Many a child has been left behind because moving forward required knowledge they didn't have - and no one was going to give it to them if they didn't already have it. The material and the teacher are whole, so we're told, therefore it must be we the troubled who are at fault. My compatriots in comprehension, I would assert it is more often than not the instructor who is at fault, not the instructed.
Anyone who has ever been in the company of a temperamental child knows nothing incurs frustration faster than blocking the child's desire to learn. Even the passive child will retreat to daydreaming when the path to understanding is withheld for even a few minutes. It is no wonder, then, that adults can endure hours and even days of getting nowhere, but will eventually be reduced to fits of frustration.
If ever you do get to where you understand your computer, your Social Security paperwork, or even how to preset your coffee maker, consider sharing with someone who wants to know the same thing, without skipping any steps. If enough of us do this, maybe we will be able to reduce the know-it-alls' workforce, sending them to one of the most red tape-flocked halls of apathy and conflicting answers man ever created: the unemployment office.
Meanwhile, those who have Windows XP with IE 6.1 and wish to adjust their computer settings, click on Start in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen. Hover your cursor over Settings. When Control Panel appears, click on it. Adjust away.
Those who wish to learn basic HTML can visit the website Lissa Explains It All. Lissa, just 11-years-old when she first started taking HTML notes, is now in college. She was kind enough to keep the site simple so that every beginner has the same chance to learn, in full, without skipping any steps.
Article comments
1 - robin
*grin* I have "control panel" in my start menu...does that mean something? I didnt find "settings" though....well to be frank I wouldnt know what to do with them if I did have it.
My son is potentially the victim of overzealous teaching. They've decided he's in need of an in-class occupational therapist. They can't get him to write his name neatly or put his shoes on without help. There's one thing I know they don't. He's lazy. He doesnt WANT to write his name--and why should he when there are so many other things in the classroom to do? And he certainly doesnt want to get dressed without help. Help is more fun. Help gives him attention, specifically from his pretty teacher.
Im not going anywhere with this...I just enjoyed (and empathized with) what you wrote (as usual) and felt like blabbing...
2 - dad
"Thousands of people from the latter half of this kind of couple man a government agency."
I met that person when I went to apply for my social security. She called me about my appointment and couldn't understand what I wanted. I told her that I was ready to retire and wanted to draw my social security. She informed me that that wasn't possible as I was already retired. After a few explicit exchanges of words, I told her I was going to make my appointment. She had guards waiting for me. Again she explained that I was retired and when I asked for proof she showed me the computer entry that said I was retired. When I asked why there were no SS payments and my income hadn't changed dramatically she again pointed to the "retired" block on the screen. When I threatened to make some calls to Washington DC she looked further and agreed that perhaps there had been a mistake.
Maybe,just maybe, she learned something from someone about relying on computers and computer personnel without questioning the result.
3 - Donnie Marler
Good article, Diana. I think I've talked to that guy myself.