Learning
Thanks for your thoughtful responses to the blog post below, everyone! Very interesting. Food science was a big winner, as was neurobiology, and it turns out I'm not the only person who'd like to get an MLS for no particular reason, either.
Many people mentioned history, too. History isn't always taught well in the schools, and I think even when it is, it can be hard for teenagers to grasp the importance of it; you have to have been around for a while before it really hits you why this stuff matters. I'd love to learn more about World War I, myself. Sure, I studied it in high school, but only insofar as "memorizing a bunch of facts so I can pass the test" constitutes "studying." Now I realize how much of the current mishegoss in the Middle East is a direct result of decisions made in the wake of that war, and I want to know more. And the psychologist in me is fascinated by the realities of trench warfare.
And for that handful of you who wrote in explaining how you don't hold with no book larnin' at this point in your life--uh huh. Everybody's so impressed with experiential learning, it always sounds like such a good idea ... until something like this happens.
The author is solely responsible for the content.
Welcome to Miss Conduct’s blog, a place where the popular Boston Globe Magazine columnist Robin Abrahams and her readers share etiquette tips, unravel social conundrums, and gossip about social behavior in pop culture and the news. Have a question of your own? Ask Robin using this form or by emailing her at missconduct@globe.com.
Who is Miss Conduct?
Robin Abrahamswrites the weekly "Miss Conduct" column for The Boston Globe Magazine and is the author of Miss Conduct's Mind over Manners. Robin has a PhD in psychology from Boston University and also works as a research associate at Harvard Business School. Her column is informed by her experience as a theater publicist, organizational-change communications manager, editor, stand-up comedian, and professor of psychology and English. She lives in Cambridge with her husband Marc Abrahams, the founder of the Ig Nobel Prizes, and their socially challenged but charismatic dog, Milo.
