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phandam

macrumors newbie
Jul 3, 2013
8
0
I wasn't talking about Montessori -> uni, but Montessori -> normal high school. Where I'm from, there aren't (at least there didn't use to be) any Montessori schools for kids older than 12, meaning everyone had to go to a regular school. Those of my friends that came from a Montessori school all had more or less problems with adapting to the structured form of learning. Everything from being on time to constantly questioning the teachers' rules.

But if you have the possibility to let your child(ren?) attend Montessori school(s) until it's time for uni, I guess the question is moot ;)

Ok I see what you mean now. I will look into this a bit more as I don't know if you can go past the age of 12.

Peak season pricing according to school holidays isn't a Dutch speciality though ;) But the fine really surprised me. Do you have any more information regarding that? In Dutch or in English, either language is fine (no pun intended). I can't find anything, but I might be worthless at using google...

Regarding the fine, this is what I have been told by my Dutch colleagues, so I don't have any proof of this. I do know for certain that if they have kids aged 4 and up, and live in the same "zone" they are all on holiday at the same time. Something I was really not looking forward to.
 

iLLUMI

macrumors 6502a
Aug 1, 2012
567
281
Now THIS is a progression in education.

Bravo

Absolutely!
To quote the article "And the children will choose what they wish to learn based on what they happen to be curious about."

Everyone is an individual, with individual talents and abilities, so why try and fit everyone into the same educational mould. That quote shows that there is a clear cut focus on developing individual abilities and not smothering them.

This IS the future! This is a wonderful step in the ongoing reformation of our global education system. Are we on the precipice of ending the curriculum? :)
 

Happybunny

macrumors 68000
Sep 9, 2010
1,792
1,389
Okay, so the description given in the article, that the iPad is the only tool, is simply not true? That's a relief :)




Peak season pricing according to school holidays isn't a Dutch speciality though ;) But the fine really surprised me. Do you have any more information regarding that? In Dutch or in English, either language is fine (no pun intended). I can't find anything, but I might be worthless at using google...

Boeten voor Spijbelen

Ook worden kinderen hele weken thuis gehouden om een vakantie mogelijk te maken. Het is voordelig om buiten de schoolvakanties op wintersport te gaan en de eventuele boete van 50 euro weegt daar wel tegen op. De standaardboete voor zogenoemd luxeverzuim is 75 euro. Ook gaan ouders wel eens vroeg op vakantie naar het buitenland of komen laat terug. De scholen geven deze zaken niet altijd door aan de leerplichtambtenaar.

http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spijbelen

----------

For you it might be light and easy to carry around, for elementary school children even a small weight is heavy.

As you write a lot about the Netherlands, I assume you don't need this article translated: http://www.klasse.be/archief/de-boekentassen-zijn-te-zwaar/

It's an old article that I used for its graphic, but just google boekentassen te zwaar (schoolbags too heavy, for the others reading) and you'll find quite a lot...

The backpack is not normally carried by children in the lagere school in the Netherlands.

De commissie-Boekentas heeft becijferd dat de gemiddelde tas 14 procent weegt van het lichaamsgewicht van zijn drager. Te veel, zegt de commissie in een rapport dat gisteren staatssecretaris Netelenbos (onderwijs) is aangeboden. Zeker voor de 12- tot 15-jarigen waarop het onderzoek zich richtte. De helft van de scholieren vindt de tas te zwaar.

De meerderheid (82 procent) zeult een rugzak mee naar school. Voor jonge middelbare scholieren mag die vijf kilo wegen. Daarbij is gekeken naar Oostenrijk, dat tien procent van het lichaamsgewicht als norm hanteert. Aan een dergelijke norm denkt de commissie voorlopg niet. Wel moet er nader wetenschappelijk onderzoek volgen naar de belasting van de jonge, groeiende scholierenrug.

Het gewicht van de schooltassen is de laatste jaren toegenomen door de basisvorming, het gebruik van meer boeken per vak en zwaardere boeken door meer illustraties. Docenten moeten bij het kiezen van een methode het gewicht van het boek letterlijk en figuurlijk mee laten wegen. Het gebruik van computers in het onderwijs zal de boekendruk op de schouders van de jonge scholier verminderen, verwacht de commissie.


http://www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/5009/Arch.../Boekentas-te-zwaar-voor-jonge-scholier.dhtml
 

blitzer09x87

macrumors 6502
May 19, 2013
408
0
ipad only? wow that's cool, i wish i was in deutschland
i hope this experiment proves successful and then my school adopts this thing.
 

beaniemyman

macrumors 6502
May 19, 2013
301
0
i'd love to be in that school, really great.
each and every school should do this, imagine carrying 1-2 kg device to school instead of a 10-12 kg bag.
 

dan542

macrumors newbie
Jun 18, 2013
14
0
Prague, Czech Republic
I agree with the idea of letting kids study what they want and when they want. However, I'm not sure if they can learn anything from all those fancy iPad apps… I mean, for sure they look nice and can probably draw the kids' attention at first, but I'm a bit worried that the kids will eventually lose attention since those app aren't and can't be infinite.

If I was in charge of my country's education system, I would do something different:
1. As for kids aged 0 - 6, I would do absolutely nothing. These children need to be communicated with, they need to play, first with their parents, then maybe in a kindergarten. If they are curious, then great, but I think that their parents can and should answer their questions.

2. When they reach age 6 (the age could be different, maybe even changed on an individual basis), then I think they should be taught in a school as we all know it today, but I'd teach only a few subjects. I think we should only teach them how they can study themselves:
So, first, they absolutely need to be able to read and write. Then they need some basics of math. When they master that, then they can move on to studying English. (unless they are native English speakers, in that case, they can go home now…)

3. Around the age of 12, the kids should be able to read, write, do basic maths and speak fluent English. Once they do, school ends for them.

4. After the school has ended for them, all their education would be in their hands. I assume most of them have a computer with an internet connection, but in case some of them really couldn't afford it, they would be given one. Now, with the knowledge of English and internet, they can learn all they want. Not like in the school the article was about, where they can only explore a limited world of their fancy apps, instead they would have nearly all the human knowledge available to them.

Now, I understand, that some of the internet contents is just too technical, so the government should maybe invest the saved money into creating educational material on the internet. I think that a good example of a good educational material would be this site, that's how languages should be taught. If the government did create sites like that, it would be great.

I'm 15 and my experience is that if I WANT to learn something, I will and I learn quite fast. My English has become a lot better thanks to the internet. I've learned programming on the internet and now I'm creating an iOS app as my summer job and I will get paid for that (perhaps this could be a good motivation for some kids?). Also, I'm studying Korean on the site mentioned above and although I'm nowhere near being fluent, I think I've learned quite a lot, especially since I'm not even studying it for a half a year… However, when I don't want to learn something, as is the case with most things that I'm taught in school, I usually just end up trying to memorize as much as I can in school on a break before a test and forgetting it right after the test…

This whole idea is based on my experience and I believe, this is what would have been best for me, but I'm not sure about the others. The others might not have enough motivation to study themselves and then this whole idea would fail…
 

ChrisA

macrumors G5
Jan 5, 2006
12,541
1,653
Redondo Beach, California
My point is - if adults are making mobile devices a major priority over classroom lecture and teaching, applying it development learning will make things worse and irreversible... :eek:

It's not a "mobile device" it is a "page" that you can read, just like paper. What really matters in not if the page is made of glass or paper but what is written on the page.

Most of the iPads sold to adults, I'm sure, are used for entertainment, web browsing and watching videos and games and other things that would be a wates of time at school. But one could put a book in the device. Or even a multiple choice test.

What matters is the content these schools will load on the iPad. It is content that matters just like with paper pages.

Here in Los Angeles they are buying many thousands of iPads for use in schools. We will see soon if this works.
 

gkarris

macrumors G3
Dec 31, 2004
8,301
1,061
"No escape from Reality...”
It's not a "mobile device" it is a "page" that you can read, just like paper. What really matters in not if the page is made of glass or paper but what is written on the page.

Most of the iPads sold to adults, I'm sure, are used for entertainment, web browsing and watching videos and games and other things that would be a wates of time at school. But one could put a book in the device. Or even a multiple choice test.

What matters is the content these schools will load on the iPad. It is content that matters just like with paper pages.

Here in Los Angeles they are buying many thousands of iPads for use in schools. We will see soon if this works.

Of course, here in the US, when you combine it with Teachers and classroom instruction, tablets are awesome - but a "school" where it's a "free-for-all"? :eek:
 

hafr

macrumors 68030
Sep 21, 2011
2,743
9
Boeten voor Spijbelen

Ook worden kinderen hele weken thuis gehouden om een vakantie mogelijk te maken. Het is voordelig om buiten de schoolvakanties op wintersport te gaan en de eventuele boete van 50 euro weegt daar wel tegen op. De standaardboete voor zogenoemd luxeverzuim is 75 euro. Ook gaan ouders wel eens vroeg op vakantie naar het buitenland of komen laat terug. De scholen geven deze zaken niet altijd door aan de leerplichtambtenaar.

http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spijbelen

----------



The backpack is not normally carried by children in the lagere school in the Netherlands.

De commissie-Boekentas heeft becijferd dat de gemiddelde tas 14 procent weegt van het lichaamsgewicht van zijn drager. Te veel, zegt de commissie in een rapport dat gisteren staatssecretaris Netelenbos (onderwijs) is aangeboden. Zeker voor de 12- tot 15-jarigen waarop het onderzoek zich richtte. De helft van de scholieren vindt de tas te zwaar.

De meerderheid (82 procent) zeult een rugzak mee naar school. Voor jonge middelbare scholieren mag die vijf kilo wegen. Daarbij is gekeken naar Oostenrijk, dat tien procent van het lichaamsgewicht als norm hanteert. Aan een dergelijke norm denkt de commissie voorlopg niet. Wel moet er nader wetenschappelijk onderzoek volgen naar de belasting van de jonge, groeiende scholierenrug.

Het gewicht van de schooltassen is de laatste jaren toegenomen door de basisvorming, het gebruik van meer boeken per vak en zwaardere boeken door meer illustraties. Docenten moeten bij het kiezen van een methode het gewicht van het boek letterlijk en figuurlijk mee laten wegen. Het gebruik van computers in het onderwijs zal de boekendruk op de schouders van de jonge scholier verminderen, verwacht de commissie.


http://www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/5009/Arch.../Boekentas-te-zwaar-voor-jonge-scholier.dhtml

Regarding the fine: that's crazy...

Regarding the backpacks: I guess the Dutch kids are happier than the Belgian kids then ;)
 

hafr

macrumors 68030
Sep 21, 2011
2,743
9
I agree with the idea of letting kids study what they want and when they want. However, I'm not sure if they can learn anything from all those fancy iPad apps… I mean, for sure they look nice and can probably draw the kids' attention at first, but I'm a bit worried that the kids will eventually lose attention since those app aren't and can't be infinite.

If I was in charge of my country's education system, I would do something different:
1. As for kids aged 0 - 6, I would do absolutely nothing. These children need to be communicated with, they need to play, first with their parents, then maybe in a kindergarten. If they are curious, then great, but I think that their parents can and should answer their questions.
Structured play with letters, numbers, spatial awareness and so on is generally viewed as incredibly beneficial for children in that age, why don't you agree?

2. When they reach age 6 (the age could be different, maybe even changed on an individual basis), then I think they should be taught in a school as we all know it today, but I'd teach only a few subjects. I think we should only teach them how they can study themselves:
So, first, they absolutely need to be able to read and write. Then they need some basics of math. When they master that, then they can move on to studying English. (unless they are native English speakers, in that case, they can go home now…)
Why only reading, writing and English? Why not music and physical education?

3. Around the age of 12, the kids should be able to read, write, do basic maths and speak fluent English. Once they do, school ends for them.
So you want kids to only have a handful of subjects for six years, which will make all of them fluent in English but only give them the basics of maths? It seems odd.

4. After the school has ended for them, all their education would be in their hands. I assume most of them have a computer with an internet connection, but in case some of them really couldn't afford it, they would be given one. Now, with the knowledge of English and internet, they can learn all they want. Not like in the school the article was about, where they can only explore a limited world of their fancy apps, instead they would have nearly all the human knowledge available to them.
So from the age of 12, kids should be considered mature enough to take full responsibility and accountability for their future?

Now, I understand, that some of the internet contents is just too technical, so the government should maybe invest the saved money into creating educational material on the internet. I think that a good example of a good educational material would be this site, that's how languages should be taught. If the government did create sites like that, it would be great.
They created sites like that a long time ago. Brick and mortar sites. They're called schools.

I'm 15 and my experience is that if I WANT to learn something, I will and I learn quite fast. My English has become a lot better thanks to the internet. I've learned programming on the internet and now I'm creating an iOS app as my summer job and I will get paid for that (perhaps this could be a good motivation for some kids?). Also, I'm studying Korean on the site mentioned above and although I'm nowhere near being fluent, I think I've learned quite a lot, especially since I'm not even studying it for a half a year… However, when I don't want to learn something, as is the case with most things that I'm taught in school, I usually just end up trying to memorize as much as I can in school on a break before a test and forgetting it right after the test…

This whole idea is based on my experience and I believe, this is what would have been best for me, but I'm not sure about the others. The others might not have enough motivation to study themselves and then this whole idea would fail…
So basically what you're saying is that because you lack the concentration to study things that you think is boring, no kid should have to learn anything they don't want to except for basic maths, reading and writing, and fluent English.

I believe that in ten years, when the part of your brain that's responsible for analysing consequences is fully matured (it keeps developing until the early twenties), your view on this matter will be a bit different.
 

dan542

macrumors newbie
Jun 18, 2013
14
0
Prague, Czech Republic
Structured play with letters, numbers, spatial awareness and so on is generally viewed as incredibly beneficial for children in that age, why don't you agree?
I do agree, I didn't say that we should keep them away from iPads. However, I don't think that a child this young should be going to school. They should spend as much time with their parents as possible. They should play with their parents and perhaps even do what you have mentioned above. When I was this young, I played games with letters, numbers, built stuff from LEGO and other building kits (spatial awareness…) either with my parents or in kindergarten. I obviously didn't have any iPad at that time, nor have I looked at any educational app for the iPad now, so I can't comment on whether they are good or not.

Why only reading, writing and English? Why not music and physical education?
As for music, well, when I was in kindergarten we were singing all the time… Maybe music (singing, not history) for the first few years would be good. If the child wants to know more about music, for example history of music, etc., they can find it later on the internet.

As for PE, I forgot about it, I would teach that, we don't want kids to just sit in front of their computer all the time and become fatter and fatter…

So you want kids to only have a handful of subjects for six years, which will make all of them fluent in English but only give them the basics of maths? It seems odd.
It depends on what are the basics of math. I haven't really thought of what exactly should be taught, but basically what everybody will need in his/her life. So I guess, arithmetics, maybe some basic algebra (equations…), some geometry and pythagorean theorem, maybe even goniometric functions. I don't think it's necessary to teach every child some theoretical math that most of them will never use in their life. I just want them to be able to count what they need.

Now, don't take me wrong, I think that math is very useful, but only for some people. For me, I would say it is, because as I've said, I'm into computers and programming. I've never had much problems with math in school, but some people do, but I don't think that these people will chose a job that requires them to know a lot of math. For example, they might become artists, and they will only need math to count how much will their colors and canvases cost them. (there might even be an app for that…) Basics of math would be just fine for that.

So from the age of 12, kids should be considered mature enough to take full responsibility and accountability for their future?
I'm not entirely sure about the age of twelve, I kind of chose it because that was when the "Steve Jobs school" ends in the article… The right age is probably different and it might as well be changed on an individual basis. Some children are faster when it comes to studying than the others.

I guess you're right, 12 is just too young for most kids.

They created sites like that a long time ago. Brick and mortar sites. They're called schools.
Well, in school they teach you with some speed, but everybody is different, so in the end the speed isn't good for anybody… What I like about studying at home is that I can study when I want and with any speed I want. When I don't feel like studying, I can always chose not to study, but then I know that I will face the consequence of not learning what I want as fast as I would have imagined. (since at home one would only study what he/she wants to study, I assume that learning something within some time frame is something he/she would want to achieve)

So basically what you're saying is that because you lack the concentration to study things that you think is boring, no kid should have to learn anything they don't want to except for basic maths, reading and writing, and fluent English.
I only think they should be taught how to learn what they want themselves. This might include just "basic maths, reading and writing, and fluent English", but it also might include more. You have pointed out some things I haven't thought of and I'm sure there is a lot more I haven't thought of.

So yes, I'm basically saying that no kid should have to learn anything they don't want to except for basic maths, reading and writing, and fluent English how to learn what they want to learn themselves. What "knowing how to learn what they want to learn themselves" is a subject to a long discussion… I think I would need the opinion of many teachers who have a lot of experience in teaching children to come up with something feasible.

I believe that in ten years, when the part of your brain that's responsible for analysing consequences is fully matured (it keeps developing until the early twenties), your view on this matter will be a bit different.

I think I will still stand for only teaching kids what they need in order to study themselves, although my opinion on HOW to do that may and probably will change.

I can't predict the future, though…
 

planetawesum

macrumors newbie
Sep 29, 2011
6
0
earth
From my experience "go at your own pace" schools just make people slack off and fall below average.
That's just it. We need to change the "average" to what people actually are today. Which is ever evolving at their own pace. And promote that for everyone so we can step out of dark ages. Much better than standardization which only promotes the pharmaceutical industry.

Schools for the most part are just a babysitters club that only promote unsustainable backwards habits like self denial, herd mentality,
Wage slavery, poverty thINC.

The current way is "slacking off" and THE way of "below average", while taking the whole planet w it. Bully culture. The future we are talking about here. Might as well make it win win. Diversity and common sense. Seeing the benefit in allowing people to grow into who they actually are, is a big step into trust yes.

----------

In laymen's terms, school sucks and I would never do that to anyone. Knowing what I went through. Trauma, bully/ victim programming for a death culture.
 
Last edited:

hafr

macrumors 68030
Sep 21, 2011
2,743
9
I do agree, I didn't say that we should keep them away from iPads. However, I don't think that a child this young should be going to school. They should spend as much time with their parents as possible. They should play with their parents and perhaps even do what you have mentioned above. When I was this young, I played games with letters, numbers, built stuff from LEGO and other building kits (spatial awareness…) either with my parents or in kindergarten. I obviously didn't have any iPad at that time, nor have I looked at any educational app for the iPad now, so I can't comment on whether they are good or not.
iPad or no iPad is irrelevant, and now you've flipflopped from your previous statement.

As for music, well, when I was in kindergarten we were singing all the time… Maybe music (singing, not history) for the first few years would be good. If the child wants to know more about music, for example history of music, etc., they can find it later on the internet.
How about playing instruments? And why isn't history of any relevance to you?

As for PE, I forgot about it, I would teach that, we don't want kids to just sit in front of their computer all the time and become fatter and fatter…
So we've just added two subjects by simply mentioning them. It doesn't seem like you've really thought this through...

It depends on what are the basics of math. I haven't really thought of what exactly should be taught, but basically what everybody will need in his/her life. So I guess, arithmetics, maybe some basic algebra (equations…), some geometry and pythagorean theorem, maybe even goniometric functions. I don't think it's necessary to teach every child some theoretical math that most of them will never use in their life. I just want them to be able to count what they need.
Do you honestly believe everybody will need to use the pythagorean theorem at least once during their lifetime?

So yes, I'm basically saying that no kid should have to learn anything they don't want to except for basic maths, reading and writing, and fluent English how to learn what they want to learn themselves. What "knowing how to learn what they want to learn themselves" is a subject to a long discussion… I think I would need the opinion of many teachers who have a lot of experience in teaching children to come up with something feasible.
You deem certain things absolutely necessary for all kids to learn, what makes your distinction better than say the current school system? Children need to be introduced to subjects in order for them to develop a sense for it, and an interest in it. To leave that in the hands of the children will only make for a large population of people with very basic knowledge of very few subjects, and a small population of people who have specialised in something.

Say the past three generations have not had to study any history what so ever. What do you think the current extremist right wing winds that are blowing through Europe would mean for the political situation? Today, the simple fact of being able to point to history that everyone knows about makes people realise what will happen if you give those kind of people the power.
 

dan542

macrumors newbie
Jun 18, 2013
14
0
Prague, Czech Republic
That's just it. We need to change the "average" to what people actually are today. Which is ever evolving at their own pace. And promote that for everyone so we can step out of dark ages. Much better than standardization which only promotes the pharmaceutical industry.

Schools for the most part are just a babysitters club that only promote unsustainable backwards habits like self denial, herd mentality,
Wage slavery, poverty thINC.

The current way is "slacking off" and THE way of "below average", while taking the whole planet w it. Bully culture. The future we are talking about here. Might as well make it win win. Diversity and common sense. Seeing the benefit in allowing people to grow into who they actually are, is a big step into trust yes.

----------

In laymen's terms, school sucks and I would never do that to anyone. Knowing what I went through. Trauma, bully/ victim programming for a death culture.
Agreed.

----------

iPad or no iPad is irrelevant, and now you've flipflopped from your previous statement.
In my first statement I was talking about some real educational apps, say for learning languages for 10+ year olds, while in my previous one I was talking about some play with letters for 3 year olds. Sorry for not clarifying that.
How about playing instruments? And why isn't history of any relevance to you?
Playing instruments? You did that in school? Here in the CZ in school you only do singing and later some history. (at least that's what I did) If a child wants to play on an instrument, he/she will start attending a "kroužek" (I'm sorry, I don't know of any good English translation... Basically it's that the child's parents pay for it and their child then attends some lessons in the afternoon. There are "kroužek"s for sports, martial arts, playing instruments, and many more, these are just the most popular ones. Schools often open their own "kroužek"s, but these are still paid.) or get a private tutor, if their parents can afford it.

Say the past three generations have not had to study any history what so ever. What do you think the current extremist right wing winds that are blowing through Europe would mean for the political situation? Today, the simple fact of being able to point to history that everyone knows about makes people realise what will happen if you give those kind of people the power.
Well, if someone says that some extremist group/political party will do what Hitler did, then my system-educated child will say "Who the hell was that? Let me check on that." taking out his/her smartphone out of his/her pocket. Then he/she will enter "hitler" into google, click on the first link and read a wikipedia article about him. After learning about the horrors he had done, he/she will probably choose not to vote for that party.

You will probably say that most people wouldn't do that, but that's why I think learning people how and why to study on their own is so important and the current school system fails to do that, I think it actually might make studying seem to be something boring, weird and nerdy to many people. Look at how curious pre-school children are and how they are looking forward to learn something new in school, and then take a look at those who have been already are going to school for a while... There is clearly something wrong with the current educational system.

And some children might be interested in history as well, no matter if it's taught it in school or not... I used to ask my parents a lot about life in communist Czechoslovakia a long time before we studied that period in school, and based on that, I know for sure I will never vote for communists.
So we've just added two subjects by simply mentioning them. It doesn't seem like you've really thought this through...
Thinking about it, given the popularity of sports "kroužek"s, I should remove PE and maybe music too. With the saved money, school-organized "kroužek"s could be for free...
Do you honestly believe everybody will need to use the pythagorean theorem at least once during their lifetime?
I do. Many things are squares/rectangles and as you know, they contain two right triangles. Monitors, for example. You usually get the diagonal in inches and the sides (resolution) in pixels. What if you want to compare two monitor's pixel density? OK, perhaps the average person won't do that, but how about this one: A driver looks at a map that looks roughly like this (it doesn't have to be a perfect right isosceles triangle, just something that kind of resembles it):
Code:
B------C
|     /
|   /
| /
A
He wants to decide whether to take a route on a highway going via B to get from A to C or to go directly, on a normal road. If he remembers from school that a diagonal in square is roughly 1.4 times it's side, he knows that he will have to go 1.4 times faster on the highway.

So on highway, you can drive 130 km/h, to be in C at the same time, you will have to drive 130/1.4 = 93 km/h. Since you can only drive 90 km/h on normal road and you are more likely to have to slow down on that road, he will pick the highway route. However, if he knows that there is likely to be a traffic jam on the highway and that his average speed on the highway would be only 95 km/h then, that is 95/1.4 = 68 km/h on the road. So, since he knows he can achieve an average speed of 80 km/h on the road, he will take the road.
You deem certain things absolutely necessary for all kids to learn, what makes your distinction better than say the current school system?
The current school system tries to teach children a bit of everything, while in their life they will only need to specialize in one field and leave the rest to those who specialize in those fields. So I think it's better to just teach children how to learn what they want to specialize in + what they're interested in on their own.
Children need to be introduced to subjects in order for them to develop a sense for it, and an interest in it.
Only a very few children develop an interest in a school subject... But I've heard that some have lost their interest because they had a bad teacher.
To leave that in the hands of the children will only make for a large population of people with very basic knowledge of very few subjects, and a small population of people who have specialised in something.
And that's right, isn't it? The large population with basic knowledge will have simple jobs (e.g. bus drivers, waiters, laborers, ...), the same as they do today, but without losing so much time in school studying something they'll never use in their life. And the small population of people who have specialised in something will have specialized jobs (e.g. scientists, engineers, architects, lawyers, ...) again, the same as today and again instead of losing so much time in school studying something they'll never use in their life, they will just focus on studying for their expertise.
 
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