What Did You Learn In School That You Still Find Useful?

Discussion in 'Education & Learning' started by Thomas Stearn, May 14, 2019.

  1. Thomas Stearn

    Thomas Stearn Veteran Member
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    Broadening Lon's post about typing a bit, what's the most important thing you learned in school?

    Come to think of it, for me it's reading and writing above all and basic maths such as the four basic arithmetical operations (wouldn't have called it "arithmetic" back then nor would I have known that I was learning that o_O) Can't do any of these without a calculator, though.
     
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  2. Holly Saunders

    Holly Saunders Supreme Member
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    well of course 3 R's...I'm very good at mental arithmetic ... but English was my best subject ... aside from the typing, I can't think of another thing I learned in school that was useful to me after school.....
     
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  3. Patsy Faye

    Patsy Faye Supreme Member
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    Learnt more about human relationships - I would leave in protest today. Would be like a classroom of trolls :eek:
    I didn't like a lot of the criteria, saw no point to it, so English would be the number one subject for me.
    I think schools are better with a broader range of subjects today, but do they still do woodwork and cookery though - not sure,
    as a lot of youngsters seem to be at a loss :rolleyes:
     
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  4. Von Jones

    Von Jones Supreme Member
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    I'm like @Patsy Faye learning for the most part about people's behavior, youth at that time but what stayed with me was English and the basics of Math.
     
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  5. Patsy Faye

    Patsy Faye Supreme Member
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  6. Thomas Stearn

    Thomas Stearn Veteran Member
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    The 3 Rs? Wouldn't those be 1 r , 1 w, and 1 a?;) And "mental arithmetic"? Wow, no such luck. Always finished last in any contest in a maths class. And English? The English that would have you write "learnt"?:D
     
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  7. Thomas Stearn

    Thomas Stearn Veteran Member
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    Mhm, human relationship? @Patsy Faye and @Von Jones , not sure what you mean. Do you mean you learned something about people's behavior just because there may have been some dissing and bullying outside of classes or was that really part of a curriculum?
     
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  8. Von Jones

    Von Jones Supreme Member
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    Not a part of the curriculum and not only outside of the classroom. Though not labeled 'dissing or bullying' but those behaviors and others. To name a few, 'clicks', backstabbers, liars, cheaters, loyal, honest, etc.
     
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  9. Holly Saunders

    Holly Saunders Supreme Member
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    I know, it always confused me when I was at school..and even to this day...readin' ritin' 'rithmetic.....o_O


    Learnt is supposedly the more common version of learned in the UK... whereas learned is more often used in the USA... however, when I was at school, my English teacher always taught us the latter..., perhaps because she was from North Carolina... :D
     
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  10. Holly Saunders

    Holly Saunders Supreme Member
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    It's funny, but apart from bullies at school ...it wasn't until I entered the world of commerce, ..that I very quickly learned about backstabbers.. etc... I was in utter shock, in my naivety I thought grown ups were above all that....!!
     
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  11. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    I am thinking this one over.
    Of course, the ability to read and write and do math is probably the most basic things that we learned in school that were the most important all through out our lives; because they are necessities that we use every day, and don’t even think about being grateful that we can do those things.
    I was also ridiculed a lot, and grew up thinking that people were something to be avoided as much as possible.
    However, after having to take a sales job as basically a door-to-door salesperson, I finally started getting over my extreme shyness, and discovered that I actually enjoyed people (for the most part).

    I would say that, beyond those basic skills (3 R’s), what school taught me that I still use every day, was just the ability to study and learn about something, and then applying that knowledge to my life.
     
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  12. Patsy Faye

    Patsy Faye Supreme Member
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  13. Bobby Cole

    Bobby Cole Supreme Member
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    I really do not think there is anything that I haven’t used at some point in time but the most valuable lesson (beyond the primers) that wasn’t in the curriculums was to teach myself and how to fit in with a controlled society.
    Just sitting around and learning that 1+1=2 was boring so being the inquisitive person that I am, I went beyond what was being taught and started to teach myself, which, caused me a lot of trouble for the first 7 years of government schooling.
    One single teacher in the 7th grade took me aside one day and explained that even though I hated conformity, if properly directed, nonconformity can be an asset and teaching myself wasn’t a bad thing but I needed to learn how to integrate what was being taught with the things I was learning on my own.

    I suppose that In short, I learned how to be academically socially acceptable without giving up who I am and my need to learn more than what other people felt (or feel) that I should learn and at what speed other people believe I need to conform to.
     
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  14. Cody Fousnaugh

    Cody Fousnaugh Supreme Member
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    Obviously, typing. Then there would be my Speech & Drama class, that I done very, very well in. People can hear me, even without a microphone!

    At our Wedding Reception, the Square Dance Caller gave me his mic to do champagne toasts. My wife's girlfriend said out-loud, "ok, who gave the mic to Cody?". She knew how much I liked to talk, especially after having a few Coors Light beers and a couple of shots of bar Tequila. Oh yes, I was absolutely feeling "no pain" at all. Smiles, happy and very talkative.
     
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  15. Holly Saunders

    Holly Saunders Supreme Member
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    Yes but has it served you well in the real adult world Cody?


    For example, I learned to play Cello at school, and I played in the school orchestra... but I never touched a cello after school... ( I wish I had kept it up but circs meant I couldn't) ..ergo, my point being.. apart from a bit of dramatic exits on here..( just joshin' with ya):p... has your Speech & drama been of real use to you on a regular basis throughout your adult life?
     
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