Tag archives for school

  1. Humility

    Back in high school and undergrad, I was an excellent student: high marks, attended every class, and generally did what a model student ought to do.1 I was also pretty cocky — at least in the narrow domain of academic related things. Although I didn’t think myself as being smarter than others (just having a…

  2. Khan Academy

    After being in school for more than 20 years, I realized that most things aren’t that difficult.  They just seem difficult because you haven’t learned them yet (alternatively, because they are taught in a poor manner).  As Charlie Munger always says, if you have the fundamental mental models from the various important disciplines, then you…

  3. Incentives and Marks

    Incentives can be powerful things especially for the worse.  Here’s one professor’s story on why he’s not a professor anymore.  A particularly interesting excerpt is on the subject of “scaling” marks: “However there are lots of ways round this little problem. One of them is doctoring the marks.  Except its not called ‘doctoring’ its called…

  4. Incentives

    “Well I think I’ve been in the top 5% of my age cohort all my life in understanding the power of incentives, and all my life I’ve underestimated it. And never a year passes getting some surprise that pushes my limit a little farther.” Charlie Munger It’s strange how just by reading the news everyday…

  5. Give Yourself A Chance

    Back in Grade 8, we had an assignment to recreate the trial of Louis Riel.  I remember clearly that I wanted to be the judge because I thought I would be good at it thinking I was honest, logical and fair.  But it turned out I was assigned as a lawyer instead.  Now a lawyer…