F-Body Europe

Just on the news ...

For those who are not into german politics and stuff ... politicians are complaining because too many young people can't get an apprenticeship anywhere, and they plan to introduce a "fee" for companies that don't have enough apprentices ...

Well, they had some examples on the news - for example the Berlin trash disposal (!) was looking for 70some new apprentices and had around 3500 people interested ... should be enough you would say... out of them, only 97 (!) passed the tests they gave!!! up to 20% of the juveniles finishing school aren't smart enough to even make it with an apprenticeship ...

D@mn, people are getting so stupid ...

Over here??? That doesn't sound right...

That's probably just another feeble attempt by the media at making people sound dumb, because they know people want to listen to that kind of "garbage"! It's all for the ratings.... People tend to find comfort in others' flaws.

Sorry, but how do you explain all those "reality" shows, talkshows, etc. that are on german TV? If there weren't enough stupid people around to watch them, they wouldn't air ... and I've seen what kind of "smart people" have applied for jobs/apprenticeship at our place, I don't think the news are making that up ...

Everyone has to start somewhere, and some people just need more guidance than others. All it takes is someone to show them the ropes. People keep saying the same thing every generation, "kids nowadays aren't like they were when I was growing up"! Give me a break!

Guidance - that's the problem (it seems) ... parents complain that schools don't guide their children good enough - but they themselves don't care sh*t about their children ... oh well ...

I've learned that it's pretty much up to the individual, as to whether or not they are successful. Nobody is going to take care of you, except YOU!

It's true that you gotta take care of you but some parents really should play more of a guidance role for their kids rather than say the schools should or the T.V. or something else I mean you gotta take care of family as well as yourself

You're right, but parents can only do so much! They really can't make their children learn, no matter how hard they try! That is simply up to the children!

Jack, I hate to disagree with you, but parents can make their kids learn. Just not in the way you are thinking about making them do something. The problem is that parents start trying to make them learn too late. You can't wait until they are in school and you don't try to force them to do it. It is all in how you train them from a very early age, before their first birthday. If you make learning fun at that age they learn to enjoy learning. One of the best ways to do that is to start reading to them regularly, like daily, by the time they are 6 months old and continue to do so until they can read for themselves. Then you get them to read to you. The other thing you have to do is to start teaching them that there are standards of acceptable behavior from the day they are born. If you do that, you won't eliminate all the problems, but you will eliminate most of them. Just food for thought.

Also, don't forget the probably most important teaching you can do - by example ...

I hate to aruge with you, Jerry, but my father tried that! He lived with my mom until I was about 7, until they got divorced. He is an extremely smart man, and wanted to be a physicist. The only thing that kept him from becoming one was his decision to pursue something more 'in demand'. That is why he became a computer programmer. He has worked for NASA and Lockheed Martin. Anyway, the point is, it might work at an early age, but once a person is old enough to decide what they want to learn and not learn, things change. In elementary school, I was so smart that I had to go to Florida State University a few times a week, so they could try to study the way I was learning so fast. I would sit in a classroom, and they would like ask me questions and crazy crap like that. I don't know what happened, but I wish I would have not been able to determine what I wanted to learn. It is highly unlikely that I would be in the Army today if I hadn't!

You all forget something:
Different people have different talents.

Known fact is, people with high IQ's have difficulties in day-to-day work.

I know a guy, he knows all chemical formulas and can tell you per calculation in a few seconds what happens if you mix A with B under X conditions, but he fails every job interview because when he is asked for his name he will answer: I know I have one but right now I can not remember.

I also know a man, he is the best Electrician I can think of, but give him some simple spell test, he will fail.

Then I know somebody is a very good Mechanic, but he is not able to read just one page of a repair manual, he just 'does' what needs to be done.

I can give you many of those samples.

What I try to say: Nobody really is better than others, nobody has room to talk. What you are in your life is partially what you are talented for, partially how much your parents pushed you (or not) on your way through school, and partially it is luck. Sometimes the difference is if you are single child or one of seven.

Today, with the 'generic tests' they do not take into consideration the difference in personality, talent, social environment etc.
All 3 of my above samples would fail: one because he forgot the answer already thinking of another chemical formula, the second because he would spell door bell wrong while fixing it, the third one because he would not be able to read the question even though he knows most the answers.

So are all those really just plain stupid???