Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Just been watching the news item about history education in state schools. They are rethinking the list and deciding which personalities have to be included and which excluded in history lessons. A few which I picked up are:

Albert Einstein is OUT
Florence Nightingale is OUT
Marie Curie is OUT
President Clinton is OUT
Neil Armstrong is OUT



Oprah Winfrey is IN
Steve Jobs is IN
Michael Dell is IN

There is some hope; the above are some of those who made / didn't make the final vote list and will be voted upon next week. Perhaps the exclusion of George Washington might just be reversed but with him being being a local yokel it seems likely that the Texas school board will keep Dell in the list.

Local comment was that kids will have to be taught by their parents if they are to know any worthwhile history. It's a bit like our kids having to know the layout of major football stadii as their Geography rather than where Europe is.

Who are Steve Jobs and Michael Dell? Obviously I didn't have a good enough education at CH!

Absolutely rediculous. No wonder our Hedukashon Cysterm is going to the dogs.

Incidently, I popped into one of my local hostlerys yesterday lunchtime for a swifty.

'The Spotted Dog' in Dorking's South Street is almost opposite our towns War Memorial. There was a group of primary/infants school children with their teachers, examining the wreaths and crosses, including the cross I planted for my late uncle.

Now THAT is what education SHOULD be about.

J.R. wrote:Absolutely rediculous. No wonder our Hedukashon Cysterm is going to the dogs.

Incidently, I popped into one of my local hostlerys yesterday lunchtime for a swifty.

'The Spotted Dog' in Dorking's South Street is almost opposite our towns War Memorial. There was a group of primary/infants school children with their teachers, examining the wreaths and crosses, including the cross I planted for my late uncle.

Now THAT is what education SHOULD be about.

Incidently, I popped into one of my local hostlerys yesterday lunchtime for a swifty.

Incidentally, I popped into one of my local hostelries at lunchtime yesterday....

englishangel wrote:

J.R. wrote: Incidently, I popped into one of my local hostlerys yesterday lunchtime for a swifty.

Now THAT is what education SHOULD be about.

Incidentally, I popped into one of my local hostelries at lunchtime yesterday....

I'm glad you didn't try to translate "Swifty" into ideomatic English or Madame Moderator might have taken her deletion pen out!

sejintenej wrote:

englishangel wrote:

J.R. wrote: Incidently, I popped into one of my local hostlerys yesterday lunchtime for a swifty.

Now THAT is what education SHOULD be about.

Incidentally, I popped into one of my local hostelries at lunchtime yesterday....

I'm glad you didn't try to translate "Swifty" into ideomatic English or Madame Moderator might have taken her deletion pen out!

Swifty IS idiomatic. But if you can understand it I don't care. How many different ways did Shakespeare spell his own name?

Fjgrogan wrote:Who are Steve Jobs and Michael Dell? Obviously I didn't have a good enough education at CH!

They're businessmen. Steve Jobs founded Apple. Michael Dell also started a computer company. You can probably guess which one.

They're significant in the (recent) history of computing. But they're still active, so their real legacy remains to be seen.

Then again, I've no idea what news story this is referring to. A quick Google search turns up nothing. The OP mentions Texas, so perhaps there's something going on down there.

matthew wrote: Then again, I've no idea what news story this is referring to. A quick Google search turns up nothing. The OP mentions Texas, so perhaps there's something going on down there.

Probably looking in the drain for GB's brain.

matthew wrote: They're significant in the (recent) history of computing. But they're still active, so their real legacy remains to be seen.

Then again, I've no idea what news story this is referring to. A quick Google search turns up nothing. The OP mentions Texas, so perhaps there's something going on down there.

I wrote

with him being being a local yokel it seems likely that the Texas school board will keep Dell in the list.

So it has to be an American story! Yes it is Texas State and the story was in the middle of an American News channel on Sky yesterday at (our) lunchtime. There were many other equally important exclusions from the old list - those given were the ones I picked up when I realised exactly how stupid the situation is. Given that it is not April 1st any longer I have to assume it is a real story; reading about local machinations via Google I guess that this is the tip of the iceberg

Looking it up I remember that Chavez is also now "in" the list

I suggest when you have time that you google "texas school board" (leave out the ""). The first story that I came up with is that the Chairman wants to exclude the theory of evolution from what can be taught because the earth was created only 10,000 years ago. (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123777413372910705.html)
It then goes downhill; these are the people who consider that they should lead the world (because, as one Texas blog contributor writes "God made the United States")!

Now I am curious - if Jobs and Dell are considered important enough to keep in, was Bill Gates mentioned?

Fjgrogan wrote:Now I am curious - if Jobs and Dell are considered important enough to keep in, was Bill Gates mentioned?

Not sure; as explained in my edit to my latest reply I only started picking things up in detail when I realised the enormity of what is proposed. The vote is said to be next week so we'll see.
I agree that he would be a logical inclusion but after googling I see how silly the situation is becoming so he might be considered not sufficiently left wing (in which case why are Dell and Jobs there?)

I hate to be pedantic, but as this thread is about learning I feel obliged to point out that the plural of stadium is stadia, not stadii. Ta!

If referring to a classical stadium, i.e. a semi-circular running track then the plural is stadia.
If referring to a modern-day multi-event stadium, then the plural is stadiums.

Generally though both forms of the plural are acceptable.

Just thought you would like to know.

Fjgrogan wrote:Who are Steve Jobs and Michael Dell? Obviously I didn't have a good enough education at CH!

I hesitate to point out -- fjgrogan ---on the basis of Good Manners--- That the afore- mentioned were probably children, when Thee an'Mee were at CH ( Actually not Born in my case !)

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:

Fjgrogan wrote:Who are Steve Jobs and Michael Dell? Obviously I didn't have a good enough education at CH!

I hesitate to point out -- fjgrogan ---on the basis of Good Manners--- That the afore- mentioned were probably children, when Thee an'Mee were at CH ( Actually not Born in my case !)

True but I think it is a fair bet that nobody mentioned Ada, Lady Lovelace to her as being the first computer programmer. She was the daughter of the poet Byron and died in 1852. A computer language is named after her.

It is also a fair bet that Alan Turing (died 1954) also remained unmentioned (possibly because of the predelictions of the staff at Hertford)

I'll bet also that neither of them will get mentioned in the Lone Star state school curriculum; they were British!!!!!!!!!