+294 School would be much more educational and entertaining if there was at least one class a day for "General Knowledge". The teacher would be more of a facilitator than an instructor and would have valuable discussions with the students about things you need to know to succeed or how the world works, and the class would also consist of healthy debates about current events. This way, the children would be prepared, aware, and more confident about voicing their opinion. amirite?

by Anonymous 11 years ago

People already do that. There's no need to make a class for it which takes away from regular school.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

the best discussions happen when they're not planned as well.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

I think a class like this would raise the intelligence level of the population as a whole. A lot of people at my school didn't even know who Osama Bin Laden was or what Guantanamo Bay is. I'm in the IB program, so it's less rampant among people in my classes, but I think it would be a good way to raise everyone's basic level of knowledge of the world. Also, this class could involve how to write a check, how to do taxes correctly, when it's acceptable to scratch your nose without people thinking you're picking it, when is it safe to walk home alone, things like that. Just basic life skills everyone should know but some people don't because of their parents' overprotectiveness or their own obliviousness.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

But I can imagine asshole parents being all like "Oh my God, that is so disrespectful to my child/religion/opinion. He/she doesn't need to have a class where they're influenced by other thoughts since the only mind-set they can have is mine."

by Anonymous 11 years ago

We had General Studies when I did my A-levels. It was compulsory, one hour a week, and what you're describing sounds a lot like what we did.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Sweet. I'm glad that there's something like this. It just seems so much more beneficial than plugging and chugging numbers through formulas.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

General studies was the biggest waste of time ever.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

We had to write an essay about one class we wanted schools to include, and I wrote about something like this, except I called it Life Class. I said it should be mandatory for seniors and it should include stuff about college too.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

This is a great idea, but you'd have a bunch of the people that dont card and would just mess around and not actually join in the conversation.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

You would definitely have some, but you'd be surprised how people connect to worthwhile conversations. I've had some great spur-of-the-moments lessons in school and everyone gets really involved.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

Anyone who has experienced general studies A Level will probably disagree with this.

by Anonymous 11 years ago