I'm a bit contrarian on this issue. Over the last 50 years, I've spent a fair amount of time visiting schools of various flavors to assess performance. I definitely agree that we need an overhaul, but not the sort of overhaul the Nazi Party wants.
Keeping it brief, I have found public schools are now low security prisons where kids ar…
I'm a bit contrarian on this issue. Over the last 50 years, I've spent a fair amount of time visiting schools of various flavors to assess performance. I definitely agree that we need an overhaul, but not the sort of overhaul the Nazi Party wants.
Keeping it brief, I have found public schools are now low security prisons where kids are taught to be afraid, very afraid, of everything, and look to armed thugs for protection - which trust is replaced by confusion when something happens and all the armed thugs vanish rather than protect. Oh, I didn't mention education. The education sucks. The curriculum is dictated by multiple layers of committees, none of whom are educators. Teachers are excluded from planning and ignored when they try to help.
Every "best teacher" award I have seen in the last 40 years went to a bright, young, enthusiastic teacher. I can't think of any other industry where the performance awards are won by the NEW employees. When I was in school, award winning teachers were those with at least 20 years. The teachers I know, all say the same thing, they either do as commanded or they are gone. A good friend teaches at a charter school. She's brilliant, but has no teaching degree. I suspect she's a good teacher, but they hired her because she will accept lower pay than a professional teacher, and she took the job because her kids get to attend free, and they can car pool.
Then came COVID and teaching ZOOMED to the internet. I've discussed with kids 10 to 25 and they all say the same thing, it's great for some things, lousy for other things, and in general, they prefer a classroom. HOWEVER, I found one who loves learning online. She's the only kid living where the teachers were told to set it up. Everywhere else, the teacher-free committees hired teacher-free advising salesmen to decide.
So, my point is we need to update education. Do it in public schools, close the schools and go online, send robots with text books to all the kids, I don't care, but LET THE TEACHERS EVALUATE WHAT IS AVAILABLE. I can guarantee you that almost every professional teacher would recommend they be replaced with textbook carrying robots if that worked best for the children. The intelligence and effort required to get a teaching degree would easily earn a higher paying degree, and teachers know this, so we know they are committed to children.
Interesting thoughts. Updating education seems to be an incredibly daunting task especially at this point in our history. Because we face an overwhelming civil divide between right and left values, how do we update our education system without imposing an ideological agenda that biases the curriculum to the right or the left ... which really is the thing that breeds the fear I think you're talking about. How does the updating process teach critical thought skills so that the best teachers are rewarded for helping kids discern the difference between truth and opinion? Or good from evil? Or liberty from license? And inspire kids with an understanding of rights that come with exceptionally profound responsibilities? It seems without these things, I believe the future of education will be ideological training mills.
Sounds good! Maybe a little Dostoevsky and Solzhenitsyn to remind students the horrifying dangers of an ever imposing socialism can justify just about anything to achieve its ideological objectives.
I'm a bit contrarian on this issue. Over the last 50 years, I've spent a fair amount of time visiting schools of various flavors to assess performance. I definitely agree that we need an overhaul, but not the sort of overhaul the Nazi Party wants.
Keeping it brief, I have found public schools are now low security prisons where kids are taught to be afraid, very afraid, of everything, and look to armed thugs for protection - which trust is replaced by confusion when something happens and all the armed thugs vanish rather than protect. Oh, I didn't mention education. The education sucks. The curriculum is dictated by multiple layers of committees, none of whom are educators. Teachers are excluded from planning and ignored when they try to help.
Every "best teacher" award I have seen in the last 40 years went to a bright, young, enthusiastic teacher. I can't think of any other industry where the performance awards are won by the NEW employees. When I was in school, award winning teachers were those with at least 20 years. The teachers I know, all say the same thing, they either do as commanded or they are gone. A good friend teaches at a charter school. She's brilliant, but has no teaching degree. I suspect she's a good teacher, but they hired her because she will accept lower pay than a professional teacher, and she took the job because her kids get to attend free, and they can car pool.
Then came COVID and teaching ZOOMED to the internet. I've discussed with kids 10 to 25 and they all say the same thing, it's great for some things, lousy for other things, and in general, they prefer a classroom. HOWEVER, I found one who loves learning online. She's the only kid living where the teachers were told to set it up. Everywhere else, the teacher-free committees hired teacher-free advising salesmen to decide.
So, my point is we need to update education. Do it in public schools, close the schools and go online, send robots with text books to all the kids, I don't care, but LET THE TEACHERS EVALUATE WHAT IS AVAILABLE. I can guarantee you that almost every professional teacher would recommend they be replaced with textbook carrying robots if that worked best for the children. The intelligence and effort required to get a teaching degree would easily earn a higher paying degree, and teachers know this, so we know they are committed to children.
Interesting thoughts. Updating education seems to be an incredibly daunting task especially at this point in our history. Because we face an overwhelming civil divide between right and left values, how do we update our education system without imposing an ideological agenda that biases the curriculum to the right or the left ... which really is the thing that breeds the fear I think you're talking about. How does the updating process teach critical thought skills so that the best teachers are rewarded for helping kids discern the difference between truth and opinion? Or good from evil? Or liberty from license? And inspire kids with an understanding of rights that come with exceptionally profound responsibilities? It seems without these things, I believe the future of education will be ideological training mills.
Here's a start: teach Shakespeare. All Shakespeare. Only Shakespeare. That'll about cover it.
Sounds good! Maybe a little Dostoevsky and Solzhenitsyn to remind students the horrifying dangers of an ever imposing socialism can justify just about anything to achieve its ideological objectives.