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Public Ed Again:
In a previous essay on so called in home education I indicated
a necessity to take another look at public education. I said that
public schools do a mediocre job of teaching the three R's. I
need to make clear that this is not always the case. There are
some outstanding exceptions. However, I believe it is the general
case. Furthermore, I believe it has always been the general case.
I remember my own time back in seventh and eights grades. It was many years ago, but I do have a heck of a memory. In one class I had a math teacher, a Mrs. Foster, who had the task of teaching algebra to me and other students. I used to sit at my desk and listen to her lecture.
I remember one day, when I suddenly realized, with some shock, that she was not lecturing. She was reading to us from the math text. I had the text in front of me and I was able to follow along word for word. I realized that I could read the text by myself and learn it a bit faster. After that, I was a bit ahead of the class. I was one of those weird kids who liked the challenge of math.
It was years later when I came to understand that reading to us was the only way Foster could teach. She did not know algebra any better than I did at that time and she never would. She had been teaching it for years and still did not understand it. That was why her tests only contained problems from the book. I have pointed out this problem before. In general, K-12 teachers are not required to be trained in the subjects which they teach. Hence, most of them are not.
Even so, I believe that the major problem with schools is not teachers. There will always be good ones and bad ones. The real problem is the system itself, because the system is based on testing and levels rather than learning and understanding. In an ideal educational environment The teacher's attitude would be, "Tell me where you want to go and I'll help you find the way. Tell me what you are interested in and I'll help you to understand it."
One of the major problems teachers have now is that they are locked into a rigid system which is based on passing tests and changing levels rather than learning. We have tests, not to demonstrate that the students have learned anything, but that they have memorized the test. We have levels of achievement which must be met and satisfied willy-nilly. Never mind the interests or aptitudes of the students. We have this mold, you see. Everyone must fit.
Testing is one big thing which is wrong with public schools. This is especially true for the way it is done in Michigan. The tests go on for hours and days. The kids are exposed to levels of stress that most of them will never again experience in real life. That is unconscionable on the face of it. We should stop the teachers from teaching kids how to pass tests and teach them instead to think. I think most teachers would like to do that. However, our current methods of testing and funding do not allow that.
I believe that there has never been a generalized test devised which could really demonstrate understanding. I don't think it is possible to create one. You can only do that with projects, not tests. So let's not be to hard on the teachers. They are working under a government controlled parody of an educational system.
Instead of tests we should have projects which challenge the kids to excel. They should have a whole semester to do the project. There should not be extreme pressure for a few days. They should have time to plan, design, build, and test. Creativity should count big. Again, however, this is not possible under our current structured system.
Another problem which teachers face, is this bible thumper's attempt to transfer responsibility for fundamentalist religious indoctrination to the school system. The proper tasks of the educational system is to teach skills across the board. Education must teach secular things, not spiritual value systems. Among the proper subjects for a secular system are the three R's and basic social skills; getting along with other people. A grounding in spiritual values is a proper function of the home.
The other proper function of the home is the emotional nurturing of the children. Why do kids fail to adapt? Kids need two things; emotional support and spiritual grounding. Those must come from the home. They cannot come from anywhere else. When we find kids who have failed to adapt, like the kids in Littleton, we will find that they have been short changed at home in at least one of these requirements.
These are basic. To be sure, beyond these basics are other needs, which should be met. However, a kid can handle deprivation of almost any form or magnitude if these two basics are generously fulfilled.
About the kids abilities, you could do worse than assume that your kid is a genius. For the kid, believing is a large part of it. To excel, the kids must first believe in themselves. This gives them permission to be creative. They are not likely to get that kind of encouragement in the public system. Again, this is a proper function of the home.
School teachers in general do not encourage the truly creative kids because the truly creative kids are troublemakers. They will not, cannot, conform. They ask too many questions and they are not likely to accept BS answers. They are not willing to be put off. So, instead, they will more that likely be put down.
Usually, we will find that the kids who are encouraged in public schools are the suck ups; the conformers; the so called precocious children. The teachers put these kids up in front of their peers as an example of how to be. They always do what they are told. They never question authority. In fact, they don't question at all. They memorize and beg for approval. Most of all, they don't cause problems.
I don't see the schools changing anytime soon. So, as long as the schools are such as they are now, it is imperative for the home to supplement the public education of the kids. The parents must be responsible for supplementing their own kids education. The schools can lay the foundation, but, if you want you kids to excel, you must support that at home.
There is a great deal more to be said about education. I will
deal with these issues again in my upcoming book on political
issues, "The Gaffer's Platform." It will be a complete
critique of American political and social systems. I expect to
first present this book as a series of essays in my column. Later
they will be edited and bound into a book.
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