1/26/2009

Keyboarding and Driver's Ed

Posted by Brandon |

Personally I think this is kind of a sad commentary on both my education and the state of schools in general, but there are only two classes from high school that the information taught to me there I still use on a day-to-day basis. Sure some other classes contributed to my knowledge, but two classes stand out in my mind as being very important to me now. Those two classes: Driver's Education and Keyboarding.

How many people had Driver's Ed in their school? I rarely find anybody outside of the North Thurston School District that learned how to drive from their high school. Our Driver's Ed was taught by two sports coaches: Mr. Mendleson and Mr. Dunn - both total a-holes, but not terrible Driver's Ed teachers.

I remember Mr. Dunn getting unbelievably frustrated with me when I couldn't figure out passing - it took me like five tries to get checking my blind spot when I move back over into the correct lane. I also backed into a rock the very first time I ever got behind a wheel when Mr. Dunn had us back around a corner on the very first day - he was not happy. Surprisingly, those two a-holes helped shape a, I'd like to consider, better than average driver and I still remember a lot of the obscure rules of the road that they drilled into our head and use them quite often.

Keyboarding was a required class at North Thurston, unless you were smart and went into AP classes or were in music, and I contend that it was the single most important class that I took in all of high school, and I knew it would be. I was a choir-nerd, I could've gotten out of it, but I wanted to learn how to type and it's served me well over the years. What you are reading now is all typed without looking at the keyboard one bit and in near perfect form all thanks to one of the most mindless classes there ever was.

Death? never took keyboarding and it has come around to haunt her. One of her biggest frustrations with work is not being able to fly through the typing of notes and reports and whatnot. Now she really wants to learn how to type correctly. I suppose I'll have to teach her (in combination with online tutorials). I don't mind, I really do think that Keyboarding is super important and I wouldn't pass up my high school training in it for any other class.

What about you? Were there any classes from high school that you took that stand out as being important in the long run?

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

I took a semester of typing and a semester of driver's ed as well. Both have served me well and I'm glad I did. Nothing else comes to mind...

Anonymous said...

I got booted from my computer lab at one point, but that class (word processing, aka typing with Word Perfect) taught me to not be considered the most likely to bring/view pr0n to school/work. Also, electronics. Good times. Get in with the right folks and some days, you can get by on a smile and your charm.

Yeah, my high school years were pretty much a waste.

Cissa Fireheart said...

Home Economics in Jr. high - I learned to Sew and got some great tips on cooking, which I already knew how to do. Bot of those skills, taught by a matronly italian woman, have come in very handy now, especially since my husband has so many uniforms with which I have to sew patches on.

I also was very glad to take a computer math course in high school. I learned basic computer coding with that, and I really liked it. It helped me to understand HTML a few years later, and now at my job I use HTML everyday. But I know people in my office who are older and never had any computer training really, and they have a hell of a time with HTML. It makes me very glad I can do it, and probably helped me to keep my job recently.

shiny said...

Early European History in seventh grade and Middle European History in eleventh grade.

I went to a small, Jewish private school where grades 7-12 were part of one unit. My teacher, Mrs. Boyar, was a wake-up call to all of us in seventh grade. I remember that she was my first "real" class on day one. She had her way of doing everything -- with no leeway -- and a ten page contract that went home with us that we and our parents had to sign about our expectations in the class. Assignments were specific and heavy -- we had not only reading to do, but "word lists" which consisted of relevant vocabulary, dates and places. Her tests were incredibly hard.

But she ingrained something in our heads: a way to study and retain material. Moreso than any other teacher I've ever had. Eleventh grade was more of the same -- but tougher. My grades were quite poor in her class both times. But, if anything, she taught me far more than any other secondary school teacher could.

I remember when she talked about one of her former public school students who found himself in jail and had to make his one phone call. He bypassed his parents and called Mrs. Boyar. Nowadays, I review his decision. Yup. I probably would have as well. She probably had those police officers shaking in their boots. :)

Anonymous said...

I would agree with Keyboarding. It has had a very obvious effect on me.

Every class taught me something but some were more or less worthless in the long run. I still face math problems occasionally so math classes (except Calculus) have held their weight somewhat.

Verdant Earl said...

Drivers Ed was useless.

I was, however, the fastest typist that my keyboarding teacher ever taught. I forget what I clocked in at in 10th grade, but it was even faster than I type now. I somehow got into a weird habit of self-correcting instead of just typing and it slows me down a lot nowadays.

PaintingChef said...

I took both Driver's Ed and Keyboarding too. And oddly, you are the only other person that I've ever heard call it Keyboarding. Awesome.

My Driver's Ed teacher was also a coach. AND an ass... shocker, I know.

As for keyboarding, you're probably right, that may have been the most useful class I ever took. Other than my photography classes, those were kind of fantastic.

My most fun class (although not all that useful) was a film history class I took my senior year. I ADORED both the class AND my teacher.

Anonymous said...

Junior High English.

I went to a private Christian school for the 7th and 8th grade and our headmaster was a former Harvard professor of English/Literature. I learned more from him than I did my whole four years in High School.

Unknown said...

Driver's ed really didn't enhance my driving -- my parents were pretty good at teaching me (it probably helped that I was the oldest and had all of their attention, though). I would have to agree with you on typing. My mom forced me to take it during summer school one year and though I was pissed at her for it then, it has really paid off. I took an elective writing class my junior year and also was a huge benefit to me in helping to prepare me for writing essays (esp. timed ones) for college and the AP classes senior year.

Avitable said...

Hooker disposal.

shiny said...

@Avitable: Wow! I didn't know you attended school in the DC area, too...

jonb (juan grande) said...

Keyboarding is definitely one of the few skills I took from a high schoool class. Also, from that class, I took a terrible distain for typewriters. And, hey, I'm not that old.

The only things I remember from driver's ed were the early-eighties instructional videos and my instructor yelling "HOLY BALLS, WILLARD" before falling asleep in the passenger seat.

I had one other class that sticks out in my head: "Law Enforcement", and easy 'A' elective taught by a local sububan town Detective. He used to bring confiscated weapons (sawed off shotguns, uzis, etc.) and passed around a large zip-loc bag of what he told us was cocaine. Of course, we believed him. He was also the father of the first successfully separated twins that were conjoined at the head--the Hansen Twins. So, naturally we got to watch a recording of when he was on Donahue.

marty mankins said...

Funding for Drivers Ed is almost gone. Hardly any schools offer it anymore. My daughter's high school does, but it's limited to one time per year.

Typing classes were mandatory when I was in high school. Now, it's an option.

Sad state of affairs we are in these days.

Anonymous said...

Yes!!! Keyboarding at NTHS with Debord....what a tool, but he could teach a mean keyboarding class!

kapgar said...

I would have to agree that those are the two classes I got the most out of. But my Driver's Ed instructor was awesome. He was my offensive line coach and technically I was supposed to take the classroom portion in the fall and the driving part in the spring because my class was overloaded. He told me to wait until the football season ended and then he took me out for the driving portion after school and we got it all done right in time for my birthday between semesters.

Stacy said...

I say both of those 2. I went to school in AL and we had both.

JennyLeah said...

I learned to drive courtesy of the Miami-Dade County public schools. I chose driver's ed as an optional 7th period class my junior year, but it was an option during the regular school day as well. I was just a nerd.

Anonymous said...

I took Driver's Ed in summer school. The only summer class I ever took in HS. I think I was in at least one computer class at any given time for my entire HS tenure. I definitely appreciate the things I learned in those classes. I think the Poli Sci classes I took affect my daily life, as well.

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