What do your remember learning in high school?

Question

Again this question is for anti-homeschool people who are pro public school and graduated from public school.
We homeschool and graduated from public school. We are amazed at the things we did not learn in public school. We are learning them now as we teach.

Answer 1

I attended public school for 13 years from the age of 4 to 17. In fact, I'd never even heard of homeschooling until four years after I graduated from high school.

I can honestly say I have learned more since I left school, on my own.

History, math, science, geography, philosophy, world religions, sociology, politics.. these are all things that I have discovered an interest in *since* high school. My thirst for these topics was not awakened before then because either the class was not available in school, or the material was taught with such a lack of enthusiasm, I assumed the subject was as dull as the teacher.

About two weeks ago, an anti-homeschool person here asked if the average homeshool student knew how to do a particular problem in trigonometry, because it was that kind of knowledge that was a requirement in public high school....

Well, I am sure there are homeschooled kids who *can* do trigonometry. But guess what? I somehow managed to graduate from a public high school, attend a college, and function as a part of society without *ever* stepping foot in a trig class. In fact, I never even passed algebra! lol

Of course, my son is learning algebra now, and I am learning it right along with him, with the help of my math-wiz husband. It's amazing how easy this stuff is the second time around.. especially with the help of a *good* teacher!

I realize I did not answer your question yet :p What did I learn? I learned that if you cut 1/2 of your classes senior year, when you pick up your final grades for one of those classes you rarely attended, you might get a B in that class. And when, in astonishment, you ask the teacher (whose name you don't even remember) why he gave you a B instead of an F, he might just say, "If you'd actually come to class, you'd have had an A." Sheesh. True story btw. Quotas and moving the kids along like cattle to be good earners and spenders is more important than giving them an actual education.. that's what I learned.

Answer 2

I remember learning actually very little. While looking at some chemistry stuff now, some of it is "Oh yeah, I kind of remember that", but I really have to relearn it to still be able to do it. I know I didn't learn how to write an essay because I got to college and did really poorly on my first English essay. A lot of us did and he went through how to actually write an essay. I did very well on essays after that. I pretty much only have a vague memory of some history from one year (French revolution) but don't recall having done ANYTHING else. Math I actually retained fairly well; but I'm quite good at math so whatever I don't remember or is new isn't a problem to learn. I have to say, though, that I don't really remember by gr. 11 math class other than talking before class. I remember a few more things from physics class, but I probably wouldn't do well if I were given my grade 12 final today.

There is a lot we are learning in our homeschooling that I know we didn't do in school--ancient history, for one, and a lot of Canadian history. While the schools here are finally including more Canadian history, that's only been in the past two years! And other than the Greeks and a brief unit on Egypt, they don't cover ancient history at all.

Answer 3

I remember a few things, but I think HS is a great time to learn social skills and how to start acting like an adult. I mean you are there to learn, but college is NOTHING like high school so I think it's a time for kids to accept a little more responsibility for their actions and learn a little more about the real world.

Answer 4

I'm not pro or anti any format of schooling, but I was in public high schools, and what I remember are:

1) unnecessary classes, and having no say in what courses I could take, especially things that were meaningless to me (both then and now) like 'Chemistry' and

2) Cliques. An unmistakable reality of high school, and to a degree in the workplace (depending on where you end up working, I suppose.)

I would have preferred to be homeschooled, but that's just me.

Answer 5

Not much of anything vital or important.

I learned plastics in Middle School, that was very important as I learned to work with Ethyline DiChloride which helped me later in life.

I did learn how to use the automatic dishwasher in the lunch room as I was a worker there and that saved my rear in the Army as I was the only one who knew how to work that on KP so I got a good job.

I learned how to thread and use the 16mm projector (sound Bell and Howel and Victor).

I learned a little bit of vocabulary and grammar points in English.

Drivers Ed was useful

I didn't really learn a lot in either Middle or High School or College

My mother taught me touch typing at the age of 6. How to work a 10 key adder and the IBM Card Punch and Interpreter at the age of 9 or 10

Had a chemistry set and microscope at the age of 9 or 10

Had weather forcasting equipment at the age of 10 or 11

I was working with tape recorders at the age of 11, 8mm movie equipment doing dissoves,fades, superimposed titles.

I got into astronomy at the age of 11.

Went to electronics school at the age of 12 where we had equipment the blew high school away. I mean color dot and bar generators, VTVMs, VOMs,Ossiloscope. I learned all about radio and television and color TV (of course all tube theory) from engineers at Admiral in Chicago

I learned Spanish in the 5th grade at private school which got me through Spanish 1 in High School

I learned b&w photography and darkroom at the age of13 and had my own enlarger by 14.

There were no computers then.

I absorbed a little Alegbra but didn't do well and don't understand it.

So except for Plastics in Junior High I didn't learn much I didn't already know

I was a published author in Sky and Telescope by 16 years old

I learned a little about Sheet Film in High School Photography and how to use a 4x6 View Camera

I was introduced to a wider spectrum of things in college Some of my Theater ARts courses. Some of my History Courses

Answer 6

I remember every thing I was taught in public school. But the best lesson I learned that was not in a class room and it was soooo much fun while it lasted, "How to play hooky without getting caught". Of course we always had make up work to do the next day. But a day off was soooo coooool. I never told my kids this when they were going to school. But, as far as I know, they didn't play the hooky game..... uh.... that I know of. They're grown now.

Answer 7

I have learned so very much since high school, that period of my life is a little blurry. I do not remember learning anything, although I know that I did because I got above average grades.

Answer 8

I didn't learn much of anything useful in high school. My high school sucked. I learned alot more when began attending college in my early 30's. Stuff I would have like to have learned was how the real world works!!!

Answer 9

Well I remember learing how to cut class, drink cheap beer and cheat on my homework. Also, I learned that 6 guys can lift a VW bug up on a sidewalk. You can add powdered laundry soap to the pool to make it really clean and bubbley .
And most important, I learned how to put rocks in peoples hubcaps..those were the days

Answer 10

When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school
it's a wonder I can think at all.

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Seriously though, I agree. I had a similar experience of public education...some great teachers, but no coherent, organized curriculum. world history was almost entirely ignored, and the standards in general were fairly low.