Okay, you did not have a classical education. I did.

It starts in year 1 when you are 6 or 7 years old. Then for the next 6 or 7 years, you learn foundational knowledge - a lot of it by rote. You learn arithmetic by memory. You learn to spell - starting with 3 words a day in year one and ending in 12 words a day in year 7. At the end of every week, you are tested on what you know.

At year end, you write exams. if you don't pass (less than 50%), you stay behind and repeat the year.

After that, for the next 5 or 6 years, you learn how to use that knowledge. You might be asked what the lessons were of the French revolution, and you would have to write a three or four page essay using the knowledge you learned to draw conclusions.

The entire point of having a classical education is to learn to reason, to find knowledge, We were given a solid foundation so that we could build on it for the rest of our lives.

In junior school, we learnt to cook, sew, knit, draw, sing, do art, history, geography, arithmetic, two languages, hygiene, and many other things. These things have stood me in good stead for a life time.

I'm sorry America had such a poor education system, but when I was educated in South Africa, it was regarded as one of the finest education systems in the world.

I have no time for empathy. I think it's overrated. I believe in living according to principle The problem with empathy is that the majority of people do not go around feeling empathetic for humanity. If people have to base their actions on their emotions, we're screwed. One bases one's actions on principle - do not harm others.

Obviously we were taught how to differentiate facts from fiction. That was already taking place by year 5.

I have no idea what you mean by art and products. I did notice (and was appalled) when I went to college in my mid-50s in America that I was relearning stuff that I learnt in junior school 45 years earlier. And a lot of the stuff taught was wrong. College in the States has a very low standard. I also noticed that business dictated to the education system. In the UK, the education system dictates to business.

When you write, it is best to break up what you say in small paragraphs so the eye can follow. This is part of having a good education as well.