School children (and adults) today are involved with too many things and projects, many of which are unimportant. So instead of concentrating on the basics, they end up having wrong and often short-term priorities. In academics, we try to make learning interesting. Well that (making it interesting) is important to an extent; but it cannot take over the importance of the academics or homework. And while I emphasize academics, often even that is overwhelming and too much for the child's age or grade. The result is one extreme or the other - a high level of science and math (for a few) or no basic sciences (for the vast majority) often because of the high school drop-out. And then we make excuses for the lack of knowledge or even worse say that science and math knowledge is not important but instead children need a "mature all-rounded liberal arts career." In another scenario, we see that extreme in children and adults in nutrition. People have too much to eat and the wrong foods (and drinks) which causes obesity in 50% of the population; while there is a significant segment of the population that has to choose between food and medicine. And the food is the wrong choice and the medicine is needed for to care for the wrong choice of foods. Of course the fast food and snack industries drive (through advertising and political pressure) the supply of poor choice foods for school children and folks on government provided food stamps. Regards, GL
