Gagarin and Vonnegut

[lisamoe]

I got an email on one of my homeschooling lists this morning saying something about how Google was celebrating Yuri Gagarin today and the woman sending it didn't know who that was. She's older than me and an RN, btw. I am frequently stunned by the lack of knowledge in the college educated public about people, events, history, geography, and even current news items that seem like basic knowledge to me. Don't people remember anything from school? Or have any intellectual curiosity at all? They aren't getting exceptionally stupid people for that "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader" show, are they? Just regular folks who never think beyond their own little daily routines. Not that I know everything, by any means, but I know who Yuri Gagarin is.

In other news, Kurt Vonnegut died. That makes me really sad. His book of short stories, Welcome to the Monkey House is one of my favorite books ever and I found Cat's Cradle deeply affecting when I read it as a teenager. Maybe I'll head down to the book store and pick up some Vonnegut I haven't read and start on it this week as my own little tribute.

Comments

[a-spirited-soul.livejournal.com]

You know that joke about how it would be good to live your life backwards? Then when you are in school, you would actually appreciate what you are learning.

The problem with high school and some college is that the information is not interesting enough to a teenager to retain it. Also, the nature of tests which encourage students to memorize facts, instead of actually learning something, means the information is flushed after it is used.

And of course, by the time you get to college, you only take classes that interest you. In the business college, your liberal arts classes are very few so you choose the few that hold any kind of interest for you.

NOW, I am far more interested in history and science. Can you believe that I made it through high school and college without ever taking chemmistry? I've never had to know one of those tables that it seemed everyone else did. I want to say periodical table, but that sounds like something to do with books.

There's a lot I wish I remembered or knew; things I wish I had time now to study and read. So many things fascinate me now that bored the hell out of me back then.

[lisamoe.livejournal.com]

I guess I was lucky that I went to a magnet high school that was a little more like college than it was a traditional high school. But even now, I like to buy non-fiction books and watch the History Channel and Discovery and Biography and just know more about the world even if it has no practical use in my life.

[a-spirited-soul.livejournal.com]

I love those channels, too. They make the things that bored me seem so fascinating!


Total other subject: Will you be out to dinner this Saturday night?

[lisamoe.livejournal.com]

Yes, but I will have to leave right after. mstami's daughter is babysitting for me and I don't want her to have to put up with the boys for too long.