I have followed the thread between you and Tamar with interest. This subject is also very important to me.

Over my many years I have come to the conclusion is that school should be a place where you "learn how to learn". And while you ate "learning how to learn" you may as well pick up some useful skills like "Reading, Writing and Rithmetic".

"Learning how to learn" means you learn how to:
- really listen to what someone is saying to you even if the topic is uninteresting or difficult
- writing notes in an organized way while the person is explaining things to
you
- finding ways to really understand things like trying to apply the new idea to something in your life and working it through step by step until you really understand it
- finding ways to memorize things e.g. memory hooks, key words, sayings, word pictures etc.
- forming your own opinion about a new idea by assessing the pros and cons

"Reading, Writing and Rithmetic" to me are:
- "Reading, Writing" - Tamar just wrote an editorial about "Communication" in FPA and I really supported what she had to say. The ability to read something, comprehend it and explain it in your own words is possibly the most important skill for anyone
- "Rithmetic" - the methodical, logical steps to a pure answer in Mathematics are really important in life whether you are going to be a programmer or a home maker.

To me the content of education in primary and secondary school is not that important. Whether you learned 4 or 8 books of Shakespeare to me is not important. The same for 20 or 40 wars in History. What counts is how well your brain developed at processing and communicating ideas from the exercises.

One final point, job skills and life skills are not that different. Its true that a Medical Doctor or Lawyer needs a specific education to get started but many of us (like myself) got their job training while "on the job". And today, young people have to learn to change jobs frequently with downsizing, takeovers etc. Those who have "learned how to learn" are the best prepared for a good career and a better life in my view.

Mike Smith