I'm always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught

 from 250 conversation starters

240. Does having a holiday off increase or decrease productivity at work?  increase, dramastically. Everybody needs a guaranteed day off now and then. Something to look forward to, to anticipate with relish, to rush through, and then to look back on with vague regret (for not enjoying more or "being more productive"). 

241. If some of the lesser-known holidays were commercialized, what would that look like?  foil-wrapped chocolate Columbus heads? I'm not sure any commercialization of Indigenous People would be where we'd be wanting to go.... 

242. If you could invent a holiday, what would that be like—traditions, food, etc.?  I don't care about the traditions or the food, just so long as there would be a day off from work between New Years Day and Easter

243. What do you think of online education?  love it. I can focus so much better when I'm not surrounded by other people competing for my attention. When I'm able to take a class completely on my own time, then I can structure my own day rather than aligning to someone else's schedule. It's the ideal way for me to learn. As much as I loved school, I would have been a much better, and more successful, student if I'd had an online option!

244. What do you think of standardized tests?  I think they're great, and to some extent I cannot understand why people are so freaked out by them. The ones that kids take in elementary or high school are a measure of how well they are being taught, not "how smart they are." It doesn't really end up in your "permanent file" to follow you through life. The ones that are taken to get into college or beyond ... well, they're a bigger deal, but there's still not all that much point in getting upset about them. Apart from learning how the tests are formatted so you know what to expect, there is almost no point in preparing for them; too much cramming can have the effect of shoving the info that you needed out the other side of your head. Relax, trust your instincts, and breathe. It's only a test. 

245. Are bigger or smaller schools better? smaller

246. Is teaching a skill that can be taught?  some aspects of it can be taught, but I think it's somewhat like parenting—to do it well, you have to want to do it

248. What do you think of homeschooling?  like it or not, it is the future of education. We're cycling back around to a more Amish way of life.

249. How can governments make education more efficient?  give them more money and then leave them alone

250. How has the education you received changed your life?  that word "received" is disturbing. Education is about the journey, not the destination. And it's something that I did, not that was done to me.

251. How can technology improve or hurt education?  yes. It helps because like it or not, children of this country have to be familiar with emerging technology. It hurts because the focus on technology detracts from some basic skills that are also needed. Life is not all flash and bang; some of it is content.

254. What is your favorite cuisine or type of food?  Greek

255. What foods do you absolutely hate?  sour cream, braunschweiger (or pretty much anything with visible fat), and grapefruit

256. What do you think of buffets? they are doomed, and for good reason

[from here; the title quotation is by Winston Churchill]