UK vs US, Education Compared

"
Doctor" is a word that literally means "teacher" - someone qualified to teach their area of knowledge. Not necessarily medicine. The use became frequent in the early Universities back in Medieval days, where it first became an academic rank.

However, physicians were called by various titles in different languages. e.g fisiceach in old Irish. Ireland has a history of physician training that goes back to pre-Christian days, when each qualified doctor was required to be training no less than four students at any one time. Hospitals also go back to pre-Christian times. the founding date of the first, somewhat obscured by myth, is held to be 393, BCE. I believe the original Irish word is an-speadal.

Getting back to Doctors, there are the Church Doctors of the Roman Catholic Church - most of whom were learned people who had little or nothing to do with medicine. Recent additions are John of Avila and Hildegard of Bingen, added by Pope Benedict XVI in 2016. St. Hildegard is one of my favourite figures of early German literature. Like all early German writers - before about 1200 CE - she wrote her works in Latin. She was also an accomplished music composer, whose music is still played today. A highly cerebral and also imaginative and creative lady. Not your average nun. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hildegard_of_Bingen

Many kinds of Doctors graduate from Universities today. It was the same centuries ago, as well.

 

Sorry. The date was Oct 7, 2012.

 

Another interesting example of an early non-medical Doctor, called "Doctor Mirabilis" - "Wonderful Teacher." English Philosopher Roger Bacon, ca. 1220 - ca 1292 - here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Bacon

 

Not so much anymore, but I used to deal with a lot of lawyers. In my experience, those who insist the J.D. is a “real doctorate” are usually pompous asses, and go into vapor lock when asked “Then why are there TWO higher law degrees if the J.D. is a doctorate?”

 

Many students in US can do their gen ed classes (and lower-level major classes) in high school as well, through Dual Enrollment (or AP, or IB, or AICE). My 14-year-old Eagle Scout is registering for her first college course this summer, as a rising Sophomore.

 

Regarding the JD as a doctorate, context is key.

The term "doctor" can have an academic source and a professional source.

The JD is a first professional doctorate*. However, in the professional setting, attorneys are not called "doctor."

In academia, the JD is treated equally with other doctorates. It is not, for example, necessary to hold a "higher" law doctorate in order to be appointed as a professor, gain tenure, etc. The JD does just fine for that. And it isn't uncommon for such professors to be called "doctor" in that setting, because they are.

(*This is not to be confused with a professional doctorate, which is an academic doctorate with a contribution to practice, not scholarship.)

 

I know that AP and the like exist, Stanislav, and I think they're great programs. One question. Do they cost extra? In the Brit or Euro systems , the "gen ed." portion that doesn't have to be repeated in University is done at publicly-funded high school. "You Pays yer taxes and yer kids git their schoolin', " Does this apply also to US advance college study? Or are there tuition fees? Just curious. No axe to grind.

 

I guess depends on the state, or even district. In Florida, the state pushes acceleration mechanisms pretty hard, and they don't cost extra. Every school district has to offer at least something out of the diet of DE, AP, IB or AICE; every state college has to give access to dually enrolled students, and all costs are covered (even book rental). At our high school, that's AP and DE. For Grade 10, we're trying to take AP Psych, College Algebra, and College Composition. Computer literacy and Intro Spanish I for Summer.
P. S. I believe there was a fee for DE classes in Texas. APs are high school classes, so they're covered; not sure about testing - didn't get to that point.

 

Good info. Thanks.

 

No problem, I'll be extremely critical of the Canadian provincial educational systems for you. I have more beef with this topic than most and I'm fired up about it.

Secondary school systems specifically, they don't bother teaching workplace English, such as how to write an appropriate E-mail or how not to get banned on forums, meanwhile they have no qualms about teaching boatloads of Shakespeare with his made up language, PseudoEnglish. That's right, the PseudoEnglish he pulled out of thin air was never used as lingua franca. Look it up. I got so bored and frustrated with it I brought a Coles Notes book to school and whenever the teacher asked a question I was the only one to answer, and when she would ask "what do you think Shakespeare meant in this stanza?" I would pick up the book in the most obvious manner possible and read what Coles notes said about it. After I asked the teacher why oh why teach us this when grade 9, 10, 11, and 12 classes in college "C" and university "U" course codes never taught how to write an E-mail delivering bad news. Yes, that's right, you read it correctly, I took 8 English courses. All crap. I super do not care one drop in the ocean about it, teach something people will use IRL.

They don't teach personal or business finance. WHY?! People are illiterate about money as a result. Should be 100% mandatory. Caught up in reading Coles Notes to understand Shakespeare I guess.

Mandatory French classes. Again, WHY!? If you don't want to be taught Quebecois French by a teacher who cannot pronounce Baguette, why oh why would I find any motivation to learn the language? Also, I still boldly remember when Quebec was happy to tare apart Canada in the referendum but the rest of the country said "Non-way." There are so many other places to have a happy time visiting and learning culture, but yet we waste time with that. We're very monolingual with reason.

Teach us how to write in the workplace ("IRL"), money, and global cultures, and please for the love of sanity absolutely banish Shakespeare to optional "literature" courses and make mandatory French courses absolutely optional and online taught by actual professionals. In fact, all of these non-value courses, move them to TVO's online learning, that way all school boards, especially ones without a lot of resources can benefit the students with a desire to learn these topics that are not suitable for mandatory requirements. The other provinces should take note of this too.

Can't get competent teachers for teaching in your school board? No problem, get payment to the online accredited teaching schools and have done with it. Stop wasting peoples' time. Yes I and my classmates lost sleep over why they did taught what we didn't need for many years, it wasn't just me, it was the talk of the times, and I am almost certain the teachers, principles, and board representatives knew fine well and just kicked the can down the hallway because why not? we're getting our pay, screw everyone else.

Not that I'm bitter, but yeah I'm bitter. Maybe private schooling would have been more on-point, but this is seriously something that needs to be dealt with some true fortitude. If I was hired as a trustee, you can bet your last dollar I would waste no time in changes mentioned above, I don't even care what red-tape they would put up in-front of me. It would be dead-simple to get parents and students alike on board in no time flat.