Superintendent for a Day

[Cramulus]

HYPOTHETICAL SCENARIO

Your local board of education approaches you and says, "We realize that public education is currently lacking something. And we think you know what it is."

They give you this offer:

You can choose 1 grade
and you get 1 day that you can choose ANY CURRICULUM YOU WANT. The kids have to learn whatever you think they need to learn. For one day.


You don't have a lot of time to teach life skills like "patience" or "responsibility", nor do you have time to teach them anything too complex. You've got 1 grade for 1 day.

How would you make a lasting difference in these kids lives? Or would you just send everybody to recess?

[Cain]

I will train these kids in revolutionary warfare techniques devised by Mao and the Vietcong, so they can help install me as the People's Commissar for Education.

Because one day ain't gonna cut it.

Failing that, I'd teach my pre-planned class on Theories of International Relations and Zombies.

[Doktor Howl]

12th grade, and I teach them all about the current job market.  Then I puke in the wastebasket, laugh, flip them off, and stagger down the hallway.

[AFK]

I would take over the music classes for the day.

sheet music would be tucked away.

The kids would get instruments and we would just play.  

The only instruction would be to listen to what the other kids are doing and try to make what you are doing fit in with the musical conversation.  If you can figure out how to get a noise out of something, it is an instrument.  

Everybody learns improv.  And everyone learns that your mind and your creativity and your imagination are not limited to the confines of black marks on a piece of paper.  

[Doktor Howl]

I would take over the music classes for the day.

sheet music would be tucked away.

The kids would get instruments and we would just play.  

The only instruction would be to listen to what the other kids are doing and try to make what you are doing fit in with the musical conversation.  If you can figure out how to get a noise out of something, it is an instrument.  

Everybody learns improv.  And everyone learns that your mind and your creativity and your imagination are not limited to the confines of black marks on a piece of paper.  

Just like in The Music Man!

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I'd probably pick 6th grade and teach them rape awareness.

[Cramulus]

My day would probably be something like:

This is the Internet. This is how to relate to it. This is how to protect yourself & your privacy. This is how to use search engines.

[Cuddlefish]

Not sure what grade I'd pick, exactly, but older kids definitely. And, I would teach them as much as I can about space, and the importance of space exploration.

[Doktor Howl]

My day would probably be something like:

This is the Internet. This is how to relate to it. This is how to protect yourself & your privacy. This is how to use search engines.

And they'd be like "Out of the way, old man.  We're going to Redtube!"

[Doktor Howl]

Not sure what grade I'd pick, exactly, but older kids definitely. And, I would teach them as much as I can about space, and the importance of space exploration.

Yep, nothing like having a dream to crush.

[Disco Pickle]

11th or 12th grade.

Money and Credit: Their differences and best uses.  What NOT to do with credit.  How to go about living comfortably without living beyond your means.  Compound interest and savings.  Long term investing.  Creating a cushion of a minimum 2 years wages for emergencies.  Recommended further reading.

It'd be a LONG fucking day.

[Doktor Howl]

 Creating a cushion of a minimum 2 years wages for emergencies.

It'd be a LONG fucking day.

Yeah, it would, given a mode wage of $19,200/year and an average family size of 3.5 people.   

[Cuddlefish]

Not sure what grade I'd pick, exactly, but older kids definitely. And, I would teach them as much as I can about space, and the importance of space exploration.

Yep, nothing like having a dream to crush.

This generration needs it's own version of Carl Sagan.

Really, though, we (mostly) have the technology to do some really amazing things out there. The only problem is interest. Somehow, someone has managed to convince people that this infinitely huge void filled with uncountable amounts of dangerous and amazing things that COMPLETELY SURROUNDS US is not worth the time to explore, investigate, etc..  Maybe if kids had a better idea of the Universe, and the potential benefits of exploring it, there would be more interest, and with more interest, things will actually get done. This is actually a pretty good time to be alive for this sort of thing. The prospect of space exploration is garnering itself some political support, and the technology of today is better suited to tackling the tougher aspects of space exploration. Things like carbn nano-tubes (for use on the space elevator) and ion plasma engines (helpful for covering HUGE distances of space. Mars in less than a few months. I'd totally jump on that ride) and even simple re-designing of a space-suit that doesn't make you look like like and have the range of motion as the michelin man.

[Disco Pickle]

 Creating a cushion of a minimum 2 years wages for emergencies.

It'd be a LONG fucking day.

Yeah, it would, given a mode wage of $19,200/year and an average family size of 3.5 people.   

Too young to have families yet, hopefully, and young enough to still be living at home for a few more years so with parental guidance and a little discipline, they'd get a much better start than they'd otherwise get.

[Doktor Howl]

 Creating a cushion of a minimum 2 years wages for emergencies.

It'd be a LONG fucking day.

Yeah, it would, given a mode wage of $19,200/year and an average family size of 3.5 people.   

Too young to have families yet, hopefully, and young enough to still be living at home for a few more years so with parental guidance and a little discipline, they'd get a much better start than they'd otherwise get.

And when they DO have kids, that cushion will evaporate like a snowflake in Tucson, on account of the "found money" rule.