• Think critically
• Nurture curiosity
• Save and prep taxes
• Sustain relationships
• Have difficult convos
• Navigate mental health
Yet they teach how to:
• Differentiate dinosaurs
• Memorize the periodic table
• Make paper snowflakes
School is an astonishing failure of modern society.
We're taught about dinosaurs before learning how to function as people.
Thread: Life lessons I wish school taught all of us.
• Think critically
• Nurture curiosity
• Save and prep taxes
• Sustain relationships
• Have difficult convos
• Navigate mental health
Yet they teach how to:
• Differentiate dinosaurs
• Memorize the periodic table
• Make paper snowflakes
1. Awareness: Those in power don't realize how bad it is.
2. Priorities: It's not a pressing issue. Voters care about the cost of education—not enough about WHAT is taught.
3. What to do: Shout to the politicians and educators in power.
These are the ones on my mind lately. This list could be 1,000 items long. Add yours to the thread.
Here we go.
Assuming bad intent.
One of the highest ROI things we can teach our children:
Start by assuming good intent: Train your reflex to ask questions before making assumptions.
Always lead with curiosity—never critique.
So, now I pretend my problems are those of others. It works.
I project my circumstances onto a friend and act out being coldly rational to get them from A to Z.
A rule of thumb: Move slowly when choosing what to focus on. But move very quickly once you've decided.
Move slow then fast.
Reserve 15 minutes per week to send appreciation emails to anyone you really enjoyed chatting with.
If you’re specific about why you appreciated the chat—instead of just saying "Great chatting!"—it resonates much deeper.
• Mirror talking speed
• Avoid gossip + negativity
• Know that a real smile includes the eyes
• Nail first impressions because they're so hard to reverse
• In convo, ask questions to help people think more deeply about what they're saying
• Instead of What's new?, I ask "What can't you get off your mind lately?"
• How's work? → What's the most exciting thing you could be doing?
I ask questions that get people to focus on their enthusiasm. No one gets offended.
• Find a boss who loves to mentor
• Join a cohort-based online class
• Find similar minds on Twitter and form a peer group
Mentorship + friendship turn advice into action.
Genuine experts realize the complexity/nuance of their craft, and they don’t feel comfortable claiming to be authorities.
1. Bias toward taking action. No lazy deferring.
2. Always looking to prove themselves wrong.
3. Regularly reassess their priorities without any fear of changing them.
Key: They balance progress with indulging curiosity.
Judge your years by how much you cashed in on that investment.
Being teachable = accepting when you’re wrong.
As adults, we suddenly forget we're still students. We must continue to seek discussion with people who'll tell us when we’re wrong.
Your teachers are now the strangers around you.
On the left are qualities they say can likely be improved with training.
On the right are red flags.
(I disagree with the ranking of "self-awareness.")
School is a glorified babysitting service for people who aren't yet self-sufficient.
Society critically needs this—but to an extent.
It's very dangerous when your babysitter squashes your curiosity, passion, and drive for nearly everything.
See past threads over here: @julian
More from Julian Shapiro
More from Education
I held back from commenting overnight to chew it over, but I am still saddened by comments during a presentation I attended yesterday by Prof @trishgreenhalgh & @CIHR_IMHA.
The topic was “LongCovid, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis & More”.
I quote from memory.
1/n
#MECFS #LongCovid
The bulk of Prof @Trishgreenhalgh’s presentation was on the importance of recognising LongCovid patient’s symptoms, and pathways for patients which recognised their condition as real. So far so good.
She was asked about “Post Exertional Malaise”... 2/n
PEM has been reported by many patients, and is the hallmark symptom of ME/CFS, leading many to query whether LongCovid and ME/CFS are similar or have overlapping mechanisms.
@Trishgreenhalgh acknowledged the new @NiceComms advice for LongCovid was planned to complement... 3/n
the ME/CFS guidelines, acknowledging some similarities.
Then it all went wrong.
@TrishGreenhalgh noted the changes to the @NiceComms guidance for ME/CFS, removing support for Graded Exercise Therapy / Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. She noted there is a big debate about this. 4/n
That is correct: The BMJ published Prof Lynne Turner Stokes’ column criticising the change (Prof Turner-Stokes is a key proponent of GET/CBT, and I suspect is known to Prof @TrishGreenhalgh).
https://t.co/0enH8TFPoe
However Prof Greenhalgh then went off-piste.
5/n
The topic was “LongCovid, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis & More”.
I quote from memory.
1/n
#MECFS #LongCovid
Have you registered for IMHA's next webinar on Long-COVID? Guest speaker Professor Trisha Greenhalgh.
— CIHR-IMHA Community (@CIHR_IMHA) January 12, 2021
When? Tomorrow: *Jan 13th.* 12pm ET
A few spots are left, but going fast!
Registration required: https://t.co/T4PbWNA35Y@KarimKhan_IMHA @CIHR_IRSC @trishgreenhalgh pic.twitter.com/xlWKi4QKF1
The bulk of Prof @Trishgreenhalgh’s presentation was on the importance of recognising LongCovid patient’s symptoms, and pathways for patients which recognised their condition as real. So far so good.
She was asked about “Post Exertional Malaise”... 2/n
PEM has been reported by many patients, and is the hallmark symptom of ME/CFS, leading many to query whether LongCovid and ME/CFS are similar or have overlapping mechanisms.
@Trishgreenhalgh acknowledged the new @NiceComms advice for LongCovid was planned to complement... 3/n
the ME/CFS guidelines, acknowledging some similarities.
Then it all went wrong.
@TrishGreenhalgh noted the changes to the @NiceComms guidance for ME/CFS, removing support for Graded Exercise Therapy / Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. She noted there is a big debate about this. 4/n
That is correct: The BMJ published Prof Lynne Turner Stokes’ column criticising the change (Prof Turner-Stokes is a key proponent of GET/CBT, and I suspect is known to Prof @TrishGreenhalgh).
https://t.co/0enH8TFPoe
However Prof Greenhalgh then went off-piste.
5/n
Last month I presented seven sentences in seven different languages, all written in a form of the Chinese-character script. The challenge was to identify the languages and, if possible, provide a
Here again are those seven sentences:
1) 他的剑从船上掉到河里去
2) 於世𡗉番𧡊哭唭𢆥尼歲㐌外四𨑮
3) 入良沙寢矣見昆腳烏伊四是良羅
4) 佢而家喺邊喥呀
5) 夜久毛多都伊豆毛夜幣賀岐都麻碁微爾夜幣賀岐都久流曾能夜幣賀岐袁
6) 其劍自舟中墜於水
7) 今天愛晚特語兔吃二魚佛午飯
Six of those seven sentences are historically attested. One is not: I invented #7. I’m going to dive into an exploration of that seventh sentence in today’s thread.
Sentence #7 is an English-language sentence written sinographically — that is, using graphs that originate in the Chinese script. I didn’t do this for fun (even though it is fun), or as a proposal for a new way to write
I did it as a thought experiment. Why? Because thinking about how the modern Chinese script might be adapted to write modern English can give us valuable insights into historical instances of script borrowing, like those that took place centuries ago in Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.
\U0001f17b\U0001f130\U0001f17d\U0001f176\U0001f184\U0001f130\U0001f176\U0001f174 \U0001f180\U0001f184\U0001f178\U0001f189
— zev handel (@ZevHandel) December 17, 2020
The following sentences are in seven different languages, all written in Chinese-character script (or a modification of it). Can you identify the languages?
Sentences are in thread.
(1/3)
Here again are those seven sentences:
1) 他的剑从船上掉到河里去
2) 於世𡗉番𧡊哭唭𢆥尼歲㐌外四𨑮
3) 入良沙寢矣見昆腳烏伊四是良羅
4) 佢而家喺邊喥呀
5) 夜久毛多都伊豆毛夜幣賀岐都麻碁微爾夜幣賀岐都久流曾能夜幣賀岐袁
6) 其劍自舟中墜於水
7) 今天愛晚特語兔吃二魚佛午飯
Six of those seven sentences are historically attested. One is not: I invented #7. I’m going to dive into an exploration of that seventh sentence in today’s thread.
Sentence #7 is an English-language sentence written sinographically — that is, using graphs that originate in the Chinese script. I didn’t do this for fun (even though it is fun), or as a proposal for a new way to write
7) \u4eca\u5929\u611b\u665a\u7279\u8a9e\u5154\u5403\u4e8c\u9b5a\u4f5b\u5348\u98ef \u2013 Modern English
— zev handel (@ZevHandel) December 21, 2020
Today I want you to each two fish for lunch.
That this sentence is a written form of English is undeniable, as the sentence is made up entirely of English words following the rules of English grammar. 23/
I did it as a thought experiment. Why? Because thinking about how the modern Chinese script might be adapted to write modern English can give us valuable insights into historical instances of script borrowing, like those that took place centuries ago in Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.
You May Also Like
BREAKING: @CommonsCMS @DamianCollins just released previously sealed #Six4Three @Facebook documents:
Some random interesting tidbits:
1) Zuck approves shutting down platform API access for Twitter's when Vine is released #competition
2) Facebook engineered ways to access user's call history w/o alerting users:
Team considered access to call history considered 'high PR risk' but 'growth team will charge ahead'. @Facebook created upgrade path to access data w/o subjecting users to Android permissions dialogue.
3) The above also confirms @kashhill and other's suspicion that call history was used to improve PYMK (People You May Know) suggestions and newsfeed rankings.
4) Docs also shed more light into @dseetharaman's story on @Facebook monitoring users' @Onavo VPN activity to determine what competitors to mimic or acquire in 2013.
https://t.co/PwiRIL3v9x
Some random interesting tidbits:
1) Zuck approves shutting down platform API access for Twitter's when Vine is released #competition
2) Facebook engineered ways to access user's call history w/o alerting users:
Team considered access to call history considered 'high PR risk' but 'growth team will charge ahead'. @Facebook created upgrade path to access data w/o subjecting users to Android permissions dialogue.
3) The above also confirms @kashhill and other's suspicion that call history was used to improve PYMK (People You May Know) suggestions and newsfeed rankings.
4) Docs also shed more light into @dseetharaman's story on @Facebook monitoring users' @Onavo VPN activity to determine what competitors to mimic or acquire in 2013.
https://t.co/PwiRIL3v9x
