TheApple

Everybody's talking about 21st Century skills these days. Politicians extoll them. Standards demand them. Teachers are supposed to teach them and students are supposed to deliver them. Cool.

But would someone please tell me what 21st Century skills are?

Actually, Old Army Guy, it looks like sheep wearing wolves clothing. All the little sheep are flocking around this important-sounding phrase, and what we get is just more babble about standardized tests, e-learning, and moving learning beyond the four walls of a classroom. That last bit sounds like a return to 19th Century education, a time when students learned as much from time spent at work or in nature as they did in the classroom.

In fact, that sounds like a great idea. Teach the children to read, write and use a calculator by the time they are 12 or 13, then let them loose in the world to take on what is generally known as "real life." They will learn more from having real responsibilities and real value to society than they ever will in the classroom.

 Top 10 List/21st Century Skills

10) Driving in the fast lane instead of using it as a passing lane.

9) Talking on your cell while shopping.

8) Knowing where all the buttons are in the dark and what they do on 4 remotes,

7) Talking on your cell while backing out of a driveway and negotiating through turns, lights and traffic.

6) Working with the public in a customer service related job and speaking while never opening your mouth or articulating and/or never using      standard English.

5) Walking with a friend while talking to another friend on your cell phone.

4) Listening to rap, enjoying it, rapping along with it and understanding it.

3) Knowing where all your tatoos are and what they mean.

2) Doing your homework/ business in a noisy crowded coffee house and staying there for 4 hours after only spending $2.

1) Avoiding cell phone camera exposure when doing bong hits on a university campus.