Teaching economics in schools.

[BlueJay28]

Sounds like a good idea right ?
Nope !

When you're talking about economics, you're talking politics...

And then you invite a battle of whose economic ideas.
Just as many Ronald Reagan and Milton Friedman wannabes have a Doctorate degree in economics, as does little Kim Jong ils and Stalinists and Maoists.

It becomes a political re-education camp.

More goes into a public school, than what meets the eye at first glance.

So forget it.

Ideas like these about how to run a school program, are also partly the reason why the education in Arkansas sucks so bad.

The fact of the matter is, these kids are NOT 18, and CANNOT tell their parents "no"... and they ARE a captive audience, and they DO NOT get a choice as to what they want to hear or what they agree with, they DO NOT a vote.. they HAVE NO RIGHTS... none whatsoever when it comes to politics and economics.

And the public school system, like any part of the Government, is subject to who is IN office, determined by the ADULT voters who already have their minds made up.

They do not have freedom, and because they are so young, they lack experience, and the cognitive skills to make up their own minds as to what they believe.

Kids believe in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny... because they are told.

Politics and economics is for people who can make up their own minds.



All of which makes that "class" unfair for the kids.



And even when they're 16 and can make up their minds a little bit... they STILL have to live with their parents....
Parents who have the power of ECONOMICS (if nothing else).... to make their last days as a minor, painful.


That's why the School system for minors is the way it is, with the subjects being limited to English or "Language arts", Math, Science, History, Social Studies, and Art.

So that there is no possible divide, while the kids get what they need.

Its not college where the ADULT student gets a choice, and with the ADULT student being independent of their parents.

 

[Missouri_Mike]

You came up with this after assaulting pro-life demonstrators. Just how long is this drinking binge going to go on?

 

[regent]

There are electives in most high schools, students can pick economics or other courses if offered.

 

[BlueJay28]

There are electives in most high schools, students can pick economics or other courses if offered.

They're actually talking about elementary school.
Even in high school, its a sketchy subject because the parents have the voting authority and the enrollment authority.

 

[BlueJay28]

You came up with this after assaulting pro-life demonstrators. Just how long is this drinking binge going to go on?

I didn't assault anybody, I stopped them from blocking the door.

 

[mgh80]

Economics is a requirement for graduation at my (public) high school. Just saiyng.

 

[DGS49]

Obviously, Master BlueJay28 has an axe to grind and I'm not sure what he is driving at, but it is entirely appropriate for school kids to be taught some rudimentary concepts of economics, because

1. the general public is so ignorant of economics,
2. many public debate topics require a rudimentary understanding of economics to understand them, and
3. people who don't understand basic economics can be taken advantage of quite easily.

But it is ironic to the point of absurdity to expect a teacher who is a member of a public-sector union to explain rudimentary economics to an unsophisticated child.

Just for conversation sake, a high school senior should be,

• able to UNDERSTAND the arguments for abolishing the government mandated Minimum Wage (even if s/he disagrees with those arguments),
• able to UNDERSTAND why gasoline prices fluctuate, and UNDERSTAND why blaming it on "greedy oil companies" is ridiculous,
• able to UNDERSTAND why higher taxes do not necessarily result in higher revenues going into the government,
• able to UNDERSTAND that the government has no money, and everything government spends has to come out of someone's pocket, and
• able to UNDERSTAND that even though government contracts (e.g., building a new road) create JOBS, they don't create any WEALTH.

Just sayin'...

 

[BlueJay28]

Obviously, Master BlueJay28 has an axe to grind and I'm not sure what he is driving at, but it is entirely appropriate for school kids to be taught some rudimentary concepts of economics, because

1. the general public is so ignorant of economics,
2. many public debate topics require a rudimentary understanding of economics to understand them, and
3. people who don't understand basic economics can be taken advantage of quite easily.

But it is ironic to the point of absurdity to expect a teacher who is a member of a public-sector union to explain rudimentary economics to an unsophisticated child.

Just for conversation sake, a high school senior should be,

• able to UNDERSTAND the arguments for abolishing the government mandated Minimum Wage (even if s/he disagrees with those arguments),
• able to UNDERSTAND why gasoline prices fluctuate, and UNDERSTAND why blaming it on "greedy oil companies" is ridiculous,
• able to UNDERSTAND why higher taxes do not necessarily result in higher revenues going into the government,
• able to UNDERSTAND that the government has no money, and everything government spends has to come out of someone's pocket, and
• able to UNDERSTAND that even though government contracts (e.g., building a new road) create JOBS, they don't create any WEALTH.

Just sayin'...

No school subject should be an ideology.
No school subject should require you to understand that your labor is worthless unless you're a Chinese slave.

No decent economist would agree that lower taxes means more from the government being available, nor should any school program teach people not to ask for help.

And no economist would agree that lower revenues are a good thing.


No economist would tell you that wealth gained by working for the government is any less being wealth... than working for the private sector..

So your idea is definitely not working.

so fuck you.

 

[Care4all]

economics can be taught in high school, both sides of different theories need to be taught. It doesn't have to be one sided, or 2 sided, it could be more... why not?

 

[mgh80]

economics can be taught in high school, both sides of different theories need to be taught. It doesn't have to be one sided, or 2 sided, it could be more... why not?

Based on my students from last year (I taught seniors) it seemed like in economics they taught them the basics. Supply/demand curves, t-charts, etc. They also taught them about the different types of systems...for the paranoid that includes Laissez Faire. But that's French! It must be some Commie BS!

 

[Care4all]

economics can be taught in high school, both sides of different theories need to be taught. It doesn't have to be one sided, or 2 sided, it could be more... why not?

Based on my students from last year (I taught seniors) it seemed like in economics they taught them the basics. Supply/demand curves, t-charts, etc. They also taught them about the different types of systems...for the paranoid that includes Laissez Faire. But that's French! It must be some Commie BS!

good to know!

 

[DGS49]

Exhibit A: BlueJay28.

Thank you for proving my point about the dangers of being economically illiterate.

Unfortunately the lesson will be completely lost on you.

 

[Jomama]

Marco-Economics will ALWAYS be political. That;s what it is.

Micro still faces issues like sustainable economic development which I believe is a conservative issue (conserve).

Personally I think more (some) time should be spent on the uniform commercial code which seeks to establish the rules or morality of commerce. It's a wholly neglected but endlessly fascinating topic, far deeper than politics.

 

[mgh80]

Sounds like a good idea right ?
Nope !

When you're talking about economics, you're talking politics...

And then you invite a battle of whose economic ideas.
Just as many Ronald Reagan and Milton Friedman wannabes have a Doctorate degree in economics, as does little Kim Jong ils and Stalinists and Maoists.

It becomes a political re-education camp.

More goes into a public school, than what meets the eye at first glance.

So forget it.

Ideas like these about how to run a school program, are also partly the reason why the education in Arkansas sucks so bad.

The fact of the matter is, these kids are NOT 18, and CANNOT tell their parents "no"... and they ARE a captive audience, and they DO NOT get a choice as to what they want to hear or what they agree with, they DO NOT a vote.. they HAVE NO RIGHTS... none whatsoever when it comes to politics and economics.

And the public school system, like any part of the Government, is subject to who is IN office, determined by the ADULT voters who already have their minds made up.

They do not have freedom, and because they are so young, they lack experience, and the cognitive skills to make up their own minds as to what they believe.

Kids believe in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny... because they are told.

Politics and economics is for people who can make up their own minds.



All of which makes that "class" unfair for the kids.



And even when they're 16 and can make up their minds a little bit... they STILL have to live with their parents....
Parents who have the power of ECONOMICS (if nothing else).... to make their last days as a minor, painful.


That's why the School system for minors is the way it is, with the subjects being limited to English or "Language arts", Math, Science, History, Social Studies, and Art.

So that there is no possible divide, while the kids get what they need.

Its not college where the ADULT student gets a choice, and with the ADULT student being independent of their parents.

Two things here:

-First of all economics IS a core class in my district
-Students take it their senior year, meaning that most of them are 18 or about to turn 18
-18 year olds ARE adults
-16 year olds (at least in my state) are allowed to drop out-they don't have to be in school
-They do NOT teach which economic systems are better. They teach how they operate, and students make up their minds.
-They DO teach basic principals of all economic systems (supply/demand curve is a great example)

Where do you get your information from? Is it just a hypothesis?

 

[regent]

An economics course I think should have been required as part of our defenses during the Cold War was some type of comparative econ course. We went through the Cold War with few people understanding communism and because of that, the word became a political label that some attached to anything they disliked. But had we required a course on communism, can you imagine the political fall out: "schools teaching our kids communism."

 

[psikeyhackr]

It is so funny that they teach economics without requiring accounting first.

But if accounting was mandatory for everyone in the schools wouldn't that eventually affect economics. Capitalism and Communism depend on the workers being dummies.

Economic Wargames How the economic model is unsustainable and enslaving.

psik

 

[Unkotare]

It is so funny that they teach economics without requiring accounting first.

But if accounting was mandatory for everyone in the schools wouldn't that eventually affect economics. Capitalism and Communism depend on the workers being dummies.

Economic Wargames How the economic model is unsustainable and enslaving.

psik

Yeah, yeah...and you read science fiction books when you were a schoolboy... After the first 8000 times I think we got it, BR.

 

[Unkotare]

Today, some of my freshmen students were choosing electives for next year. More than a few (with some encouragement) chose Introduction to Business or Basic Economics.

 

[psikeyhackr]

Yeah, yeah...and you read science fiction books when you were a schoolboy... After the first 8000 times I think we got it, BR.

I thought this thread was about economics.

 

[HenryBHough]

Would be satisfying if public schools were, in an Economics class, to succeed at teaching just a few basics.

1. How to make change. Useful when the power is turned off to save the planet from the threat-du-jour.

2. Understand that to write checks you must first deposit money in a checking account.

3. Comprehend that credit card debt sooner or later has to be paid.

Hell, 2 out of 3 would be a major achievement.....