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Author Topic: Education, education, education ...  (Read 2501 times)

Martin (Admin)

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Education, education, education ...
« on: January 17, 2013, 10:15:16 pm »


Those of us that can just about remember school.....

1. What options did you pick in 9th grade (4th year in old money ) and why?
2. Was it any use in later life? ( especially things like Art, Drama, Cookery etc? )
3. What do you wish you had taken instead?
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Stavros

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Re: Education, education, education ...
« Reply #1 on: January 17, 2013, 10:25:54 pm »

Chose Woodwork instead of Metalwork cos |I was useless at it NOW all I do is Metalwork and Positivity HATE wood,OK OK OK I know you need wood for Model boats BUT that is different isn't it ????????
 
Useful for one thing ....Modelling
 
If Given the choice I would have taken Cookery....WHY ....cos i LOVE cooking...well all you got to do is look at the size of ME it's all them APPLE PIES
 
Dave....................Mayhems ans to Gordon Ramsey
 
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carlmt

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Re: Education, education, education ...
« Reply #2 on: January 17, 2013, 10:34:12 pm »

Options?
 
Geography, German, Woodwork, Technical & Geometrical Drawing, Physics.
 
Any use now?
 
I can read a map and I travel a lot, especially to Germany and Austria, I (try to) build model boats, my career has been as an Architect, and the Physics is always useful to understand how the world works....
 
Wish I had taken instead?
 
French - as I am now married to a French girl %) %) %)
 
Carl 8)
 
PS.....and yes, for me it was choosing them in the latter stages of 3rd year to begin the lessons in the 4th year.
Really dont understand the way they describe the years today  {:-{

Neil

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Re: Education, education, education ...
« Reply #3 on: January 17, 2013, 10:36:30 pm »

geog, history, engineering science, woodwork and building drawing..........
took me around the world teaching
 
so yes, could say I used my subjects in later life, and still using them O0 O0
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Jerry C

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Re: Education, education, education ...
« Reply #4 on: January 17, 2013, 10:39:22 pm »

Calculus,Navigation, chart work, general ship knowledge, ship construction and stability, cargo work and marine engineering basics. All of it useful. Some of it good for modelling too.
Jerry.

carlmt

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Re: Education, education, education ...
« Reply #5 on: January 17, 2013, 10:47:52 pm »

Calculus,Navigation, chart work, general ship knowledge, ship construction and stability, cargo work and marine engineering basics. All of it useful. Some of it good for modelling too.
Jerry.

You did all that at secondary school?????
 
I wish I went to your school............
 
Carl  8)

grendel

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Re: Education, education, education ...
« Reply #6 on: January 17, 2013, 10:51:43 pm »

Woodwork, technical drawing , Maths and Physics. all at A level
I have had a great career as a draughtsman, working my way right up to drawing Office manager (CAD manager) then comes hard times and the whole contracting division of the company is phased out, including yours truly at 52, not quite old enough for early retirement, but too old to easily get a new job. I do have some work coming in part time, but some months its 0 hours.
what do I wish I had taken instead - Nothing, there was one decision in my career I might have changed - right at the beginning a week after getting my first draughtsmans job - I was offered an interview for a technical apprentice at the BBC - sometimes I wish I had gone to that interview, just to see what would have happened - but regrets - none.
Grendel
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Jerry C

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Re: Education, education, education ...
« Reply #7 on: January 17, 2013, 10:56:28 pm »

The school is on the bottom of all my posts. Still a secondary school but with nautical bent. Got a grant from LEA as they unable to provide education required.
 Jerry.

essex2visuvesi

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Re: Education, education, education ...
« Reply #8 on: January 17, 2013, 11:08:21 pm »


We were the first year to do the new fangled GCSEsMaths, Physics, Chemistry, French, and CDT (Craft design & Technology)
I wanted to do German but as I had German family members (Grandparents on one side) they said I had an unfair advatage



Went on to do A level Maths, Physics & Chemistry


and finally a MSc in Information systems development


Do I use them in later life?
Well some of them... I work in IT now (Streaming TV)
The CDT comes in handy for model building and general housey stuff
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BrianB6

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Re: Education, education, education ...
« Reply #9 on: January 17, 2013, 11:59:28 pm »

Options?
 
Geography, German, Woodwork, Technical & Geometrical Drawing, Physics.
 
Any use now?
 
I can read a map and I travel a lot, especially to Germany and Austria, I (try to) build model boats, my career has been as an Architect, and the Physics is always useful to understand how the world works....
 
Wish I had taken instead?
 
French - as I am now married to a French girl %) %) %)
 
Carl 8)
 
We must have gone to the same school!
My Tech. drawing also led me into architecture.
Geography led us downunder.
They would not even let me sit the French test and now I am married (47 years) to a french speaking Mauritian.  O0   Just as well she also speaks Aussie as I still cannot speak much French.
Additional subject, gold prospecting.
A gold nugget with an estimated value of more than $300,000 has been unearthed near Ballarat in Victoria's west.
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grendel

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Re: Education, education, education ...
« Reply #10 on: January 18, 2013, 12:44:02 am »

We were the first year to do the new fangled GCSEs
I did one O level a year early - it was part of the trials of the GCSE's and I got 2 certificates for the one exam, a CSE and an O level - that must have been 1975, the GCSE was formally adopted in 1986
Grendel
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tigertiger

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Re: Education, education, education ...
« Reply #11 on: January 18, 2013, 03:26:12 am »

All of them.
The syllabus covered practical skills, appreciation of the arts, and science. This was in a reasonably balanced way. It gave me lots of choices for the future. Choices I am still able to make today.


Even History, and Geography relate to economics and politics. If you need to understand the business world you need to have a grasp of the wider picture. Even Religious Education fits in to the global economy, as our syllabus also covered other major doctrines like communism.
Woodwork, Metalwork, Engineering Drawing. Both the practice and theory get used a lot in my non work roles. They also enhanced visual and spacial awareness, the former helpful in our more visual information world today.
Physics, Biology, and Chemistry help me understand the world we live in, they help me explain things, and I have used them in furter study.


English language, basic communication.
English literature. This actually helps a lot with the subtlety of English language usage and feeds communication skills.  An appreciation of the arts.
Art. The basic use of colors, the color wheel, some appreciation of art (if limited).
French, German, and Welsh. My worst subjects, however the study of language became more important to me in later life. This has made me more culturally tolerant as well.


People used to mock wood/metal/needle work and domestic science, but these are life skills. Even if not used in our careers they make our lives easier and save us money, 'a penny saved is a penny earned' as they say.


The only thing I don't use much today is PE. But there is an indirect lesson about work life balance, lost by todays education in its race up the league tables.
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heritorasphodel

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Re: Education, education, education ...
« Reply #12 on: January 18, 2013, 06:24:20 am »

A product of the current system, I have lots  :-)  At GCSE, English, English Lit, History, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, French, Religious studies, Art & Design, Citizenship, Mathematics, and Product Design.


Instead of A Levels, I took the International Baccalaureate, in which I took Italian, Maths and English at standard level and History, Product Design and Physics at higher level.


I still feel thick! Currently don't find anything useful, it seems they only teach what you need to get through the exam. It's all academic really  :-))


Andrew
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meechingman

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Re: Education, education, education ...
« Reply #13 on: January 18, 2013, 07:14:20 am »

Annoyingly, they'd only let us take a maximum of eight O Levels back then. (I think some of our teachers wanted that upped to ten.) English, English Lit, Maths and French were compulsory and from the fixed groups they offered us, I picked Physics, German, Geography and History. Any other O Levels that we wanted to take would have to wait until the 6th form, along with two or three A Levels.


Now, as a music teacher, I spend some time trying to persuade students of the value of Music GCSE and A level. It's often in the same option group as something else that the child needs or wants to do, as it was for me. I needed Physics for my intended career at that time. Occasionally I succeed in my persuasions, but not often.  <:(
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Re: Education, education, education ...
« Reply #14 on: January 18, 2013, 07:52:58 am »

At the end of my 3rd year we had to choose 6 subjects - English & Mathematics were compulsory
 
Option subjects taken: Science, Woodwork, Technical Drawing & Home Economics (cooking)
 
I don't regret taking the above subjects as all have been useful.  :-))
 
 
 
 
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grendel

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Re: Education, education, education ...
« Reply #15 on: January 18, 2013, 10:02:08 am »

Prior to my A levels we had a choice of O levels, a few choices were limited, you could only choose two out of woodwork metalwork and technical drawing, I chose woodwork and technical drawing, to that I had maths, additional maths, geography, english, history, biology, chemistry and physics, french, and with my A levels I also did O level photography.
early on in the woodwork I got in trouble for messing around in class and got a lunchtime detention in the woodwork room, sharpening the chisels I had blunted digging at the desk, well after I found that the woodwork room was available at lunch times I dont think I missed a day where I went in and did some project work in there, as part of my A levels I built a small weaving loom for my mum, (which I still have today awaiting the time to use it). Would I have been better off devoting my time to metalwork instead of woodwork, _ I dont really think so, as I have metalwork skills too. certainly the technical drawing provided me with a career, and the woodworking added to my modelling skills and has proved invaluable at doing little jobs around the house.
Grendel
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rmaddock

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Re: Education, education, education ...
« Reply #16 on: January 18, 2013, 10:06:54 am »

When I went through secondary education, Computing was the "golden" career and I could do it with my eyes shut.
There was never any question about what I would do.
I hated it as a job. It ended up making me seriously ill.  Not stress, but the exact opposite.

In hindsight, I wish I'd done something like mechanical engineering or boat building.  I think the model making is me trying to make up for lost years.

I have to admit that this question is one of my biggest fears about being a father.  I want to encourage my sons towards "sensible" occupations for their own fiscal well-being but..........isn't that where I went wrong?
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pettyofficernick

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Re: Education, education, education ...
« Reply #17 on: January 18, 2013, 10:38:00 am »

GCE o levels in Technical drawing, Metalwork, Physics, Chemistry, History, Geography, Maths English. I should have also got an O level in avoiding PE and Games, but they didn't do one. What use have they been? Well I can do sums up to 'quite hard' standard, write a reasonably coherent letter, hang a door, make stuff out of metal, find my way about and wax lyrical about historical subjects. I served my time as a heavy goods fitter, finished my time on 21 quid a week, left and got a job on the buildings shoveling cement at 40 quid a week ( It was the time of 'The Lump'). I am grossly unfit due to my lack of interest in PE and Games (still totally disinterested in sport) I would probably go down a similar path if I were given the opportunity over again.
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Norseman

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Re: Education, education, education ...
« Reply #18 on: January 24, 2013, 12:27:05 am »

It's all a bit hazy now to be honest but I regret getting behind with math and then never catching up. I did quite well in the rest however we X stream chaps were not allowed to do lowly Technical Drawing - I really wanted to do that - still do. I suppose I could still improve my math but for now I have an odd education that correctly tells me that 2+2= 1984

My wife has said to add 'sex-ed' to the list but I told her we didn't have that in them days - she just said 'Ah, yes hmm'  :embarrassed:

Dave
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pettyofficernick

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Re: Education, education, education ...
« Reply #19 on: January 24, 2013, 12:39:11 am »

My wife has said to add 'sex-ed' to the list but I told her we didn't have that in them days - she just said 'Ah, yes hmm' :embarrassed:
[/quote]

We had that in the 5th form as part of o level biology. Now, the biology teacher was a young lady not long out of teacher training, and being the little sods that we were we soon had the poor woman reduced to tears with our raucous and flippant remarks. So much so that that particular part of the syllabus had to be taken by a more senior ( male ) member of staff, who, incidentally had a fearsome reputation with the cane. After a few well targeted thrashings, the human reproductive cycle was taught to a respectfully silent class.......
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What I do is best not discussed, for I have been many things in my time....

pugwash

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Re: Education, education, education ...
« Reply #20 on: January 24, 2013, 12:03:22 pm »

I was at a private school which I hated - all my mates were at other schools so I conned my Dad into letting me
join the Navy at 15 yrs.  Little realising that if you joined at that age you had a years schooling at HMS Ganges
- studied Maths, Naval history, english, navigation, chartwork, geography, and applied mechanics. 
  Not a very well balanced curriculum and I had to do all my GCEs by correspondence course whilst I was at sea which
was not so easy.
Still the navigation and chartwork came in useful years later when I started skippering yachts on delivery runs round the
world after my retirement from the police.(before the arthritis set in), but it was exciting whilst it lasted
Geoff
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reg

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Re: Education, education, education ...
« Reply #21 on: January 24, 2013, 03:36:40 pm »

I did woodwork and dyslexia !  :embarrassed:
Wish I had taken safe breaking ! O0
                                               REG
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Norseman

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Re: Education, education, education ...
« Reply #22 on: January 24, 2013, 04:20:46 pm »

Do you ever wonder if there really is a Dog?

Dave
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