Message from gtyau

[Anonymous]

Aside from the interesting data presented by Stephen, what resonated with me, as both a teacher and as a father of two young people, was the idea that we as consumers have a lot of power over the ups and downs of our economy, including the trade deficit. However, we can only wield this "power" if we're informed and educated about all sides of the proverbial coin so we can make educated and calculated decisions with our resources. I think it's important for our young people to understand the ripple effects of our spending has on the local economy and thus quality of life for ourselves and others. Problem solving and critical thinking as skills should be at the forefront of all that we do as educators. Jmallard hit the nail on the head, so to speak, when it was mentioned that open ended thinking in Pre-K should be the standard. If this type of thinking was developed throughout K-12 (or possibly shake up the system entirely and make it a Pre-K - College/Trade curriculum) then our kids would organically find their individual niches because they would be given time to think, communicate and collaborate to solve real problems, together. Seeing any topic/issue "globally" is key, but it has to start "locally" so as to not overwhelm the mind. I felt the Hot Pockets to Dumpling story was just brilliant! Thanks for that! I'm going to use a lot of what was shared today in my World Cultures: Pacific Rim class.