Thinking - Electronics - Education

I'd like to take this self created opportunity, to comment on my experience of the South Australian education system.

It was really, really boring.

For example, the following two phenomena would have got me very interested in science, but were conspicuously absent.

Did you know that if you stick a powerful magnet on a battery, then reach a copper wire so that it balances on a point at the top, and just slightly touches the magnet on the bottom, the device creates a stack of rotational motion?

I didn't, and I've been to school.

It looks like this...

And if you add that failure to educate me to this other example, you see why I'm a little disappointed...

In this second video, the rare earth magnet creates a magnetic field in the copper pipe, and that reacts with the magnet using ordinary magic.

 Both videos are real, but totally lacking in my childhood experience. 

Not happy.

120 Things in 20 years - When thinking about electronics, and education, I want my money back. 

Electronics - Week 2

Calculus???

What on earth is calculus?

I cant learn calculus this week as this week is already partly gone.

I still haven't slept enough since algebra.

I'm officially out of my league.






120 things in 20 years, and my electronics education sees me asking "What was I thinking" at week two. I guess they were correct when they said I would need a strong foundation in maths and physics. 

Electronics - My education - week 1

I received an A for my assignments.

I've never received an A before.

In fact I'm not sure if I ever handed anything up before.

Now I need a week of sleep, but it seems I have to do it again this week as well.

That's poor planing on their part if you ask me.

Be really, really nice to that student in your life. Most of them are kids and, for some reason we see fit to put them through more stress than most of their grownups have to deal with.

Or perhaps I should rephrase that, and say we ask them to run closer to their personal limits as dictated by their experience and abilities than we ask of their grownups.

Either way, be nice to a student today.

If they are your kids, and you've done your job right, they already know better than you, so make them a coffee and treat them with the respect they are due.

Go.

Make them a coffee, or buy them a pet iguana or something.

But be nice to them.




And thanks to MIT for the opportunity, but mostly, thanks Mrs 120 Things in 20 years who had to teach an angry, stressed, frustrated, lunatic of a student algebra in a weekend to get me through week one of my electronics education. I'm not sure it's for me, but I guess I'll have a look at week two. Actually I learnt everything I'd hoped to get from the course in week one already. But that could just be sleep talking. Sleep talks now.