Chess as a school subject

to clms_chess, sound like you know Ron Clark ?

 And of course... your galactic store house of experiential evidence includes.... how many classrooms visited?... out of how many school districts/counties checked out?

 Yes. If you have taught in middle school... especially in high poverty areas... for any length of time... you know about Ron Clark. 

It's my experience. One's opinion on matters is based on the individual's experience, does it not? Seventeen years of public, private, and university in three states, and knowing many teachers, as well as waiting on teachers and working with them, affords me a conclusive judgement on the matter. They suck...generally {I know you enjoyed "teaching" me to use the word, "generally". Teachers are sooooo helpful!}.

 Read two of his very interesting books and saw the movie about him with Matthew Perry portraying as Ron Clark.

Then why isn't the majority of the population really smart?

 Well... there are over 120,000 schools nation wide (elementary, middle and high school) with over.... 7 million teachers. I'm not sure if your sample is big enough to afford you the judgement that "teachers generally suck". Those are just the numbers and that's just my opinion based on the numbers.  Maybe they generally sucked where you were. There are some whole districts that are very bad... state reading and math scores prove that out.

Actually, my "sample" is regrettably large enough for my judgement on the matter. If you somehow believed that my sample should be larger than my experience, I am not surprised. You did confess to being a teacher, so you have probably been around "them" enough to have the symptoms of cloudy thinking. But, on a positive note regarding the value of teachers........well.......okay, I thought of one! :

One time, a teacher tipped well! I can't remember the year, but it did happen! When I tell other servers this story, they insist I must have been dreaming!

Staying on topic, It appears most belive chess should not be manditory.

I have to agree. I did not even like Geography being manditory.

LOL  I wasnt interested in Geography either so I slept most of the time in Mrs. Nelson's class. She made the mistake of waking me once and then I started flirting with Debbie and Rita and from then on she let me sleep...... Today I regret not paying more attention in that class but I just wasnt interested at the time. Too bad they dont have an option to take classes later, when you are interested..... even if its decades later.  

I strongly support that chess as a 2 hour lesson in class. The school can put it as an option amongts art, sport, or music, because not all students will find it interesting or easy. This subject can be fun but the aim is to build a logic thinking and strategy for the students.

Most of good chess player are good in math (I could say 80 - 90 %) which is mean that the students which are not good in math can choose other subject instead.

Because it's the students that suck? 

Well, I can understand that argument for higher education ( upwards of high-school ), but students about 12 years old or younger aren't supposed to have much knowledge when going to school. Everything they need at school, they should know from school. So if there's something the school wants them to know and they don't, it's the teachers' fault for not teaching them properly. And if the teachers would do their job 'till 8th grade, then the students would be ready to understand the stuff taught in high-school.

Unless you think that, by nature, the majority of the population can't even hope to understand most of the things in the curriculum.

I actually think the majority of the population is capable of understanding things far more complex and nuanced than most would likely give them credit for.

The problem is that many students don't care to learn, and concern themselves (or are distracted by) other things like the social and political aspects of being a part of the student body, home issues, modern entertainment (video games and television primarily) etc.

The kids you mention who are first starting school are generally quite filled with wonder, actually, but something has a tendency to sap them of that and replace it with complacency and apathy as they get older.  Perhaps some of the blame is on the curriculum and approach taken in class, but I believe there are many other outside factors at play as well.

Teachers have a very tough row to hoe.

As one of the people who have a desire to learn I must say that the school system is trying its hardest to stomp that and make me a mindless drone. I start every simester excited for my classes that I took because I want to learn them but find that the curriculum is way too slow to keep my attention. My teacher add nothing to the subject other than reading what is written at the front of the classroom making them useless. I can say my elementry school teachers were all simply horrible people who hated children and it really showed. They also thought they were better than all others and hated me for correcting their poor math so I didn't lose marks for getting the right answer. They drove me to the brink of insanity quite literally.

Well sure, in Winnipeg....

ive taken philosophy at higher level and i had to take french for a standard so clearly thats wrong

It's easy to blame anyone who you don't have a personal connection with. Regardless of someone's place in the system (teacher, student, administrator, etc.), I think that with sufficient awesomeness they can succeed despite other factors. If you just pass the blame onto next guy in line nothing changes.