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Most incorrect thing you were taught?

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    #242
    The King of Moo
    Registered Users Posts: 8,207 ✭✭✭The King of Moo


    AngryBollix wrote: »
    Another QI viewer.

    Nice

    I never signed the confidentiality agreement viewers are supposed to sign barring them from sharing information they hear on the programme, so it's ok.


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    #243
    Victor
    Registered Users Posts: 78,321 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    yoda2001 wrote: »
    I recently heard that some kids in a primary school told a visitor to the school that penguins could fly. The teacher had told them and they were convinced. The visitor spoke to the 2 teachers afterwards who showed him a BBC video.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IPazA9Lxks&feature=related

    (a good reason for not having 2 teacher schools).

    Penguins can fly:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtFUWJzaVds


    See 2:00-2:30
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56BeRJepJog


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9HzgiXV7KM


    Variant on a theme
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlkWVkpP59U


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    #244
    Robdude
    Closed Accounts Posts: 709 ✭✭✭Robdude


    I was taught that the world would run out of oil by the year 2000.

    It wasn't even presented as a 'maybe'...it was 'Unless we immediately stop using oil - we will run out by the late 90s. By the year 2000 there will be no oil.'

    I was seven at the time and it was scary as hell. I told my Dad who told me to tell the teacher to 'piss off'. So I did, then I got in trouble at school and had the teacher lecture me *at length* about how she was absolutely correct and SCIENCE PROVED IT.

    I wonder if I could find her on Facebook or something. I hate that lady.


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    #245
    rain on
    Registered Users Posts: 1,732 ✭✭✭rain on


    efb wrote: »
    Was never big into birds- still not ;-)
    We didn't have a telly when I was growing up - it was that or watch the washing machine for entertainment


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    #246
    44leto
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,137 ✭✭✭44leto


    Everything I learned in business organisation was totally useless and mostly wrong.


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    #247
    sunflower27
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,822 ✭✭✭sunflower27


    A friend once told me that at shcool one of the nuns said that every word in the dictionary has either a vowel or a 'y'.

    I said there must be one without either, and for some unknown reason I thought of the word 'nth' as in to the nth degree, within a matter of minutes.

    My friend look at me wide-eyed. I couldn't believe myself either. ;):D


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    #248
    44leto
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,137 ✭✭✭44leto


    I before e except after c.


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    #249
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    In a sex ed class in 2nd year I was told that self stimulation makes you a bad lover.


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    #250
    boomkatalog
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,598 ✭✭✭boomkatalog


    I asked a teacher in sex ed class what an orgasm was and she tittered, winked and said you'll find out when you're older.

    I think surely she could find a better answer to give to an 11 year old than that :S


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    #251
    token101
    Registered Users Posts: 3,050 ✭✭✭token101


    boomkatalog wrote: »
    I asked a teacher in sex ed class what an orgasm was and she tittered, winked and said you'll find out when you're older.

    I think surely she could find a better answer to give to an 11 year old than that :S

    What did you want her to do? Give you a ****?


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    #252
    boomkatalog
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,598 ✭✭✭boomkatalog


    Yes, I had no penis and I was 11, dying for a **** from a 40something woman :rolleyes:


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    #253
    token101
    Registered Users Posts: 3,050 ✭✭✭token101


    boomkatalog wrote: »
    Yes, I had no penis and I was 11, dying for a **** from a 40something woman :rolleyes:

    Damn straight


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    #254
    Canard
    Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 8,572 Mod ✭✭✭✭Canard


    Actually my geography teacher (remember, I'm in sixth year) constantly lectures me when I start a sentence with because. Not only is that the most ridiculous piece of primary school education, I dont know why hes insisting on it when I clearly make sense!

    For example we did a question on meanders - I wrote "Because the river flows fast, it erodes the bank" and he circled the because. Yet English is one of my best subjects. :rolleyes:


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    #255
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Patchy~ wrote: »
    Actually my geography teacher (remember, I'm in sixth year) constantly lectures me when I start a sentence with because. Not only is that the most ridiculous piece of primary school education, I dont know why hes insisting on it when I clearly make sense!

    For example we did a question on meanders - I wrote "Because the river flows fast, it erodes the bank" and he circled the because. Yet English is one of my best subjects. :rolleyes:

    I was always told not to start a sentence with 'and' 'but' or 'because.' Didn't stop me doing it in an informal sense but I still think about it when I do.


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    #256
    tony007
    Registered Users Posts: 326 ✭✭tony007


    quickbeam wrote: »


    Not really incorrectly things taught, but a few things that bugged me about school also: we had a choir class in primary school. I couldn't sing for shit so she told me to just mouth the words. I would have thought that the point of school was to teach a subject (ie singing) rather than just allowing those that already knew how to do it to participate.

    Very good point.


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    #257
    Canard
    Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 8,572 Mod ✭✭✭✭Canard


    Karsini wrote: »
    I was always told not to start a sentence with 'and' 'but' or 'because.' Didn't stop me doing it in an informal sense but I still think about it when I do.
    I can see the sense with and/but, but because was only referring to reading comprehensions in primary school, dunno why hes so picky with it - changed it to 'due to' and he didnt say anything :pac:

    I use and/but for short stories though or for effect, thats formal enough. I'd take it with a pinch of salt :P


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    #258
    jaja321
    Registered Users Posts: 793 ✭✭✭jaja321


    Patchy~ wrote: »
    Karsini wrote: »
    I was always told not to start a sentence with 'and' 'but' or 'because.' Didn't stop me doing it in an informal sense but I still think about it when I do.
    I can see the sense with and/but, but because was only referring to reading comprehensions in primary school, dunno why hes so picky with it - changed it to 'due to' and he didnt say anything :pac:

    I use and/but for short stories though or for effect, thats formal enough. I'd take it with a pinch of salt :P
    One of my primary school teachers gave out to me for starting sentences with because too, drove me nuts! I argued that it made perfect sense, but she wouldn't hear of it. :-(


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    #259
    The King of Moo
    Registered Users Posts: 8,207 ✭✭✭The King of Moo


    Patchy~ wrote: »
    Actually my geography teacher (remember, I'm in sixth year) constantly lectures me when I start a sentence with because. Not only is that the most ridiculous piece of primary school education, I dont know why hes insisting on it when I clearly make sense!

    For example we did a question on meanders - I wrote "Because the river flows fast, it erodes the bank" and he circled the because. Yet English is one of my best subjects. :rolleyes:
    Karsini wrote: »
    I was always told not to start a sentence with 'and' 'but' or 'because.' Didn't stop me doing it in an informal sense but I still think about it when I do.
    jaja321 wrote: »
    One of my primary school teachers gave out to me for starting sentences with because too, drove me nuts! I argued that it made perfect sense, but she wouldn't hear of it. :-(

    Because some people think particular things which were deemed "proper" English in the past are 100% grammatically correct, they think they can lecture people about how they speak.

    And I think that's wrong!

    To rudely lecture people is not nice!

    Nothing wrong with starting sentences with "because" and "and," don't mind them!


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    #260
    Pherekydes
    Registered Users Posts: 16,129 ✭✭✭✭Pherekydes


    The King of Moo wrote: »
    Because some people think particular things which were deemed "proper" English in the past are 100% grammatically correct, they think they can lecture people about how they speak.

    And I think that's wrong!

    To rudely lecture people is not nice!

    Nothing wrong with starting sentences with "because" and "and," don't mind them!

    See what he did there?

    Split infinitives, too. :D


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    #261
    The King of Moo
    Registered Users Posts: 8,207 ✭✭✭The King of Moo


    Pherekydes wrote: »
    See what he did there?

    Split infinitives, too. :D

    Spotter's* Badge for that :).

    *I'll never stoop to leaving out apostrophes though!


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    #262
    AngryBollix
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,536 ✭✭✭AngryBollix


    That a college education was a worthwhile and enriching experience


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    #263
    Tesco Massacre
    Registered Users Posts: 814 ✭✭✭Tesco Massacre


    ,Yeah, starting sentences with 'because' or 'and' is fine. It's a new syntactical era, yo.

    Sh*t, sometimes I start a sentence with a comma just to piss people off.


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    #264
    Solair
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,230 ✭✭✭Solair


    Patchy~ wrote: »
    Actually my geography teacher (remember, I'm in sixth year) constantly lectures me when I start a sentence with because. Not only is that the most ridiculous piece of primary school education, I dont know why hes insisting on it when I clearly make sense!

    For example we did a question on meanders - I wrote "Because the river flows fast, it erodes the bank" and he circled the because. Yet English is one of my best subjects. :rolleyes:

    There's nothing wrong with starting a sentence with because, as long as you are writing complete sentences and not fragments.

    "Because the river is fast flowing." = Fragment.
    "Because the river is fast flowing, it erodes the bank." = Grammatically correct, two-clause sentence."

    Your teacher clearly has it in his/her head that you cannot start a sentence with a conjunction. There is actually no grammatical rule about that. It's just a style issue!


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    #265
    falan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,574 ✭✭✭falan


    I remember when i was about 9 going to school in England, my teacher trying to tell me that there were no foxes in Ireland....I think she meant snakes...:D


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    #266
    RichieC
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,333 ✭✭✭RichieC


    i cant really think what the most wrongest was..


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    #267
    Solair
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,230 ✭✭✭Solair


    My business studies teacher told us that Bill Gates invented the internet!!!
    :eek::eek::eek::eek:


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    #268
    token101
    Registered Users Posts: 3,050 ✭✭✭token101


    We were made to learn Mull of Kintyre in 3rd class. For years I thought the Mull of Kintyre was in West Cork and that the song was sung by some Irish folk singer. I eventually discovered that the Mull of Kintyre wasn't in West Cork in 5th class geography, but I didn't actually learn the truth about the song being sung by Wings until about 4 years ago :p Why the f*** we were taught that song still baffles me


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    #269
    finality
    Registered Users Posts: 1,763 ✭✭✭finality


    finality wrote: »
    A substitute teacher was trying to teach my biology class about food chains in fifth year, she was telling us that in general animals increase in size along the food chain, fair enough, she was doing well.
    She then attempted to illustrate this with an example: "so, a fox would eat a rabbit, and something bigger would eat a fox, like a cow".
    Cows eat foxes?? She genuinely wasn't even joking. :pac:
    falan wrote: »
    I remember when i was about 9 going to school in England, my teacher trying to tell me that there were no foxes in Ireland....I think she meant snakes...:D

    Ah that'd have a terrible impact on the Irish dairy industry.


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    #270
    Solair
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,230 ✭✭✭Solair


    We were taught Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds...

    Eh, thinking back on it... Some of our teachers would have been better doing stand-up comedy.


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    #271
    shantolog
    Registered Users Posts: 101 ✭✭shantolog


    If there is one thing we should take out of this thread, it is that children are not idiots, and we should stop treating them that way...


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