"What's the difference between a bright, inquisitive
five-year-old, and a dull, stupid nineteen-year-old?
Fourteen years of the British educational system."
by:
Bertrand Russell
[Bertrand Arthur William Russell] (1872-1970) Philosopher, educator
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If schools taught only the truth or the press printed only the truth, our worthless money would become useless paper. The same result if judges never denied justice. DW
 -- Anonymous     
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    The same holds true for this country because parents have been taught in the same system that teaches government is responsible for you so you no longer need to be responsible for yourself.
     -- Anon     
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    Come on Bertrand, most people get blase with age. No one knows blase like the French do. If you really wish to experience blase keep kids at home and home school them by their neanderthal parents like Archer on this site.
     -- Waffler, Smith, Arkansas     
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    Substitute the word British in the quote with United States and it would pretty well describe our public school system.
     -- jim k, austin     
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    and TV... and peers (some of whom have poor parents)... there are many experiences they have had in those 14 years besides school... and many blossom during those 14 years... the obvious & clearly intended implications of cause & effect here are bogus.
     -- Anonymous, Reston, VA US     
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    I love Russell, but that's him trying to be Oscar
     -- RBESRQ     
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    ;-) That has been my experience. Waffler demonstrates his narrow-mindedness and arrogance. Since he has admitted he was merely a C+ student in school, I suggest he perhaps take a position of humility. My pre-college children are absolutely brighter and more inquisitive than Waffler, and I am damn sure glad they didn't go to the same kind of school as he did.
     -- E Archer, NYC     
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    Why not Archer? you can be President with a 'C' and proud of it! It's not what you know in life its how you handle what you know that counts.
     -- RBESRQ     
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    LOL, RBE! Yes, Bush was a proud 'C' president -- is that who you are talking about? Don't tell me -- you were told in school that one day even YOU could become president, right? Yeah, OK, well we haven't had a smart, intelligent president that wasn't bought and paid for for a LONG time. I agree, it's not what you know, it's who you know that makes politicians -- besides being pugnacious, arrogant, and full of shit. Why is it all you government-schooled guys love politicians and government programs so much? Too funny -- seeing through one's own mental conditioning is not easy. These guys are LIARS!!! And they do not care one iota about you. There's your compassion for you, RBE. Waffler for President!
     -- E Archer, NYC     
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    Archer, actually, I went to a private school but my heart is with the kids from state schools. I was deputy head boy, captain of a number of teams, 2xBA's, writer/producer of advertising commercials, had my own film company - there you are, now you know a little more about me.
     -- RBESRQ     
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    You don't sound like a C student to me, RBE. ;-) I understand your compassion for those that didn't have the opportunities you had -- I share it, when I was bored stiff in public school, I felt sorry for all of us who had to sit through BS all day -- it was as if they were deliberately trying to get us to give up hope. Being a smart kid is a black spot against you in a public school -- that is socialization for you.
     -- E Archer, NYC     
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    Sounds like the USA. I happened to have a Montessori (international) school K-8 (when my first children were very young) and worked closely with friends (Doctors for Waffler) that had a school for brain damaged, retarded, etc. children. Public schools only use left brain techniques for teaching. There are many other curriculum and methods of teaching that allow more students to learn more, and joyfully keep ahead of the stupid, blase, and boring. Its not just the direct propaganda, what is subliminally poured in, what's intentionally left in/out, or currently politically correct, it is the entire prejudiced narrowness of focus that makes the stupid nineteen-year-old.
     -- Mike, Norwalk     
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    14 years school plus puberty...
     -- JBP, Florida     
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     -- Anonymous      
    LOL, Bertrand's applied logic is/was found to be absurd. perhaps resulting in the current situation the UK finds itself in. Moreover spy rings within the UN due to his effort caused more harm in the Vietnam policing than was needed. 
     -- Ronw13, OR     
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    Our children started out with Montessori schools, and the programs are awesome.  It is a superior education method that lets the child progress at their own pace, with older students coaching them along the way.  Grading is done differently — a subject is 'introduced' and complete once it is 'mastered.'  Students are taught in Kindergarten cursive handwriting in a handheld sandbox.  All the schools materials are hand-made by parents, teachers and students alike.  It was a good model for when we homeschooled the children and later started a little school with other parents.  Once multiple families were involved, it got a little messy, but it was ours, and we ALL learned a great deal.  You will never get 100% consensus of opinion, even with good and honorable people.  We are all very different in interests, abilities, purpose, yet we all live and work together.  Making that work is what it is all about.
     -- E Archer, NYC     
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