Cash Rewards for Good Grades?

[garbon]

Why would your American child need to know a foreign language?

why does one need history or philosophy at all?

I was talking in Ide's scenario where he will punish his child doing well in history. Seems the utility of a foreign language would also be low in such a setup. Better those efforts were channeled elsewhere given the marginal benefit.

[Ideologue]

I didn't say I would punish him--or, hopefully, her, insofar as I'd do my best to never have a male child.  If she were interested in history/literature at the expense of her economically viable studies, I'd be a bad parent if I didn't try to reach her and try to understand what her troubles were.

Re: foreign language, foreign language skills are always a plus factor.  She'd be learning Mandarin, Portuguese, Hindi, and/or Arabic.

[CountDeMoney]

But in the end, I won and showed them all--demanding parents and all those fascist teachers--by doing exactly jack shit and not amounting to anything in life. 

My friend, this is bullshit of a high order; a life can be redeemed by just one right act, though you might not realise it at the time; some of the people who peddle the 'amounting to something in life' are cowards, who lack the imagination to do anything out of the norm, the norm set by similar dullards who went before them.

Luckily, the great thing about being over 40 is that all the how-come-you're-not-a-real-professional-like-a-doctor-or-lawyer-you're-not-even-a-father stuff pretty much stops in your mid-30s.   It's smooth sailing from here on out.

[Ideologue]

Mongers is a good egg.  He tried to mail me a movie once.  It got eaten by customs or something, but he's made something of his life, in my book.

[Sheilbh]

Yes for GCSEs and AS-levels. Gave me some money when I did my A-levels too, towards travelling 

[Ideologue]

Btw, garbon, serious question--where would the effort be better channeled?  More math?

[garbon]

Btw, garbon, serious question--where would the effort be better channeled?  More math?

Accepting your rules, and typical school subjects, sure. That or more science. I don't think those language skills would show themselves to be more useful unless you want your child to move to one of those places.

Now, of course that isn't a position I actually hold in our real world. But then I also wouldn't reject excellence in history or literature, particularly not when they are mandated parts of school curricula.

edit:Actually perhaps more business classes. My school was pretty shitty but we had a lot of classes on computer applications.

[Ideologue]

I want her to be able to do engineering and business deals with foreigners.

[garbon]

I want her to be able to do engineering and business deals with foreigners.

Why should she do that if she can just get others to handle it for her? Besides, at least for the Hindi piece, wouldn't she be better off conducting the deal in English?

[Ideologue]

She's not being born into the Malthus Family, at best she'll be the one someone else will get to that for them.

[Ideologue]

Also I'm very surprised no one seized on my sex-selective abortion allusion.  You're a jaded lot.

[CountDeMoney]

Also I'm very surprised no one seized on my sex-selective abortion allusion.  You're a jaded lot.

We need your educated and professionally-driven daughter to cancel out derfetus' traditional-gender-roles, stay-at-home daughter at the polls.

[MadImmortalMan]

I'd give students a year of credits just if they went and lived in Japan or China or someplace for a year. Even if they did no classes during that time.

[garbon]

She's not being born into the Malthus Family, at best she'll be the one someone else will get to that for them.

I'd hope unlike you that she'd reach for the stars.

[garbon]

I'd give students a year of credits just if they went and lived in Japan or China or someplace for a year. Even if they did no classes during that time.

That seems...odd.