Despotic tyranny ruined my life

[davywavy]

I don't know if you caught this one; A-level Modern History students complaining that their final exam was 'too hard' because it contained the question “How far do you agree that Hitler’s role 1933-45 was one of despotic tyranny?”.
Their complaint isn't about it being a badly worded question despite 'despot' and 'tyrant' being somewhat tautologous, but because they actually didn't know what despot or tyrant actually meant. A facebook group to protest about the question ("Despotic tyranny ruined my life") has over 1,600 members which, when you consider that 6,000 people took the exam, suggests that a quarter or more of 18 year old history students - people with a self-declared interest in the subject, who might want to study history at university and then get a job presenting Time Team - have a vocabulary which didn't include what I would consider fairly basic governmental terms for pretty much the entirety of recorded human history.

I can see them now; the massed ranks of students in the exam hall, pens a-quiver and eager of neuron to display their hard-gained knowledge. Then, the words "Turn your papers over now". A rustling fills the room followed by...silence. There, spitefully inserted into an A-Level history question about Hitler, the word 'Despot'. Their formerly gleaming eyes dull into glazed incomprehension. As one, their mouths fall open like so many fish and thin trickles of drool begin to collect in their laps. Once-pristine knuckles sprout thick hair and slip to rest upon the ground.

I'm hardly the sharpest tool in the box (my academic record speaks for itself in its unremitting mediocrity) but if I hadn't known what a Despot was when I was 18, I wouldn't have joined groups to complain about it; I'd've kept it damn quiet. I'd've been embarrassed. Perhaps I'd've thought that this gap in my knowledge was at least in part my own responsibility. I didn't even study History to that level, and I think there was little chance of my being asked about the despotic tyranny of Hydrogen over the periodic table in my Chemistry final.

I know some of you lot out there are teachers - what the devil? Can you shed any light on this for me?

Updated from cavalorn: Nice to see groups appearing expressing a contrary position.

Comments

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Somewhere along the lines there seems to have been a divorce from Education and Aspiration. I think it's probably caused by a number of factors; continuous testing making people percieve learning as a chore rather than a pleasure, no obvious link between work and reward, no identification of and nuturing of talent and the fact that unemployment hasn't fallen in the last decade are all probably contributory.

[(Anonymous)]

Game theory does suggest that not contribution to society is a smart choice, if society does not retain the option contribution based rewards.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

So, basically, what you're saying is that if the teat never stops you suckling, then there is no incentive to go and find your own food?
Wow, radical.

[(Anonymous)]

Hell yes, in fact , I'd go as far as to say that if you keep children superglued to the carpet, they never learn to walk.

Trust me, I've tried it.

[fonnparr.livejournal.com]

I thought that was the ceiling.

[twicedead.livejournal.com]

...and the fact our society celebrates people for non-academic things (sport, singing, boobs) and not academic things. One of the most common aspirations for school kids is to be a star.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was thinking of that after I posted.
Did you know that the pension/retirement provision plans for almost 15% of the population involve winning the lottery?

[(Anonymous)]

I was going to suggest statistics wasn't their strong point, then I realised that you do actually stand a chance of winning the lottery, wheras teh Broon has pinched our pensions and spent the money on sherbert dabs.

Not such a dumb idea, that lottery.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

It's actually quite a sobering thought, realising that you have a greater chance of winning the lottery than getting a pension out of your Nationalal Insurance payments, isn't it?

[robinbloke.livejournal.com]

I whole heartedly support the "Drink yourself to death" pension plan.

[gnommi.livejournal.com]

but we can all be whatever we want these days!
i can be an astronaut even if i can't add up!