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I can honestly say that I had teachers throughout high school and even into college whose lessons- not simply on the subject at hand, but on life itself- have rung true even all these years after. I suppose it is as with all things, you get out of it what you put in. It's all about the attitude one approaches his life with.
i have already posted on this at length. none of my teachers taught life lessons, and i put in enough to learn the material if i was interested in it, which was more often than not. and i can honestly say all but 5 of the nearly 100 teachers i have had were totally replacable.
every teacher i've ever had has some how shaped who i am, either as a student or a person.
i challenge one person to logically think that statment through and then say teachers have no impact.
you spend majority of your childhood and adolescent under the command of a teacher, how could that NOT impact a person life, and that is putting aside the person relationships many students develope with their teachers.
it's easy to say that all of them were irreplaceable and you'd be in the exct position your in now if you'd had entirely different teachers, but really, truly and logically, that isnt possible.
(think about it this way... i had a brilliant math teacher in middle school who helped me understand and enjoy the subject. until that point i'd never excelled at math or even attempted to do well in it. in highschool i had two teachers who were terrible but becuae of my middle school math teacher i'd not only been given the foundation but the drive to do well. i passed my state math exams, went on to take a high placing math in college and subsequently will have an easier time getting into a masters program and passing things like statistical psych which im taking this semester. had i never been given that foundation for all I know i could have failed my math tests, not gotten into the school that i did, taken a completly different major, not be looking towards graduate school and who knows what else could have happened. teachers change lives whether you choose to accept it or not.)
Yes, I know some of Vatacin city has a dress code... but to tell the kids not to pack shorts while in rome is stupid. They need to have a pair or two of jeans packed in order to dress correctly depending on what they are doing, but saying only Americans wear shorts is just stupid. That is the dumbest thing I've heard.Quote:
Originally Posted by sailboat
Also if a teacher is taking students to Europe you would think she could look on the internet and see what the temp was expected to be.
They wear shorts in Europe and parts of Rome.
A rather cliche saying comes to mind... when in Rome, do as the Romans.
From what I have seen, the Italians dress very neatly and conservatively. I feel that it is a matter of respect to emulate the manner of dress and behaviour of a place that you visit. I would not even consider jeans 'correct' to visit some of the historic sites. I may not be Catholic, but dressing neatly and conservatively to visit the Catholic historic sites in and near the Vatican seems like a no-brainer. It's just respect.
On the flip side, I wouldn't dream of hanging out in a working-class area in clothes that are obviously very expensive, and I remove most of my jewellry as well.. I feel that the flaunting of wealth and privilege is equally distasteful and insulting.
You know, one of the great truths that I learned in my years of study of wildlife management and biology, is that one of the most important parts of an experiment involving the observation of a living thing, is that the very presence of the observer changes the behaviour of the observed.
Applying this to travel, if you want to really appreciate the people and places as they are, you must make an effort to blend in enough that the locals don't react to your presence.
I live in an area that becomes a tourist zoo at some times of year, and us townies really act differently -and not in a good way- when faced with ostentatious, demanding, loud tourists in their expensive cars. The tourists don't see us as we really are.
Do you see what I am getting at?
Fine, wear your dumb shorts... but recognize that you are doing yourself a disservice. This teacher is wiser than you guys give her credit for, even though if that were I, I would have just come out and said, no shorts, it's disrespectful.
Italians like to pinch a lot of ass...
As someone who has spent alot of time in Rome and Italy, I can tell you that you really don't need to worry, especially in the summer. Obviously you can't wear shorts inside the Vatican, and it's a good idea to dress conservatively when in churches.
Other than that, you can wear shorts anywhere. Italian ADULTS don't wear shorts much, but kids wear them all the time. They're used to hotter weather than some of us, so that is probably the main reason they're still wearing pants in june (it's only 80;). So I totally disagree that shorts are disrespectful. A But do your best not be be an obnoxious tourist... I think that's what stinky was saying.
Anyway... have fun in Italy! It's an amazing place. Be careful in Rome; it's kind of sketchy in some places.
And while you're there, learn some italian! Si puo' parlare quando ritorni! Buon Viaggo!
Boo teacher, Yay shorts.
lol I wish I was going. A friends little sister is going.
I wish I got to go to Italy.
I agree. My middle school social studies teacher and my current theology teacher are two of the best i have ever had. They have really challenged me to think more than other teachers. In fact, i consider them both to be friends of mine.Quote:
Originally Posted by stinkyattic