Blog Assignment March 1st: Q#5

Though it may seem like contravercial to teach youth indepth subjects at such an early age I believe subjects like critical thinking skills should be taught as early as First Grade. Because First Grade is where you learn to apply the basics of reading writing and arithmetic, all very basic yet essential skills in life. Critical Thinking is a very essential skill, to be able to tell subliminally whether or not one is trying to manipulate your choices, knowing whether the source is valid, or to just question your decisions before you self-indulgently follow through with them blindly. Learing these skills in the most susceptable ages of learning will be easier to exhibit in later life as a learned habbit. I was fortunate to have parents that would teach me these skills throughout my life, yet most people in my experience do not attribute these abilities. How else do you explain people left and right getting suckered into purchasing products they simply don't need, and the constant commercial on TV, magazines and Online trying to tell you what you need to buy to be successful, desirable, better-looking or truely happy. Children need to learn do they really need that brand new shinny toy that everyone else is getting for acceptance or is it just going to be thrown in with the rest of the toys in a week. Its making rational conscious decisions that truely make us individuals, investing in what we think makes us happy and not what someone else tells us will make us happy. In conclussion I believe Critical Thinking is a subject that should be taught an early age, such as Primary School along with the rest of the essential classes. Another class that I might suggest is money management skills in economics, such as how to balance a checkbook or how CDs, loans, stocks and bonds work. I wish I had a class like that in High School if not earlier.