I realize there's a reason behind the bias towards Math and Science since it seems like most of the community here is based to some degree in more technological industries. For all of the griping that mathematics and the various sciences are neglected in the education system, my experience growing up in Canada left me with the feeling that if you didn't excel at math or science, you weren't as smart as your neighbour who could whip off their times tables five times as fast as you. I remember being stuck, struggling with a math project while all the math whizzes got to build a Mr.Muggs spaceship out of cardboard, and the disappointment I felt at being left out of it.
My sister and brother-in-law both teach Grade 3, and they bring up the valid point that kids that finish faster need to be occupied with something, and I agree with that fact. But there's so much emphasis on math and science, art is so completely neglected both in terms of funding and its a big deal if you're gifted in "useful" things like math or science. All we did that was creative in earlier grades was craft based, making giraffe recipe holders, things that have steps and all end up looking the same. Why do you have to good at crunching numbers to be considered gifted? What about developing intuition and critical thinking. Being good at science doesn't necessarily equate to someone who can think through problems in a broader sense, say in a social or interpersonal context. Of course I'm biased myself, I'm a BFA undergrad, so of course I'm going to prioritize what I feel are my own personal strengths. But I've always felt that we could strengthen our education system by trying to introduce critical thinking and teaching children how to live, through an interpersonal context that starts right in the classroom. But of course, we have the blind leading the blind..... I know there are individuals out there who agree with me and do their best to improve the system, starting with their own roles as teachers. I've been taught by a few of them and I wouldn't be the person I am today without them. The system leeches the best bits out of exceptional teachers, I've seen that happen as well.
So, to sum things up as best as I can, tracking kids that are "smart", meaning good at math and science, still neglects other potentially gifted individuals. Universities here have to fight tooth and nail for funding for the arts, here in Alberta science and business get the majority of the government pie. So it's a problem that extends across the whole spectrum of eductation and our culture as a whole. The Arts got us to where we are just as much as science and mathematics have, and our neglect of the Arts will eventually be reflected in our culture. It already is... I mean, Robert Bateman. What greater proof do I need?
I'd be happy to hear arguments against the Arts, I'm sure there's a lot I haven't considered since my own perspective is narrowed by my own particular interests.
I had the honor of working on Don Matrick's property when he lived in Vancouver for a lawn/gardening company. He had a huge(I mean city block huge) plot of land near the University, really beautiful and scenic, looking onto the ocean. I only met him once or twice myself, but he was always really polite and courteous, a stand up sort of fellow. Can't help but add class to Microsoft's public image. Kudos to him.
I actually knew someone who was working at EA as a peon tester back then and he hated the job passionately. But then, when you look at the job market, getting payed to test NHL 2000 for 5 months at a decent wage is better than slinging fries at Macdonalds for minimum wage. Even though it was mind numbing and he seemed traumatized by the whole ordeal. Emotionally vacant. He was in his mid twenties though, I imagine your relatives haven't had their brains turned to turnip mush yet. Give them time.
I used to do landscaping and weekly maintenance on Don Mattrick's property when I was living in Vancouver and had a job with a gardening company. Nice enough fellow, not the type I would have guessed to be part of a huge evil empire like EA. He had a gigantic bit of land near the University of British Columbia and he had bought two or three surrounding properties which he had contractors leveling. That was three years ago. With the money he's made from the growth of EA over the past ten years, I'm sure he's quit to commit more time to tinkering in his secret bunker. Or refine his plans to infiltrate indie publishers and enslave them, forcing them to churn out redundant sports games and buggy, look-what-the-cat-barfed up movie license games... C'mon, he had to be a little bit evil to work at EA that long. I'm sure this fits into EA Empires evil plan for world domination.
It's a bit offtopic and I should really save it for a thread dealing directly with EA but I want to weigh in with my first hand experience of the evil bloat that is EA. I had the honour and privelege of maintaining the top execs property in Vancouver while I was working there as a gardener.
The fellow was nice enough, but he'd made enough from EA's growth throughout the nineties to buy the three massive properties around his gigantic house and property and was developing them into a huge super property. It was unbelievably massive, to think of millions of EA peons breaking their backs so that the gent on the top of the heap could live on his own personal little resort in the middle of one of the most expensive areas you can live in Canada.
I know its not much different than any CEO of a megacorporation but I think it puts into perspective in a tangible way how tech labour is parallel to labour during industrialization, unregulated and lacking unions leading to the exploitation which keeps coming up lately.
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My sister and brother-in-law both teach Grade 3, and they bring up the valid point that kids that finish faster need to be occupied with something, and I agree with that fact. But there's so much emphasis on math and science, art is so completely neglected both in terms of funding and its a big deal if you're gifted in "useful" things like math or science. All we did that was creative in earlier grades was craft based, making giraffe recipe holders, things that have steps and all end up looking the same. Why do you have to good at crunching numbers to be considered gifted? What about developing intuition and critical thinking. Being good at science doesn't necessarily equate to someone who can think through problems in a broader sense, say in a social or interpersonal context. Of course I'm biased myself, I'm a BFA undergrad, so of course I'm going to prioritize what I feel are my own personal strengths. But I've always felt that we could strengthen our education system by trying to introduce critical thinking and teaching children how to live, through an interpersonal context that starts right in the classroom. But of course, we have the blind leading the blind..... I know there are individuals out there who agree with me and do their best to improve the system, starting with their own roles as teachers. I've been taught by a few of them and I wouldn't be the person I am today without them. The system leeches the best bits out of exceptional teachers, I've seen that happen as well.
So, to sum things up as best as I can, tracking kids that are "smart", meaning good at math and science, still neglects other potentially gifted individuals. Universities here have to fight tooth and nail for funding for the arts, here in Alberta science and business get the majority of the government pie. So it's a problem that extends across the whole spectrum of eductation and our culture as a whole. The Arts got us to where we are just as much as science and mathematics have, and our neglect of the Arts will eventually be reflected in our culture. It already is... I mean, Robert Bateman. What greater proof do I need?
I'd be happy to hear arguments against the Arts, I'm sure there's a lot I haven't considered since my own perspective is narrowed by my own particular interests.
I had the honor of working on Don Matrick's property when he lived in Vancouver for a lawn/gardening company. He had a huge(I mean city block huge) plot of land near the University, really beautiful and scenic, looking onto the ocean. I only met him once or twice myself, but he was always really polite and courteous, a stand up sort of fellow. Can't help but add class to Microsoft's public image. Kudos to him.
I actually knew someone who was working at EA as a peon tester back then and he hated the job passionately. But then, when you look at the job market, getting payed to test NHL 2000 for 5 months at a decent wage is better than slinging fries at Macdonalds for minimum wage. Even though it was mind numbing and he seemed traumatized by the whole ordeal. Emotionally vacant. He was in his mid twenties though, I imagine your relatives haven't had their brains turned to turnip mush yet. Give them time.
I used to do landscaping and weekly maintenance on Don Mattrick's property when I was living in Vancouver and had a job with a gardening company. Nice enough fellow, not the type I would have guessed to be part of a huge evil empire like EA. He had a gigantic bit of land near the University of British Columbia and he had bought two or three surrounding properties which he had contractors leveling. That was three years ago. With the money he's made from the growth of EA over the past ten years, I'm sure he's quit to commit more time to tinkering in his secret bunker. Or refine his plans to infiltrate indie publishers and enslave them, forcing them to churn out redundant sports games and buggy, look-what-the-cat-barfed up movie license games... C'mon, he had to be a little bit evil to work at EA that long. I'm sure this fits into EA Empires evil plan for world domination.
The fellow was nice enough, but he'd made enough from EA's growth throughout the nineties to buy the three massive properties around his gigantic house and property and was developing them into a huge super property. It was unbelievably massive, to think of millions of EA peons breaking their backs so that the gent on the top of the heap could live on his own personal little resort in the middle of one of the most expensive areas you can live in Canada.
I know its not much different than any CEO of a megacorporation but I think it puts into perspective in a tangible way how tech labour is parallel to labour during industrialization, unregulated and lacking unions leading to the exploitation which keeps coming up lately.