Kids acting GROWN??

[Miranda_]

Not to mention the fact that what they do isn't and never will be dating; not least cuz they don't really go out anywhere. Also, boys aren't mature enough to date at age 10, no matter what the girl thinks. I really don't see why children can't just enjoy being children; being an adult is nowhere near as much fun and in any case, adults are mature enough to deal with things like sex and relationships; children are not, no matter how much they may think they are.

[ShinoMegami]

A lot of adults are too immature to handle these things. My ex bro in law is one that comes to mind.

But honestly it really bothers me when parents try and put the blame for the behaviour of their children on something else. 'it's the media' 'it's peer preasure' etc. It's just a cop out. Parents are supposed to guide and teach. I know that I'm not super model material, but my parents taught me that there was more to being beautiful than being skinny and wearing makeup and having millions of people look at you. I never looked to television for my values (that really drives me nuts all this 'edutainment') nor did I have only video games to assist in my learning (cause it doesn't work with out parental help, well not for my nephew any way. Of course if he doesn't recognize words at school he isn't magically going to know them if you get him a video game that is supposed to help with reading skills, cause HELLO that basic skill isn't there!)

So umm....yeah I kinda wondered off topic there......

[TheHayleyDoll]

Actually, video games like "Reader Rabbit" really helped me a lot when I was younger. I'm actually pretty smart, I just don't like to show it off. Why use big words that no one understands and you'll have to explain anyway? xD

Anyway, I think it's almost the fact that people are starting to have children when they aren't ready and then have no clue how to raise them. I think if more people were to be having safe sex, it might downsize this issue a tiny bit.

[ShinoMegami]

Originally Posted by TheHayleyDoll

Actually, video games like "Reader Rabbit" really helped me a lot when I was younger.

Definatelly! But did it teach you your fundamental skills or did a parent? That what I don't like about a lot of these new edutainment games/shows (and the parents utilizing them) is if you sit your kid in front of them they will magically learn with no parental help. I do not deny that they can help strengthen and increase a child's skill and knowledge but without something to build on it is useless.

[TheHayleyDoll]

I'm not really sure, I was intelligent as long as I can remember. Like when I was really little, I had memorized the names of all the kids on Barney and knew the lyrics to all the songs - even if I didn't know what certain words meant. xD

And I went to preschool, so I learnt almost all my skills there.

[ShinoMegami]

Most kids can memorise things. My nephew gets these sight word books (they are stories with words that kids should know on sight by 1st grade) and he can read them... well actually he has memorized them because if you ask him the same words but not in the book he doesn't know them. Apparently that is the same with a lot of kids in his class.

[Silent_Wolf]

Now that's just disgraceful. A kid needs to learn the words, not memorize! I was crap at reading too, but my problem wasn't with learning it; it was how I spoke, I couldn't pronounce my S's or Z's perfectly so I got lopped into a remedial reading program three times a week and got stuck in speech therapy.

[Miranda_]

In primary school, I was fine at first; I was allowed to read my book after I'd done the work before all the other kids in the class. Then I got this teacher who tried to force me to work at the same pace as all the other kids, which was impossible. -.- My parents just taught me at home instead; not official teaching, just got me books on subjects I was interested in and encouraged me to look stuff up.

[Elanorea]

Yeah, I think today's schools focus too much on memorising things. I've had to memorise all the countries in the world and their capitals, Hamlet's soliloquy, loads of dates and years, but I think it's really quite pointless. I mean, even if I know the name of Kyrgyzstan's capital and can recite Hamlet's soliloquy, how useful will it be to me in most situations?
It should be more about communication skills and things like that, not just memorising facts. I'm good at memorising things if I put my mind to it, but I'm not good at much else, and while I can't blame the school system entirely for that, I think I'd be better off if I had been taught differently.

Also, Silent_Wolf, I know how you feel XD. I couldn't pronounce the letter R as a kid, and none of the speech therapy things helped (not that I went to many), so I didn't learn to pronounce it quickly until... second grade, I think.

[Silent_Wolf]

Originally Posted by Miranda_

In primary school, I was fine at first; I was allowed to read my book after I'd done the work before all the other kids in the class. Then I got this teacher who tried to force me to work at the same pace as all the other kids, which was impossible. -.- My parents just taught me at home instead; not official teaching, just got me books on subjects I was interested in and encouraged me to look stuff up.

I can't count how many teachers I've had that did the same thing to me. They were always annoyed with me for getting my work done so fast; I even had a teacher grade me low because of it because she simply couldn't be bothered to check if it was right because she was too busy talking to another teacher who was SUPPOSED to be teaching her own class.

Some teachers are just really stupid.
-

I think history needs to be lopped entirely; I get it, learn history so bad things don't repeat, but come on! After middle school it's pretty darn unnecessary, what're you gonna use it for? Amazing your friends with your incredible knowledge of boring Roman farming facts? More like put them to sleep. You learn the same things over and OVER and it gets monotonous enough that you can do the tests in minutes because you've had it all just pounded into your head for over a decade. Literary history I don't mind, but literal history: It really gets boring, always about WAR and misery and how no empire stayed standing, blah blah blah...

WOAH, off subject.