think so, but compared to what kids are taught today we were Rhodes Scholars. Of course when I went to school there wasn't as mush history but even then we never got close to more current history.

 

[RUDisney]

No, not a competition. I believe anything that sparks an interest in kids regarding history is worthy, even video games. (I'm skeptical of pawn shop shows and ancient aliens, but that's just me.) I break up my lectures with short 2-4 minute videos (including from your mentioned sources) so kids can hear other perspectives or see actual footage about a topic. I also throw some movie recommendations with trailers into the mix for those who are interested. Kids can sense a teacher who is genuinely passionate about their subject area. It makes a huge difference in how some kids view the subject.

I get the European history interest. Although I love teaching American history, I'm fascinated with ancient civilizations. I'm really hoping Kathleen Martinez finds Cleopatra's tomb soon!

This makes me happy and I'd love to sit through one or more of your lectures. You seem like you'd be engaging and interesting.

Don't get me wrong, I love American history, too, but it's the only thing that was ever taught in my schools. I really enjoy going to the old, historic cities in the US to discover their history. I enjoy going to these places with kids... whether they are mine or they are my nieces and nephews. I love seeing history through their eyes. When we went to Yorktown, my young nephew started talking to the camp surgeon. After about 15 minutes, the man said that he can let us go or tell us more. My nephew said, "we're staying. Tell us more!"

When this stupid war in Ukraine is over, I want to travel to Poland. I know a lot about its history, but I know that I'll learn more by being there. Luckily, my DD loves to travel with me to historic places with me. My DH doesn't like museums or historic places. He'd prefer to hang out all day in a bar, talking with the locals, on a beach, golfing, and having a fabulous dinner. My vacations are tailored around whom I take with me.

Cleopatra's tomb will be terribly fascinating!

 

[ttintagel]

History

I agree with @rangerxenos. I truly don't understand why we had to memorize dates throughout history.

The reason I'm glad I memorized a lot of dates in history is that whenever I learn a new fact about something that happened in the past, I can immediately put it into the context of whatever else was going on around the same time. It's made researching the family tree much more interesting.

 

[ttintagel]

Oh, and another casualty of my school-hopping was cursive writing. I remember transferring into one school where my new classmates were getting weekly lessons in the Palmer method, and they all had the fancy, round, loopy handwriting. They didn't figure there was much use in bringing me up to speed, so they just gave me a sheet with the cursive alphabet on it and said, "Here, copy these until you can do it yourself."

 

[disneyseniors]

No, not a competition. I believe anything that sparks an interest in kids regarding history is worthy, even video games. (I'm skeptical of pawn shop shows and ancient aliens, but that's just me.) I break up my lectures with short 2-4 minute videos (including from your mentioned sources) so kids can hear other perspectives or see actual footage about a topic. I also throw some movie recommendations with trailers into the mix for those who are interested. Kids can sense a teacher who is genuinely passionate about their subject area. It makes a huge difference in how some kids view the subject.

I get the European history interest. Although I love teaching American history, I'm fascinated with ancient civilizations. I'm really hoping Kathleen Martinez finds Cleopatra's tomb soon!

Your students are lucky to have a history teacher like you! I might have liked history if my teacher didn't just call it in! A good teacher makes all the difference in a childs life. It must be an extremely difficult job and I admire good involved teachers